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What my iPhone still needs

Manatee

Manatee

Contributor
Original poster
Oct 20, 2003
596
169
Washington DC
I got my iPhone on Friday, 6-July, and cool as it is, I've been keeping a list of what I'm missing, as compared to my Palm Treo and my T-Mobile Dash (HTC 620).

So far...

What’s missing on the iPhone

  • Sync Notes – I keep a lot of important information in Outlook Notes. I need to be able to sync these with my phone. Chapura? You listening?

  • Sync To-Do list – This is pretty important for just about anyone. Again, Chapura could do a great application for this.

  • iChat – Why not? It should have been there from day one.

  • Crossword Puzzle program that works with .puz files – This is just a personal need. I like to download the NY Times puzzle every day.

  • Games – I’d just like some simple games like FreeCell and so forth.

  • Flash support – Come on, it’s ubiquitous on the web. A lot of websites won’t play without it.

  • Word and Excel read and edit program. They are the standards. I’d like to be able to copy these files to and from the iPhone, read them, and possibly edit them. If DataViz could do a nice version of Documents to Go for the iPhone, that would be great, as I love that application.

  • A “slim” sync program for syncing information, but not iTunes. This would be nice for use in the workplace where system administrators don’t want a non-business application like iTunes installed on workstations.

  • Something I wish they’d accomodated in the hardware: A hole at one corner for a hand strap, like on a pocket camera. It would give the user the option of a bit of security when holding the device.


Nice-to-Haves

  • GPS receiver – The device might have to be a little larger, though. And power consumption could be significant. But if it can be switched off, it would be a matter of what the user is willing to bear.

  • MicroSD slot – No such thing as too much storage. And the capacities will keep getting larger. To add on one or two Gig might not be such a big deal, but wait ‘til there are 32GB MicroSD cards! Of couse we’ll all be buying 3rd Gen iPhones by then.

  • 3G speed – HSDPA – I guess we’ll see it in iPhone, the next generation. Oh well, I still have to carry a Verizon device anyway – to get reception anywhere outside the big city. Since I’m “forced” to have a CDMA device with EV-DO anyway, I can live without 3G on the iPhone for now.
I think they've done a great job with the interface. It's just applications that are missing. I'm looking foward to see the product -- and its 3rd party support -- as it matures. :)
 
I have to strongly agree with you on:
  • Sync Notes
  • Sync To Do's

As far as...
  • "Slim Sync" - I think that will come through dot Mac and...
  • Reading .doc and .xls - The iPhone already does that. I expect editing will come eventually.

My additional software wish list:
  • Voice memo
  • Camcorder motion video capture
  • More bluetooth profiles - for stereo, a keyboard, modem, sync calendar and contacts, share data like v-cards

I bet we will get just about everything on the three above lists in less than a year. We wont see the real potential of this device until it's open to developers though.


I can think of two hardware changes that I would like to see in the next generation device. We'll probably see it in about 12-24 months.
  • 3G - I'm only getting 34-96kbps here on EDGE.
  • A Crappy Little Camera Flash - I meet girls in dark clubs and need their photo next to their phone number. Also, the flash would be a handy little flash light when I drop my car keys at night. I'm clumsy when I'm drunk.

I know you want to see hardware based GPS, but I think that for now it would make more sense to use software for cell site triangulation. Loki sounds like a promising software solution too. Also, even though I agree with you that 3G would be nice, by the time we get a major hardware revision to the iPhone, there will be millions of iPhone owners swarming around the country demanding hot spots everywhere. This is bound to be a catalyst to the spread of wifi and will make 3G even less important.
 
Great comments, Neil! :)

NeilP said:
Reading .doc and .xls - The iPhone already does that. I expect editing will come eventually.
Click to expand...

I should probably add the need for file storage in folders on the iPhone. There are certain documents that I like keep on the device for reference. Maybe someday I'll think in terms of "always being connected to the internet", but that time has definitely not come yet.

NeilP said:
More bluetooth profiles - for stereo, a keyboard, modem, sync calendar and contacts, share data like v-cards
Click to expand...

Yes, that would prove very useful.

NeilP said:
We wont see the real potential of this device until it's open to developers though.
Click to expand...

I think that's the key to broad acceptance beyond those who love all things Apple.

NeilP said:
A Crappy Little Camera Flash - I meet girls in dark clubs and need their photo next to their phone number. Also, the flash would be a handy little flash light when I drop my car keys at night. I'm clumsy when I'm drunk.
Click to expand...

Ahh... Definitely a business user. ;)

NeilP said:
I know you want to see hardware based GPS, but I think that for now it would make more sense to use software for cell site triangulation. Loki sounds like a promising software solution too.
Click to expand...

Good point. That will probably become a more common solution, at least for areas with good cellular coverage. If I'm out in the wilderness, I'll be carrying a dedicated GPS unit anyway.
 
Sobe said:
I don't see a stripped down version of iTunes coming...who knows it might, but I don't see Apple doing it.
Click to expand...

True, it's not in Apple's best interest to let you just sync your data without also buying something from their online store. ;)

Most likely someone else will come up with a nice extensible conduit management application.
 
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