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Thinking about Moving to Android

November 10, 2010 by Gabe S. 1 Comment

Over the weekend I made a 20 hour road trip between Washington D.C and Oxford, Ohio to be initiated into my new fraternity: Beta Theta Pi (as you can see, I’m doing this whole college thing pretty intensely).  If you’ve never been on a road trip with 40 fraternity brothers before, all I can say is that it’s…. quite an experience.  Regardless, my trip took me through the bowels of Maryland (where I experienced the gas station chain “Sheetz” with their “Shmuffins” and “Shmiscuits”), West Virginia, Southern Pennsylvania, and Ohio.  With the exception of a direct flight to California when I was 4, this is the farthest west in the United States I have ever gone.  Most of my time has been spent on the East coast between Atlanta and the Northeast.  Out in rural Ohio, 3G was gone with limited pockets of functional EDGE.  On a long trip like mine, having internet for entertainment is pretty desirable, but I was left high and dry.  However, a friend of mine was humming along swimmingly besides me on 3G with his Epic 4G from Sprint, the 3rd largest network in the US.  AT&T was blacked out while Sprint reached deep into no man’s land.  It was annoying to say the least.  This is on top of the fact that I often have trouble getting reception in D.C, a major metropolitan area!  My frustration with AT&T is just one more reason I am highly considering moving to the Android platform.

I love my iPhone to death.  It has been nothing but a treat and major asset to my life.  But at the same time, Android has rapidly matured and has gained a lot of momentum against Apple.  I’m seeing new apps and capabilities on Android phones not possible with the iPhone.  Hardware quality has really flourished with beautiful staples like the Galaxy S, T-Mobile G2, and Droid Incredible.  While the iPhone 4 is basically a slab of sexiness, it would be ignorant to disregard the excellent Android devices out there.  As my frustration with AT&T grows and the quality of Android devices increases on networks like Verizon, it’s getting harder to resist the temptation.

During my trip, I was enamored with my friend’s Galaxy S – based Epic 4G.  The screen was absolutely fantastic, typing was a dream with the physical keyboard on Swype on the soft keyboard.  He had it rooted to create a wireless hotspot without paying extra fees to Sprint.  It was equipped with the superior “LaunchPro” UI which has an incredible amount of integration and customization.  There’s a lot to like about Android, to be sure.

If the iPhone came to Verizon, I would jump the AT&T ship in a second.  But the question remains: why wait that long?

Let’s open the floor.  If I was in the market for an Android phone, what device and which carrier should I turn to?

Filed under Mobile

Ode to the Flip Phone

November 4, 2010 by Gabe S. Leave a Comment

Today I saw a rare gem of a begotten era: a Motorola RAZR.  It was only out of the corner of my eye that I saw the device, held up to the ear of some collegiate fellow as our paths crossed.  At first, I didn’t think anything of it.  But something about the sight seemed to keep my attention far longer than it should have.  Now I think I realize why that image of the RAZR stays in my mind.  It is, in many ways, an extinct species.  Back in the glorious days of 2006, the RAZR was pretty synonymous with my generation.  It was basically the phone to get – symbolizing style, wealth, and cutting edge features.  You could text pictures!  You could get on WAP internet!  Motorola made a killing with the RAZR in its four year tenure from 2004 to 2008, but like all good things, the RAZR came to an end.

Ever since the launch of the iPhone, smartphones have been for consumers.  No longer are these powerful devices locked into the corporate world, they are now meant to enrich the life of regular people.  And with the advent of Android and cheaper Blackberrys, smartphones are now accessible even on a budget for most consumers.  These two factors have pushed flip phones (like the RAZR) into the dust.  In the grand scheme of things, it’s just the progression of technology at work.  But it is sort of sad to see these once highly coveted items now be treated like the most pathetic of devices.

Going into an AT&T store with a friend a few weeks ago, I became very aware of the slow demise of the flip phone.  Besides from a few “GoPhones” and one or two essentially free phones on contract, you can’t get a phone in that form factor anymore!  These days, you have really three choices: a decent feature phone with a full QWERTY keyboard for texting, low-end smartphones like BlackBerry’s and cheap Androids, or flagship smartphones like the iPhone or Galaxy S.  The fact is that smartphones are penetrating down into the lowest end sector.  Back in 2005 when I got my first cellphone, it was a remarkably basic Nokia.  I could call, text, get on AT&T’s (then Cingular) MediaNet (a GPRS service to download super basic ringtones and games) and that was about it.  By comparison, today’s basic phones would have been considered very high-end for those times.  Full keyboards, email, great cameras, decent web browsing, and 3G speed are all basically givens for today’s consumer.  Again, kind of a “duh” moment since it has been 5 years since my first cellphone, but it’s still interesting to see how much things have changed.

