Over 10 years ago I had (still have an use) a Sony NX70 then later NX80 PDA. It has a screen larger than the iPod Touch, WiFi, lots of useful apps, could play and record video, take photos, had email, voice recorder, a remote on the earphone cord to play/pause, go to previous or next track and control the volume, there was an infrared transceiver which allowed me to control TVs, DVD players and such, the infrared could even transfer apps between two PDAs. It has two card slots for Memory Sticks and CF cards, it has a physical as well as virtual keyboard, supported a keyboard docking station and/or my folding infrared keyboard, and the battery life was at least 4 hours for video and up to 20 hours for audio. By the way the battery is user replaceable which is why I still can use the PDA today. The software apps I have allowed me to view and edit MS Word files, Excel files, and Power Point files. I even use it as my EKG machine for my heart condition. On it I keep a bible, it is still my alarm clock, has world clocks for several time zones, the usual calculator, todo list, phone and address book, memo pad, and it can play flash videos. In short it is capable of much more than the current 3G version of the iPod Touch - and it is almost 10 years old. So when Apple touts their great new inventions today we who owned Palm based much older units chuckle a bit.
The NX80 is quite a bit larger and not really a pocket unit though. It is 3x the thickness of the Touch, weighs perhaps 3 or 4 times and doesn't have all the apps of the Touch. But today, April 8, 2010, Apple is as I write this describing OS4 for the iPhone. It really looks like Apple thinks they invented multitasking. They are describing it like it is something new for the world when it is 30 years old and well understood by most of the world.
Apple continues to leave important things out of their hardware and software, then takes credit for them when they finally put it in. Its a waiting game to see which version of their hardware I will purchase, knowing there will always be things missing that I'd really like to have. The Touch is great but I really wish it had a few things.
1) An external Bluetooth keyboard. Apparently they are announcing that today - 10 years later than my personal experience and finally on the iPhone and Touch. Its about time. I actually used my infrared keyboard on the PDA while on airplanes to create 50 pages of a book I'm writing.
2) Some buttons please. When listening to music I have to push the single button at the bottom of the Touch, slide the on screen lock, then I finally have access to screen virtual buttons to advance songs or pause the music. In the 3G they finally put volume buttons on the side - give me a break.
3) A microphone. Something else my 10 year old NX80 has. You can purchase external microphones and the earphones shipped with the unit has a microphone but this is such a simple thing to include - the iPhone already has one! It's stuipd when you think of it because there are built in apps that only work with a microphone.
4) User customization. Please let me do things my way not only the Apple way. On the Sony PDA I could decide what action I could do when I slid my finger up the screen. In my case I assigned that feature to the brightness. On the Touch I have to leave an application to go to the control settings, change the brightness, then re-open the app I was using. Some of this is lack of multitasking (being announced today finally) and some could be enhanced by some user customization. Funny how on the PDA the Date and Time were so accessible. On the Touch I get the time in the top bar but there seems to be no way to add the date there. I have to find the calendar app (which I don't use) to see today's date on the icon. Sure would like to add that to the title bar.
I'd really like to have a mode to eliminate the on screen lock. I'd like to select a mode which would blank the screen to save battery power, then would wake up the screen when I touch it so I could play/pause, go to the next song or podcast, etc. I understand that might easily cause the unit to wake up for example if it is in my pocket. But I'd know that and only use this mode when I wanted to such as in the car when playing music from the Touch through my car radio.
I could go on. Apple's strange iTunes application still is awkward to me after years of use. Instead of being direct, where I simply drag what I want onto my Touch, I have to go through this strange user interface.
5) I have a 32GB Touch with lots of available space but Apple doesn't let me create folders and store files there. What a waste. Instead I also carry a USB stick in my pocket. I could eliminate another item in my pocket if Apple simply let me have access to the memory in my Touch. Someday they'll introduce this as a new wonderful feature and the world will get all excited about it.
6) A camera. I don't use the camera on my phone because it is too low quality and moving the photos from the camera (Razr) to the computer is a pain. The Touch would be great if it had a 3MP camera, video would be nice too.
It is things like these that keep me from even trying an Apple computer. I hear many wonderful things about them but it is that Apple arrogance that keeps me away. I really use a lot of user customization to make things my way on my PCs. Not being able to do that if I had a Mac would drive me crazy. If Apple got it right it would be fine but there are so many ways Apple doesn't get it right for me.
The thing I appreciate most about Apple is it is an American company exporting products to the rest of the world. I'm happy to have the competition for Microsoft.
With the addition of the Bluetooth keyboard capability I will be MUCH happier with my Touch. The physical keyboard is the main missing thing for me. A full size folding keyboard will be a huge improvement for me.
iPad? I have no intention of buying one. It is a large Touch that won't fit in my pocket. In fact all the news about the iPad has made me seek out and research netbooks. I favor the 12.1" versions that are now coming on the market for their full size keyboards, light weight, and long battery life. I find the idea of holding a 1 1/2 pound iPad with one hand while poking at the screen with the other hand is not a format I'm interested in. The keyboard of a netbook not only gives me a useful typing experience, it also holds the screen! Imagine that! If Apple were to mount that iPad screen on a clamshell keyboard they would have a great product - hey I think we call that a netbook...
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