I'm amazed at my smartphone constantly, because it does things that my laptop/desktop cannot ever hope to do that are productive and important to me.
I have, more times than I can remember, looked up restaurant recommendations, reached consensus with other people wirelessly, and then made a reservation, all without leaving my smartphone, while standing on the sidewalk somewhere.
I have also walked up to a restaurant only to find it closed, and found a delicious alternative within seconds thanks to Yelp, Urbanspoon, et al.
I have taken pictures, uploaded them to [social network] and received responses within minutes, if not seconds. I have met up with friends because the GPS told us we were near each other.
My smartphone is great for consuming the day's news (especially on a high-ppi screen, reading is a joy) while on the train to work. Laptop or even tablet? Don't be ridiculous, I need one hand hanging onto a railing.
My smartphone is also my light meter, when I'm out and about playing with vintage cameras that pre-date my birth. Not a very typical use case, but one where a laptop or even a tablet would be utterly useless.
I have a love/hate relationship with my smartphone, but I'm still amazed at some of the things I can do with it. Adding to your list:
When my car's GPS took me miles down a road that was washed out on a trip hundreds of miles from my home, Google Navigation on my smartphone suggested a different route that got me safely to my destination.
It's a flexible and reliable alarm and kitchen timer.
I can read novels comfortably in bed on my smartphone (none of my several laptops are very ergonomic for this purpose).
I can map my bike rides and get stats on min/max/average speed, elevation, etc. (all the while using it as a music player).
It lets me easily maintain multiple shopping lists.
I can tune my guitar with it.
It functions as a real flashlight (my phone has a very bright LED).
My smartphone is no replacement for a computer, but it's better at these tasks than any computer I own.
I think there's a big geographical problem that's overlooked. These things are all designed in California where the weather is sunny year-round.
But in the rest of the world, most of the time, it's cold. You will not stand a long time "on the sidewalk" because you'll freeze. Maybe you're wearing gloves, which make using a smartphone impossible.
I hate touch screen keyboards. The author owned an iPhone then an android phone. If you've never coded on a Nokia e63 keyboard using vim over s2putty you've never lived.
I recently gave into the powers that be and got a new phone with a touch screen keyboard (a galaxy s2).
There are heaps of benefits to this phone over my e72 (although I my last true love was the e63) - not least of which is a vastly superior web browsing and email experience but gosh the keyboard is a frustrating piece of shit.
I would gladly trade the bottom 2 inches of my screen for a permanent hardware keyboard and no screen rotation.
Am I doomed to languish at 10wpm for the rest of my days?!
I'm so pissed off with Nokia for ditching Symbian. They were so close to being good for so many years, then they ditched it because they wanted to be like the iPhone.
Don't they realise that I actively chose NOT to purchase an iPhone? The point of difference is that they're not the same as the iPhone, a single minded unproductive useless piece of eye candy.
Even the multi-tasking on Android doesn't hold a candle to Symbian (for example I can't switch to my SSH client whilst a web page loads in the background).
Nokia, I will hate you for ever. But not as much as I hate this piece of shit touch screen you've relegated me to.
The N950 would suit you I suspect, but that is a very limited release for devs only (I presume there will be a WP7 version which might work). I rather liked the N900 I have (keyboard was a little weak though) but what I really miss is the Nokia 9500, when I took it to the US a few years back (as it was the "best" SIM unlocked phone I had) I found myself rather enjoying it and it's keyboard has a proper number row.
> Even the multi-tasking on Android doesn't hold a candle to Symbian (for example I can't switch to my SSH client whilst a web page loads in the background).
That depends on the browser you're using. Can't speak for all of them, but this works exactly as expected on both Opera Mini and Mobile.
This is exactly why I switched to a BlackBerry after using both an iPhone and a couple of Android phones. Most of what I want to deal with is text, and the BlackBerry handles text better than any of the other smart phones I've tried.
The Droid I was arguably better for dealing with coding over SSH, however BBSSH is sufficient on the BlackBerry to actually code on a remote server. And, I enjoy having non-gmail email accounts that actually work well on my phone.
I'm mostly in agreement, but maybe it's just because I don't have much use for a smart phone.
I don't text. I don't IM except at work, and emails can wait till I get home. It is handy to have a web browser for when you absolutely must look up something on the go, but honestly that doesn't happen often enough to warrant a hefty data plan. Yeah, I don't have a data plan. I look for free WIFI if I need internet.