Smartphones are pushing further and further into our lives.  In the next few years, it will be hard to find a feature phone at all that is not using an advanced mobile OS or equipped with an app store.  Feature phones, like flip phones before them, will become relics of the past.  Do your self a favor: hold on to the old phones, remember where we’ve come from and how far we’ve progressed.

Filed under Culture, Mobile Tagged with ,

250,000 and No Signal: AT&T Fails at the Rally to Restore Sanity

October 31, 2010 by Gabe S. 3 Comments

Yesterday I truly felt an awe inspiring sense of mission as I marched with 250,000 other moderate, sane, and fearful Americans to the Rally to Restore Sanity/March to Keep Fear Alive on the National Mall in Washington D.C.  Despite how much I would love to post about the content of the Rally, that goes beyond the ethos of my blog’s mission statement.  Suffice to say, I found the rally a remarkably moving and inspiring effort by Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert to not promote a political ideology, but to remind the world that most people are not radical and angry and want revolution.  Most are trying to get by and really don’t want to get into a shouting match with every person who thinks differently, we just want to get to work and have a beer afterwards.

Anyway, despite fighting the urges to discuss the Rally with all my heart (I may find a way to spin it by tomorrow) my post is not about the Rally, but the horror that was cell phone service on that day.  By around 11AM, every AT&T cellphone south of Pennsylvania Ave. was dead.  I understand: 250,000 extra people in the radius of 2 miles would make most networks fall to its knees, but I was truly astounded by the poor quality of service I experienced yesterday.  Not only was 3G and EDGE data dead in the water, but even basic GSM voice calling and GPRS text messaging was obliterated from existence.  I’ve never felt so alone and isolated in a sea of thousands.  Truly, helpless.

It was a problem, not just techie withdrawal, that I experienced.  A lack of any cellphone service is a serious problem with numbers of that magnitude.  Groups, friends, and families were separated with no way to get in contact with each other.  I for instance was supposed to meet up with several friends, but after numerous texts and calling attempts was forced to stick it out on my own, lost in the crowd.  I survived, sure, but it was unfortunate and a basic violation of the service I was paying AT&T for: allowing me to connect to my friends.

But what could they have possibly done, you ask?  To be fair, hundreds of thousands of people will push cell towers to their maximum, but this seems like a problem that could have been avoided.  If someone at AT&T had said: “You know, D.C is going to have over 200,000 cellphone equipped people on the Mall on October 30th, maybe we should prepared to an assload of traffic”, then this could have been mitigated.  Carriers need to have this kind of demand-based modularity in their network infrastructure.  And the worst part is that Verizon apparently held up much better, as did T-Mobile!  For years I have said that I was not seeing the poor quality of service AT&T is widely known for, but yesterday I saw it in full force.

AT&T vastly disappointed me yesterday with a combination of poor foresight and a piss-poor established infrastructure for a metropolitan area.  Get better AT&T, because I have little reservation in dumping you for a Droid on Verizon.

Filed under Corporate Affairs, Internet, Mobile Tagged with

Microsoft Makes a Comeback with Windows Phone 7

October 12, 2010 by Gabe S. 1 Comment

When people talk about smartphones these days, two kinds really come to mind: the iPhone and Android.  These are the two dominant factions in the minds (if not wallets and market shares) of consumers today.  Though RIM’s BlackBerry still holds the #1 spot in raw market share, clearly Apple and Google own your desires.  But while RIM is attempting a coming back with Blackberry OS 6, long left in the cold has been Microsoft.  See, back in the “good ‘ole days” before Apple came along, if you wanted a smart phone you had three choices: RIM’s BlackBerry, Palm’s Treo, or a Windows Mobile neé PocketPC device.  That was it.  They weren’t good, they got the job done, and they were meant for business users.  Back in the “good ‘ole days” a smart phone was not for us, it was for the people who were doing “smart work”.  When Apple came on the scene, they changed everything.  The smart phone was now about consumers, about apps, about us.  While RIM and Palm both adjusted to that market (albeit very slowly and with big stumbles) Microsoft just sat around, twiddling their thumbs with Windows Mobile 6.  Outdated, inefficient, and ugly, Windows Mobile rotted away into the least desirable mobile OS while iOS and Android have flourished into a beautiful renaissance. Read more of this post

