Of course, my iPhone is still fanscinating me per se, but what really impresses me now is the the Apple iPhone Headset which just arrived yesterday. As usual, the product comes in a box that looks even more impressive than some of the competitor products itself ;-)
Anyway, you open the box and what appears is a piece of technology that is definitly defining the state-of-the-art when it comes to headsets. It is amazing how Apple could fit the technology into a case with that size, which even includes a battery large enough to operate the headset for several days.
The integration of the headset with the iPhone is like it should be. No pairing other than putting it into the cradle together with the iPhone is needed and you can even see the status of the battery on the iPhone's status bar. The volume of the headset is controlled via the iPhone as well and during a call, you can always switch between the phone, the headset and the speaker. What you can't do is listening to your music via the headset, which is ok as the audio quality of the headset is optimized for converations. Btw, the audio quality is just perfect for both, you and your partner.
Even though this is the most money I've ever paid for such a small device, it is worth every Euro. Bottomline is, the iPhone and the iPhone headset are a perfect fit.
Not that there are not enough mobile phones already out there and Apple will definitly not take over the business from the companies that dominate the market right now. Nevertheless, in an unparalleled manner Apple did something that no other phone manufacturer has done before with the iPhone.
What Apple did was just combining the best technologies currently available and create something that hasn't been seen so far. What makes the iPhone different is definitely the ease of use when you first hold it in your hand. Everything seems to obvious and as it should be that you almost feel sorry for all the people still using an ordinary phone.
The touch display just fits perfectly to the concept of such an handheld device anfd for Apple it is the first such device since the introduction of the Newton, which was not such a big success for Apple. Anyway, technologies have evolved and the iPhone is definitly not suffering from the same problems the Newton did.
Something that you become aware of after having used the phone for some time is the fact that you are not looking for functions and menus. There are none. What Apple did there is two fold: first, there are not as many features avail at any time when you are within an application and second, the functions you use are there when you need them. 80% of the features of a modern smartphone are most of the time are most of the time never used, nevertheless, they are messing up the UI with menus, buttons you name it. On the iPhone you get what you need and a little more. Apple is focusing in the 20% and makes those 20% as usable as possible.
Just as an example, take the camera. My previous phone, the Nokia 93, has a 3M pixel camera wiuth a lot of feature to turn on and off. Guess what? I've never used them most of the time and the pictures are even worse than the ones taken with the iPhone. There is nothing you can do wrong and the camera is just there when you need it. No wait time.
It will be interesting to see how the iPhone survives my daily busines and if it is still as usuable during those situations where are just need a tool to do my work. Nothing else. One thing i am missing already though are the limited sync capabilities for mail systems used within larger businesses. Apple is doing really bad there, while Nokia has a pretty extensive conduit solution across their phone portfolio. Let's ee how Apple is doing there in the future.
Not that I didn't want to support t-mobile with buying an iPhone. Sure, the service plans are not the cheapest and you have to marry the company for 24 month, but I was willing and able to get one if, if only I would be able to also use my other t-mobile card which I use at work in the same phone.
Guess what? Not supported. You basically activate the phone with one card and it is tied to this card. No second card. Even if its a t-mobile. Here you go t-mobile, lost another customer.
I guess there are other ways I'll becoming a happy iPhone user. Actually it is pretty easy to ruin your business by stupid decisions. At least there is some consistency in this stupidity.
The blog community came a long way since first blog appeared on the net. Imagine that the first blogs were not even called blogs during these days ;-) Anyway, the downside of this global phenomenon are of course those blogs that really piss you off in some way.
The latest entry in my list of "blogs we don't need" is the official Homeland Security Blog that ...
... is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to provide a forum to talk about our work protecting the American people, building an effective emergency preparedness and response capability, enforcing immigration laws, and promoting economic prosperity.
I guess that's the price we have to pay and it's part of the concept of living in an open society ;-) What really makes me happy is the number of comments on this site: close to zero. Unfortunatly I might have raised the site's page rank by linking to it.
Just in case you feel kind of sick after reading pieces of works there, here is a little antidot.
Sure, there are lots of other furniture places around here but IKEA is most certainly different. I am not sure if you figured that out as well, but the real fun part of going to IKEA is not about buying some stuff for yourself, it's all about watching other people buying stuff.
First there are the those folks that really don't know what to buy. You see them strolling around through those meandering aisles not really heading for anything. Before actually leaving IKEA without anything they buy at least a pack of tea light. Dog owners alternativly buy some dirt bags. This could be actually the majority of visitors if I really think about it.
Next are those folks in their twenties usually flanked by their parents getting the minimal stuff for their first student appartment. Beside the obligatory starter pack, they usually buy some window blinds, bath mats and a palm. Of course, expect the father to pay for all the stuff.
The most interesting group of people are those couples that want to equip their love nest. What usually happens is the following: both are looking for something that could fit when they at some point become highly emotional about let's say a ceiling lamp. After a short debate in front of all other people, usually the guy starts to sulk when she gets off getting even more stuff.
Finally, when you reach the check-out you just wonder what people are buying while being at IKEA. You look at the stuff on the belt, check the customer, look at the belt again and your ask yourself what the appartment will look like. Priceless.
Last thing you have to do before you leave the place, get yourself one of these hot dogs you would eventually never ever eat anywhere else. IKEA is always worth a visit.
While I was working at my desk this morning typing on my laptop I heard a loud crack and boom there I had two halfs of my glass desktop on my knees. Unbelievable! All the stuff that was on the table once was collapsing right in the middle of it: screen, laptop, PLAYSTATION 3, PS2, lamp, NAS and a lot of crap.
I guess I was just a little to careless about that as I was using this desk since at least 10 years without any issues. Fortunatly the glass didn't really shiver. So in other words I had to perfectly cut halfs of the table. Finally, all of my stuff is still intact ;-)
P.S. I know that's a lot of cable spaghetti down there ;-)
Today we took our two dogs and drove to the Butch Cassidy Cup in Karlsruhe, the German DiscDogging Championship. Even though this is a very visitor friendly sports, just a couple of people showed up while we were there. Anyway, it was a nice little trip for us and the docs.
Of course, my iPhone is still fanscinating me per se, but what really impresses me now is the the Apple 
Not that there are not enough mobile phones already out there and Apple will definitly not take over the business from the companies that dominate the market right now. Nevertheless, in an unparalleled manner Apple did something that no other phone manufacturer has done before with the iPhone.
Not that I didn't want to support t-mobile with buying an iPhone. Sure, the service plans are not the cheapest and you have to marry the company for 24 month, but I was willing and able to get one if, if only I would be able to also use my other t-mobile card which I use at work in the same phone.
Given his unquestionable loyalty of I am pretty sure he gets more offers than he needs ;-)
Sure, there are lots of other furniture places around here but IKEA is most certainly different. I am not sure if you figured that out as well, but the real fun part of going to IKEA is not about buying some stuff for yourself, it's all about watching other people buying stuff.
