Aaron The Young

Things that (I think) would make the iPhone better

2008-08-22T19:49:00.001-07:00

Everyone is writing their thoughts on how the iPhone or iPod touch could be made better. I've been keeping track of what limitations I'm running into with my iPhone and I've now got enough to write about. I think most will agree with me about these these flaws I have found in the iPhone.

LOW COST DATA PLAN

I know many people who would love to have an iPhone, but are limited by the data plan that AT&T has to offer. My father, for one, would benefit from having an iPhone, but he's just not going to use the Internet much. It would be great if AT&T offered a plan that gave a small amount of data bandwidth and allowed those that just don't need a data plan to get an iPhone without having to pay the large data plan fee that is currently required with AT&T.

I CAN'T SEND AN IMAGE EASILY!

This is really irritating. When I take a picture, I want to be able to send it to someone else's phone almost immediately. E-mailing it isn't really where I'm at. I'm glad I can at least do that, but I've only had my iPhone for a month and I run into at least a dozen instances where I needed to share a photo and get a quick response about its content. I could do this with my Verizon Treo with great ease, but now that I have the "category killer" phone, it's not there.

WHY CAN'T I LEAVE MY SCREEN ON WHEN IT'S CHARGING?

When I'm running the GPS, it's really lame that the screen won't stay on. It's actually dangerous since those who are driving have to constantly touch the screen or if it does lock, they have to open it and go back to the Maps/GPS application. My Sony Clie used to stay on when I had it in the charger. Why can't my iPhone?

RECORDING PHONE CALLS

I reluctantly moved to my iPhone from a Verizon Treo since I had to give up the ability to record my phones. All calls, incoming and outgoing were recorded with a small program that recorded my calls to audio files that I could easily export to my Windows PC and categorize and review. When dealing with vendors, making agreements on the phone, or during a divorce. It is infinitely helpful to have this features.

REORDER E-MAIL ACCOUNT LIST

I have many e-mail accounts for work, spam catchers, purchasing accounts, and other accounts that are tied to online games and website accounts. A total of 11 currently. I really don't like the order that my list is in, and it would be nice to be able to re-order my mail accounts. Currently, I'm stuck with the list I have. After adding and deleting a few, it's a very undesireable list.

ABILITY TO RECORD PHONE CALLS

My Verizon Treo 700p was doing almost everything I wanted it to do. It actually kept me from buying the 1st generation iPhone. While I liked the screen of the new iPhone over the the tiny screen of my Treo, it just wasn't enough to move to the iPhone. However, the number one thing that was keeping me on my Treo was it's ability to record incoming and outgoing phone calls. I found this feature incredibly useful when dealing with vendors, tracking verbal agreements, and when dealing with legal issues, it was invaluable. While there are a number of recorder programs available for the iPhone, not one of the records phone calls. Apparently, Apple makes all programs quit when the phone rings, but I found this to be somewhat untrue. I was easily able to start a recorder program while I was on the phone. I even attempted to place the phone on speaker phone and then start one of my recording programs to see if it would record. Unfortunately, the two I tried failed to record anything or made a zero second recording. I sure hope someone is able to get past this limitation. If a Verizon Treo 700 can do it, why can't an iPhone?

ABILITY TO SET ORIGIN MAIL ACCOUNT.

Also in the mail area, I really can't stand how when you send e-mail it comes from the same account, not the account you may be reading an e-mail from. If this isn't apparent to the iPhone user, they could be sending an e-mail to someone who they really don't want replying to their business e-mail account or personal account.
Timestamps on ALL messages.
Timestamp option on camera
Black & White and other filters.
Fix naming bug

What I think Apple is doing.

2008-05-11T07:57:00.000-07:00

I clearly am no expert about Apple's business, but I have been a fan of their products for decades. It seems to me that they are poising themselves to finally topple or take a huge bite out of Microsoft's empire.

With cell phones outselling computers nearly 4 to 1, it seems that the cell phone is becoming the "new platform" for one's digital life. For a while, before cell phones, the personal computer was THE PLATFORM and Microsoft dominated it clearly. Of course Microsoft still is HUGE compared to Apple. Selling 140 million copies of Vista compared to 2 million of OS X. However, with Apples true domination of the cellphone / smartphone market, we could see a shifting of the market and a stealthy behind the scene shift in platform.