Filed under Mobile, Software

And So It Begins… The Tablet War

September 28, 2010 by Gabe S. 1 Comment

Yesterday, RIM joined Samsung in a new front against Apple.  Both companies have long struggled to overcome the Cupertino juggernaut in the mobile phone sector as the BlackBerry continues to lose market share and Samsung’s Android efforts remain underway.  At the other end of the mobile spectrum, Apple’s iPad ushered in the area of truly useful tablet computing and has stood virtually alone in that market.  However, RIM and Samsung are striking back in a big way.  Samsung announced the Galaxy Tab two weeks ago as a tablet companion to their Galaxy S phone.  Yesterday, RIM announced the “PlayBook”, a tablet mobile device meant for the business-oriented consumer (long RIM’s bread-and-butter clients).  These two products are interesting to say the least but can they cut into the iPad’s market share or will Apple again define the sector like they have with PMPs and phones?

It is inaccurate to say the the iPad was the first tablet computer, as well as to say that it has been unchallenged since its release in April of 2010.  Indeed, other tablet PCs exist from other companies, they’re just not very note-worthy.  An upstart from Singapore called Fusion Garage released the “JooJoo” in March, but the device was decidedly less polished compared to Apple’s product, with a pretty shoddy skin over Linux and poor hardware implementation.  On the other side, Archos has made several Internet-based tablets over the past few years, but they have never caught on.  That said, their newest line of tablets may have what it takes as they move away from trying to shoehorn Windows 7 in the devices and instead are running versions of Android 2.2.  Windows-based tablets exist in numerous styles as well.  HP was going to release the “Slate” as a Windows 7-based tablet, but it has been brought back to the drawing board (possibly for a WebOS make over).  So yes, the iPad has had competition, you just didn’t know about it.  Of course, an Apple product will gain more fanfare than any of these, and it seems that only Apple has been able to make an extremely polished device through their straight-jacket-tight control of iOS.  So what makes the efforts of RIM and Samsung more important?  They’re getting the word out.  I KNOW about these machines and I didn’t have to go peeling through pages of google searches to get some concrete information on the devices.

So let’s measure them up.  Samsung’s Galaxy Tab is really a big brother to the Galaxy S.  They both use the same “Hummingbird” processor (which is virtually identical to the A4 used by Apple) at 1Ghz, have the same 512MB of RAM, and run the same OS: Android 2.2 (though the Tab’s version is probably specialized for the higher resolution).  So the differences?  The Tab uses a 7″ LCD screen at 1024×600 instead of the Galaxy S’s 4″ Super AMOLED at 800×480.  The device will be sold directly through cellular carriers, probably at a subsidized rate, and as such comes with a variety of 3G technology.  The device isn’t out yet, but many preliminary assessments have shown interest in the device.  Though it clearly is not carrying the fanfare of the iPad, I expect the device to be a nicely crafted alternative.  However, the Galaxy Tab represents a lot more than just a competitor to the iPad.  It will stand to prove if Android can work as a tablet OS.  Google has already remarked that Android was not meant for a tablet interface, and developers who are using the mobile OS for such purposes must work at their own risk.  iOS for the iPad has been heavily modified for the larger resolution of the tablet form factor, so I’d say it will be very hard to match the same level of integration as the iPad on the Galaxy Tab.  Most Android tablets are going to need extensive UI skinning for expanded functionality and probably their own app store, which will probably not be as widespread or rich as the iPad’s.  The Tab will be a testing ground to see if these factors can be over come.

RIM’s PlayBook is similar to the Galaxy Tab in its 7″ form factor and similar resolution.  However, RIM is not selling this as a giant BlackBerry like Samsung, this device runs a completely different OS developed by QNX, a company that built “Unix-like” operating systems for embedded systems.  I’ve never heard of QNX before this announcement, and apparently it was nothing to write home about.  RIM has probably done a number on the OS to update it for their purposes.  The PlayBook’s biggest feature is the hardware.  RIM has stuffed this device to the gills with a 1Ghz, dual core ARM Cortex-A9 (finally seeing a commercial application of that new core), 1GB of RAM and a good amount of flash memory for storage.  It also comes with two cameras, both capable of capturing 1080p video.  No one has had hands-on time with the device, but it is certainly interesting.

