Digital Cameras, iPhones, and Other Interfaces

The digital camera profoundly affects the way we perceive and represent the world around us on "film".

To start with, the user of the analog camera used to watch the world, however indirectly. All that stood between him and reality was the viewer of his apparatus. He recorded what he saw "out there".

In contrast, the user of the digital camera watches a representation of the world on a screen. He records what he sees on the screen of his gadget. He rarely glances up to gaze directly at his subject matter.

The digital camera is more forgiving and permissive. Errors can be instantly deleted. The whole experience is characterized by an urgency and immediacy that is absent from the analog equivalent. The digital camera allows its user to experiment with cost-free and, therefore, risk-free alternatives. It transforms the whole procedure of shooting pictures into a spontaneous, even irreverent, experience.

Environmental facts that used to serve as external constraints with the analog camera - the quantity and angle of light, for instance - are now compensated for by special settings in its digital successor. The typical gadget provides for preset "templates" that capture the moment in an optimal manner, removing obstacles and limitations posed by the photographer's physical surroundings.

The digital photo is never a finished product. It can be downloaded onto a storage device (a computer's hard disk, the Internet) and there edited with software applications. Reality is thus rendered tentative and negotiable, a declaration of intent rather than a final statement.

Note on the iPhone - Interview granted to san Jose Mercury Sun, June 2007

The iPhone is the culmination and reification of a few such trends and, to hazard a guess, will, indeed, be proven in hindsight to have been even more important than the iPod or even the Blackberry. But importance does not always translate to sales. In commercial terms, the iPhone is comparable to the Mac, not to the iPod. It is too geeky and nerdy to become a household staple. It will be supplanted by something simpler to operate, accessible, and less intimidating, not to mention less expensive and more universal (e.g., not pledged to one phone service provider, like AT&T).

So, why is it important?

Because, though severely limited by way of options and features, the iPhone embodies the seamless convergence of erstwhile separate appliances such as the digital camera, the MP player, the mobile phone, voicemail, and the PC. It is, therefore, the first true proponent of ubiquitous (anywhere) computing. Its connection to iTunes also makes it the first representative of a workable on-the-go infotainment center (though mobile phone are far from ideal venues as far as video goes).

Doubtlessly, it will be succeeded by far more versatile and feature-rich versions. Undoubtedly, it will face stiff competition. But, whether like iPod, it will maintain a first mover advantage remain to be seen. I doubt it.

The history of technology is the history of interfaces - their successes and failures. The GUI (the Graphic User Interface), which replaced cumbersome and unwieldy text-based interfaces (DOS), became an integral part of the astounding success of the PC.

Yet, all computer interfaces hitherto share the same growth-stunting problems. They are:

1.. Non-transparency - the workings of the hardware and software (the "plumbing") show through;

2.. Non-ubiquity - the interface is connected to a specific machine or application and, thus, is non-transportable and non-transferrable;

3.. Arcane user-unfriendliness (i.e., to operate, the interfaces require specific knowledge and the entry of sequences of commands using a specialized syntax).

Even the most "user-friendly" interface is way too complicated for the typical user. The average PC is hundreds of times more complex than your living-room TV. Even the VCR or DVD players - far less complex than the PC - are challenging. How many people use the full range of a VCR's options?

The ultimate interface should be:

1.. Self-assembling - it should reconstruct itself, from time to time, fluidly;

2.. Self-recursive - it should be able to observe and analyze its own behavior;

3.. Learning-capable - it should learn from its experience;

4.. Self-modifying - it should modify itself according to its accumulated experience;

5.. History-recording;

6.. Media indifferent (it should span and encompass your hard disk, movable media, network, and the Web).

The interface of the future must possess a "picture of the world" (a-la artificial intelligence), preferably including itself, the user, and their cumulative interactions.

It must regard all other "intelligent" machines in its "world" (the user being only one of them) as its "clients" and be able to communicate with them in a natural language.

Its universe must be seamless: the physical or virtual location of files or hardware or software or applets or servers or communication lines or information and so on must be irrelevant.

It will probably be peer-orientated (no hierarchy).

I call it "the intuitive universal interface".

The new media technologies were designed by engineers and programmers - not by marketing people and users. The interface of the future will reflect the needs, wishes, limitations, and skills of users. This is a revolutionary shift and a natural outcome of the takeover of the Internet by governments and bottom line orientated corporations. The interface of the future will seek to enhance usage and enrich the user's experience - not to win technological beauty contests. It is a welcome transition and long overdue.
source: http://www.afroarticles.com/
iphone news

iPhone UK launch: first details

Anybody with even a remote interest in technology will know that Friday saw the official UK release of Apple's iPhone. This means UK users will finally be able to see what all the fuss is about, and get their hands on the most-hyped technology product of 2007.