So what else is there? Reading books? I do read books on it (while on the go), but it's generally an unpleasant experience because the screen's so small that it renders everything at the subpixel (read: blurry) level and I spend all my time either squinting or doing zoom-in-and-pan.
Tablet? No, thanks. If I wanted to lug something big around, I'd take my laptop with me. It's far more versatile.
Games? Meh. I still haven't found any really compelling smartphone games. And really, if I wanted to play games, I'd just play them on my laptop or desktop, which have better specs and bigger screens and better input systems.
Camera? Well, I've taken some photos with it, but I don't use it often. I suppose it could come in handy for that one time when i REALLY need to take a picture.
The things I DO like are:
* note taking
* voice recording
* learning apps
* Being able to transfer stuff onto and off the phone without too much hassle
Aside from that, there's not much I find compelling.
Yeah, I don't have a data plan. I look for free WIFI if I need internet.
Not to say that this doesn't work for you, but having a data plan is completely different. Being able to count on the fact that, most of the time, you're able to pull your device out of your pocket and access the internet, whether it's for email, maps, or looking something up is extremely valuable.
It may not be worth the cost for some people, but I will say that before I got my iPhone there were many times where my strategy of "open laptop and see if there's free wifi" failed to work, and occasionally involved driving to the nearest McDonald's trying to pick up their wifi from my car. Not fun.
I remember when I had dialup, I couldn't see the big deal about broadband internet. After all, I was primarily downloading text and I could get online in less than 30 seconds.
It wasn't until I went to college and had a persistent pipe that I finally got how different always-on internet was compared to internet you had to bring up.
I suspect at least some of your lack of use for a smartphone is precisely because you don't have a data plan.
The reactions here are pretty interesting. A lot of people are vocalizing disagreement with the authors experience. That's like disagreeing with my distates for tomatoes. I don't like 'em. Sorry, I just don't. That's not something to be disagreed with. It's my experience.
Likewise, the author doesn't find enjoyment in engaging in many of the activities that make a smartphone useful for many people. You could argue that his views aren't particularly apropos from a market perspective, but his experience is his own.
The article doesn't really get around to making any assertions until the very end, when it points out:
1) You're generally unable to seamlessly transition between smartphone/laptop while working on... something(?)
2) Desktops are dead; the laptop's days are numbered
3) Laptops will become carrier shells for smartphones; à la Motorla Atrix
4) Android and iOS should be working harder at providing means to "create meaningful works" on the devices
Some of these are problems to be solved (1&4) and others are conjecture (conjecture because you have to factor in that his experience with smartphones isn't reflective of the general market [1]). In general, I don't think the author is wrong, but some of his insights aren't particularly relevant if you're trying to develop for the broader market.
A few nights ago I was walking around Manhattan and decided to find a nearby restaurant, so I pulled out my MacBook Air and it was amazing. Right out of my pocket. When I finally found the restaurant, I used Google Maps in my Chrome browser for walking directions. I held my laptop in one hand, and my date in the other hand. Afterwards, we headed to a bar and I used a payphone to see if any of my friends were nearby and wanted to join us. One person answered! Except he couldn't make it. On the way home, I saw some really cool street performers playing with fire, so I opened up my MacBook Air, fired up Photo Booth, and used the built-in iSight camera to snap a few candid photos.
In the end, everything else was far more useful than a smartphone.
Writing off iOS because you used a 3G during the iOS 3 era is like writing off Android because you didn't like your G1 with 1.5. When using my old iPhone 3G or the Android tablets I tested, I would frequently drop them and grab my laptop instead. That happens much less often with my 4 simply because of how responsive it is all the time.
I find the author's perspective is shared more often than not by those who drive. I think people who take public transit or walk frequently would be hard pressed to say that they hate their smartphone. People who are always at a destination use their phones as portable computers less, because they typically have a full power machine at their destination.
The main point I take issue with though is the assertion that you can't work on a smartphone. I just don't buy that. I've handled tech support calls while accessing a server via remote desktop to solve the problem that the call was about, all from one device. On a crowded TTC bus.
