tOfficial iPhone news and discussion thread

[bulldogg]

Originally Posted by tuff bob

I'll bow to your greater experience rather than mine and my colleagues.

You should. We've already established the your "experience" is a bit dated not applicable to larger organizations. As for your "colleagues" that don't know how to administer systems properly, I'm not sure what to say.

[Jim in Atl]

Am I mistaken?

I have the impression that you can set up a mailbox on the iPhone today that will synch with my company's exchange server or somehow link and push my email from the office that I usually get using outlook. Is this the case? Is this going to be an issue?

Thanks for boiling this down and simplifying so I don't need to go get network protocal experience.

[tuff bob]

Originally Posted by Jim in Atl

I have the impression that you can set up a mailbox on the iPhone today that will synch with my company's exchange server or somehow link and push my email from the office that I usually get using outlook. Is this the case? Is this going to be an issue?

It depends on whether they allow remote access to the mail system.

[worm]

Originally Posted by Jim in Atl

Am I mistaken?

I have the impression that you can set up a mailbox on the iPhone today that will synch with my company's exchange server or somehow link and push my email from the office that I usually get using outlook. Is this the case? Is this going to be an issue?

Thanks for boiling this down and simplifying so I don't need to go get network protocal experience.

Originally Posted by tuff bob

It depends on whether they allow remote access to the mail system.

i'll assume you're referring to pop3. so yes, you can set up a pop3 mail account on the iphone. however, most companies do not allow access unless you are on their actual network (direct or vpn). the other way is remote access (as bob mentioned) and you need to have a client (e.g. ms activecync, or good mobile). the issue is these clients work on anything but the iphone until iphone 2.0 is released. even then only ms activesync will be compatible with the iphone.

[Trevor Barnes]

Sounds like on campus computer stores that currently sell Apple products (like MSU's) will also be selling iPhones now. At the $199 price point, these things are going to be all over campuses.

Apple may tempt college students with 3G iPhones on campus

[tuff bob]

I can't wait for iphone 3g. Still trying to pick up Chris the builders 2g phone on the cheap for the wife - she wants an ipod. I might go $150

[hexydes]

Everything I've been hearing says a data plan is now going to be required again. If that's the case, I'm definitely not going the iPhone route. I can understand upping the data plan from $20 to $30 since it is faster speeds, but some of us just don't need or want a data plan. There is no scenario in my life where spending an extra $60 a month for an Internet connection I will use around 5 minutes a day is worth it to me.

[spotdog14]

Originally Posted by hexydes

Everything I've been hearing says a data plan is now going to be required again. If that's the case, I'm definitely not going the iPhone route. I can understand upping the data plan from $20 to $30 since it is faster speeds, but some of us just don't need or want a data plan. There is no scenario in my life where spending an extra $60 a month for an Internet connection I will use around 5 minutes a day is worth it to me.

but its not faster..... its the network, if you are in a 3G area its always been there, if you are not, its not there and will be no faster. Like the Lansing area has no 3G, so it wont be faster at all, its crap how much they are charging for data. Ill keep my Nokia e51 and keep my $15 data plan.

[PortlandSpartan]

Originally Posted by tuff bob

I'm hoping they still can be jailbroken though. I've heard pretty impressive things about what you can do with a jailbroken iphone.

I read somewhere that the 2.0 beta builds have already been jailbroken. Once it goes live you can bet that within a few days it will be broken.

[hexydes]

Originally Posted by spotdog14

but its not faster..... its the network, if you are in a 3G area its always been there, if you are not, its not there and will be no faster. Like the Lansing area has no 3G, so it wont be faster at all, its crap how much they are charging for data. Ill keep my Nokia e51 and keep my $15 data plan.

Well, not faster, but conceivably you're hooking into their faster part of the network (which had infrastructure costs associated with it that they have to try to make back up), and additionally, if you use it a lot (which I would make a point to, downloading stuff and deleting it just because I could), then you're going to be likely using more bandwidth than you would with EDGE, just simply because you can pull more down the pipe...or well I guess over the air.

