iPhone Nano To Be Launched By Christmas? 249
the-s-dog writes writes to mention that while there have been many people wishing on a star for an iPhone nano, it seems that at least one UK news pub is confident that it will happen, and in time for this Christmas no less. Still completely unfounded rumor, but an interesting possibility. "Apple is about to launch a 'nano' version of the hugely successful iPhone. It is expected to be in the shops in time for Christmas. The product will be launched in the UK at up to £150 for pay-as-you-go customers by O2, the mobile phone group owned by Spain's Telefonica. 'This will be a big one,' said an industry source."
iPhone Slider (Score:4, Insightful)
When does the iPhone Slider with QWERTY keyboard launch?
Insider knowledge... (Score:3, Funny)
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If Apple ever does offer an iPhone with a physical keyboard, it won't be a new version of the phone, and it definitely won't have hinges, slides, or latches.
It will be an accessory. Most likely a minimalist Bluetooth-based slab that you set out on the desk.
iPhone Femto and iPhone Shuffle (Score:5, Funny)
iPhone Shuffle: Just drunk dials from your address list. Switch setting to dial in order or random.
iPhone Femto: So small no one but smart people can see it. And you don't have to speak. You just imagine the conversation.
iPhone one-button (Score:5, Funny)
iPhone one-button: just a button and 15 digit numeric display. You dial it by setting it like you would a digital alarm clock. Just hold the button down while the digits count up, stop when it gets to the number you want to dial. If you miss, you gotta go around again.
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It also has a Morse-code setting that you can use to either dial or SMS.
Old hands at Morse can easily outgun a teenager on a keypad with SMS in any case so this might not be a bad idea.
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Also: iPhone Rotary. Think Nokia 7380 with an extra dose of pretentiousness.
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You mean the gag image in the original iPhone Stevenote?
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Also: iPhone Rotary.
You were saying? [lux.vu]
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JibJab's take [jibjab.com] on downsizing the iPhone...
Re:iPhone Slider (Score:5, Informative)
As soon as you try the current iPhone keyboard for more than 10 minutes and see it actually is REALLY good.
As a long-time Treo 600/650 user I was really sceptical about not having a proper keyboard, but the fact is that I (and everyone I know who has tried it for a while) got used to it surprisingly quickly, 3 days at most I'd say, and now can type on it about as fast as I could my Treo. At first the predictive text (which I have to say is better than most) helped, but now I simply don't make that many mistakes.
Comments implying it's unusable without a physical keyboard just perpetuate the fallacy that there is no other alternative. There's just stubborn people, the same ones who last generation refused to adapt to touch-tone phones, broadband, automatic gearboxes, digital synths, electric shavers, you name it. Welcome to being a Grumpy Old Man ;)
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Had an iPhone for a 8 months. Sold it, got a Blackberry Curve instead. The problem with the keyboard is not that it's unusable. I can type out words with it: usable. The problem is the lack of feedback, which leads me to pressing much harder than I need to, which leads to sore thumbs after more than just a few text messages. And I don't like that clicking noise either.
Re:iPhone Slider (Score:5, Funny)
"Had an iPhone for a 8 months ... The problem with the keyboard is ... [it] leads me to pressing much harder than I need to, which leads to sore thumbs after more than just a few text messages."
let me get this straight, you claim the problem with the iPhone is that 8 months was insufficient time for you to learn to stop pressing so hard that it causes you physical pain!?
I don't think Apple is to blame for you having less capacity for learning than a pet.
reductio: I have the same problem with silent desktop keyboards. there's no sound to let me know when to stop pressing so by the end of the day I'm just pounding my bloody fists through the table just to hear the click of my shattered bones rattling about.
Re:iPhone Slider (Score:5, Funny)
So it was you [photobucket.com] all along!
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The lack of tactile feedback is actually as user interface issue. Humans do need tactile feedback as it is something that tells the mind to STOP pushing or doing something.
By saying, "oh this is not Apple's fault, but your own" is being a typical Apple drone where if it does not work then something is wrong with you. Guess what people Apple is not the end, just another solution.
BTW one of the reasons you need a keyboard is that a keyboard with its tactile feedback requires less accuracy than say a keyboard
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The lack of tactile feedback
Can they just us the vibrate funtion in some ingenious way then?
