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I was listening to the Science Friday podcast which in part covered MacWorld and CES, and David Pogue pointed out something which I did saw but failed to truly understand. In setting up the iPhone, Apple got Cingular to redesign their voice mail system so that you can view your messages in the iPhone voice mail list rather than having to listen to each of them one at a time as you do on a standard phone ("You have ::pause:: 18 ::pause:: messages...first message...."). This may not be a feature which makes up for the price difference, but it is one of those refinements that help make the iPhone stand out from the crowd.

Pogue also talked briefly about how the version of Mac OS on the iPhone will be locked down to not allow program additions. While this may be so, there is also speculation that users may be able to add widgets to the iPhone >cough<Skype>cough<widget>cough<

D'Eyncourt wrote:

I was listening to the Science Friday podcast which in part covered MacWorld and CES, and David Pogue pointed out something which I did saw but failed to truly understand. In setting up the iPhone, Apple got Cingular to redesign their voice mail system so that you can view your messages in the iPhone voice mail list rather than having to listen to each of them one at a time as you do on a standard phone ("You have ::pause:: 18 ::pause:: messages...first message...."). This may not be a feature which makes up for the price difference, but it is one of those refinements that help make the iPhone stand out from the crowd.

Oh, I understood it. Voicemail until the iPhone was just.. so analog. I'm amazed someone didn't invent that before. It was like the old tape-based answering machines. All recorded onto a single length of tape that you had to listen to all at once with no ability to jump around. It only made sense in this digital age of DVR's and videos and music on demand that we get to choose what voicemails we listen to.

I wonder what other "enhancements" they got them to do.

Sadly I rarely ever get a call let alone a voicemail. But this may get me to force people to call me just so I can ignore their call.

I'm curious about a couple things still. When it says "16 hours music" does that mean that I can start iTunes/iPod playing on the iPhone, then press the Off button at the top and have it keep playing thus saving the battery, or will there be a timeout for the screen, or will there be a "turn screen off" button? I'm still curious about that part. Also I assume that even if you turn the phone off with that button you can still recieve a call. Question is is there a real complete off state where it's off, no power at all, no incoming calls or texts until you turn it back on?

I'm wondering if other Apple Specialists (Non-Apple Stores that still sell exclusively Apple and Mac products) will be carrying it. Like the MacOutfitters here in Doylestown. I want to know if I'll be able to give them the business and buy it and sign up there, or will I have to drive all the way across the street to the Cingular Store and sign up there? I'd rather give MO the business. Support local businesses.

I hope we get at least Widget support. I think anything a Dashboard Widget can do should be possible on the iPhone. Games included. (Seriously, I'm surprised there aren't any games on it right now. At least Breakout or Tetris.)

Last edited by Jasoco (2007-01-13 1:51 am)

My biggest concern now is Outlook at work and iTunes at home.  The iPod is a home use for my music, video and photos, and yet the phone and PDA functions are work related and will only be useful if I can sync with my outlook/exchnage database of schedule and contacts, and push my work email to it.  It seems like a lot of people will be in that boat, as Outlook dominates the office and iTunes dominates at home,