Apple gets $1B

[MartyFunkhouser]

LOL. That's pretty funny. It will be interesting to see how the new Nokia phone running Windows 8 does. The few Windows phones I have played with I really like. They're just lacking in support and development. It's sad to see how far Nokia has fallen. If they had hitched their wagon to Android early they could be Samsung. Their phones at one time were the best on the market. But they clung to Symbian for way too long and then decided a marriage with Microsoft was good. Whoops.

I need to pick up the Jobs bio. I almost did at Costco the other day but was afraid I wouldn't have time for it with football starting.

I actually really like the current Windows mobile OS. The problem is as you pointed out the lack of software support and development. If they had software support and development, I probably would have purchased a Windows mobile phone. Windows phones are also lacking in decent hardware right now. A phone with the GSIII specs running windows mobile 8 would be great.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

I actually really like the current Windows mobile OS. The problem is as you pointed out the lack of software support and development. If they had software support and development, I probably would have purchased a Windows mobile phone. Windows phones are also lacking in decent hardware right now. A phone with the GSIII specs running windows mobile 8 would be great.

I wrote about this a few weeks ago. MS is releasing a pretty good tablet, but the problem is the lack of apps and the lack of people using Windows 8 phones.

MS is releasing Windows 8 on PCs, but I'm unsure how they'll integrate with phones/tablets.

I don't like the simplistic, rigid iOS, but I've also been unimpressed with Android's messiness. I would certainly be willing to give an MS phone a shot if there was more of a critical mass of users behind it.

[MartyFunkhouser]

I wrote about this a few weeks ago. MS is releasing a pretty good tablet, but the problem is the lack of apps and the lack of people using Windows 8 phones.

MS is releasing Windows 8 on PCs, but I'm unsure how they'll integrate with phones/tablets.

I don't like the simplistic, rigid iOS, but I've also been unimpressed with Android's messiness. I would certainly be willing to give an MS phone a shot if there was more of a critical mass of users behind it.

Simplistic and rigid is a good way to describe iOS.

I also have my complaints about Android.

Windows mobile strikes a good balance between iOS and Android. It has a integrated and stable system like iOS, but isn't just a 4x4 grid of icons on your home screen.

[SteelBlue]

My son has a Windows phone. He figured he's leaving on a mission in a year and didn't need a 2 year contract on the iPhone. I have to say it's a really cool phone, I like the functionality of it. He says it unfortunately feels like he's the only one in the world who owns one (I think CMBF compared it to owning a beta in the 80's which is probably pretty accurate).

[Color Me Badd Fan]

Simplistic and rigid is a good way to describe iOS.

I also have my complaints about Android.

Windows mobile strikes a good balance between iOS and Android. It has a integrated and stable system like iOS, but isn't just a 4x4 grid of icons on your home screen.

I hope MS succeeds. I have an iPad, and although it really is a nice tablet, I don't care at all for iOS.

To be perfectly honest -- 95% of what I do on my phone is talk, GPS, email and internet surfing. Some apps are really nice and if I used my iPad more for professional purposes, perhaps I would see more value in them. What I don't like is how I had to purchase an app in order to efficiently save my pdf files on my iPad (goodreader). That seemed strange to me.

I'll be due for an upgrade around December and I will look at the Windows 8 phone. From what I've read, there will be a lot of integration between Windows 8 PCs and phones/tablets. I'm not sure if I'll be able to see a trend at that point.

[MartyFunkhouser]

Looking like the iPhone 5 will once again be out-of-date when it is released. No NFC chip. This is why we need competitors like Android and Windows mobile pushing iOS. Even with competition from these competitors, the iPhone is consistently out-of-date when it is released. I can't imagine how bad the situation would be if there wasn't competition.

http://www.bgr.com/2012/08/28/maybe-the-iphone-5-wont-have-nfc/

[Color Me Badd Fan]

My son has a Windows phone. He figured he's leaving on a mission in a year and didn't need a 2 year contract on the iPhone. I have to say it's a really cool phone, I like the functionality of it. He says it unfortunately feels like he's the only one in the world who owns one (I think CMBF compared it to owning a beta in the 80's which is probably pretty accurate).

My parents bought a Beta. It beat the hell out of the VHS in every way except for the most important one -- content. I may end up making the same mistake by buying a Windows 8 phone this December. However, I do like Nokia as a maker of phones and with the integration with the PC OS, I think there are some reasons to be cautiously optimistic about the platform.