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Actually, a friend told me his G3 used to come up with the error "it's not my fault" occasionally.
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Me, I'm looking at a Nokia E71 [nokia.com] instead.
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As soon as you try the current iPhone keyboard for more than 10 minutes and see it actually is REALLY good.
As a long-time Treo 600/650 user...
I would imagine that damn near any smartphone would come out ahead when compared to the stinking cesspool that is the Treo 650.
That's like saying "When comparing the iPhone to, say, a stick in the ass with sandy Vasoline used as lube, the iPhone is REALLY good".
Not that the iPhone isn't good. Just saying that the Treo 650 made baby Jesus cry.
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P.S. I use touch-tone phones, I have had broadband for over a decade, my car has automatic transmission, there is a digital synth in the room I'm in right now, and I haven't used a safety blade to shave my face for at least 20 years.
However, I still like tactile feedback so that I can push buttons without looking. That doesn't make me old and unadaptable, that just means I have a preference that a touch-screen device does not meet.
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Download WritingPad from the App Store. For my money (ok, the app was free :-) ), it's even better than Apple's text entry method.
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Wow. I thought you were gonna say it's really _bad_. I've had an iTouch for several months and I can't stand the keyboard. It's too small, it's slow to type on, and it keeps changing what you type it because it _thinks_ it knows what you're trying to type in, but it seems to have a more limited dictionary than my Verizon cell, so it never gets it right. Not to mention the fact that touchscreens in general are horrible because you can't feel the keys. My cell is an LG VX9800 (aka the Verizon En-V) with a ful
Oh, how user friendly! (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Oh, how user friendly! (Score:5, Funny)
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I dunno, depending on the size, position, etc. I could see that being really easy...
Move finger/wheel up for higher digit, down for lower digit, one tap for "Next Digit" two taps for Dial, but it would work a lot better with a "real" wheel, like a mouse wheel where it has that resistance between each scroll/click.
You could dial, while the phone is already next to your ear, dial without even looking at it, dial while looking at the screen (instead of it being covered by your finger) etc.
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Nokia already did that. Check out the Nokia 7380 [google.com].
I love how Nokia beat Apple at their own game. They made a form-over-function phone, using something Apple is known for (the touch wheel), and with Scandinavian coolness in place of Apple pretentiousness.
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Except they didn't. Nobody's heard of that Nokia thing; everybody's heard of the iPhone. I wonder how the sales numbers of each stack up against each other?
Re:Oh, how user friendly! (Score:5, Funny)
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I know your being funny/sarcastic... but thats not a bad idea either, for most people it would be difficult, or rather clumsy, but for blind people, it would be good, they can feel the digit their finger is on, rotate etc... although you could do the same with with a scroll, it would just have to be bigger (like briefcase/suitcase combo-lock style) or a rolling conveyor belt (not a good idea)...
Personally, I still prefer the 10/12 button "square"... but still can see the wheel being a decent idea, plus it h
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lol @ own comment "but still can see the wheel being a decent idea"
Yeah shit, someone should invent the wheel already FTW!
Re:Oh, how user friendly! (Score:5, Funny)
You know, if you gave a rotary phone to an average teenager, they'd be unable to make calls.
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If you give a Windows Mobile phone to the average 50 year old, they'd be unable to do much of anything. Just saying.
-Taylor
Re:Oh, how user friendly! (Score:5, Funny)
If you give a Windows Mobile phone to the average 50 year old, they'd be unable to do much of anything. Just saying.
-Taylor
Yeah, but a hip 15 year old couldn't do anything with Windows Mobile, either.
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Just sayin...
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How about a dial with numbers 0-9 on it, with small holes next to each number. To input a particular number you would place the included stylus into the corresponding hole, then turn the dial clockwise until it stops. Upon releasing the stylus, the dial will return to its resting position, and your chosen digit will appear on the screen.
Done, except the iPhone doesn't support a stylus. [lux.vu]
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From what I see on the 'nano' version of the phone, from the description, why would anyone want one? Sounds just like a normal phone...not a smartphone, which is what makes the iPhone interesting. And smart phones can only get just so inexpensive....
