So far, the experience had been mixed. I’m already familiar with the iPod Touch, so the OS as a whole isn’t new to me, but having the phone and camera is nice. The App Store is a mixed bag, with applications ranging from cute to pathetic.

One thing I didn’t expect is that as far as I can tell, none of the annoying interface bugs from the first version of the OS were fixed.

Safari still crashes several times daily, the music/iPod mode crashes easily too, as do many of the third party apps. Worse, there is complaint after complaint from app developers about Apple’s often excessive delays approving new app store app versions.

On the plus side, despite the instability, there are some neat applications. For example, WordPress had released an app to make it east to blog from the iPhone. Neat.

All in all, it makes a nice phone, but the iPhone is still a bit mediocre as a PDA.

But, it is fun!

It’s obvious that there is demand, over a million unlocked phones, and the latest firmware has been cracked too.

Apple reportedly makes “as much as $400” per iPhone sold in additional revenue from the carrier, so wouldn’t it make sense to sell iPhones at some substantial portion of the $400 (somewhat less, since the full amount would be released to Apple immediately, rather then $400 over 2-3 years) above the additional cost, completely unlocked?

There are plenty of ads on Craiglist showing unlocked iPhones for $600-$750 a pop, so the market is obviously there, and with a profit margin of 50%, you’d think Apple would want to crank up sales.

Is it just Jobs’ control freak nature keeping the iPhone away from the obvious consumer demand?

And here I was thinking about entertainment and PDA features.  Think outside the box, Dave, think outside the box… Or maybe this IS an entertainment feature.

Thanks toBruce Schneier for pointing it out.

It doesn’t appear that they addressed any of the deficiencies that existed in the one and only beta which was released many months ago (like still no support for Quick Install… removed support for category coloring in calendar,etc.) — In fact, they removed support for a few devices! Why even run a beta?

For me, this is the last straw.  Well, actually a combination of this, plus iTunes64.  Why?  (And how is that related?)

Well I’m glad you asked.  With Apple having released iPod Touch drivers for Vista x64, my Treo is now my *only* device that doesn’t have 100% support for Vista x64.  (Well okay, in the vein of being completely honest, my printer/scanner/copier doesn’t have 100% support, I can’t make the “Scan” button on the scanner launch my scanner app in x64 mode, it works in x86 mode.  This is actually a limitation of the scanner software though, the drivers themselves support the scanner button — If I manually launch the app, it works great.  Since I didn’t notice this omission for over three months, I can’t say I’m broken up over it)

I’ve been a loyal Palm user since the 90s, and have owned more devices I can count (IIIe, IIIxe, m505, Zire71, TE2, T|X, Treo 650, Treo 680 all come to mind, but I know I am missing a couple in the middle somewhere), and having been progressively more disappointed with each device, I have been near the edge of moving on for a while.

I enjoy PalmOS, but it’s just not powerful enough to keep up with today’s applications, especially combined with the unavoidable brokenness of NVFS.

So, with that in mind, I am ordering a new HTC 8925 (aka TyTN II, aka AT&T Tilt).  Windows Mobile 6, built-in GPS, slide-out keyboard, 2.8-inch touchscreen, Wifi, 3-megapixel camera, 3G HSDPA, support for 32GB SDHC cards, stereo bluetooth headphone support, all in a form-factor that rings in smaller then the Treo 680 (okay, okay, only by a couple millimeters, but still, that’s an impressive list of features that Palm doesn’t even dream about)

I look forward to a phone with reasonable voice quality — My Treo 680 is so bad that I actually put it on a data-only plan and carry a real cell phone for voice, and use the Treo only for data.

I look forward to being able to answer the phone without a crash — Something neither my Treo 650 nor 680 could do 100% of the time.

I look forward to being able to survive a full day of standby with my email client running the background without needing to recharge mid-day.

I look forward to being able to check my email in a hotel lobby via wifi, rather then paying my carrier per-KB roaming charges that reflect a level of greed that would make the Enron folks blush.

I look forward to having more then 15 categories.  Seriously Palm, Y2K was eight years ago, get with the times.