A good rule of thumb is that if you've never sent a call to the background on your phone while you did something else, then you're still a little intimidated by it. You need to consciously plug it into your workflow at first, but once you truly grasp that much of what you jump on a laptop or desktop to do can be done from the device in your pocket, you'll start to like it more.
I don't agree with this at all. The main points seem to boil down to: "I want my smartphone to be a desktop computer." If you try to use your smartphone for the same purposes as a laptop, yeah, then you'll probably hate it, but if you approach it as a different device and explore new and different uses, the phone becomes a lot more powerful.
My smartphone means I have instant access to a map that will have a shiny blue dot that means "you are here" at all times. And then I can ask "How do I get there?" and it can tell me. And if I get somewhere and realize I forgot to write something down, I can Google it. Or look up the email that had the information. Or I can text the person I'm meeting that I will be late, or maybe they can tell me where they are and I can meet them at the new location.
Basically, my smartphone gives me easy access to information at all times. That it's not useful for work is besides the point - it's useful when I'm doing things other than work.
I made the exact same switch from a 3G to an Atrix. I dislike my Atrix quite a bit, and Android in general is not what I had hoped it would be. I wonder if you are having the same experience. Some of it could really be hardware related (my friends say they can't hear me when I hold the phone with my shoulder up to my ear!)
My friends love their 4S's. I hope making the switch back to apple will make me love my smartphone again.
Smart phones are on rails, they're not truly open ended. They don't use screen space well, and remote desktop is not possible to get larger-scale work done. I think they need to go back to using trackballs and styluses, because precision can't be achieved using fingers or by using the focus method in apps... The best use case i can think of for my phone these days is Angry Birds. Also, what ever happened to solar power? we're powering small cars off of solar cells, why in 2011 can't we power cell phones off of solar energy? The phones being ultra-thin, and thus having tiny batteries that only last for 30 minutes of work, does not make the phones smart, it limits them greatly. I'd rather have a thicker phone with a bigger battery.
Imagine if you could just resume your browsing session on your laptop or desktop from your phone.
You can. Firefox Sync will sync almost everything in your browsing session (including tabs, if you want). I've had no trouble moving browsing sessions from my phone to one (or more) of my laptops or to my Android tablet and back again. You do have to explicitly choose to open tabs from another Firefox, but I think that's necessary. You don't always want to pick up everything in another browsing session.
I don't hate mine. I just see very little point to it ever since I got iPad (which I use for everything except talking on the phone). I've been seriously considering getting smaller / cheaper basic flipphone if I ever need to replace it. Phone is just tween size I find useless. laptop too big / heavy, 7" tablet too small. iPad just right. The next smallest form factor I want is thing that wraps around ear (or in ear) that makes phone calls and whispers reminders and the like.
empowering users, providing the means to create meaningful works on these devices.
If you limit your view of meaningful works to things that require thousands of keystrokes then yes -- SmartPhones are very limiting. If you expand on that to include audio, video, photos, art and shorter form writing they are not so limiting anymore.
Apps like Brushes on iOS have produced professional quality artwork for The New Yorker.
Some musicians are starting to use SmartPhones (or tablets) as instruments in the studio and on the road. There are lots of very high quality audio apps these days. The Flaming Lips are using the iPad extensively on their upcoming project.
Expressing yourself short form through Twitter or FaceBook can be very meaningful to people. With high quality voice dictation it's quite possible we'll start seeing SmartPhones be more useful for longer form writing too.
I'm with the OP, sort of. I ditched my iPhone a couple months ago and surprisingly I barely miss it. Email, browser, and maps were the most useful applications for me, but I never cared for much else.
Now I own a Motorola F3 (FONE). It's about as simple as it gets while being incredibly durable, crazy long battery (e-ink), and amazing reception. It's also pretty slim and light, but it sucks for texting and the character display is a little painful. Worth it for me. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_FONE
Oh and my phone bill went from over $100 / month down to $25 / month, yet somehow I have way more talk time included in the plan (unlimited within the province).
I'm a software developer if you're wondering. Maybe I'd find smart phones a necessity in another profession...
Teenagers have written novels on dumbphones and recorded albums on primitive tape decks. Complaining about imperfect tools and circumstances is the refrain of the wannabe.
If you don't like the screen, download an Audible book or buy an $80 Kindle.