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People really love this touch sensitive back idea. It seems like it would be a good contender for the worst UI ever. And seeing as how I can't think of a single successful device that uses that system....
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Are you saying my girlfriend is unsuccessful? Who are you to judge her?
Re:Oh, how user friendly! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Oh, how user friendly! (Score:4, Informative)
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I don't understand why it is insightful a comment that basically just states your lack of imagination.
The display can show your finger as you slide it, so you know which button/hole you are tapping/dialing.
That's the whole idea. I know touch interfaces are not that great, but there are ways to make them work, somewhat. They have been very successful with the old iPod. It doesn't have to be a good interface, it just has to be easy to learn, and well marketed.
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You don't need to be a genius to think of that. I posted the same thing in this thread, and I had never seen anything like that.
I don't mean I am _not_ a genius, but still. It's just obvious.
Move along, nothing to see here (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Move along, nothing to see here (Score:5, Informative)
For those across the pond who haven't heard of the Daily Mail, they're pretty much our equivalent of Fox News. They'll publish any story if they think it'll sell papers, but they usually play on Joe Public's apparent dislike of immigrants, gays, people whose skin is too dark, etc.
Re:Move along, nothing to see here (Score:5, Informative)
Fox news is quality journalism compared to the Daily Fail.
Think the National Enquirer with a racist agenda and you're getting somewhat close.
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Haha, "Daily Fail" - I haven't heard that one :)
I call it the HateMail sometimes, because that's pretty much all they peddle...
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I don't think it's so much a racist agenda as it is a "let's see just how much we can shock people" agenda.
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You mean they publish politically incorrect information? Gasp! How dare they!
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You mean they publish politically incorrect information? Gasp! How dare they!
No, just plain incorrect information, apparently.
Au contraire, mon frere (Score:5, Funny)
No. It will be a tiny, tiny, tiny one. One billionth the size of an iPhone. So small you will need a stylus the width of just a few carbon atoms in order to dial out.*
It is, after all, an iPhone nano.
*But that's ok, you can compensate for the tininess of your stylus by the smugness of owning the latest and greatest Apple offering.
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Dude, next time you shrink yourself, make sure you hold on to the iPhone when you make yourself big again. After all, that instruction manual^W^W iPhone is irreplaceable!
Now go put your red suit away.
So iPhone Shuffle is next? (Score:5, Funny)
No display, and dials random numbers.
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This wasn't even funny in January 07 when I heard it the first million times...
Re:So iPhone Shuffle is next? (Score:5, Funny)
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Followed by the iPhone micro. It's a set of wireless headphones with no base unit. You have to supply the music by humming and both sides of the phone conversation.
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Screenless cellphones... (Score:2, Interesting)
...are a bad idea. [screenlessphone.com]
Re:Screenless cellphones... (Score:5, Informative)
Now I feel old. Until I was in junior high almost no phone had a screen. Including the luggable car phones.
Now a screenless phone is a novelty, and Slashdotters don't think it will work.
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It'll have a screen, but this is the most compact delivery of a truth I've seen around here in a while.
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Thing is, Jobs thinks buttons are stupid. So no screen, and no buttons... makes for a rather interesting interface (unless you `talk' numbers into the phone).
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I saw a phone like that. Everything went through the voice interface. I can't remember where it was. Maybe it was one of those cutting edge Japanese ones. Since I haven't seen anything like it again, I suspect it didn't work out so well.
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Good Grief! That phone costs over $500 without a contract (or $250 with a two year contract with T-Mobile). If you need a screenless cellphone that bad, buy a cheap nokia bar phone and put electrical tape on the screen.
That has *got* to be a joke.
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This might once have been possible (Score:4, Insightful)
Before Apple had announced the SDK, an iPhone Nano might have been a possibility. The mockups of an abbreviated Apple Touch interface floating around hint at the plausibility of getting the basics of the iPhone UI into a smaller package.
Post-SDK, however, there's no way that's going to happen. The varying hardware feature set (camera, microphone, etc.) between the iPhone and iPod Touch are already diverse enough to make software marketing a bit dicey, but I can't see Apple introducing a major new variation to the UI for smaller screens along with a whole new set of targeting constraints for developers.
Perhaps there is yet one way an iPhone Nano could exist: No App Store compatibility.
