How PDA capable is the new Apple iPhone?

[holvoetn]

Yeah right

You on steroids Office 200??????????

They cant even get it to talk properly with win mobile devices how the hell is it going to communicate with Apple ????

LOL

I am having similar feelings about the question regarding syncing to Lotus Notes (some posts back) ...
I doubt it will be possible to do out of the box.

PS fixed typo in thread title

[Paul Robinson]

Given its foundation in OS X, it will be a platform for all sorts of apps!

It will soon be just like the earlier days of the Palm when many people developed programs and/or ported desktop ones.

I can see Docs To Go coming to the iPhone, so Word, Excel, and even PDF files will be accessible.

And several of the leading ebook readers will be ported to the iPhone, so that ebook reading will be not only possible but given the form factor, will be a great experience!

And all sorts of widgets, mini apps, etc. will be developed, too. I expect to see many of the leading astronomy, games, etc. programs that run on the Palm translated to run on the iPhone.

Question about that: can the screen brightness be turned way down for middle of the night reading? The ambient light sensor could, alas, work exactly the opposite way-- coming on real bright and blinding bedmates!

Low light is also crucial for dark astronomy apps...

One prediction... just as the original Mac keyboard lacked cursor keys, the iPhone has embraced minimalism with finger scrolling only... which soon proved limiting. (Hands & fingers will get tired with all those gestures!) Just as the Mac Plus added arrow keys, the iPhone's next updated interface will include optional on screen arrows to tap for back and forth, left/right. Or earlier, some enterprising software designer will provide a mini on-screen transparent iPod scroll wheel overlay.

Great work, Apple. I may just have to sell off my corral of Clies and Palms and get an iPhone in June!

[mw22]

Dear Paul

I must say that I agree with you re Docs to Go having a real inroad to producing for the iphone as they just brought it out for MS smartphone

The light thing I am sure some young enterprising programmer will solve that sensor problem like they did in the Palms

I am a Palm nut but I must say the iphone does look promising especially as it will be the first device with a desktop operating system on board - Not Win Mobile half casts.

Now to get accounting software like quickbooks etc to run on it and I guess UMPCs ala Microsoft will fade away especially with gsm and wifi and BTooth and 5 hr battery life !!!!!

Hells Bells but life just got interesting and Palm has just paid $$$ for perpetual licence for Garnet - Guess they will also be launching a similiar umpc - GSM device shortly ????

Cool

Regards

[berylrb]

Yeah right
You on steroids Office 200??????????
LOL

Oh, did I say 2007 I meant 2010! <as berylrb clicks over to check his email using Office 2004>

Dear Paul
I must say that I agree with you re Docs to Go having a real inroad to producing for the iphone as they just brought it out for MS smartphone

DITTO, it's coming folks! Woo Hoo!

[Hook]

Keep in mind that Dataviz started out life as Mac software

One intriguing question-- Is the iPhone design and interface coming to the next generation iPods? That is, will there me a non-phone version internet media device with a touchscreen, an Apple Lifedrive if you will, at least for the high end iPods. Dunno if it makes sense or not, but would be interesting.

[Matt J]

I wonder if the iPhone will be able to run Boot Camp? ;-)

[SpudNYC]

Hi

Serious question

Does it run word and excel and allows one to edit and resend such files ???

Will it read pdfs ????

PDF is a native display format in OSX so that's a given. Apple's lightweight TextEdit reads .doc and their Pages app does a very good job of reading/writing .doc also. Rumor has it that Apple's spreadsheet app is right around the corner and there's no doubt it will play well with excel. What we're seeing in iPhones coming out party is just a glimpse of what this thing will do by year's end.

[Paul Robinson]

Like the idea of a non phone iPhone-- not Cingular tied! We rarely use cell phones... so that could be pretty cool-- especially at a cheaper price!!

Of course, it probably would be relatively easy for someone to then write software for it that would turn into one of those Internet phones... hmmm... lots of wrinkles and intriguing possibilities!

[Ed Hardy]

A major drawback to the iPhone has just emerged. One that might make many of the previous comments obsolete. Apple will not allow other companies to release software for this smartphone.

You can read more at
www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=12729

[Dick Tracy]

If it is not possible to add third-party applications, can the iPhone actually meet the definition of smartphone? Or should there be some other product category to which it belongs?