Baseball for iPhone Review

I had a chance to take a look at the great free application from iPhone App store, called Baseball. No, it's not a game, it's a compendium of all the key stats of every major leagues baseball player ever. Did I mention it's free? While there's nothing groundbreaking in the presentation of the app, and no eye candy to speak of, it's a great look at how an incredibly useful application for a very specific audience can be created.

Have a look:

With iPhone 2 around the corner, what's in store for the iPod touch?

We're less than five days away from at least the announcement, and who knows... maybe the shipment of the next generation of Apple iPhone. We know iPhone SDK is coming as well, and we know the touch will share much of the same software functionality as the iPhone. Could that mean an iPod touch re-design on Monday as well? Take video, for example. If the iPhone is given the ability to record video, is that a function that could come to the touch too?

And if rumors of a $199 subsidized iPhone prove true, what happens to the touch price point? It can't be less than $199, or it would cut into iPod nano sales. More than $199, and why would someone buy a touch when there would be potentially more functionality in the new iPhone?

Apple has previously stated if a product is going to get cannibalized, they want it to get cannibalized by their own product, rather than someone else's. That may be true here too, but it just seems like the price points could make for a crowded product lineup between $200 and $300.

Tablet device... Why bother?

For years, there have been rumors of a mythical tablet, or "tablet-like" device from Apple. I hate to spoil everyone's fun, but the tablet device is already out there, and it's called the iPhone.

Yet many people think any day now, we'll see a device with perhaps a 7" screen that would pack the power of laptop, or in some speculation, the device would act as a companion device to a house of Macs. What good would this device be? If you want to sure from the couch, and find a laptop too bulky, there's already the iPhone and iPod Touch. If you're looking for a lightweight design, that comes along with its own drawbacks, there's the Macbook Air. A 7-inch screen isn't large enough to do much more than surf the web. For full computer capability, you would need a physical keyboard, and that of course means a bigger device or a smaller screen.

Maybe I'm missing something here, but I just don't see a place for this in the product lineups. If you want to talk about product gaps, we can talk about the gaping hole where a low-end tower should be, but as for portable devices, the choices are already there.

iTunes Comic Book Store?

Next weekend I'll be taking a trip to NYC to check out the New York Comic Con. Long before I had computers and the internet and video games to take up my spare time, I had comic books. Back then I spent countless hours and dollars on comic books, but now I only occasionally pick up a random issue or graphic novel. Why is that? Is it because there are too many other choices of entertainment? Have I simply out grown them? Or perhaps it's the way I acquire my entertainment that's changed.

This got me thinking. Is there an untapped market for digital comics on a device like the iPhone? Imagine if your favorite comic book series was available via the iTunes Music Store. Apple could ofter a digital comic subscription similar to the season pass that they currently offer for television shows. Issues downloaded to your iMac before they even hit your local comic shop.

Others has discussed the possibility of Apple one day offering e-books through the music store. While the current screen size of the iPhone / Touch would probably hinder using it as an e-reader, I believe it is workable for the comic book medium. To prevent the user from constantly pinching and zooming to readjust the comic book panels, issues would need to be "remixed" into lesser panels per page to allow for a simple and elegant interface. While this remixing wouldn't work for all back issues, it would work for enough to sustain the service, and also open the door for companies to create works designed specifically for the touch screen.

I certainly don't see a service like this ever eliminating traditional comic books, but like downloadable music and films, it's just another way for people to discover and consumer entertainment.

The iPhone Review: Nine Months Later

Sure it's easy to find a bunch of reviews for a product when it first comes out, but what about after all the hullabaloo dies down, and people have actually had a chance to use the device?

It's hard to believe, but it's already been nine months since Apple introduced the iPhone. I thought it would be worthwhile to take a look at the phone now, through nine months of ownership, especially for those of you still on the fence about buying, or holding out for a 3G phone.

The battery life is iffy. Here at TDL HQ, the iPhone needs to be charged on a nightly basis. If you're used to smartphones, this won't be a dramatic change, but if you're coming to a standard phone, say a Motorola RAZR for example, this will take some getting used to. I don't like feeling stressed on trips about whether my charge will hold up. Miss a night, and you could be looking at a dead battery by the end of the next day.

From an interface standpoint, for an internet device, the layout is great. As a phone? Well, it certainly takes more button pushes than you're probably used to, and so far, Apple has not enabled any sort of voice-activated dialing. As an iPod, the interface  (shared with the iPod touch) is slick, however, it isn't a perfect replacement in every situation. Using the iPhone as an iPod replacement in a car, for example, requires extra attention: you can't simply "feel" the click wheel as you would with a standard iPod. It is definitely more distracting to use while driving. Additionally, don't forget that due to its recessed headphone jack, you'll need an extra adapter (or be comfortable sanding/whittling existing peripherals) to attach your accessories to the iPhone.

The iPhone has had it's shares of issues, however. I personally had an issue in which I couldn't talk to, or hear calls unless I used the speakerphone. After visiting a Genius Bar, I was told it was an issue that could be reset by plugging in, and removing the headphones. After pointing out the absurdity of needing to travel with a pair of headphones in case it happened again, I was given a replacement phone. Two months after getting that phone, the same issue is occurring. I've been told the issue is not hardware-related, so hopefully it will be fixed through a software update. As I was given the new phone I was given no guarantee that it wouldn't happen on the new phone, as the problem was not yet fixed.

When the phone launched, 4GB and 8GB seemed large enough to serve as a phone with essentially a built-in iPod nano. However, with the approaching release of the Apps store for the phone, space on those devices could quickly be at  a premium. If you are thinking of buying an iPhone at this point, go with the 16GB (or larger as they become available) at the very least. What seemed like gobs of space for tunes, goes quickly when allotted for video, photos, and a slew of new applications.

The cell phone landscape has changed immensely in the last nine months. Spurred in no small part, by the iPhone, nearly every manufacturer has some sort of touchscreen device. But a touchscreen does not make a phone an iPhone. If you want internet surfing, email,  and music in the closest form to having you Mac (or PC) in front of you, the iPhone is the way to go. If you're looking for the quickest way to make a call, or the best iPod for your car, you might want to re-consider.