We've been tracking the progress of the iPhone since it was announced at Macworld Expo in January, and have had a number of chances to play with Apple's handset over the past few months. Usually, when a product is launched amid such high expectations, it fails to deliver on the hype. However, the iPhone is widely regarded by those who have used it as a major breakthrough for portable video, music, internet and telephony – all in one compact device.

Macworld UK has tested out the US version of the device, which we used to craft an in-depth review of what to expect before it launched for our UK-based readers. While there are differences between the US and UK versions of the iPhone, the fundamentals of the device remain the same making this the most in-depth review of the device currently available.

From today, you'll be able to get your hands on one for £269, with O2's monthly tariffs costing £35, £45 and £55. Many customers will also be required to pay a £100 deposit (which will be refunded against the account after three months) if they do not already have an contract with O2.

Installation is relatively painless, with the device activated via iTunes. Customers are required to enter their personal information, bank account details and credit/debit card information.

Initial thoughts are that the iPhone works much better than expected, although the limited functionality of the EDGE network remains a key concern to Macworld's testers. The relatively high-price may also prove to be a barrier to many of Macworld's readers. We have several iPhones undergoing testing and will place a comprehensive UK review online next week.
source: http://www.macworld.co.uk/
iphone news

Flyer purports Canadian iPhone in January

Rogers may be letting slip information of its own pointing to a set date for the release of the iPhone in Canada, according to a purported photo of a Rogers Wireless flyer submitted by Andrew Regalson. The allegedly untouched image points to Apple's "revolutionary" device on January 18th as an exclusive for the carrier. Though yet to be corroborated by additional reports, the date corresponds with Apple's practice of Friday iPhone launches in both Europe and the US as well as exclusive deals. The flyer is also consistent with Rogers' advertising themes.


Notably, unlike previous releases, Rogers is the only major carrier in Canada to rely on the GSM-based cellular service required for the iPhone. The alternative, Fido, is owned by Rogers and shares the same network.

The apparent leak follows a previous incident from the Canadian brewer Molson, which has been holding a contest which listed an iPhone as a prize and also claimed the iPhone would be released in January for the region. The company later removed the iPhone from the list but replaced it with an anonymous "portable telephone" that continues to resemble the product. Apple has not commented on either circumstance
source: http://www.macnn.com/
iphone news

The iPhone and the fair use cap caper

O2 has had a rethink about its iPhone fair use cap, and not a moment too soon as the iPhone goes on sale here this Friday. However, is the revised fair use policy really any better?

The reason I ask is that the new policy announced by the phone operator appears to be a mixture of very clear and definite no-nos (such as taking the SIM out of the iPhone for use in a data-intensive device like a GPRS modem card), sitting alongside new guidelines on acceptable use that no longer feature the ridiculously low cap of 200MB, but which confirm the ongoing existence of a fair use limit, only with no guidance at all on what it is, let alone whether and when a legitimate end user can expect to have their service cut-off, curtailed or otherwise limited for heavy use.

200MB was just plain stupid – I can do that in a day doing nothing more than receiving email and surfing the web – both of which are activities the iPhone is built for and neither can be claimed to be excessive or selfish use of bandwidth.

It is fair enough to place curbs on data modem use, peer-to-peer file sharing and even things like video streaming (but a bit daft as there is a YouTube client built-in to the iPhone), but when it comes to legitimate, non-commercial use of the device and the connection, what will pass for unfair use?

I had a chat earlier with O2 spokesman Nick Wilkins, who did have a very clear outline on how the revised fair use policy will work:

“As long as the heavy use in question is for personal use rather than commercial, and doesn’t break the other parts of the policy, like peer-to-peer file sharing, we are not going to limit a user”. So if you become one of the many who can and will push a good couple of gig through your iPhone every month just surfing the web and doing email, don’t panic.

As for O2, please – do us all a favour and for once write one of these fair use policies in English.
source: http://www.itpro.co.uk/blogs/editorial-blogs/chris-green/979791/the-iphone-and-the-fair-use-cap-caper.thtml
iPhone news

Apple Set to Disable iPhone Apps — Again

British reviewers who have tested the Apple (AAPL) iPhone that goes on sale in the U.K. Friday report that it comes pre-installed with a software update — 1.1.2 — that disables third-party applications.

According to the British gadget website T3, the update closes the so-called TIFF exploit — the software loophole used by hackers to “jailbreak” version 1.1.1. This loophole allowed iPhone owners to install dozens of third-party apps, including such popular add-ons as Navizon (a location finder), Voice Notes (a voice recorder) and instant-messaging programs like Apollo and Mobile Chat.

Thanks to one-click installations scripts like AppSnapp, these unauthorized iPhone add-ons have become almost mainstream. AppSnapp’s developers report that their software was downloaded 144,000 times in its first three days — which suggests that as many as 1 in 10 iPhone owners could be in for a rude surprise when they upgrade their software next weekend.

