How to Make the iPhone Better. Yes, Better

As the Apple World Wide Developers Conference approaches and the company prepares to roll out a new version of the iPhone operating system, the Mac rumor sites have been buzzing about what a next-generation iPhone might bring to the market. While some of Apple's iPhone plans are known, here's a list of seven other improvements that we would like to see:



1) Multitasking: One of my pet peeves with the iPhone is not being able to run more than one application simultaneously. For example, I often listen to the American Public Radio application, but I can't check e-mail at the same time. Jailbroken iPhones can run a "background application" that lets users run more than one app at once, but it would be nice to be able to multitask without breaking the iPhone's warranty.

2) SMS contacts: BlackBerry and Nokia owners may find this hard to believe, but the iPhone out of the box doesn't allow users to SMS contacts from their phone to other phones. This is a very basic feature that many other phones have had for years, and a very useful one considering the billions of mobile phone accounts in existence.


3) Primitive call logs: Another basic functionality beef that some annoyed iPhone users have cited: The iPhone's "primitive" call log. It doesn't let you see whether a call was incoming or outgoing, view call logs more than 30 days old, or see how long a call lasted. "I cannot believe iPhone call log is so primitive," a user named Mettur Man wrote on the Apple iPhone forum. "I like the product in general, it does not mean I have to accept every shortcomings of the product."


4) Syncing media: Syncing ripped or purchased media between multiple computers has always been a headache with iTunes, iPods, and iPhones, due to DRM concerns and technical issues. On Apple's iPhone forum, there are complaints that the iPhone's iTunes application won't complete a sync on more than one computer.


5) Picture messaging: Multimedia messaging (MMS) is the ability to do picture and video messaging. It's a major source of complaints among iPhone owners. Again, this is probably because it is available on many other cell phones. "I love my iPhone," Robby Russell wrote on his blog. "There is one problem with it...Multimedia Messaging is pretty much non-existent with non-iPhone friends & family. My family continues to send me pictures/videos via text message... because they can with their other friends and family." Apple has promised that we'll see MMS in the new release, but it remains to be seen how it will work -- or whether video will be included (see No. 7, below).


6) More e-mail: The iPhone currently only lets users view about 200 messages in its e-mail application, which is frustrating if you are stuck somewhere and desperately searching for an address or other important piece of information that was sent to you in an email. "That's like a day's worth for me, useless, cant get to messages I received or sent last week," blogged Dale Fraser. "The Blackberry had a last 30 days option, with the iPhone memory there is no logical reason to have such a small limit." He added: "You can't search messages, if they fix the limit of 200 messages, they need to add search so that you can search and find a message your looking for."


7) Video camera: For months, there have been rumors and speculation about an iPhone video camera. Besides being able to use an iPhone like a Flip to record video clips, there has also been talk about an iPhone video conferencing feature (note the Standard's prediction about this last year did not come true).


iPhone OS 3.0 will be free for current iPhone users and US$9.95 for iPod touch users. Whether Apple shows off a next-generation iPhone at WWDC remains to be seen.


Source Article by : PC WORLD
Sindya Bhanoo, The Industry Standard
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Why BlackBerry's Lead Over the iPhone Won't Last

Research In Motion’s BlackBerry Curve has moved past Apple’s iPhone to become the top-selling consumer smart phone in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2009, according to market researcher The NPD Group.


The iPhone 3G fell to second place, as Apple’s consumer smart phone market share dropped 10 percent. Two more BlackBerry phones, the Storm and Pearl, held the third and fourth spots, respectively. And the Android-based T-Mobile G1 made an impressive fifth-place showing. Palm, which is expected to roll out its ballyhooed Pre phone later this month, also suffered a 10 percent drop in market share.


Things certainly look rosy for RIM and its popular BlackBerry series. But it’s doubtful the Curve, including all the 83xx models, will continue to outsell the iPhone.




Here’s Why

The BlackBerry’s impressive Q1 sales got a huge boost from Verizon Wireless’s consumer-friendly “buy-one-get-one” BlackBerry promotion, as well as its heavy marketing of the iPhone-like BlackBerry Storm, which is selling like hotcakes despite tepid and occasionally hostile reviews from the tech press.


Verizon certainly won’t continue its costly two-for-one giveaway forever, which should result in a slide in Curve sales. As for the relatively new Storm, its popularity will ultimately be determined by consumer word of mouth. If everyday users agree with the pros that the Storm doesn’t cut it, sales will fall.


But why did iPhone sales fall 10 percent? Rumors of a new and improved iPhone have been circulating for months, and it’s likely that potential buyers are sitting on the fence to see what Apple rolls out this summer. When the new iPhone launches and the Apple marketing machine kicks into high gear, iPhone sales will certainly pick up.


Another competitive advantage for the BlackBerry is its availability on all four U.S. wireless carriers, according to Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis at The NPD Group. Of course, we all know the iPhone is currently limited to AT&T Wireless. But reports say Apple may be cooking up a deal to bring the iPhone to Verizon Wireless too. If that comes to pass, iPhone sales should get another big boost.


Finally, the Palm Pre will certainly steal sales from RIM and Apple. But I suspect its physical keyboard will appeal more to customers who were leaning toward the BlackBerry Curve. We’ll soon know for sure.


Source : Jeff Bertolucci, PC World
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