I was called out by my younger staff of producers a( a recent Cranky Geeks recording session. (This is the weekly video podcast I do for Ziff at www.crankygeeks.com.) I was debating with a guest over the relative difficulty people have when they go to the Web using a cell phone. With the new iPhone it's very easy, and I was obviously out of touch since I do not use an iPhone.
It started with the iPhone. Then it spread. Google and Apple were well prepared: Motorola and Palm have been caught out. Sometime in the past few months, the rules of the mobile game changed. It used to be about cool designs, thinness, megapixels, and the neatest cutting-edge features. Now it's about software and interface, and especially about making things easier.
Everything revolves around computers, PDAs and cellular phones these days. Am I wrong or am I wrong? Of course I'm not wrong. Just take a quick glance around. If you're in a coffee shop, mall, or public place, you're certainly likely to see a few people with these devices. It's like we can't survive without them anymore. We've had a taste and there's no going back to the way it was. For me, I would have to say that the computer is the most imperative of the bunch. I plain and simply can't function without mine. Whether I'm doing work, sending a quick email, or paying the bills online, I need my Mac every single day. Even on the weekends for simple cyberspace fun. As for the mobile phones, I could honestly live without one. The cell phone is somewhat of an emergency device for me. You know, if my car completely broke down, or I needed to get in touch with authorities while out and about. This is why I looked into the prepaid mobile phone. There's no sense in me paying a massive monthly charge.
As a frequent business traveler, I'm always jetting off to some far-flung overseas destination in order to meet with my firm's clients. I sometimes hit three or four major cities on several different continents in a single week, which makes it hard for my co-workers and even my family to keep track of me. If they have the wrong hotel information or if my plans suddenly change, it would be nearly impossible for them to get in touch with me. I always want to be accessible, especially in the event of an emergency, so that's why I've decided to purchase an international cell phone.
iPhone "Jailbreaking" has been a hot topic since Apple released its smartphone more than two years ago. While the amazing device does indeed have applications for "just about everything," Apple's sometimes arbitrary or self-serving rejections of offerings such as Google Voice have turned more people on to the idea of freeing themselves from dependence on Apple for such resources (and also, in some cases, from AT&T for a network signal).
A collective of hackers known as the iPhone Dev-Team publishes easy-to-use, cross-platform tools that let you install third-party apps for the iPhone that Apple won't admit into its App Store.