I don't have a huge issue with 3G costing more; AT&T has to recover costs, and if you're going to use their service, then they can charge what they need/want to recoup on their initial investment and costs. What I *DO* have a problem with is forcing people to pay for services that they do not need or want, just because they want a certain phone.

This is why it is so important that Google forced the FCC into mandating open devices for the new wireless spectrum. If it were up to the current companies, they would continue locking people into a certain set of devices, and forcing them to pay for extra services, just to get those devices. On the new wireless spectrum, in essence anyone should be able to go to Best Buy or Amazon.com, pick out a phone, and then hook it into the wireless service. The whole subsidizing thing was useful until the late 90s, when phones became cheap enough that subsidization just meant that wireless service providers could lock you into lengthy and expensive contracts, under the guise of giving you a cheap or free phone. The prices of the phones were all artificially inflated (come on, $300 for a stupid Razr?), and now that the device manufacturers are going to have to compete directly with the consumer, the prices will fall there.

At any rate, I'm going to wait until July 11th to make a decision. If the iPhones do not require a data plan, they're still on the list of phones I'm interested in. If they require a data plan, then I guess I'm still not going to own an iPhone.

[bulldogg]

Originally Posted by Jim in Atl

Am I mistaken?

I have the impression that you can set up a mailbox on the iPhone today that will synch with my company's exchange server or somehow link and push my email from the office that I usually get using outlook. Is this the case? Is this going to be an issue?

Thanks for boiling this down and simplifying so I don't need to go get network protocal experience.

Yes and no. The current iPhone only supports tuffbob's favorite POP/IMAP protocols. Most companies that have implemented Exchange don't even have these enabled, and if they do they aren't exposed to the Internet because of the security risks that they present.

However, IF they are available from the Internet, you can setup your current iPhone to pull and send mail. That is is though. You are limited, however, to just email. As explained earlier, Exchange is much more than just email. POP/IMAP do not support the syncing of calendar, contacts, tasks, etc. that are needed in a corporate environment.

That is why the iPhone2 is a bigger deal for business. It will use the Exchange ActiveSync (same as Windows Mobile 5 or higher phones) to securely connect to Exchange and sync all of those items. It also allows for policies to be enforced on the device (like requiring passwords, not installing apps, etc) and also for the device to be wiped remotely if stolen. If all of those things work as rumored, it will then be a competitor to Blackberries and WinMo phones in the corporate world.

[tuff bob]

Originally Posted by PortlandSpartan

I read somewhere that the 2.0 beta builds have already been jailbroken. Once it goes live you can bet that within a few days it will be broken.

yeah, but that isn't on the 3g hardware, there might be extra protection on the 3G hardware ... When I think to Tivo, they were able to take additional hardware precautions even though the software could be hacked the same way, that makes hacking them much harder.

[PortlandSpartan]

Originally Posted by tuff bob

yeah, but that isn't on the 3g hardware, there might be extra protection on the 3G hardware ... When I think to Tivo, they were able to take additional hardware precautions even though the software could be hacked the same way, that makes hacking them much harder.

True, didn't consider that. If some hardware locking is in place that just adds to the amount of time before it gets broken. Someone will get it done either way.

[hexydes]

Originally Posted by PortlandSpartan

True, didn't consider that. If some hardware locking is in place that just adds to the amount of time before it gets broken. Someone will get it done either way.

Hardware is always harder to hack. With software, if you can't just flat-out turn it off, you can often load something to programmatically by-pass the protection. With hardware the fastest way around is to simply create more hardware that by-passes the hardware protection...but that's not so easy on a cell phone. That's why the XBox was hacked so fast via hardware mod, but the software mod relied on studying the XBox for years and finally finding a piece of code that exploited a point in the system sufficiently to load the code necessary to mod it.

