iPhone or E61i?

When I saw Steve Jobs introducing iPhone back in January, I knew there will be an upcoming revolution in mobile phone industry. I was also pissed because it's tied to AT&T but I am a Zeta-Jones fan. I just cannot wait to have my T-Mobile contract end next summer. $200 per line for early cancellation?! Screw it!

I have heard almost everything about iPhone. The intro on Apple.com, David Pogue's review, etc. Regarding to hardware and software, I was disappointed to see no flash support, no java, no GPS, no swappable sim card, no comsumer replaceable battery. I really like the 480x320 screen and all the novelty behind this: one handheld fits all. This is what I need! I have carried PDA and cell phone together like a crazy tech freak, until Treo 650 saved my day. And now I only need to carry PDA phone and iPod until iPhone appears.

I am not a ear bud music listener. I hate headphones, they give me headache. I have my iPod mini installed on car all the time. So I don't really need to have a mobile phone that plays music. However, calendar and contact sync are very important to me, and I really need to have a event notification that allow me to snooze to whenever I want.

Treo 650 is a very good PDA phone. I like it a lot. Since I switched out of Sprint after my dropped-a-million-times Treo lost its antenna, I looked for a phone that can sync with OSX isync, not Windows Mobile, and small in size (yes Treo is huge). I ended up with Motorola PEBL, and it really sucks. Why? Because the stupid event reminder does not let me SNOOZE!!! Even worse, I have to set the alarm clock to "on" EVERYDAY!!! What were they thinking, Moto??!! Decided not to let the moto screw my schedule, I went on and found another PDA phone: Nokia E61i.

There are good reviews regarding E61i. They sell it for $400 unlocked and has video recording, flash and java support, 3G (though not working in USA), and some 3rd party software, which are lacked in the version 1.0 iPhone. And it can do isync! The 320x240 screen sounds really screwed but we'll see. I really hope to have it bridge the gap until next summer when I can kick goodbye to Catherine and embrace a refined version of iPhone.


I will receive my Nokia E61i today and post some comment later on.

Maybe the title should be "E61i, ......for one year, and iPhone"

Oh and my prediction for iPhone is:
It will sell very well. And watch how the AAPL stock will fly, how many percent more Apple will grab the computer market and internet browser market because of this revolutionary device. iPhone is really a dream come true that is backed by elaborate hard work. The mobile phone industry was just sleeping for too long.

Here comes the revolution!

How I became an Apple fan - Part 1

I am a Mac user since late 2003 when I purchased a 12" PowerBook G4 1GHz at Apple.com for my conference need. The reason I considered Apple was that a realtor showed me the expose when he tried to find one of the listings. It was really the "wow" factor that hooked me into Mac.

I was quite satisfied with the elegant hardware design of 12" PB and the brilliant interface of OSX 10.3. I started to browse through MacWorld, VersionTracker, etc. to find every useful free utility software. And also bought Office 2004I subscribed to MacWorld and MacAddict (after a while I found there is no need to subscribe as MacWorld put ALL their stuff online). I put 768MB RAM in it, and even swapped the hard drive to a 7200rpm 80GB one, and boy, that was really a lap burner!

I soon felt that 1024x768 is just not enough, even with virtual desktop. I was lucky enough to find a local buddy selling his 17" PowerBook G4 1.33GHz 1440x900 res. I bought it within a snap and maxed out 1.5GB RAM.

17" is really an eye candy. I loved the screen and the backlit keyboard. The
only downside was the weight. Though 6.9lb is a lightweight compared to DELLs and HPs, it's still too much for me to carry on a daily basis.

To be able to run Windows software for my job need, I bought Virtual PC for Mac. And you know what, it could not be any slower! Running Intel emulation on a PowerPC G4 is a torture to your patience. Needless to mention any possibility of 3D capability.

I was so desperate to run Windows on a Mac, so I found an used PowerMac G5 Dual 2GHz with 2GB RAM on ebay. G5 is way faster than pathetic G4. However, it's hot and noisy. I hooked it up with a DELL 2005FPW 20" widescreen monitor, and had it doing the encoding stuff and all other CPU intense jobs. Oh did I mention it's still slow in Windows?

I think it was around mid 2005 when Apple said they were going to increase the pixels for PowerBook. I sold my 17" PB within a week. Later on I bought an PC notebook (Turion 2.2GHz w/ XP x64) for my conference in late 2005. Oh god, please forgive me, I bought a PC laptop. Almost all my project collaborators have a Mac laptop. I can still remember the sniff look on one of my collaborators face.
I felt like I betrayed them. I told them I still miss my PB (and I meant it).

Ok here comes another bomb to force me sell my PowerMac. Yes! Intel transition!! I was so excited to know that I can probably run Windows natively. Yet I was afraid the G5 will depreciate soon. As a loyal MacRumors reader, I timed to sell my G5 a month before MacPro was announced.

I backed up all my iPhotos and iTunes, etc. Now I am Mac-free (oh did I mention that I gave the 12" PB to my wife but sold it later because she liked the 10.6" Sony VAIO T series better). I know it's the dark age, and I am still waiting for the Intel Sun to rise from the horizon and light up the upcoming Apple laptops......