Things That Just Fit
Many gadget reviewers will unfairly compare the Nokia N97 to the iPhone 3GS. They would be wrong to do so. Such reviews compare two things that poorly fit oddly together. The iPhone is not the gold standard by which all other smartphones are measured. Too many reviewers dismiss other excellent smartphones, such as the Palm Pre, simply because they don’t have the same features as iPhone. Duh, of course they don’t have the same features. Competition is about differentiation. The N97, like the Pre, offers benefits that are different from iPhone. None of these smartphones necessarily appeals to the same buyers. Nor should they. Not everyone needs or should want to buy an iPhone. Other smartphones charm in their own way. If the manufacturers have done right, other handsets will offer something different, and hopefully better. The N97 should have broad appeal, with benefits and features either not found on iPhone 3G/GS or offered weakly by the device(s). Some example N97 benefits: QWERTY keyboard Stylus for writing characters Richer, livelier audio call quality 1500mAh 3.7v removable battery Running background applications Persistently connected applications 5-megapixel camera (Carl Zeiss lens) Dual-LED flash (for camera and video) Unlocked phone (in the United States, anyway) Do you have a smartphone story that you’d like told? Please email Joe Wilcox: oddlytogether at gmail dot com.

Many gadget reviewers will unfairly compare the Nokia N97 to the iPhone 3GS. They would be wrong to do so. Such reviews compare two things that poorly fit oddly together.

The iPhone is not the gold standard by which all other smartphones are measured. Too many reviewers dismiss other excellent smartphones, such as the Palm Pre, simply because they don’t have the same features as iPhone. Duh, of course they don’t have the same features. Competition is about differentiation. The N97, like the Pre, offers benefits that are different from iPhone. None of these smartphones necessarily appeals to the same buyers. Nor should they.

Not everyone needs or should want to buy an iPhone. Other smartphones charm in their own way. If the manufacturers have done right, other handsets will offer something different, and hopefully better.

The N97 should have broad appeal, with benefits and features either not found on iPhone 3G/GS or offered weakly by the device(s). Some example N97 benefits:

  • QWERTY keyboard
  • Stylus for writing characters
  • Richer, livelier audio call quality
  • 1500mAh 3.7v removable battery
  • Running background applications
  • Persistently connected applications
  • 5-megapixel camera (Carl Zeiss lens)
  • Dual-LED flash (for camera and video)
  • Unlocked phone (in the United States, anyway)

Do you have a smartphone story that you’d like told? Please email Joe Wilcox: oddlytogether at gmail dot com.

Sizing Up WWDC

Today, Apple kicked off its Worldwide Developer Conference with some expected and surprising announcements. I humbly offer my quick take on today’s news, which is really about an enticing collection of Apple stuff that fits oddly together.

iPhone 3GSiPhone 3GS
At $99, iPhone sales volume will go nuclear. The blast could literally incapacitate every other smartphone now sold or coming to market. Think of App Store as Apple’s electromagnetic pulse.

June 19 iPhone availability will disappoint many existing iPhone owners, who must wait until end of June or mid July before qualifying for subsidized pricing.

New 3-megapixel camera and video capture capabilities are, at best, catch up with other smartphones. Nokia, Samsung and Sony are already moving to 8-megapixel cameras and beyond.

Where Apple will distinguish iPhone 3GS photo and video capabilities is ease of use. The iPhone may not have the hardware as, say, the Nokia N97. But Apple is sure to make photos and videos easier to capture, use and share.

Read More