My big beef with the iPhone is the tiny screen, the inability to expand memory and the ridiculously expensive things like the charging cord. I also don't think much of iOS.

There are two things, more than anything else, that allowed Android to get a foothold: 1) Apple only selling the iPhone with ATT for so long; and 2) The ridiculously tiny screen. I think it's no accident that Apple utterly dominates the tablet market but doesn't enjoy the same domination in the phone market. Aside from the tiny screen and iOS, Apple does make a better phone and tablet then their competitors. They look nicer, the fit and finish is much better. But if you don't want to deal with the small screen and iOS limitations, then you choose to get a Droid phone which a lot of people have chosen to do.

Samsung is the best of the big Droid phone makers, but I think Nokia is the only one of the cellphone makers that could make something that could match Apple with the looks, and fit and finish department.

[TripletDaddy]

To be perfectly honest -- 95% of what I do on my phone is talk, GPS, email and internet surfing.

My big beef with the iPhone is the tiny screen, the inability to expand memory and the ridiculously expensive things like the charging cord. I also don't think much of iOS.

Why do you care about the inability to expand memory? Are you reading really large emails or are your phone calls data-intensive?

[Color Me Badd Fan]

Why do you care about the inability to expand memory? Are you reading really large emails or are your phone calls data-intensive?

I forgot to mention listening to music. Then there are photos and videos. It can partly be remedied by storing the photos and videos elsewhere--don't need access to them all the time, but the music is a different issue.

[MartyFunkhouser]

My parents bought a Beta. It beat the hell out of the VHS in every way except for the most important one -- content. I may end up making the same mistake by buying a Windows 8 phone this December. However, I do like Nokia as a maker of phones and with the integration with the PC OS, I think there are some reasons to be cautiously optimistic about the platform.

My big beef with the iPhone is the tiny screen, the inability to expand memory and the ridiculously expensive things like the charging cord. I also don't think much of iOS.

There are two things, more than anything else, that allowed Android to get a foothold: 1) Apple only selling the iPhone with ATT for so long; and 2) The ridiculously tiny screen. I think it's no accident that Apple utterly dominates the tablet market but doesn't enjoy the same domination in the phone market. Aside from the tiny screen and iOS, Apple does make a better phone and tablet then their competitors. They look nicer, the fit and finish is much better. But if you don't want to deal with the small screen and iOS limitations, then you choose to get a Droid phone which a lot of people have chosen to do.

Samsung is the best of the big Droid phone makers, but I think Nokia is the only one of the cellphone makers that could make something that could match Apple with the looks, and fit and finish department.

I agree completely with your assessment about the iPhone/iOS. I would also add that the iPhone is typically way behind on specs as a problem. When everyone had 3G, Apple put EDGE in the phone. When everyone had 4G, Apple stuck with 3G. Other phones have had NFC chips for over a year, and now it looks like Apple will release the phone without NFC. Apple kept only 512K of RAM in the phone when all the other high end phones had at least 1 gig of RAM.

I cannot for the life of me figure out why Apple doesn't use a micro-USB charger like everyone else. I buy a new phone, I can still use all the old chargers that I had going back to the Blackberry that I bought over 4 years ago.

[Surfah]

I agree completely with your assessment about the iPhone/iOS. I would also add that the iPhone is typically way behind on specs as a problem. When everyone had 3G, Apple put EDGE in the phone. When everyone had 4G, Apple stuck with 3G. Other phones have had NFC chips for over a year, and now it looks like Apple will release the phone without NFC. Apple kept only 512K of RAM in the phone when all the other high end phones had at least 1 gig of RAM.

I cannot for the life of me figure out why Apple doesn't use a micro-USB charger like everyone else. I buy a new phone, I can still use all the old chargers that I had going back to the Blackberry that I bought over 4 years ago.

Apple is coming out with a new charger on the iPhone 5. Which means that all of your other devices like an iHome won't work without an adapter you will have to purchase.

[MartyFunkhouser]

Apple is coming out with a new charger on the iPhone 5. Which means that all of your other devices like an iHome won't work without an adapter you will have to purchase.

Proprietary chargers are great.

[MartyFunkhouser]

CMBF looks like this is your next phone.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57502591-94/samsung-unveils-ativ-s-worlds-first-windows-phone-8-device/

[Uncle Ted]

Proprietary chargers are great.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/29/european-standardization-bodies-formalize-micro-usb-cellphone-ch/

[Surfah]

http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/29/e...-cellphone-ch/

Europe only though eh? Curious as to why Apple is conforming there.