I look forward to one again having more then 1-bar of signal in my basement.  Even my 2004 Razr has enough signal to make and receive calls, and transmit data — I have reliable data on my LifeDrive using Bluetooth through my Razr, but the Treo 680 doesn’t even notice inbound calls most of the time, and don’t even get me started about checking an email.

As I compare the specs against what is more or less the top of the line for Palm’s GSM line (Treo 680), were I Palm, I’d be embarrassed by the 2005-like feature set.

I’ve stayed loyal to Palm thing long due to some bad WM experiences in the 2001-2002 era, my existing collection of applications, and the fact that I know and understand PalmOS’ internals well enough to be able to fix nearly any software issue I bump into.  Once upon a time I was on a constant hunt for new Palm apps, updates to my apps, new tips and tricks — I rarely went more then a week without finding something.  It’s been months since any application I use released anything other then a minor bug fix, and several of my can’t-live-without-them apps have been abandoned completely or simply killed by Palm (KeySuite, Mapopolis, Chatteremail, Blazer)

I am still apprehensive as despite having done a fair amount of reading, I am still effectively going by marketing rather then real life experience.  Palm’s latest devices look great on paper too, so we’ll see.  I am a little concerned about losing some functionality, from what I have heard there isn’t a single functional IMAP mail client on WM6, but there are a couple on the horizon, and this area is an area that I am personally and professionally invested.

So, fingers crossed… Ordering on eBay in a little over 12 hours (no local carrier carries the device I want, nor do I want to renew my contract)

UPDATE (2008/01/12): Palm’s official blog announcement post…

The workaround? Download iTunes with IE in 64-bit mode, then you’ll get the right version.

On the plus side, Vista x64 + iTunes works as well as iTunes ever does.

Kudos to Apple for at least making the RMA process easy…

We have received your request for a replacement IPOD TOUCH.

Our initial diagnosis indicates that because your product replacement will likely be covered by the warranty, an AppleCare Protection Plan, or another Apple repair program, there should be no charge to you for the service performed. If we have questions or concerns regarding the repair coverage, we will notify you.

And they even ship out a box to send in the b0rk’d product. That’s sweet of ’em.

I’ve got an iPod Touch, which I love as a web browser, and occasionally use it for music, but it’s Contacts app is limited at best, the Calendar is just horrid, there is no tasks, email, or authorized ability to install other apps. My plan had been to wait out the SDK and see if anything interesting shows up, but having now written several multi-page long articles from the Touch, I’m just not loving the keyboard.

So, what AM I looking for?

Well, ideally a smartphone. I’ve also got a Razr2 V9 that I use as a phone, my Treo 680 is configured as a data-only device. I’d like to have one less thing in my pockets.

I’m moving away from PalmOS, which more or less means Windows Mobile 6. If you know of another device running a different OS, feel free to mention it, I’ll consider anything.

So, with that in mind, what am I looking for?

• Quadband GSM (850/900/1800/1900), not locked to any specific carrier.
• High speed data HSDPA/UTMS (850/1900MHz especially)
• Wifi (Some combination of 802.11n/g/b) — This one is mandatory as unlimited data is not available yet.
• Physical QWERTY keyboard (don’t get me wrong, the iPod Touch’s keyboard isn’t horrible, but without the tactile feel, I just can’t manage to type without looking at the keys)
• Bluetooth headset
• Removable battery (I’ll settle for 4-7 days of actual use on an internal battery that is not removable, otherwise, a spare battery is in my future)
• On that topic, I want to get at least 1.5 days of actual use on a single battery.  Having to charge mid-day isn’t acceptable.
• Ability to install additional applications
• SyncML client (built-in, or third-party is acceptable)
• IMAP mail client with support for multiple accounts
• Internal GPS is nice, but not mandatory.
• Expandable memory (SD, mini-SD, micro-SD)
• Decent voice quality — Again, loved my Treo 680, but as a phone, it’s bad.
• Noise cancellation — This one is optional, but my Razr2’s active noise cancellation is nothing short of amazing.