I have written a 10,000 word short story on my smartphone with a bluetooth keyboard. Sure, phones are not perfect but I don't see the point of owning a laptop after that experience. I think we are only at the beginning of seeing what is possible from a small, handheld device.
This. I am continually amazed at how few people use Audible. It is an amazing and rich source for books recorded in very high quality (read by voice talents, no stops during audio). I finish a book every 2-3 weeks just by listening on my way to and from class.
Grooveshark is another service I use my phone almost daily for. Play virtually any song on your phone.
Myfitnesspal is yet another. Record daily caloric intake and exercise easily (since you always have a phone around and since you don't know all the calories in the food you eat, but a search-enabled website does).
I also play backgammon while waiting for the bus.
I never take maps to unknown destinations any more. I still remember the times we printed maps before going to tourist destinations in nyc.
I check my email.
I check my calendar.
I talk on skype (via skype mobile). I do international calls without being charged international rates.
I check the weather (mostly the temperature) to know how heavy to wear.
I occasionally take photos when I need to record something (on a blackboard, for example) but don't want to write it down.
Some of the best music that came out of the 50s was recorded on tape, then overdubbed, then overdubbed again. Creativity shouldn't be judged based on the medium.
I agree with some of the points, but it's all about user experience. If I want to use Twitter, my smartphone is great. Even replying it's great, because it's a short message. If I click on a link to a web page that has a mobile version, it's also great. Even though the screen is small, the site is designed so the clutter is gone and it's still easy to read.
Where my smartphone isn't so great is when the user experience breaks. I click a link and I end up on a site that isn't mobile friendly, is filled with junk and I need to pinch and zoom all over the place, I hate that. Or if I want to type in more than a sentence, I really hate the onscreen keyboard, or any small keyboard. Trying to do more involved things can be frustrating as well because it's never as fast as my desktop.
So really I think it's an evolving issue. Some things work great on it, many others not so much, but it's just a matter of time for many of these things to get better. When all sites have seamless mobile versions, when speech recognition is good enough that we won't need to type anything, we'll see smartphones be much better.
>when speech recognition is good enough that we won't need to type anything
I dread the coming of that day because using public transportation will become an even more unpleasant experience because there will be more people speaking into their phones and that speech will be even more unnatural than ordinary cell-phone conversations.
In my case, I have a Garmin for GPS, which is much more reliable than any phone GPS I've used.
If you compare the quality of a point and shoot digital camera vs a smart phone, the digital camera will blow it out of the water. For me, it's about the quality of the photo, not the convenience.
We're lucky to have choices. That's the beauty of it.
I didn't want a smartphone that couldn't do the job of a computer in a pinch, and I got a Nokia N900.
Smartphone use is definitely ok, with a smartphone (non-realistic-calfskin) contacts app and messages/phone apps that are well-integrated, and several third-party apps that I use regularly (CloudGPS, FBReader). And the browser is as good as most others.
It has also got a (small) keyboard that you can use to enter text. Not fullsize, so you wouldn't do any programming on it (unless using a Bluetooth keyboard), but entering text and URLs definitely works. Where its computer qualities shine is when you need to scp a file from one place to the other, or if you have a bit of Python or Java code you want to run (because it has OpenJDK and Python).
I've never been tempted by the possibility to run (ARM-crosscompiled) real desktop applications, though - it's only smartphone stuff plus occasional console tasks, never ever Windows/Icons/Mouse/Pointing.
A few weeks ago I was in a shore town that I had never been to before for a wedding.
Before driving to the rehearsal dinner I had to pick up some supplies, so I Yelped for the nearest grocery store. One more touch pulled up turn-by-turn directions.
I didn't know exactly how to get to the rehearsal dinner location, but someone had texted me the address and I could just plug that in on my phone and it could navigate me.
I didn't have anything to listen to in the car, so I just downloaded a podcast and listened to it while I drove.
My girlfriend called me along the way to see when I would be at the location. The call paused the podcast; when I ended the call it resumed it immediately. Since I could talk to her on speakerphone I wasn't really distracted from driving.
I got to the rehearsal dinner early so I checked some HN articles in Google Reader before everyone else showed up.
As other people have said here, a smartphone is incredibly useful when you get out of your house.
[+] [-] potatolicious|14 years ago|reply
I have, more times than I can remember, looked up restaurant recommendations, reached consensus with other people wirelessly, and then made a reservation, all without leaving my smartphone, while standing on the sidewalk somewhere.