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Re:This might once have been possible (Score:5, Interesting)
The varying hardware feature set (camera, microphone, etc.) between the iPhone and iPod Touch are already diverse enough to make software marketing a bit dicey
If you poke around the API you will find that Apple has included ways to check the existence of various hardware capabilities (as well as network connectivity). Presumably they've already thought about devices that support different hardware profiles. For example, it is ill-advised to try and initialize the camera without first checking if it is available.
but I can't see Apple introducing a major new variation to the UI for smaller screens along with a whole new set of targeting constraints for developers.
Doubtful they will, but the same UI will work at different resolutions and screen sizes. I suspect the people who have hard-coded the screen width into their apps will be screwed at SOME point.
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Well, we won't need to hardcode sizes if the iPhone SDK had a layout manager of sorts...
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Re:This might once have been possible (Score:5, Interesting)
One has to ponder the idea that the next IPod Touch might come with a camera and maybe a GPS.
Why not make your touch your camera as well. A camera on a media player isn't any dumber than on a cell phone.
Skrew making it smaller (Score:2)
Re:Skrew making it smaller (Score:5, Funny)
What it really needs is a bottle opener...
Isn't Zima in screw-top bottles?
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Seriously, that is just fucked up man.
I wouldn't drink Zima if it was poured into my mouth off Lindsay Lohan's ass.
Wait, maybe I would.
Still ouch man.
If it looks like it, and smells like it ... (Score:5, Insightful)
Techcrunch reckons this is bullshit meant to drive traffic [techcrunch.com]. I'm inclined to agree.
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It's in the Daily Fail. Of course it's bullshit - they don't print anything else.
I'm holding out... (Score:2)
for the iPhone Flea [gizmodo.com]
One song and 5 phone numbers - that's all I need.
Where's The News? (Score:2, Informative)
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In Other News (Score:5, Funny)
Jokes aside (Score:2)
I'm sure there will be several jokes and some Apple bashing, but putting all that aside, I think this could be a pretty good idea, but wonder which direction this would go.
I would bet that somehow, somewhere, some functionality will be sacrificed. For example, they could combine an iPod Nano with a phone, give you no games or apps, and even sacrifice contacts/calendars. Or, the less expected route (but I think better) would be to give a phone that sacrifices the iPod functionality (no music/video), but s
The Daily Mail?! (Score:5, Informative)
Just as long (Score:2)
As they don't ever release an iPhone Shuffle ;)
Internet on PAYG (Score:2)
How much will internet access cost on Pay As You Go? It seems like a lot of the features of the iPhone rely on having a network connection, but at current rates it would cost you an awful lot to make use of them on a PAYG contract.
Viral advertising posing as news (Score:5, Informative)
All i want (Score:2, Interesting)
I could believe "Nano Touch" MP3 player but phone? (Score:2)
I seriously doubt there will be a phone.
A new nano mp3 player which is basically a small touch, yes, no problems believing that however.
I'd put this rumour in the very unlikely basket
Rumours are not news (Score:2)
This belongs on Digg, not /..
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Why, it could only be a touch with fewer features?
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I'd rather have the version from Steve's long lost sister, Brenda. The iPhone BJ seems as a strong contender.
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It was surprisingly bitter.
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Actually, the biggest complaint I hear about blackberries is that they work. People get blackberries and feel like they are somehow more reachable - even to the point where it now impinges on their downtime.
In my experience most people don't complain about their iPhones because they realize they are making a compromise by buying one. "Gee, it's closed and I can't install apps on it like my other phone... Oh well, it's an iPhone! I downloaded an update and now it's bricked... Oh well, it's an iPhone!" etc.
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""Gee, it's closed and I can't install apps on it like my other phone... Oh well, it's an iPhone!"
Yes you can.
"Oh well, it's an iPhone! I downloaded an update and now it's bricked... Oh well, it's an iPhone!" etc. ad absurdum."
I don't think Apple invented that one.
Bricked (Score:2)
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If you get one bundled with a Sovietel subscription, Jesus calls YOU!!!
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No one is perfect, but damn, apple keeps burning its customers with phones! I'm too cheap and poor to be buying the latest phone, but at least my HTC mogul (aka titan, ppc 8600) has lasted a while and held it's value more or less over time.