How the iPhone 4 re-upped the ante

Facetime Screen

When the first iPhone came out, it changed the way the mobile phone industry was operating, all other companies scrambled to put something together that would be worthy to battle the iPhone. While some were successful (Google, maybe Nokia), other where not in my opinion (RIM/Blackberry). When I say that, I am not talking about sales, I am talking about a phone and operating system that are coherent.

Next we can all agree that the next two iPhones were just upgrades that were nothing too special other than at the time they were released (except for the 3G upgrade). So when the iPhone 4 came out, it had a new feature called Facetime. What is Facetime you ask? It is a video calling technology that Apple developed. You might think to yourself, who cares Nokia and Sony Ericsson have that that since around 2005. While that may be true, I’ve had the first Nokia phone that had a front facing camera, as well as many others, yet how many times did I use a video call in those three years? Exactly once (no joke), and I was sitting next to the person I was having the call with. We were just testing out the technology. As Felix Dennis mentions in his book How To Get Rich the key to being successful is not about having a great idea, it’s all about execution, and Apple executes second to none.

One of the really cool things about Facetime is that you don’t even need cellular reception to make a call (which makes video calls free all over the world!). Check out this video below of me giving directions to a friend while in the middle of the woods! We had no reception, yet we had wifi internet. While all other phones in the cabin (blackberries) were out of luck when it came to making phone calls, at least I could call people that have a Facetime device (at that time only the iPhone 4).

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK0DjkU-Pu4

Site Suspended Today

So today My site was suspended by bluehost for linking to the blackberry mml unlock files. So I removed them to comply with the TOS. So I found out it was because RIM decided they don’t like the files linked to. Anyways that is their right, however it is MY right to be contacted and told that the links be removed, however they just had my host take my site down. If that’s how they treat their customers, then I don’t want to be one. I can go back to an iPhone once the new one comes out. I will contact rim about this and see what they have to say. When I hade a Upek file ACTUALLY hosted on my site, upek took the extra courtesy to contact me. I removed the file and was even offered the priviledge of trying software they didn’t even release to the public.