I have also walked up to a restaurant only to find it closed, and found a delicious alternative within seconds thanks to Yelp, Urbanspoon, et al.
I have taken pictures, uploaded them to [social network] and received responses within minutes, if not seconds. I have met up with friends because the GPS told us we were near each other.
My smartphone is great for consuming the day's news (especially on a high-ppi screen, reading is a joy) while on the train to work. Laptop or even tablet? Don't be ridiculous, I need one hand hanging onto a railing.
My smartphone is also my light meter, when I'm out and about playing with vintage cameras that pre-date my birth. Not a very typical use case, but one where a laptop or even a tablet would be utterly useless.
I love my smartphone.
[+] [-] qjz|14 years ago|reply
When my car's GPS took me miles down a road that was washed out on a trip hundreds of miles from my home, Google Navigation on my smartphone suggested a different route that got me safely to my destination.
It's a flexible and reliable alarm and kitchen timer.
I can read novels comfortably in bed on my smartphone (none of my several laptops are very ergonomic for this purpose).
I can map my bike rides and get stats on min/max/average speed, elevation, etc. (all the while using it as a music player).
It lets me easily maintain multiple shopping lists.
I can tune my guitar with it.
It functions as a real flashlight (my phone has a very bright LED).
My smartphone is no replacement for a computer, but it's better at these tasks than any computer I own.
[+] [-] sliverstorm|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bambax|14 years ago|reply
Do you not have a home? ;-)
I think there's a big geographical problem that's overlooked. These things are all designed in California where the weather is sunny year-round.
But in the rest of the world, most of the time, it's cold. You will not stand a long time "on the sidewalk" because you'll freeze. Maybe you're wearing gloves, which make using a smartphone impossible.
[+] [-] dools|14 years ago|reply
I recently gave into the powers that be and got a new phone with a touch screen keyboard (a galaxy s2).
There are heaps of benefits to this phone over my e72 (although I my last true love was the e63) - not least of which is a vastly superior web browsing and email experience but gosh the keyboard is a frustrating piece of shit.
I would gladly trade the bottom 2 inches of my screen for a permanent hardware keyboard and no screen rotation.
Am I doomed to languish at 10wpm for the rest of my days?!
I'm so pissed off with Nokia for ditching Symbian. They were so close to being good for so many years, then they ditched it because they wanted to be like the iPhone.
Don't they realise that I actively chose NOT to purchase an iPhone? The point of difference is that they're not the same as the iPhone, a single minded unproductive useless piece of eye candy.
Even the multi-tasking on Android doesn't hold a candle to Symbian (for example I can't switch to my SSH client whilst a web page loads in the background).
Nokia, I will hate you for ever. But not as much as I hate this piece of shit touch screen you've relegated me to.
[+] [-] nradov|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] peteri|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jarek|14 years ago|reply
That depends on the browser you're using. Can't speak for all of them, but this works exactly as expected on both Opera Mini and Mobile.
[+] [-] sea6ear|14 years ago|reply
The Droid I was arguably better for dealing with coding over SSH, however BBSSH is sufficient on the BlackBerry to actually code on a remote server. And, I enjoy having non-gmail email accounts that actually work well on my phone.
[+] [-] ehsanu1|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] lloeki|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kstenerud|14 years ago|reply
I don't text. I don't IM except at work, and emails can wait till I get home. It is handy to have a web browser for when you absolutely must look up something on the go, but honestly that doesn't happen often enough to warrant a hefty data plan. Yeah, I don't have a data plan. I look for free WIFI if I need internet.
So what else is there? Reading books? I do read books on it (while on the go), but it's generally an unpleasant experience because the screen's so small that it renders everything at the subpixel (read: blurry) level and I spend all my time either squinting or doing zoom-in-and-pan.
Tablet? No, thanks. If I wanted to lug something big around, I'd take my laptop with me. It's far more versatile.
Games? Meh. I still haven't found any really compelling smartphone games. And really, if I wanted to play games, I'd just play them on my laptop or desktop, which have better specs and bigger screens and better input systems.
Camera? Well, I've taken some photos with it, but I don't use it often. I suppose it could come in handy for that one time when i REALLY need to take a picture.
