With the update to iOS 5.1, Apple changed how iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users access the camera on the lock screen. Instead of tapping the camera icon, users now have to hold the camera icon and slide it upwards to reveal the camera. Below is a video showing the change.
I have been thinking lately why I choose the iPhone over an Android Phone. I mean these Android phones are every bit advanced as the iPhone and in the end complete the task originally assigned, accept and receive calls. So I decided to make one of those lists that compared iOS to Android.
The easiest was the applications, but as I began to dig I come with a list of 10 of my most used 3rd party applications:
Now there are a few more applications, but the 10 above are the most used that I would miss. Of the 10, only 2 were not available in the Android Market Place, but that didn’t seem to be a compelling reason for why I chose the iPhone.
I then looked at items such as cases, Android Phones offered, cellular network and so forth. I still concluded that neither was more important than the next. Granted I learned the T-Mobile data speeds were much faster than that of AT&T on 3G, but again concluded that it was just a matter of time before that was no longer an issue.
Then after reading the 37 Signals article, Ten Apps is All I Need, a great point was made by the author Niall Larkin regarding iPhone.
“It’s my favorite piece of technology and has been for years. Do you know why? Because Apple nailed the basics. Safari, Camera, iPod, Clock, Weather, Photos, Messages, Mail, and Maps are the apps that I use 95% of the time. Those are the ones that made me buy the phone and stick with it.”
I had to agree with this comment, but what separates the iPhone from Android for me is the iPod function. Sure Safari, Mail, Maps, and etc are great, but they don’t function any better than their Android counter parts. The iPod is what makes the iPhone stand out from Android.
Before the iPhone, the iPod was Apple’s dominate product. Let’s face it without iPod the iPhone may never have come to be. I use my iPod App each and every day. I use it when I come to work, I use it at work and I use it coming home from work. On the weekends I have it connected to my iLuv or my stereo.
Though only 8GB in capacity I am able to enjoy my full collection of iTunes while at home via iTunes Home Share and on the 3G network with applications such as the PogoPlug App. The icing on the cake is that it provides me cell phone and access to the Internet.
Android may have a music player, but in my world without access to iTunes it simply is not worth the headache just as having a typical MP3 player is not worth the headache. When I connect my iPhone to my iMac all my music is synced, my pictures can be imported to iPhoto, a backup is made and I am on my way. No mounting of device, no dragging & dropping, and no lost data like with Android. In the immortal words of Steve Jobs “It just works.”
The experience will become even better once iCloud and iOS 5 are launched this fall. With Music Match I will have all my music in the cloud and will be able to retrieve it at any moment, without having to go through the trouble of uploading it to services like Amazon Cloud and Google Music Beta.
In the end the reason I wanted the iPhone in the first place is the same reason I will continue with the device, it is my iPhone, the one device for music, Internet and apps
A few weeks back my I completed a restore on my iPhone 3GS. In doing so I restored it to the factory default, which results in a loss of installed apps, music, email and other defaults. As a result the ability to choose from a list of MobileMe aliases was lost.
I am not sure why this was the case. My web search resulted in little information that was useful in getting this “feature” back. Short of restoring my iPhone from the last known backup, I was now without the ability to use aliases within MobileMe account setup on my iPhone. In my searches I discovered a work around that in the end I found to be not only a fix but also a better way of managing aliases.
I also discovered after implementing the change I didn’t have to fumble around to make sure the email was originating from the correct alias account. This of course being the main reason I set up the alias in the first place.
The steps to set up a separate MobileMe alias on an iPhone are quite easy.
Step 1: Go To Settings on your iOS device and choose Mail, Contacts, Calendars.
Step 2: Select Add Account…
Step 3: Select “Other”
Step 4: Enter the alias account information in the “Address” and “Password” Fields
Step 5: Select “IMAP” and enter in the alias MobileMe account address and password. This is needed to get MobileMe to respond correctly to the alias.
In the “Incoming Server” area type in mail.me.com for the Host Name, followed by your main MobileMe Username and Password.
In the outgoing server enter smtp.mail.com in the host field, followed by your main MobileMe Username and Password.
The iOS device will now ask you to turn Mail and Notes on or off. Since you have come this far I suggest leaving Mail on, while leaving Notes on or off is up to you. After few moments your MobileMe alias will be up and running. No more choosing which email address you to reply with, now you can open any email and know it is coming from the alias you want it to.
I wonder why the average consumer would need to open up their iPhone. Better yet why does it matter that Apple is installing a screw that currently doesn’t meet the specs of current screw drivers.
From my standpoint I buy a new cell phone every 18 to 20 months depending on the cell carrier I subscribe to at that time. I am currently a proud owner of an iPhone 3GS on AT&T and I am due to for a “discounted” upgrade this September 2011. Like with all my Apple devices I purchase the extended AppleCare.
By the time I decide to upgrade my cell phone I will still be covered by Apple, so if anything were to go wrong between now and then short of dropping my phone into the toilet (knocking on wood) or from a considerable distance I have absolutely no reason to open up my iPhone. I am sure that a considerable majority of iPhone users fit my profile.
The minority of people might fit the profile mentioned in Ken Ray’s article iPhone 4: The New Screw Review
People to tamper with it to get it unlocked, they try and remove or swap out the liquid damage indicator stickers, and they’re trying to change the serial number on the board from one that’s out of warranty to one that’s within warranty.
My guess is that the people doing the latter will not let 2 tiny little screws get in their way. Considering iFixit offers a kit to complete the removal of the screws goes in helping this process. So then what is the big issue?
I for one purchase the extended warranty to cover the things that go wrong and will upgrade my phone in a period of time that will highly likely not require me to bust into my phone. If I did damage it beyond repair that is on me and I will deal with the consequences. I think the issue lies in the fact Apple’s practice of replacing a standardized screw with one that is not has the hacking community up in arms, you know the minority.
Apple’s Diabolical Plan to Screw your iPhone from iFixit on Vimeo.