Now… What don’t I care about?

• Camera.  I have a Canon S2 that does the trick nicely, my next camera will probably be a XTi.
• Speakerphone.  Don’t use it, don’t care.

With all that in mind, I’m currently eyeballing the HTC TyTN II aka AT&T Tilt

Opinions? Suggestions?

Also note, I will not be buying this from my home carrier (Rogers Wireless), so I am not limited to their selection in phones.

It’s a nice idea, except that I haven’t actually seen anything useful I’d actually want to do on it once I hax0red it.

Give me a decent eBook reader, turn it into a USB drive, give me a decent Tasks list that synchronizes with Outlook.  Heck, even better, give me a SyncML client to sync the PIM features against my server directly, and I’ll be all over it.

Until there is a practical reason to unlock it, why bother?   Take this as a challenge, someone show me an app cool enough to add a ton of hassle to any future warranty claim.

Well, I bought myself an iPod Touch — If you don’t know what that is, it’s like an iPhone, but without the phone. Basically it’s an insanely flat 3.5″ touch screen interface on a portable web browser, calendar, photo viewer, contact list, and video player. Oh, and it apparently can play music too.

Out of the box, I’ve gotta say, I was pretty wow’d. It uses Safari, which isn’t a personal favorite, but it’s almost all the power of running a real desktop webbrowser in the palm of your hand (Which is quite unlike Palm’s “Web” (formerly Blazer) or Pocket Internet Explorer, neither of which you’d ever confuse with a desktop browser, although both can get the job done if the site isn’t too complex)

The interface is simple, moderately intuitive, although for a company that specializes in interfaces, there are some glaringly obvious shortcomings. One of the neatest features is the screen rotates to match the direction you’re holding the device. This is surprisingly handy since you’re sometimes wanting a long screen and sometimes wanting a wide screen when viewing the web, or photos. Unfortunately, those two are the only apps that actually rotate, the main menu does not, so if you’re jumping around (say you’re browsing and need to switch WiFi connections) you need to rotate the device in your hand. Not a big deal, but not a polished feel.

On the flip side, until a couple weeks ago it was rock solidly reliable. I’ve started running into a problem where Safari will close randomly, then a few days later it started rebooting immediately after pressing the power button, at least in some cases. Twice now it has reverted back to 1999 (which I guess is another feature, it appears to be Y2K compliant — Yay!)

Apple is surprisingly difficult to get in touch with, I’ll give $20 to anyone who can point me to where there is an email address (or even a *sigh* webform) to contact support to find out if I’m doing something wrong, or if the device needs warranty service. I’ve already reset to defaults using the interface, using iTunes, and by performing a recovery update to the latest firmware (which wipes the device entirely). I guess I’ll break down and phone Apple tomorrow and see where we go from here.

On the plus side, giving credit where it’s due, Apple has responded to consumer feedback, version 1.1.2 of the firmware allows you to not only enter and edit contacts, but calendar entries right on the device as well. I’d like to meet the moron that decided it would be a good idea to make the calendar read-only, but that’s another issue altogether.

Now if only Apple would add a few of the iPhone’s other apps. A tasks list, synchronized to my desktop, would be a nice start. Supporting Vista 64-bit wouldn’t be all that bad either (and this is another gripe, iTunes tells you to install iTunes 64-bit, but such a beast doesn’t exist — It’s probably just around the corner, but still, would be nice for software to not send you on a wild goose chase)

All in all though, as a portable web browser, it’s amazing. As a photo viewer, even my mom wants one. As a movie viewer, it’s locked down to Apple’s own format (My last device, a Creative Zen Vision:M, could play XviD, DivX, and a few other formats as well), but I’ve got a nice powerful desktop so I’m not that upset about having to reencode movies to take them with me to watch on the plane. As an iPod, well, I’m not so sure, I’ve really spent very little time actually listening to music, oddly enough, but it seems to do the job.

I’d give it one and a half thumbs up, and depending on how the warranty service goes, and the promised SDK, it might earn the rest of that second thumb.