A Black Hole of Happiness

[pony_trekker]

Originally posted by ThurgreedMarshall
Gotta have it.
______________
The phone is so sleek and thin, it makes Treos and BlackBerrys look obese. The glass gets smudgy—a sleeve wipes it clean—but it doesn’t scratch easily. I’ve walked around with an iPhone in my pocket for two weeks, naked and unprotected (the iPhone, that is, not me), and there’s not a mark on it.

But the bigger achievement is the software. It’s fast, beautiful, menu-free, and dead simple to operate. You can’t get lost, because the solitary physical button below the screen always opens the Home page, arrayed with icons for the iPhone’s 16 functions.

You’ve probably seen Apple’s ads, showing how things on the screen have a physics all their own. Lists scroll with a flick of your finger, CD covers flip over as you flick them, e-mail messages collapse down into a trash can. Sure, it’s eye candy. But it makes the phone fun to use, which is not something you can say about most cellphones.

Apple has chosen AT&T (formerly Cingular) to be the iPhone’s exclusive carrier for the next few years, in part because the company gave Apple carte blanche to revise everything people hate about cellphones.

For example, you don’t sign up for service in a phone store, under pressure from the sales staff. You peruse and choose a plan at your leisure, in the iTunes software on your computer.

Better yet, unlimited Internet service adds only $20 a month to AT&T’s voice-plan prices, about half what BlackBerry and Treo owners pay. For example, $60 gets you 450 talk minutes, 200 text messages and unlimited Internet; $80 doubles that talk time. The iPhone requires one of these voice-and-Internet plans and a two-year commitment.

On the iPhone, you don’t check your voice mail; it checks you. One button press reveals your waiting messages, listed like e-mail. There’s no dialing in, no password — and no sleepy robot intoning, “You...have...twenty...one...messages.”

To answer a call, you can tap Answer on the screen, or pinch the microscopic microphone bulge on the white earbud cord. Either way, music or video playback pauses until you hang up. (When you’re listening to music, that pinch pauses the song. A double-pinch advances to the next song.)

Making a call, though, can take as many as six steps: wake the phone, unlock its buttons, summon the Home screen, open the Phone program, view the Recent Calls or speed-dial list, and select a name. Call quality is only average, and depends on the strength of your AT&T signal.

E-mail is fantastic. Incoming messages are fully formatted, complete with graphics; you can even open (but not edit) Word, Excel and PDF documents.

The Web browser, though, is the real dazzler. This isn’t some stripped-down, claustrophobic My First Cellphone Browser; you get full Web layouts, fonts and all, shrunk to fit the screen. You scroll with a fingertip —much faster than scroll bars. You can double-tap to enlarge a block of text for reading, or rotate the screen 90 degrees, which rotates and magnifies the image to fill the wider view.

Finally, you can enlarge a Web page—or an e-mail message, or a photo—by spreading your thumb and forefinger on the glass. The image grows as though it’s on a sheet of latex.

The iPhone is also an iPod. When in its U.S.B. charging cradle, the iPhone slurps in music, videos and photos from your Mac or Windows PC. Photos, movies and even YouTube videos look spectacular on the bright 3.5-inch very-high-resolution screen.

The Google Maps module lets you view street maps or aerial photos for any address. It can provide driving directions, too. It’s not real G.P.S. — the iPhone doesn’t actually know where you are — so you tap the screen when you’re ready for the next driving instruction.

But how’s this for a consolation prize? Free live traffic reporting, indicated by color-coded roads on the map.

Apple says one battery charge is enough for 8 hours of calls, 7 hours of video or 24 hours of audio. My results weren’t quite as impressive: I got 5 hours of video and 23 hours of audio, probably because I didn’t turn off the phone, Wi-Fi and other features, as Apple did in its tests. In practice, you’ll probably wind up recharging about every other day.
________________

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/te...hp&oref=slogin

TM

That's a killer price plan. Enough for me to leave my verzion plan intact for the family and just add the iphone, basically for internet and a phone number they don't know at work.

And watching the activation video shows me why Apple's a head of the curve.

Activating the thing through itunes is slick -- you can even port over your current number (I would rather not) or home number as easily as buying a tune on itunes.

TM, I guess we'll be hitting that 5th Avenue Store that night, eh?

[pony_trekker]

Originally posted by SlaveNoMore
In other words, the iPhone sucks as a phone.

Hello, Boss, I can't hear you! Be in later!

[SlaveNoMore]

ThurgreedMarshall
You'll have one in less than two years.

TM

More like two months, but if and only if the employer pays for it.

[ThurgreedMarshall]

Originally posted by SlaveNoMore
More like two months, but if and only if the employer pays for it.

So, two years.

TM

[greatwhitenorthchick]

Originally posted by ThurgreedMarshall
"$60 gets you 450 talk minutes, 200 text messages and unlimited Internet"

TM

hmm. I should learn to read.

[dtb]

I'm sitting in my kitchen watching three hot, shirtless college guys weed my garden.

I mean, it's not free Chinese-guy labor, but I doubt I'd get the Mrs. Robinson thrill watching old Mr. Fong (or whatever his name is).

[Tyrone Slothrop]

I know I'm a year late to the party with this, but I thought this was excellent:

[J. Fred Muggs]

Originally posted by dtb
I'm sitting in my kitchen watching three hot, shirtless college guys weed my garden.