Some Apple bloggers — led by Quincy Pince-Nez at 9to5 Mac — advocate holding-off any iTunes and iPhone updates until programmers can find another way to install their apps. Apple would undoubtedly prefer that everybody wait until it releases its official iPhone software developers kit (SDK) in February, and Apple-sanctioned apps start to flow in.

The update is also likely to disable — and perhaps re-brick — iPhones unlocked to work with cellular providers other than Apple’s official carriers (AT&T in the U.S., O2 in the U.K., T-Mobile in Germany and Orange in France).
source: http://apple20.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2007/11/04/apple-set-to-disable-iphone-apps-again/
iPhone news

Is Apple the new Microsoft? - iPhone customers begin backlash

With the iPhone about to hit Britain, it seems not everyone is entirely happy with Apple’s new approaches now that they are a mainstream player. Let the backlash begin…

The iPhone is released in the UK this week, with the hype surrounding the gadget at astronomical proportions after it was named as Time magazine’s ‘Invention of the Year’, but it seems that customers on both sides of the Atlantic are starting to express concerns over what they perceive as Apple’s lurch to the mainstream.

Apple devotees are a strange breed, with most being fiercely loyal to their brand and not letting a bad word go by without some sort of response, but now that the Apple brand has grown to huge proportions, and the company is making more money than at any time in it’s history, the consumers are starting to question some decisions by the company and it’s figurehead Steve Jobs.

Apple was always seen to be on the side of the consumer, the anti-Microsoft with money less of a concern than customer satisfaction and innovation. But that has recently been reversed, with Apple now being seen as much of a money grabbing beast as Microsoft has ever been.

1.4 million iPhones have been sold in America since it’s release in June, which are impressive figures. But the decision to cut the price by $200 just 10 weeks after launch meant a lot of early adopters, the lifeblood of a company such as Apple, were left out of pocket and mad at the company they have supported for years.

But that’s not the worst. As the Guardian are reporting, Wil Shipley, an Apple devotee thinks that Apple’s insistence on using closed systems for their products is their worst crime.

“Why is the iPhone locked to a single carrier, so I can’t travel internationally with it? There’s really only one viable reason: Apple wanted a share of the carrier’s profits, which meant giving AT&T an exclusive deal. Which meant, we get screwed so Apple can make more money. It’s that simple.”

“And the iPhone is a closed system, like the iPods before it, so third parties can only develop software for it if they are EXTREMELY close to Apple. This is an incredibly frightening trend. As Apple gets more and more of its revenue from non-Mac devices, they are also getting more and more of their revenue from devices that simply exclude third parties.”

Making the iPhone only work on one network (AT&T in the States, 02 in the UK) really does not serve the consumer well, and makes a lot of people wary of buying in to the Apple brand. There’s only one reason for doing it, and that is to try and wring every cent and penny out of the technology they can… does that remind anyone else of Microsoft?

Some companies worked out how to unlock the iPhones, and offered their services to consumers unwilling to be forced to go with AT&T in the States, but a software security update in September made some of these iPhones freeze up and erased some programs such as games and instant messaging. That’s just playing dirty.

The same is likely to happen in the UK, with some companies already offering to unlock your newly purchased iPhone, and Apple have already threatened people trying to use the service by warning “installing one of the unlocking programs could make the phone ‘permanently inoperable’ when future software updates are released.”

Whether the iPhone is as big a success in the UK as in America remains to be seen, but what is clear is that Apple have changed from being the consumer driven company you want to see succeed, to another establishment player, and a ruthless money making machine along with it.
source: http://tech.blorge.com/Structure:%20/2007/11/04/are-apple-the-new-microsoft-iphone-customers-begin-backlash/
iPhone

1,400 extra staff are called up for iPhone launch

One of the most eagerly awaited gadgets goes on sale on Friday - and mobile firm O2 has taken on 1,400 staff to help cope with demand for Apple's new iPhone.

The hi-tech handset works as a touch-screen mobile phone, internet browser and iPod and costs £269 plus an 18-month O2 contract at between £35 and £55 a month.

It will be available from Apple, O2 and Carphone Warehouse who will be opening stores until 11pm to meet demand.

The iPhone is sleeker than rivals such as the Blackberry and Treo, and the 8 gigabyte version of the gadget holds up to 1,825 songs.

Some 1.1million of the phones have been sold in the U.S. since the end of June and it is understood that "several hundred thousand" have already been ordered in Britain.

O2 fought off stiff competition from rivals in the UK to win the exclusive contract to offer iPhones on its network.

The deal is understood to have involved a unique arrangement where Apple will take a share of call income.

The iPhone is controlled entirely through a touchscreen and has been a hit with celebrities such as Demi Moore.
source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/technology/technology.html?in_article_id=491706&in_page_id=1965
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