The elusive iPhone
I don’t know why I’m rambling about work on my blog, but I have this sickness of thinking about gadgets almost every waking hour. Anyway, today I had a chance to play with a Windows Mobile device that will be out some time soon. As I turned it over in my hand and flipped through the menus, it once again confirmed to me that I just don’t like Windows Mobile as an OS. Everything about it feels… off. The position of the close button, the Windows drop down menu, etc. I just don’t like it. It just feels clunky and overly complicated.
Palm, on the other hand, is simple to use and intuitive. The BlackBerrys are pretty awesome too. I also really like the Symbian OS. But.. It’s not enough. A smartphone OS needs to be smoother. It needs to be easier to pick up and use. But it also needs to be powerful and efficient. There seems to be a disconnect somewhere in all of this. Why are smartphones always lacking in something we want? Why are we locked down in inefficient processes? Why are carriers dictating innovation?
This is why I’m fervently hoping for the iPhone to break these standards. Finally, a cellphone that would reflect the Mac’s ability to
be elegant, simple, and powerful all at the same time. How awesome would it be if Apple could remain independent of outside forces, so that it could have the room to be innovative and creative with how a really good
smartphone should look and feel like.
But it will probably be horribly disappointing in some terrible way. Sigh.
I have the exact same feeling as you do: all hand-held devices feel odd and I can’t wait for Apple to do their thing. I’m sure they won’t disappoint.
It’s the carriers. In the US, 90% of software is purchased “on deck” — through the carrier. In Korea and the UK, it’s something like 20-30%. The carriers here all hate each other and hate Google and Yahoo and WiFi even more. They stifle innovation because they are comfortable with the (abusive to consumers) status quo, and fear any change.
I’m sad that Consumer Reports recently reviewed smartphones and found that the Treo 700p was the best. I like it, but sure wish that there was SOMEthing even better…. at least WiFi integrated…