[tuff bob]

However I don't think theres a software only fix for the Tivo S3, pretty sure that involves soldering a prom chip. Which most people are reluctant to do on a Tivo, so such a hardware mod would be even less enviable on an iphone.

[Trevor Barnes]

Germans to get iPhone 3G for €1 - The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

T-Mobile has released the iPhone 3G rate plans (link auf Deutsch) for Germany and it looks like our lucky friends in Deutschland are getting a major subsidy. The 8Gb iPhone will be available for as little as €1...

Damn Germans!

[bulldogg]

I'll probably try the iPhone 2 when released, but the Blackberry Bold will be my phone after that. It stacks up fairly well:

PinStack.com's ultimate 3G BlackBerry Bold & 3G Apple iPhone 2.0 Comparison - PinStack.com - BlackBerry forums

[RandomDaveG]

Originally Posted by Trevor Barnes

Germans to get iPhone 3G for €1 - The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

Damn Germans!

Take it easy, those are my boys.

[PortlandSpartan]

Originally Posted by bulldogg

I'll probably try the iPhone 2 when released, but the Blackberry Bold will be my phone after that. It stacks up fairly well:

PinStack.com's ultimate 3G BlackBerry Bold & 3G Apple iPhone 2.0 Comparison - PinStack.com - BlackBerry forums

Specs seem very nice. BB OS4.6 should be a nice upgrade as well. I'd be pretty pumped if they upgraded my old 8703 at work.

Still won't come close to touching OS X iPhone in usability.

[bulldogg]

Originally Posted by PortlandSpartan

Specs seem very nice. BB OS4.6 should be a nice upgrade as well. I'd be pretty pumped if they upgraded my old 8703 at work.

Still won't come close to touching OS X iPhone in usability.

Like typing?

[PortlandSpartan]

Originally Posted by bulldogg

Like typing?

Before selling my iPhone I only used the BB for work calls. Didn't really have to type much on it. No BS, I could type much faster on the iPhone. Maybe if I used the BB more I'd get faster on it, but I only plan on using that for the next 3 weeks.

If they change the Mail program to be used horizontal, I'll be able to cook on it.

[bulldogg]

Originally Posted by PortlandSpartan

Before selling my iPhone I only used the BB for work calls. Didn't really have to type much on it. No BS, I could type much faster on the iPhone. Maybe if I used the BB more I'd get faster on it, but I only plan on using that for the next 3 weeks.

I can't compare really - since I haven't carried an iPhone. But I have to believe that the virtual keyboard is not nearly as convenient to type email/text messages.

Come mid-July, I'll be able to make a better comparison, but that keyboard has me a bit scared.

(Also, your 8703 is pretty old now too for usability since that is big clunky and still has the jog dial. A better comparison is vs. the Curve).

[worm]

Originally Posted by bulldogg

I can't compare really - since I haven't carried an iPhone. But I have to believe that the virtual keyboard is not nearly as convenient to type email/text messages.

Come mid-July, I'll be able to make a better comparison, but that keyboard has me a bit scared.

(Also, your 8703 is pretty old now too for usability since that is big clunky and still has the jog dial. A better comparison is vs. the Curve).

this is no joke...i can type significantly faster on the iphone virtual keyboard than on any other pda keyboard.

YouTube - Apple iPhone Keyboard Demo NEW

[bulldogg]

Originally Posted by worm

this is no joke...i can type significantly faster on the iphone virtual keyboard than on any other pda keyboard.

I hope so. But almost everything covered in the video isn't really new technology - it's been around with Blackberries and WinMo devices for years. The only thing that I thought was kinda cool was that it expands and shrinks target zones depending on possible word combinations - however that could be a bad thing too.

[PortlandSpartan]

Originally Posted by bulldogg

(Also, your 8703 is pretty old now too for usability since that is big clunky and still has the jog dial. A better comparison is vs. the Curve).

We have newer BBs in the office and I prefer the jog dial to the new centered dials.