New 2010 iphone?

[Mark]

iPhone and HTC capacitive touchscreens are very similar. I found the iPhone screen easier to read (vs. Hero, so may have changed by now), but that could easily be the OS. There was little to choose between the touch part of the screen.

To me, Android on an iPhone is an interesting excercise in technology, but little more. If you want to run Android, there's far cheaper hardware that will give you a better user experience than an iPhone.

[A Place of Light]

Originally Posted by Mark

iPhone and HTC capacitive touchscreens are very similar. I found the iPhone screen easier to read (vs. Hero, so may have changed by now), but that could easily be the OS.

I have a "Hero", and both the "Legend" and "Desire" have screens which are better both on paper and to look at.

[Dymetrie]

I've looked at the current android releases, but i'm not impressed...

My 3G is still brilliant, and in a few months I'm looking forward to my replacement...

[A Place of Light]

Originally Posted by Dymetrie

I've looked at the current android releases, but i'm not impressed.....

In what way do you feel they are lacking when compared to the iPhone?

[Mark]

I think it depends whether you consider an out-of-box Android installation (such as that from the iPhone video above), or an Android installation that has been tinkered with a lot by a manufacturer (particularly HTC).

The basic Android UI I found somewhat lacking. I can't explain why as in reality it isn't that dissimilar to the iPhone (at least as far as the home screen goes), but nonetheless it didn't 'work'. That was v1.0 though and we're now on v2.1 (soon to be v2.2) so I'd have to re-assess this with a newer phone than the G1.

What HTC did with Sense cleaned up a lot of the rough edges (IMHO) though naturally introduced a few new ones of its own.

It's just a shame that HTC seem to be letting existing customers down in the name of releasing new products. That may be business, but it isn't good PR - especially when you make promises and then break them repeatedly (yes, I'm referring to the Hero here).

Anyway, this whole Android debate is rather off-topic for an iPhone thread.

[A Place of Light]

Originally Posted by Mark

Anyway, this whole Android debate is rather off-topic for an iPhone thread.

I'd like to see the next iPhone really raise the bar. They have the money and talent to pull it off, so rather than just bring out something that is better than the competition I'm hoping it will absolutely blow the rest into a cocked hat.

[Garp]

Originally Posted by A Place of Light

I'd like to see the next iPhone really raise the bar. They have the money and talent to pull it off, so rather than just bring out something that is better than the competition I'm hoping it will absolutely blow the rest into a cocked hat.

That's never been Apple's approach. They stick with tried and tested, and then spend a lot of time working on the user experience to give it as much polish as they could.
I do wish other companies would learn that from them, e.g. Archos. One of my colleagues just got the Archos 5 I think it is. Beautiful device, responsive, plays almost any media you throw at it. Bog standard Android UI, not even sorted out hardware acceleration of it yet (due sometime later this year). It works superbly, looks good, but let down because Archos would rather get the device out the door than go for awe inspiring on release.

[Mark]

The Archos 5 is still miles ahead of their previous offerings (which I own three of). That said, at least it sounds like it's getting an update - Archos have historically been far worse than even HTC at abandoning products as soon as the next version comes out.

And I agree with the comments re: Apple. They certainly raised the bar to start with, but that was needed to get market share. Now they've got that, they'll do just enough to keep it - meanwhile ****ing everyone else off...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8639240.stm

I'm not a massive fan of Flash on mobile devices (mainly because it's a battery eater), but I still view it as a 'nice to have'.

Of course, the irony in that story is not lost on me. Apple? Open? Since when?

[A Place of Light]

Originally Posted by Garp

That's never been Apple's approach. They stick with tried and tested, and then spend a lot of time working on the user experience to give it as much polish as they could.
I do wish other companies would learn that from them, e.g. Archos. One of my colleagues just got the Archos 5 I think it is. Beautiful device, responsive, plays almost any media you throw at it. Bog standard Android UI, not even sorted out hardware acceleration of it yet (due sometime later this year). It works superbly, looks good, but let down because Archos would rather get the device out the door than go for awe inspiring on release.

The thing is though, if everyone sticks with the tried and tested and concentrates on the shiny shiny.....where does progress come into the equation? Apple could, and should in my opinion, make the next iPhone better than anything else by a country mile. Everyone else will be forced to up their game and the consumer will win. The "Desire" is a superb phone and many people (self included) consider it to be better than the iPhone itself.....but we wouldn't have it or anything like it if it wasn't for the iPhone itself, and certainly not for a few years either.

[A Place of Light]

Originally Posted by Garp

It works superbly, looks good, but let down because Archos would rather get the device out the door than go for awe inspiring on release.

There's a good reason for that, and the reason is sales.
All Archos customers buy it because it's the best device in it's class, whereas a HUGE number of iPhone customers buy one simply because it's an iPhone.