The things I DO like are:
* note taking * voice recording * learning apps * Being able to transfer stuff onto and off the phone without too much hassle
Aside from that, there's not much I find compelling.
[+] [-] kylec|14 years ago|reply
It may not be worth the cost for some people, but I will say that before I got my iPhone there were many times where my strategy of "open laptop and see if there's free wifi" failed to work, and occasionally involved driving to the nearest McDonald's trying to pick up their wifi from my car. Not fun.
[+] [-] shalmanese|14 years ago|reply
It wasn't until I went to college and had a persistent pipe that I finally got how different always-on internet was compared to internet you had to bring up.
I suspect at least some of your lack of use for a smartphone is precisely because you don't have a data plan.
[+] [-] bradleyland|14 years ago|reply
Likewise, the author doesn't find enjoyment in engaging in many of the activities that make a smartphone useful for many people. You could argue that his views aren't particularly apropos from a market perspective, but his experience is his own.
The article doesn't really get around to making any assertions until the very end, when it points out:
1) You're generally unable to seamlessly transition between smartphone/laptop while working on... something(?)
2) Desktops are dead; the laptop's days are numbered
3) Laptops will become carrier shells for smartphones; à la Motorla Atrix
4) Android and iOS should be working harder at providing means to "create meaningful works" on the devices
Some of these are problems to be solved (1&4) and others are conjecture (conjecture because you have to factor in that his experience with smartphones isn't reflective of the general market [1]). In general, I don't think the author is wrong, but some of his insights aren't particularly relevant if you're trying to develop for the broader market.
1 - Users of Apple devices rated their satisfaction at 811 out of 1,000 points: http://gizmodo.com/5377572/the-jd-power-smartphone-…
[+] [-] Cl4rity|14 years ago|reply
In the end, everything else was far more useful than a smartphone.
[+] [-] Raphael|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] rednaught|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ditojim|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] shinratdr|14 years ago|reply
I find the author's perspective is shared more often than not by those who drive. I think people who take public transit or walk frequently would be hard pressed to say that they hate their smartphone. People who are always at a destination use their phones as portable computers less, because they typically have a full power machine at their destination.
The main point I take issue with though is the assertion that you can't work on a smartphone. I just don't buy that. I've handled tech support calls while accessing a server via remote desktop to solve the problem that the call was about, all from one device. On a crowded TTC bus.
A good rule of thumb is that if you've never sent a call to the background on your phone while you did something else, then you're still a little intimidated by it. You need to consciously plug it into your workflow at first, but once you truly grasp that much of what you jump on a laptop or desktop to do can be done from the device in your pocket, you'll start to like it more.
[+] [-] athst|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] scott_s|14 years ago|reply
Basically, my smartphone gives me easy access to information at all times. That it's not useful for work is besides the point - it's useful when I'm doing things other than work.
[+] [-] yesimahuman|14 years ago|reply
My friends love their 4S's. I hope making the switch back to apple will make me love my smartphone again.
[+] [-] winternett|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] fpgeek|14 years ago|reply
You can. Firefox Sync will sync almost everything in your browsing session (including tabs, if you want). I've had no trouble moving browsing sessions from my phone to one (or more) of my laptops or to my Android tablet and back again. You do have to explicitly choose to open tabs from another Firefox, but I think that's necessary. You don't always want to pick up everything in another browsing session.
[+] [-] bad_user|14 years ago|reply
It will also sync saved passwords and even cookies.
Too bad that it uses too much memory. I hope they'll fix it.
[+] [-] njharman|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jsz0|14 years ago|reply
If you limit your view of meaningful works to things that require thousands of keystrokes then yes -- SmartPhones are very limiting. If you expand on that to include audio, video, photos, art and shorter form writing they are not so limiting anymore.
Apps like Brushes on iOS have produced professional quality artwork for The New Yorker.
Some musicians are starting to use SmartPhones (or tablets) as instruments in the studio and on the road. There are lots of very high quality audio apps these days. The Flaming Lips are using the iPad extensively on their upcoming project.
Expressing yourself short form through Twitter or FaceBook can be very meaningful to people. With high quality voice dictation it's quite possible we'll start seeing SmartPhones be more useful for longer form writing too.