These two devices are starting the fight against the iPad.  Will they win?  I can’t say, but they are at least standing in opposition to the Apple device.  Maybe now Apple will be more motivated to improve the iPad for the next generation, because they will certainly have to.

Filed under Corporate Affairs, Hardware, Mobile Tagged with , , ,

Briefly: Apple Relaxes App Store Restrictions

September 10, 2010 by Gabe S. Leave a Comment

Well this was an interesting discovery yesterday.  Back in April when Apple announced iOS 4, the company also took the liberty to change their “terms of service” for the iOS SDK.  Specifically, Apple explicitly banned the use of third-party development tools and foreign APIs.  The clear attempt here was to block Adobe’s efforts to push their “Flash-to-iPhone” converter bundled in Adobe CS5 as an alternative to the standard iOS SDK.  While Apple defended themselves against objections – stating that keeping apps limited to their APIs would ensure the best quality for development – many were still quite angry.  Journalists, developers, and other companies objected that this was the last straw in Apple’s increasingly draconian control over their platform.  Adobe was quite angry.

On Wednesday however, Apple introduced iOS 4.1, which has added a few new features and polish to the mobile software.  It appears that Apple has also loosened their restrictions in the terms of service for 4.1.  Effectively now, developers can use third-party tools as long as the submitted app maintains native code compatibility with iOS i.e. no code translators built into the application.  And speaking of app submissions, Apple has also divulged their guidelines for approval of apps.  The language is very casual and blunt, but it also does a lot to clarify the reasons for Apple’s approval process.  I’m not saying I agree with it, but at least now developers know how to work the system.

P.S, this is my 100th post!

Filed under Apple, Corporate Affairs, Mobile

The Times, They Are a Changin

June 7, 2010 by Gabe S. 65 Comments

Today, I was cleaning out my room as I prepare to rid myself of excess possessions for college.  I decided today was the day to tackle my overflowing bookshelf, filled with far too many books I have never read or dreaded reading for school.  Among the numerous college prep and SAT books which I was so glad to never have to see again, I also ran into a vast collection of childhood picture books.  I’m not really the sentimental type, at least not for books, but I had kept these volumes of kid books mostly to appease my mother who insisted I hold on to them.

Along with the obligatory copies of Good Night Moon in both English and Hebrew (that’s how my family rolls) and an array of Dr. Seuss books; I also discovered a few more treasured books that even I cannot dare to part with: Little Bear and Winnie the Pooh.  Both of these childhood series have a special place in my heart.  Anyone who was a 90s child remembers the Little Bear TV series on Nick Jr. (and if you don’t, I weep for your childhood).  It was that show, more than any other, that defined my childhood and I will keep the books as a remembrance of that youthful bliss.  Winnie the Pooh is a different story.  As a child I was unaware, but I am in possession of extremely old copies of the first two books in the series, both dating back to around 1935.  They’re not in the best shape, but they are classic editions none the less. It occurred to me while holding the tattered tomb that this book had not only been my first real book as a child, but that exact copy had probably shepherd several others through their early years.  Winnie the Pooh is a sort of landmark book for western children.

And then another thought hit me.  Winnie the Pooh is also the free book that comes on the iPad and iPhone’s iBook e-reader app.  The very first book for thousands of children for over 80 years could now become the first book for a whole new generation of readers.  I’m sure that decision was intentional by Apple – to create a connection between the old way of reading and the new.  Now, if you hate the concept of e-readers, that may be a terrifying thought to you.  But for others, it has a sense of poetic symmetry.  There could come a day when children are not given books, but rather have e-readers given at the age of three or what have you.  A day may come when the act of cleaning out your bookshelf will be replaced with clearing space on your flash drive.  In this world, Winnie the Pooh will still be that dear introduction to literature.  But will we still have the same trepidation at deleting the book as I do of physically throwing it away?  Will the value of a book and its sentimental value be diminished as it loses its physical presence?  I can’t say, only time will tell.  And the times, as Dylan put it, they are a changin.

