On the eve of what many believe will be Apple's entry into the tablet/e-book arena, there's also some speculation that we may get a glimpse of an update to the iPhone. Here are some improvements I’d like to see for this fine, though aging, smart phone:
1. A bigger, sharper display. Once unprecedented in size, the iPhone's 3.5-in. display is now dwarfed by the 3.7-inch displays of the Android-powered Motorola Droid and HTC Nexus One. Those displays are also sharper—at 240 and 253 dpi, respectively, compared to 163 dpi for the iPhone. And soon we'll have the HTC HD2, which boasts a 4.3-in. display.
2. A better camera. iPhones have traditionally lagged behind in imaging. Only last year did they finally get the ability to shoot videos and a bump in resolution from 2.0 megapixels to 3.2 (though it's still missing a flash). A good many cell phones now sport 5.0 megapixel cameras, and their picture- and video-taking abilities now rival those of many stand-alone cameras.
3. Flash support. The iPhone could use the other kind of flash, too, as in support for the Flash video format used by so many Websites. The Palm Pre and Pixi, as well as some Android-running phones like the HTC Nexus One and Motorola Droid, will soon be supporting Flash Player 10.1. It’s time the iPhone did, too.
4. More flexible storage. Most smart phones allow you to readily use them as portable storage devices, visible on your desktop, when you plug them into your computer via USB cable. iPhone, unfortunately, automatically directs you to iTunes for most file operations, which are limited.
5. A better multitasker. In this age of Facebook, Twitter, and multiple e-mail and messaging accounts, iPhone still does things the old-fashioned way: one at a time. Granted, running multiple applications can sometimes become an unwieldy mess, such as on Windows Mobile phones. But, as the new Palm and Android phones have shown us, synergy between applications (even just being able to view multiple messages on one screen) is a beautiful thing.
6. Swappable battery. While iPhone's battery life is above average, many heavy smart-phone users find it handy to have to keep a spare battery on hand. It's time loyal iPhone customers benefit from that same convenience.
—Mike Gikas.
Previous
Post a comment
Comments: