Well, I finally gave in and joined the cult of iPhone. At the beginning of this month, I decided to splurge and get an iPhone through Fido, Rogers discount brand. Why? I suppose it had something to do with the extension of the 6GB/$30 “promotion” or the fact that I was able to find a 3GS for sale locally, but mostly it had to do with the fact that I needed a new toy. (Note that the iPhone is hardly a novelty item, with >21 million of them out there)

Keep in mind that I didn’t have a mobile phone until late 2007, and even then I decided to only go with a prepaid provider (Virgin Mobile) because I didn’t have much of a need for a phone, but really just wanted Internet access. However, this past summer my phone got more use than usual, especially with regard to Internet access. With Internet browsing being anemic on most non-smartphones, I decided it was time to upgrade.

I narrowed my choices down to two: Either the Palm Pre or the iPhone 3GS. However, I wasn’t very pleased with what plans Bell had to offer and wasn’t sure if the Pre developer ecosystem (and thus the applications available) would turn out to be as varied as the iPhone. So, I decided to join the cult.

Another reason that led me down this path was the fact that I already had an iPod Touch from earlier in the year, and so I was already used to the iPhone interface. (I’ve since sold the Touch) And yes, I do realize in that very article I berated the monthly cost of the iPhone only to now end up doing a complete 180 on the situation. It’s not that I’m happy with what I’m paying, but rather that I’m willing to suck it up. Such is the power of the cult, and perhaps one of the reasons for the iPod Touch’s existence – to suck users into getting an iPhone. After all, Steve Jobs did describe it as “training wheels for the iPhone”, but perhaps “gateway drug to the iPhone” would be more accurate.

Fido actually had some okay plans; okay for Canada that is. In the end, I’m paying just about $80 CAD a month. (including taxes) It’s about $50 more than I was paying for my old phone, which is quite a bit, but the iPhone has been invaluable in the intervening period after moving where I didn’t have Internet access at home. We’ll see if it doesn’t lose its appeal in the coming months.

In the meantime, however, it’s been a blast. There are literally too many apps out there to try, so I’ve only had a chance to play with the more popular ones. Some of my favourites include the AllRecipies dinner spinner, Wikipanion, Restaurantica (which I’m surprised isn’t promoted more on their website), and of course, Shazam, the accuracy of which continues to amaze me!

But the most useful features for me have been the always-available easy-to-use Internet access and the access to Google Maps overlaid with GPS. It’s been invaluable, especially after moving to a new city. Without it, I’d literally have been lost more than once.

Despite all the positive features, there are still some sore points. Firstly, battery life on the 3GS is atrocious, as reports have indicated. On a full charge, I can barely last two days with moderate data usage, some music playback and hardly any YouTube/video usage. Be prepared for the daily recharge should you get this phone.

Additionally, being an Apple product the iPhone looks very attractive but is a dirt/dust/fingerprint magnet. Even with the new oleophobic coating (fancy word for anti-fingerprint) you’ll still probably want to get a screen protector and case for this device. I’ve opted for the Speck PixelSkin, which I believe is one of the better cases out there, as it’s tough, rigid and adds a nice grip to the iPhone.

Lastly, there are no good default ringtones supplied with the iPhone! I don’t need some fancy pop-music ringtone, I just want something that sounds normal. Thankfully, a coworker directed me to the perfect iPhone ringtone, and I’ve since been happy with it.

I’ll leave you with some comparison pictures of the iPhone 3GS and the iPod Touch 2nd generation.

I finally caved and got a mobile/cellphone after years of seeing pretty much everyone around me, from grandmas to infants, use the devilish things. What prompted my conversion? Well, the main reason I never bought into one before was my fear of contracts – it seems that to get a decent price on a cellphone, you have to sign into a three-year contract, with the threat of huge cancellation fees should you decide that the service isn’t for you. I never really liked that and more importantly, didn’t really need a mobile phone in the first place, so paying all this extra cash just didn’t make sense.

However, I recently became aware of Virgin Mobile Canada’s $10 dollar unlimited data plan, which began back in October. As with all other Virgin-branded mobile services around the world, VMC is a MVNO, meaning they buy time from a carrier that owns the actual infrastructure (in this case, Bell Mobility) and resell/re-brand it as their own service. They also offer a pre-paid service plan so pay-as-you-go is an option. (Though that will be changing soon.)

This suited me perfectly. I wasn’t planning on talking a lot on my phone, but I wanted something that I could use to access the Internet to check e-mail and IM without being charged ridiculous rates for data transfers. I’m currently signed up for VMC’s $10 unlimited data plan and I don’t pay any more than the $10 plus tax per month. Virgin doesn’t have any poppycock like “network access” fees or “911″ fees, so what I’m signed up for is what I pay. If I do make calls, I pay by the minute, but since I don’t anticipate heavy usage that won’t be a problem. If needed, I can switch to a proper voice plan; their offerings seem pretty fair.

I do hope that the move to a subscription-based model does not negatively affect how I use my phone.

The Phone

I decided to go with the Samsung M510 since that was one of two phones that Virgin offered that supported EV-DO and that they would let you use with their $10 unlimited data plan. (The other was the Moto KRZR, but I wasn’t going to drop $300 on that) Futureshop had it on sale this weekend for $180, so perhaps that also prompted my decision.

My initial impressions of the service and the phone were very positive. (Though this is coming from someone with zero experience with mobiles) You have to activate the phone yourself over the Internet at Virgin’s website, but the process was entirely pain free. One hour later, I received a text message on my phone informing me it was now activated!