If the iPhone starts to DO everything that the market wants it to do, then many won't even get a traditional, stay at home computer. Why get a machine that doesn't travel with you, you have to pay EXTRA for it's Internet connection, and you have to copy files off it if you want to take them with you. I think many consumers will make the choice of an iPhone or an Apple UMPC instead of the traditional computer.

The Apple Air Book and iPhone are a real hint at what Apple could be producing in the next year or two. It seems to be that there needs to be a device that's right in the middle of these two products. A slate sized, ultra mobile PC, that will allow a person to easily take their entire computing, communications and entertainment environment with them seems to be in the product line for Apple. At least, that's what I would be producing if I was Steve Jobs.

Someone is going to do it, and right now, it seems that Apple is the best poised to do this. I think MicroSoft is aware of it and will be in a weak position to do anything about it. Apple has an amazing foot-hold with the iPhone and I look forward to a UMPC product from them. I know that I'll be in line for such a product if it is produced as it will be the best and most history changing device in computing today. Finally, everyone will be connected, where ever they go.

Dear Spring, you may arrive at any time

2008-04-03T11:13:00.000-07:00

I can't wait until Spring gets here. I have a new liner to put in my pool and a deck to build around it so my kids can easily jump in it. I can't wait to make all this happen. My life seems to be centered around my home and the many, MANY projects that need my attention. It's all fun though. Always has been.

Latest news

2008-03-04T18:16:00.000-08:00

Life continues to get better. John and I successfully installed Microsoft's Exchange Server at Ashley McGraw in January and it's proven to be a great success. The company now has shared calendaring, contacts, and tasks. A lot of the new employees were asking for it since they used it where they worked previously, but at least half had no idea how much they liked it.

Got a new iPhone at work. These little devices are amazing. I've never worked with a device that was so well engineered and so fluid in function. Plus I can carry all my heavy metal music in it too! Uhm, and some Wham! and Sade.

Just some thoughts....

2007-12-08T07:19:00.001-08:00

Hmmm....so much to tell. At this point in my life, I couldn't feel more capable, more alive, or more independent. I'll spare you the details (if you can't tell I was recently divorced), but the last year of my life has been a sea of change. At first, I was frightened and insulted, but in a few months, that gave way to resolve and incentive to plan. Those middle months lead to confidence and the achieving of goals I hadn't dreamt before. Some where along the way I heard the saying, "All this works together for good." Well, in my case, this certainly has come true.

My new web site that will change the world.

2006-06-27T12:51:00.000-07:00

I'm posting it now because no one will believe me when they find out that I've been thinking about this idea for so long. No web site out there has been created that provides an aggregation of massive opinions. I think there is tremendous value in creating a website that is devoted to MASS opinion. We often want change to occur, but don't really know how to articulate and gather the numerous agreeing members of society to present to those that can make the change.

AKA -- the public speaking to its government.

I intead to create that massive voice so that no one longer will it be just one persons voice swallow up in the din of societies many roars, but it will be a focusing of many citizens who feel the same way, speaking as one.

This is going to be so cool.

Crazy winter snow.

2005-12-07T21:29:00.000-08:00

I didn't have a car today and was really hungry at about 11 AM. So I IM'd Paul and asked if he wanted to go eat and Gino and Joe's (which is actually no longer Gina and Joe's) -- I forgot what it's called. In any case, it seems they make the Chicken Parm with Pasta special the same way as it was YUMMMEEEEE.

Paul told me a funny story about his daughter and her alarm clock. You'll have to check his blog for full details. Does Paul have a blog? I don't know. I'll have to ask him.

It snowed like crazy while we were eating and we had to sweep off the before we went back to work and then the road were just crazy. I didn't even have him take me back to work. I work just across the street so I just had him park. Syracuse gets so much snow. I used to like it. I don't so much now.

Anyways, I didn't go to my night job (well not physically) -- I stayed home and worked remotely. It's been a long evening. I'm bushed.

Wuv

2005-12-05T14:14:00.000-08:00

My daughter Violet said to me last night. I wuv you, wuv you, wuv you, wuv you, wuv you Daddy! I asked her what this thing "wuv" was and she said, "Dad, wuv is 100 times love!"
I said, "Wow."

You must be kidding! I'm blogging!

2005-12-05T09:36:00.000-08:00

Hey friends,

Isn't google great? Now I can foolishly devote my time to yet another cool Internet thingy. I had been getting jealous of some of my friends who had been blogging for months before I did. Some had been doing it for over a year? Is that possible? Has blogging been around that long? I can never keep things relative in Internet time these days.

ah well. Cool. I'm blogging.

-A