        |
|
|
 The Geek Culture Forums
 Your News!
 Newton To return As iPhone?
|
 UBBFriend: Email This Page to Someone! |
next newest topic | next oldest topic |
| Author | Topic: Newton To return As iPhone? |
|
GMx Super Geek  
Posts: 183 |
posted August 19, 2002 09:44
   
There's an interesting article in the NY Times today. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/19/technology/19APPL.html Maybe the PDA that was ahead of its time is returning as a combo Cell Phone-PDA. Of course Apple's keeping a tight lid on any of its plans and the press is saying they'll never be able to do it sucessfully. ------------------ IP: Logged |
|
ilovemydualg4 Highlie 
Posts: 793 |
posted August 19, 2002 12:44
might as well just buy out handspring, and their treo..... ------------------ IP: Logged |
|
GMx Super Geek
Posts: 183 |
posted August 19, 2002 14:27
Just think if they combined it with the iPod so it would be a cell phone-pda-mp3 player with a 40 gig harddrive! Nobody has that yet. ------------------ IP: Logged |
|
Jas Super Geek
Posts: 193 |
posted August 21, 2002 08:56
i like the last idea. pager too and universal remote control while your at it ------------------ IP: Logged |
|
ilovemydualg4 Highlie
Posts: 793 |
posted August 21, 2002 10:46
not just a palm remote, but one that works ata decent range too ------------------ IP: Logged |
|
Erbo Super Geek
Posts: 250 |
posted August 21, 2002 11:41
The only problem with trying to make a phone is that either you have to have a deal with a phone network provider in advance (which may limit the areas of the country you can use those phones) or you have to produce multiple versions of the phone. See, there are at least three different digital cellphone standards in the US, none of which are compatible with one another, and all of which require different transceiver hardware. (I'm not even going to get into the issue of standards in Europe and Japan.) Then, too, most digital phones have to carry analog phone transceivers as well (so-called "dual mode" phones) because digital coverage drops off rapidly outside major cities and interstate corridors, and analog may be all that's available. I just can't see Apple wanting to open that can of worms anytime soon. ------------------ IP: Logged |
|
nekomatic Assimilated 
Posts: 457 |
posted August 22, 2002 03:34
The Register reckons an Apple smartphone is unlikely, basically because there are very nice smartphones coming on to the market from the likes of Nokia and Sony Ericsson and it doesn't make sense for Apple to try and compete with them rather than cooperating for maximum compatibility. Mind you, Apple hasn't been shy to tread on people's toes with the iApps... but can you really see Steve standing up and announcing 'oh and one more thing... look, we made a new scribble pad thingy!'?  What's the problem with phone standards in Europe, Erbo? We have one - GSM - adopted by agreement and working very nicely thank you! I didn't realise that US digital mobiles have to have analogue transceivers as well though - there's an advantage to being densely populated for you... IP: Logged |
|
Erbo Super Geek
Posts: 250 |
posted August 22, 2002 09:58
quote: And GSM is available from some providers here in the USA, as well...but American GSM works on different frequencies from European GSM, so requires different transceivers. Don't ask me why they did it this way, they just do. (At a certain point, trying to discuss cellphone standards intelligently becomes like trying to discuss parallel universes intelligently, as defined in Douglas Adams' Mostly Harmless. "Please feel free to blither now." My point was not to say that European phone standards were somehow "bad" (or even all that different from American standards), but to point out that the profusion of standards for cellphones in the USA is bad enough even without taking other worldwide standards into account, and that all these different standards would make it difficult for Apple to make an "iPhone" that would sell well enough to make it worth the cost of developing. As for analog circuits...my own phone is a Nokia 5160 on AT&T Wireless' network, and it's a "dual mode" phone, which can "roam" on existing analog networks, but prefers to use its native TDMA network. So I have the ability to use the thing in areas outside of the Denver metro area, for instance. ------------------ IP: Logged |
All times are Pacific Time | next newest topic | next oldest topic |
  |
|
� 2002 Geek Culture� All Rights Reserved.
Powered by Infopop www.infopop.com © 2000
Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.47e
|