[+] [-] rapind|14 years ago|reply
Now I own a Motorola F3 (FONE). It's about as simple as it gets while being incredibly durable, crazy long battery (e-ink), and amazing reception. It's also pretty slim and light, but it sucks for texting and the character display is a little painful. Worth it for me. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_FONE
Oh and my phone bill went from over $100 / month down to $25 / month, yet somehow I have way more talk time included in the plan (unlimited within the province).
I'm a software developer if you're wondering. Maybe I'd find smart phones a necessity in another profession...
[+] [-] saturdaysaint|14 years ago|reply
If you don't like the screen, download an Audible book or buy an $80 Kindle.
[+] [-] Tsagadai|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] fastfinner|14 years ago|reply
Grooveshark is another service I use my phone almost daily for. Play virtually any song on your phone.
Myfitnesspal is yet another. Record daily caloric intake and exercise easily (since you always have a phone around and since you don't know all the calories in the food you eat, but a search-enabled website does).
I also play backgammon while waiting for the bus.
I never take maps to unknown destinations any more. I still remember the times we printed maps before going to tourist destinations in nyc.
I check my email.
I check my calendar.
I talk on skype (via skype mobile). I do international calls without being charged international rates.
I check the weather (mostly the temperature) to know how heavy to wear.
I occasionally take photos when I need to record something (on a blackboard, for example) but don't want to write it down.
[+] [-] antrover|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dendory|14 years ago|reply
Where my smartphone isn't so great is when the user experience breaks. I click a link and I end up on a site that isn't mobile friendly, is filled with junk and I need to pinch and zoom all over the place, I hate that. Or if I want to type in more than a sentence, I really hate the onscreen keyboard, or any small keyboard. Trying to do more involved things can be frustrating as well because it's never as fast as my desktop.
So really I think it's an evolving issue. Some things work great on it, many others not so much, but it's just a matter of time for many of these things to get better. When all sites have seamless mobile versions, when speech recognition is good enough that we won't need to type anything, we'll see smartphones be much better.
[+] [-] hollerith|14 years ago|reply
I dread the coming of that day because using public transportation will become an even more unpleasant experience because there will be more people speaking into their phones and that speech will be even more unnatural than ordinary cell-phone conversations.
[+] [-] dannyr|14 years ago|reply
He just picked out all the negative things about a smartphone and nothing else.
Would he rather carry a laptop for driving navigation? How about a standalone digital camera to take a picture?
This reminded me of this video:
Everything's Amazing & Nobody's Happy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r1CZTLk-Gk
[+] [-] antrover|14 years ago|reply
If you compare the quality of a point and shoot digital camera vs a smart phone, the digital camera will blow it out of the water. For me, it's about the quality of the photo, not the convenience.
We're lucky to have choices. That's the beauty of it.
[+] [-] sqrt17|14 years ago|reply
Smartphone use is definitely ok, with a smartphone (non-realistic-calfskin) contacts app and messages/phone apps that are well-integrated, and several third-party apps that I use regularly (CloudGPS, FBReader). And the browser is as good as most others.
It has also got a (small) keyboard that you can use to enter text. Not fullsize, so you wouldn't do any programming on it (unless using a Bluetooth keyboard), but entering text and URLs definitely works. Where its computer qualities shine is when you need to scp a file from one place to the other, or if you have a bit of Python or Java code you want to run (because it has OpenJDK and Python).
I've never been tempted by the possibility to run (ARM-crosscompiled) real desktop applications, though - it's only smartphone stuff plus occasional console tasks, never ever Windows/Icons/Mouse/Pointing.
[+] [-] joebadmo|14 years ago|reply
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3113192 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3047786
[+] [-] ddw|14 years ago|reply
Before driving to the rehearsal dinner I had to pick up some supplies, so I Yelped for the nearest grocery store. One more touch pulled up turn-by-turn directions.
I didn't know exactly how to get to the rehearsal dinner location, but someone had texted me the address and I could just plug that in on my phone and it could navigate me.
I didn't have anything to listen to in the car, so I just downloaded a podcast and listened to it while I drove.
My girlfriend called me along the way to see when I would be at the location. The call paused the podcast; when I ended the call it resumed it immediately. Since I could talk to her on speakerphone I wasn't really distracted from driving.
I got to the rehearsal dinner early so I checked some HN articles in Google Reader before everyone else showed up.
As other people have said here, a smartphone is incredibly useful when you get out of your house.