I’ll post a full review of the Samsung M510 and Virgin Mobile Canada’s service after I’ve had some experience with it. Right now, it’s just like a toy and I can’t seem to get enough of it, which might be clouding my judgment…

Despite all the coverage that Apple’s new iPhone is getting, there is still innovation going on at other cellular providers. Last week, T-Mobile announced their new “HotSpot @Home” service. For an additional $10 a month, you can use your WiFi-equipped cellphone as a VoIP device. When you’re in range of a WiFi access point, the cellphone will use the Internet to make VoIP calls (instead of the cellular system) – and the minutes used here won’t count towards your monthly plan, giving you essentially unlimited usage time when you make calls this way. Your phone still retains all its original functionality, such as call hold and caller ID, so your phone isn’t crippled.

The best part, however, is the seamless integration. As you move out of range of a hotspot, the phone will automatically hand off to T-Mobile’s cellular network, in much the same way as hand off occurs between adjacent cellphone towers when you’re moving. This is not only beneficial, but a prime example of the convergence of wireless networks that many people believe is going to play a bigger and bigger role in the future. Kudos to T-Mobile for offering innovation in this area, instead of just a new phone with a lot of fancy features.

iPhone blowback

When the iPhone was announced, the hype was almost immediate. For the most part, it’s lived up to its expectations, but two issues identified before launch seem to have no resolution. Firstly, it can only be used with AT&T. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, was the lack of an SDK for the iPhone. Many people lamented this decision, and wondered if Safari and web-apps would be able to replace the flexibility offered by a true SDK. Despite worries of data usage costs (for the eventual non-US users), there have already been a plethora of iPhone apps released.

The real reason, some say, for the lack of an SDK is perhaps Apple’s (and AT&T/Cingular’s) worry about a VoIP application being developed for the iPhone that has the potential to severely cut into their income. After all, phone calls over the Internet wouldn’t count as regular minutes. Additionally, AT&T is known to harbour fears of companies that “use their” pipes, especially when they’re offering services that could cut into their bottom line. The result of this is a stifling of innovation.

Convergence of networks

As I mentioned before, wireless convergence is a key component of next-generation networks. The idea of separate devices operating on separate wireless networks is really an archaic one, held in place partly by companies unwilling to compete in a world of open, convergence networks. Convergence is not only good for the end-user/customer, but also good for the companies that provide the service. Customers get the best of both worlds: Cheap calls while you’re localized, and you still have wide coverage when you’re not.

There is also a clear need for a service like this. Many people already use Skype to make cheap or free VoIP calls. There are even WiFi Skype Handsets available to use with the service. T-Mobile’s new service basically integrates that functionality with a cellphone, and thus has the potential to take over that market with a more useful device.

The benefits for companies are perhaps even greater. Take T-Mobile’s HotSpot @Home service as an example. Because the phone will use a WiFi network to make VoIP calls when one is available, this not only provides better coverage but also decreases the strain on T-Mobile’s own infrastructure. Since many people have WiFi at home and at work, there will be less users on T-Mobile’s cellular system, decreasing its load and increasing its ability to support more customers. True, T-Mobile still has to have infrastructure on their own end for translating VoIP calls to landlines and vice-versa, but the benefits of less cellular load clearly outweigh this.

Which leads me to question why they’re even charging an additional $10 a month for this service. Since it’s beneficial to them, shouldn’t they be offering this for free? Indeed, if more cellular providers started offering these kinds services, they would be a true force against Skype. They wouldn’t need to fear it, or try to inhibit other VoIP providers, if they themselves could come up with an improved solution like this. They need not charge more, since the increased usefulness will attract more customers, and thus increase their profits naturally. But, perhaps I’m just nitpicking here, since no other company offers a service like T-Mobile’s, and is a true example of using innovation to compete, instead of stifling it.

Let’s hope this sort of service comes to Canada. If it does, I might truly have no need for a traditional land line.

Of course, this is an extreme example, and is not indicative of most situations. But certainly all of these devices are affecting the way we interact with each other and get work done. In fact, I think that overuse of these devices and their “always on, always connected” nature can lead to something I like to call Constant Partial Attention. This is a state where you are alert, but because you are multitasking between so many different jobs, you aren’t as productive as you could be.

Not a technology hater

Now, don’t get me wrong – I am not hatin’ on technology. Far from it, I am a geek at heart, and have spent considerable time learning about all things related to technology. I will admit that there are definite benefits to having a cellphone or other communication device. (Even though I still don’t have one) The danger comes from overuse of these devices to the point where they’re being used for no reason. This creates the constant partial attention situation.

For example, at university I have two computers, my desktop PC and my laptop. The laptop’s used for work and portability, and the PC for gaming, since it’s far cheaper to build a desktop gaming rig than buy a gaming laptop. However, when I’m at home, I have both of them in front of me, so that I can use either at will. You might think that this could improve productivity (at least I thought that it would), but in reality it often made me less productive. The times that I had to use both at the same time were more than offset by the times that I found myself uselessly switching between two computers. Overall, work is much better accomplished on one computer, rather than two, and that is why I will be switching back to a single desktop now that I’m done school.

Multitasking?

Now, that was somewhat of an extreme example as well, but it does illustrate my point. Carrying around a BlackBerry or cellphone can be like having that second system always at your side. Sure, you could say that you’re just multitasking, but there are studies that claim that multitasking can actually be less time-effective. This has the opposite effect of the expected increase in productivity from multitasking. I interpret this as the effect of constant partial attention, and I believe that as devices allow us to be more connected, more of the time, this has the potential to increase.