I mean, it's not free Chinese-guy labor, but I doubt I'd get the Mrs. Robinson thrill watching old Mr. Fong (or whatever his name is).

Mrs. Robinson? Did I miss something and you're old? I was under the mistaken impression that you were the perfect decade for a woman (30s).

That said, perhaps we can open a debate about what the best age for woman is.

I vote 30s because a) it is damn near impossible to carry on a conversation with a woman of less than 28 without realizing that they were in a single digit age when I graduated high school, b) generally speaking, women in their 30s are more interested in sex and actually know what they want, c) I generally like the physical appearance of women in their 30s who keep themselves in shape (it's easier to tell who is going to let themselves go, because people who are inclined that way will already show evidence).

That said, I'm clearly more interested in their personalities and brain and am not attempting to objectify women. Further, I realize that this is all an academic debate and the real attraction to me is that people under 30 call me "Sir" which makes me feel old.

Lets see if I can kill the board.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally posted by dtb
I'm sitting in my kitchen watching three hot, shirtless college guys weed my garden.

I mean, it's not free Chinese-guy labor, but I doubt I'd get the Mrs. Robinson thrill watching old Mr. Fong (or whatever his name is).

It sounds like you've solved your problems - congrats!

Chinese guy hasn't been around lately, they've been doing some traveling. I spent much of the weekend cutting back some overgrown climbing roses and an out-of-control burning bush, and repairing some masonry (yes, with my shirt off), and noted the beds could use some weeding.

How come college girls don't seem to have summer businesses doing gardening?

[Replaced_Texan]

Originally posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy
It sounds like you've solved your problems - congrats!

Chinese guy hasn't been around lately, they've been doing some traveling. I spent much of the weekend cutting back some overgrown climbing roses and an out-of-control burning bush, and repairing some masonry (yes, with my shirt off), and noted the beds could use some weeding.

How come college girls don't seem to have summer businesses doing gardening?

I resigned myself to the fact that Sunday will likely be dedicated to hacking, slicing and otherwise getting some overgrown bushes somewhat under control.

I suspect, thanks to the bouganvilla, I'll be covered with scratches on Monday.

[dtb]

Originally posted by J. Fred Muggs
Mrs. Robinson? Did I miss something and you're old? I was under the mistaken impression that you were the perfect decade for a woman (30s).

That said, perhaps we can open a debate about what the best age for woman is.

I vote 30s because a) it is damn near impossible to carry on a conversation with a woman of less than 28 without realizing that they were in a single digit age when I graduated high school, b) generally speaking, women in their 30s are more interested in sex and actually know what they want, c) I generally like the physical appearance of women in their 30s who keep themselves in shape (it's easier to tell who is going to let themselves go, because people who are inclined that way will already show evidence).

That said, I'm clearly more interested in their personalities and brain and am not attempting to objectify women. Further, I realize that this is all an academic debate and the real attraction to me is that people under 30 call me "Sir" which makes me feel old.

Lets see if I can kill the board.

I like the cut of your jib, sir. It's been a while since I've been referred to as perfect anything -- so I'll take perfect age.

[dtb]

Originally posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy
It sounds like you've solved your problems - congrats!

And how! In addition, I have had some free labor from a lady down the street and another hot guy who's new to the neighborhood. I pay them in beer. But it could be that it would be cheaper to pay the guy in cash. Hmmm.

Originally posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy
an out-of-control burning bush

I hear penicillin takes care of that - badumBUM.

Seriously, though, the woman who has done some volunteer weeding in my yard told me that you can't sell a burning bush in my state, because it's classified as invasive. (She works in a nursery, so she knows these things.) But I can hop across the border to lawless NY and get one if I want. But I have a few already, and if they're invasive, I'm sure I'll have a few more soon.

Too bad you can't use the leaves in mojitos.

Originally posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy
How come college girls don't seem to have summer businesses doing gardening?

Because they don't want pervy old guys staring at them?

Luckily, college boys don't have those same inhibitions. The shirtless-ier the better, as far as I can tell.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by dtb
Seriously, though, the woman who has done some volunteer weeding in my yard told me that you can't sell a burning bush in my state, because it's classified as invasive. (She works in a nursery, so she knows these things.) But I can hop across the border to lawless NY and get one if I want. But I have a few already, and if they're invasive, I'm sure I'll have a few more soon.

If she works in a nursery, AND is doing "volunteer" weeding in your yard, one of two things- either she is one horrible nursery worker- (if that's her job why is she doing it for free?), OR your yard is such a mess the neighbors paid her to offer you "free" weeding. If so, she may have made up the story about the burning bush to keep your yard 100% lower maintenece. either way her opinion can't be trusted.

Plant what you want.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
If she works in a nursery, AND is doing "volunteer" weeding in your yard, one of two things- either she is one horrible nursery worker- (if that's her job why is she doing it for free?), OR your yard is such a mess the neighbors paid her to offer to you "free" weeding, and she made up the story about the burning bush to keep your yard 100% lower maintenece. either way her opinion can't be trusted.

Plant what you want.

Or she is gay and sees an opportunity to help a damsel in distress. One never knows where slaying the burning bush might lead.

[Did you just call me Coltrane?]

Originally posted by Replaced_Texan
I resigned myself to the fact that Sunday will likely be dedicated to hacking, slicing and otherwise getting some overgrown bushes somewhat under control.

Going to the esthetician?


Too easy.