Category: Gadgets and Toys

I have used the iPhone for 2 years now and quite like it. The strangle hold apple has really annoys me so after jailbreaking the phone, I can do mostly all of what I want to do.

Heres some thoughts about the last 24hrs playing with the nexus one.

Nexus One – Good Points

• Fantastic screen. It’s bright, clear, hi-res and the animations are great.
• Brilliant google apps integration. (Including lattitude from google apps accounts which aparent’y can’t be done on any other platform)
• Close integration with things like SIP clients with the normal phone interface
• GPS reeption (inside a building, works great)
• Fast browser.
• latitude that ‘just works’
• Gmail integration that doesn’t rely on the old imap methodology. It handles threaded conversations.
• Great camera with flash
• feels thinner and better
• great google talk integration
• proper multitasking

Nexus One – Bad Points

• 3G dropouts. In 24 hrs, i have had 2 calls drop (I don’t make many calls) and have had other call breakup.
• Bluetooth is worse than the iPhone (which is pretty bad). I often have trouble getting A2DP connections working properly with phone calls etc. The iPhone gives you an option to select audio output options and therefore by selecting speaker, then back to bluetooth, it works again. the Nexus one, doesn’t have this option and stopping/starting the bluetooth, while it seems to fix the problem, takes too long.
• Finger sensors seem ‘wrong’. When I played with the HERO, i seemed to have to touch the screen a few mm above the point that i wanted. This is the same on the nexus one. I would be happy to believe it was my fat fingers but the iphone doesn’t have this problem.
• The gmail application, while it has some great features just feels wrong. I normally keep mail unread in the inbox as a todo list, this is harder to do in the gmail app. on the iPhone app, its easier.
• doesn’t support pinch gestures.
• has a totally useless trackball (well, sometimes its the only way to do something so useless is probably not the right word)
• still not enough apps

iPhone Jailbroken – Good Points

• with the purchase of 3G unrestrictor and longtitude, latitude works and SIP over 3G works.
• as much as I hate to say it, iTunes integration makes life easier than the options.
• wifi/3g switching just works

iPhone Jailbroken – Bad Points

• Apples restrictive policies on things like native google latitude support.
• the bluetooth support is crappy but still less bad than the nexus one.
• crappy battery life with no quick replacement option
• only manual upgrading of software/apps
• no multitasking

 

So in summary, I am going back to the iPhone and hope the next 4G iPhone addresses these bad points.

I got the iPhone when it became available and was prepared to hate it. I of course had to get one to play with it but I was totally unprepared with how much it was less bad then other phones. I can’t say its a good phone, or PDA but it is far less bad then whats out there.
This morning, I finally configured syncing with google hosted apps (via http://www.nuevasync.com/) with my contacts and calendar. Contacts have been syncing for a while but the Calendar was failing. It now stays updated over the air automatically.
iTunes, being the worst program ever released, is also now almost useable. the PC version still sucks so I went and got a mac (maybe Apples plans all along) just to run iTunes on and it works pretty reliably. Its impossible to be watching a movie and sync the phone at the same time but that’s Apple for you.
The battery life is pretty bad (even with 2.1) but its nice to be able to get access to things with a decent screen anywhere.
I can’t wait until the new android mobile comes out so we will finally have an open source platform for mobiles that people can extend properly. Apples restrictive trade practices are also starting to annoy people in the development community so android might be the answer we have been waiting for.

This little device, and the 785 as well, has already won the not coveted “Kevins Coolest Thing Ever” award for 2007.

This award is not awarded every year but has gone to some fantastic things in the past including the “Uwatec wireless dive computer” and the “Dreambox”.

Its not very often that my rampant consumerism actually makes my life better but this truly does. Even my father-in-law has one now and can finally work his TV out.

If you know me (and only people who know me tend to read my blog) then you really really need to buy one of these items. They are currently on Deals Direct and are worth every cent.

Logitech > Remotes > Universal Remotes > Harmony® 1000i Advanced Universal Remote