Filed under Culture, Mobile Tagged with

Why I Hate the KIN

May 23, 2010 by Gabe S. Leave a Comment

Last month Microsoft unveiled their long rumored “Project Pink.”  Long thought to be a “Zune Phone”, what Microsoft instead announced was the KIN, a new mobile phone platform that seemed sort of… misplaced. The KIN is neither a smartphone, nor a “feature phone” as we now refer to most basic phones, but rather a kind of “in-between” phone.  It does more than your basic phone but a lot less than something like Android or the iPhone.  The two devices, called creatively KIN 1 and KIN 2, were strange-looking and unique to say the least.  But what was it about the KIN that made it different?  Microsoft has billed the KIN as a phone for social networkers.  For people who want to consume media and information in the easiest way possible.  The KIN’s Windows CE software is designed to aggregate information coming in from Facebook, Twitter, Email and text messaging, all on one screen.  Besides from that, the KIN has little other features to distinguish itself.  And I don’t like that.

Probably the biggest indication of who Microsoft is marketing this phone to was from the announcement video.  It showed off obnoxious, ridiculous examples of my generation – people who seemed like caricatures of Jersey Shore, if that was even possible.  To say I am not a fan of these “bros” and – you know I don’t even have an appropriate name for the female variation (leave me a good one in the comments) – is an understatement.  But I hate worse how they use technology.  Don’t get me wrong, the consumption of media is a god-given right.  But I hate how people of my generation use the internet for its lowest common denominator functions.  We now live in a world of text message junkies and Crackberries – people who can’t be separated from always being plugged in.  Not even for news or business, but just to know “what’s up” with their friends, who broke up with who, and what’s the latest fashion.  It seems like the internet has just become a giant version of high school with these people.  I would hope that this adolescent use of the internet and personal devices will disappear with maturity, but seeing as how the older generations have too invaded Facebook and opened Twitter accounts, I kind of doubt that.

That is the kind of consumerist, mindless use of technology that the KIN represents and why I dislike it.  The KIN’s design focuses around the aggregation of social media – the constant feed of information not for knowledge, but to have the inside scoop on celebrities and gossip.  The KIN lacks any form of app store or expanded functionality like Android, iPhone, or Windows Mobile 7.  While these software platforms are measured by their expansibility, their usefulness as a utility and appliance, the KIN has none of these advantages and rather is like an IV of internet crack.

Just so we’re clear that’s Devil’s Advocate and hyperbole.  The KIN in no way represents the downfall of humanity and there is nothing inherently wrong with it.  My true issue is that it is so limited and inherently handicaps the user to only enjoy the social media abilities of mobile devices.  Whereas other devices live on their expandable use, the KIN will remain boring.  There’s nothing to distinguish itself from other devices besides its strange form factor.  And for that reason, it will fail.  Do yourself a favor, don’t even consider buying a KIN.  You would be much wiser to buy a phone with greater abilities than simply helping your media addictions.  If you need a good phone on the cheap, might I recommend a Palm Pixi or Blackberry Pearl or iPhone 3G?  There are better options out there in smartphones.  The KIN is, quite succinctly, stupid.

Filed under Culture, Mobile Tagged with , ,

New iPhone Prototype Has the A4

May 17, 2010 by Gabe S. 1 Comment

Courtesy of Gizmodo and the work they have done to reveal this device

So, last month Gizmodo got their hands on a lost prototype of the next generation iPhone that some guy found at a bar.  And the world exploded….. in anticipation of finding out news about the new phone.  There was a whole lot of hubbub over the device, and news was coming so fast and fierce that I thought it would be best to leave that to Gizmodo, Engadget and other more professional tech blogs with direct access.  Regardless, I think it’s time to chime in on the possibilities of the device given new information.  So, what to we know about the next iPhone?  Not much.  When Gizmodo first got their hands on the device, it was loaded with a prototype version of iPhone OS 4, but it was quickly remote wiped by Apple.  Besides from that not a lot was known for a while.  The screen may be a higher resolution (as high as 960 x 640, which is 4X the current HVGA screen), the camera looks to be improved, and the battery has a little more capacity.  The only definite goodies that could be gleaned from the prototype was the inclusion of a front camera, a flash on the back camera, the use of Micro-SIM cards, and a noise cancellation mic up top.  This was all in addition to a very sexy new form factor that uses more aluminum and has what looks like a ceramic back to improve radio reception.  I really hope that structural integrity improves since the current iPhone is a little flimsy (I dropped mine on some pavement the other day from about 3 feet, it’s fine but the cosmetic damage is disappointing).

