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Microsoft's Bing to Replace Google As Default Search Engine on iPhone?
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Rotten Apple
For phone calls and text messages, I use a Nokia too (6300). For emails, podcasts and all sorts of useless stuff, I use a jailbroken iPhone 3G. For navigation, I use my dedicated Garmin unit. For music, I use my Creative players. My brother's daughter loves a few games and language-related apps on it, but otherwise, it is surprising, how little usage my iPhone got recently. So after all, its usability comes down to how good it is. Frankly, with limited battery life, poor sound, no autofocus, a poor camera and pathetic video recording capabilities; the iPhone has lost its lead. But for me, iTunes is the deciding factor against a future iPhone upgrade.
Fortunately, I purchased the handset on a 'pay-as-you-go' prepaid card and I got a years' worth of free mobile internet with it. Otherwise, I would feel stupid that for such a few extra features, I paid over the odds and ignored the iPod Touch. For friends, I now recommend HTC smartphones. I saw a few recently and they make my iPhone look and feel embarrassingly outdated.
But it is surprising, how many very disappointed and angry former Apple fans I know. Sadly, from a hip and cool alternative company, Apple seems to have become a corporate monster.
For phone calls and text messages, I use a Nokia too (6300). For emails, podcasts and all sorts of useless stuff, I use a jailbroken iPhone 3G. For navigation, I use my dedicated Garmin unit. For music, I use my Creative players. My brother's daughter loves a few games and language-related apps on it, but otherwise, it is surprising, how little usage my iPhone got recently. So after all, its usability comes down to how good it is. Frankly, with limited battery life, poor sound, no autofocus, a poor camera and pathetic video recording capabilities; the iPhone has lost its lead. But for me, iTunes is the deciding factor against a future iPhone upgrade.
Fortunately, I purchased the handset on a 'pay-as-you-go' prepaid card and I got a years' worth of free mobile internet with it. Otherwise, I would feel stupid that for such a few extra features, I paid over the odds and ignored the iPod Touch. For friends, I now recommend HTC smartphones. I saw a few recently and they make my iPhone look and feel embarrassingly outdated.
But it is surprising, how many very disappointed and angry former Apple fans I know. Sadly, from a hip and cool alternative company, Apple seems to have become a corporate monster.
Just tried in Safari, the maps render using Silverlight and the transition from maps to satellite to bird's eye is pretty smooth...
http://www.bing.com/maps/explore/
You must have huge pockets.
Like, um, every other electronic device on the planet? Particularly competing products in the smartphone category?
The upward path of sales numbers seems to indicate you and your friends are an anomaly. I never think Apple is perfect, but they're the best thing going right now (and the market seems to agree).
Hey, I say use what works best for you and enjoy it. I've not been as impressed with the HTC devices I've tried as you have.
You can develop for windows on any os and with a variety of dev kits, api's and languages. You can engineer any hardware you want as long as you can write a driver. No ridiculous conditions either like the os having to support blu Ray. It worked on xp as long as you had the right graphics card and driver
You can also develop for the mac on any OS and with a variety of dev kits, api's and languages. You can engineer any hardware you want for the mac as long as you can write a driver. There is third party blu ray support for mac. It (whatever "it" is) will work on mac as long as you have the right graphics card and driver.
Stella's original comment was aimed at the iPhone, not OS X. You can do all those things on OS X too. The OS doesn't need support for blu-ray, you just need to write a driver for it. In fact, OS X already supports Blu-ray drives, Blu-ray burners and now through 3rd parties, Blu-ray movie playback.
How does iPhone "lock in users?" It seems to me it supports lots of non-Apple file formats/data sources (exchange, mp3 files, etc).
I'm not sure I get it. We were talking about MS using proprietary/non-standard file formats. Allowing a single source of apps is annoying and despicable, but that's not what's meant by "locking in" users. Locking in refers to the idea that once you start using a device/OS/software program, your data is stuck, typically because of the use of proprietary, patent-locked file formats that cannot be used by any other software and lack of decent import/export.
You must have huge pockets.
...Like, um, every other electronic device on the planet? Particularly competing products in the smartphone category?
GPS: £80-ish with Western European maps. Creative music players: Zen Stone for jogging and car (sub-£30), Zen Vision M: years old, iPod Classic category. Nokia 6300: again, purchased on pay-as-you-go (£100-ish) as I get a company package with a SIM. iPhone 3G: £340, including 1 year free wifi on pay-as-you-go. You don't have to have huge pockets to enjoy tech. I regularly sell my computers too (and my cars). It's just the principle that ownership is relative and these things have real benefit if they let you to be financially independent. With houses, it is more difficult to take this approach. So whatever I save by not keeping gadgets, cars and computers for long goes in the bank. Whatever I did and whatever I earned, I was always proud to have a frugal lifestyle. These gadgets will be forgotten, but holiday memories and a secure life will always matter more.
I admit that I never owned a HTC. But honestly, those screens and the design made me want one. It is possible that they have poor battery life. Nevertheless, an iPhone needing 2 charges a day when moderately used rings some bells.
About the Apple-scepticism... It is not difficult to see that despite the growing sales, many people have major issues with Apple Inc. Not just with their hardware/software limitations but with their corporate identity.
I know. I'm not saying I agree with Stella's point. I'm just saying that is what it was.
You must have huge pockets.
Like, um, every other electronic device on the planet? Particularly competing products in the smartphone category?
Actually, other smartphone batteries DO last longer than iPhone, even when they are connected up to 3G internet all day et al.
iPhone has a reputation for poor battery. Friends who have it almost immediately say - iPhone is nice - but the battery life sucks hard.
When it comes to file format - sure, Apple uses open standards, even on iPhone - thus better than microsoft.
( I'm not getting side tracked with the whole AppStore / iPhone - its not the forum for it!
)When it comes to OSX - yup, Apple is very open - developer / user freedom.
I think they should allow us to choose what search engine we want to use, It shouldent be something they choose for us.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.......
Give this guy his own sitcom!
I think you just got caught in your own bashing there.
All it requires is SilverLight. Seems pretty platform independent from there. That 3d view to me seems basically the same as google earth so requiring it is the same as needing google earth to view 3D.
So you derailed the thread with huge piece of completely wrong information.
And google interface is not boring.
Sorry but that argument is just stupid when the alternative has a very boring interface as well.
Silverlight is platform independant ? Really ? News to me. Seems it runs on platforms MS decides to support and nothing else.
And please, pretty please, don't say Moonlight... they're about 2 versions behind the current Silverlight and will be constantly playing catch up.
That's not my definition of platform independance.
And btw no, Stella is right. The 3D view requires ActiveX :
Ok it is about plate form independent as Google Earth. Silverlight works on a mac. I do not know about linux has I do not have linux installed on any of my computers