However, the picture has become more clear today as another iPhone prototype has been found by some people in Vietnam and was swiftly sent over to iFixit.  iFixit is an internet site that is meant to show people how to fix many electronics on their own.  They also take the liberty of stripping down new tech to see how they tick.  It was iFixit who thoroughly scanned through the iPad and eventually sent the A4 chip for XRay to see just what was inside it.  Well they’ve done the same with the iPhone prototype and low and behold, it’s rocking the exact same A4 as the iPad.  To revisit, the A4 is Apple’s custom SoC that combines memory, I/O, and the core ARM Cortex-A8 processor, which runs at 1Ghz due to specialized logic from Intrinsity – a design firm that specializes in modifying existing ARM processors and was recently bought by Apple.  The A4 also has 256MB of RAM running on a 64-bit data bus sandwiched on top of the processor core in a package-on-package design to reduce its footprint.  Overall, it’s a nice chip that has powered the heart of the iPad for some impressive speed and performance while offering excellent power management.  It shouldn’t be a huge surprise that the A4 is coming to an iPhone since it’s virtually the same as the current chipset in the iPhone 3GS.  The only difference is its reduced footprint, better power management, faster clockspeed, and better memory bus.  Besides from that, the iPhone and iPad are identical in their processors, even the graphics chip are the same.

So while the inclusion of the A4 in the next iPhone (we’ll call it the iPhone HD) is a nice performance boost over the 3GS, I am a little worried about the iPad.  Mostly because…. well…. what’s the difference now between the iPad and the iPhone?  They have the same hardware (the iPhone HD may even get twice the RAM according to new rumors), very similar screen resolutions (960×640 vs. 1024×768 for iPhone and iPad, respectively), and will run the same software.  And with the iPhone’s inclusion of cameras, standard 3G radio and GPS it makes the iPad seem sort of…. redundant.  In my hands on review of the iPad I stressed that we should not think of it as a giant iPod Touch but rather the other way around, but with the iPhone and eventually the iPod Touch getting these new specs, it becomes harder to make that argument.  The increasing similarity and feature parity between Apple’s $200 (subsidized price) phone and their $500 (base price with no 3G) multimedia tablet makes the choice between them much harder, or maybe far easier.  To be honest, the iPhone HD seems like the obvious choice, especially as iPhone OS 4 is bringing several of the enhancements we’ve already seen on the iPad to the iPhone.  Personally, I believe that this new problem only further proves that Apple undershot on their hardware for the iPad.  They were designing the A4 for a tablet while it only compares to the hardware in state-of-the-art mobile phones.  The A4 will work splendidly in the iPhone, but Apple must re-double their efforts for the next iPad and significantly update the hardware to something more substantial.  I’ve thrown the Cortex-A9 name around before in previous articles, so I’ll only say that Apple should integrate this new chip, with its added dual-processor support, out-of-order execution, and faster clockspeed, into the next iPad and create some significant space between these two devices.  Otherwise, I will never see a point in getting the iPad, and neither will anyone else with even half as much technical education as myself.

Filed under Apple, Hardware, Mobile Tagged with , , ,

Here Comes the Future of the iPhone

April 11, 2010 by Gabe S. 1 Comment

I know, I know.  So many of you were waiting patiently for thursday to check out Digital Gravitas for my report on the iPhone OS 4.0 Keynote, only to be disappointed by a lack of anything.  Unfortunately I was at 35,000 feet during the keynote’s proceedings and was not about to pay $8 for GoGo Wireless on Delta for a 2 hour flight.  I’ve been on vacation so I took a break from blogging to get some R&R.  Anyway, the dust has settled from the Apple keynote and OS 4.0 has been previewed.  There were a lot of big announcements but the most important, and thus the largest portion of my post, goes to feature #1: Multitasking support.

Yes folks.  You are seeing it correctly.  The iPhone will now support third party multitasking on all iPhone 3GS models and iPads (unfortunately 3G and original iPhone owners don’t have the horsepower or RAM to run the new feature).  Apple has spent a long, long, long time mulling over the multitasking question.  They first were strongly against it because it would adversely effect system performance, drain battery life, and could expose the system to malware.  Not only that, but Apple saw multitasking options available on other mobile operating systems as inelegant and poorly implemented.  We’re looking at you Windows Mobile 6, and you’re blasted task manager.  This point is more significant than many seem to understand.  A recent editorial on Engadget makes the very strong point that we cannot call mobile multitasking a success until it is done right – without completely depleting battery life and slowing the phone to a crawl. Read more of this post

Filed under Apple, Mobile, Software Tagged with , , ,

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