Funny how my dumbphone (which I don't think is that dumb just because it's limited to Java Mobile for applications [actually called that, not "apps", by the phone] - heck, they eventually changed from their native ran crappy browser to Opera Mini, even though it needs to run with J2ME penalty, so it can't be that bad...]) has actually more in common with our desktop PC from '91 + modem (although, for most parts, the phone outperforms the old PC) than with our phone from 91.
Now comparison of modern cell phone to not only analog but also land-line phone is unfair - but so is comparison of modern mobile computer to early 90's desktop PC :) ...and it really has meaning only for humoring ourselves.

But the point holds - phones have long become more than just phones. Even most basic dumbphones have non-phone related (phonebook, etc. are phone features) features, even if just stuff like electric calendar. It's actually hard to find phones that *don't* support 3rd party applications which most of the time have nothing to do with phoning.
I like it, but I hope the simpler dumbphones will stick around - and that "touch-screen only" never becomes the only option.

Do iPhones nowday really have standard USB slot you can use any regular USB cable (just as long as it has the right type USB connector, ie. micro) to connect it and not one requiring the apple brand USB cable with non-standard connector on phone end? I'm asking because I really don't know - and because even today, when USB *should* be expected I've seen phones (not apple) with non-standard USB connector very closely matching to micro-usb but in fact requiring brand cable. And this really baffles and angers me and if Apple has done away with their proprietary USB-to-Apple cables and connectors then - and this coming from apple hater - very big kudos to them for that. The moment we can ditch all proprietary USB and charging cables for standard USB for all phones (and any accessories connecting to USB) the better.

Also, what about iPod? I assume the situation would be the same as with iPhone?

When apple gets credited for producing The First Good MP3 player you just know it's an apple fanboi writing. I give Apple credit for iTunes (the shop, not the mandatory software to access your song collection) and for producing the first big brand-value MP3 player. Those were good business choices, and the iTunes shop was a frontier in bringing easy web purchasing of songs to masses. Also I'm not calling iPod bad, but I would never try something as ridiculous as claiming it to be the first good one.
Personally it never was a player I would have bought as new - I only ended up eventually having one because I needed a new player and friend was throwing away his old iPod. He also bought a Creative player next.

The first claim was the most jaw dropping for me. These two I'm just tired to discuss about. I admit in both cases they had something better than what many of the others had.

This truly is one of the major benefits of FOSS based solutions, but rarely an argument that gets a positive reaction from (non-hacker) end-user. It's a sales argument only to hackers (well, programmers in general, though to be a good programmer - instead of one in code-monkey-row - probably demands one to be hacker), and even for them only small part of everything useful they come to think they would like to have will materialize as their personal projects they feel worth their time...

Luckily here comes the benefit of numbers - if an app/feature/etc. is wanted enough the number of hackers willingly dedicating their time to provide free (most often as in, both, freedom *and* beer) end solutions will guarantee there are people to take up that specific thing. Though hackers will treat their own needs and then their peers needs primarily and the "obscure GUI'ish needs of end-users" (those with tight lips or bee in a bonnet, lighten up) are the last thing they want to work on the state of current FOSS environments, number of people working on them free, number of business efforts to improve them and people thus working on FOSS for pay, etc. will keep pretty much any/every feature that you might want as well as those you wouldn't want available for you.

And it's why I'd never buy a computer that limited what I can install on it without at least providing a way around it, provided I'm the owner/have the root/etc. if I have a say on it.

I bought an iPod once though - it was used, cost me 5 euros and I knew I could replace the OS with rockbox if I wanted. All I wanted of it was to use it as MP3 player though and even with having to convert my .ogg files to another codec and not being able to access and alter the song collection like just another usb flashdrive but with weird iTunes clones, such as gtkpod, I never got to change the OS. It didn't feel important enough, though it would have made it better for me - and I eventually would have gotten up to it, but it was stolen.
This was told just to explain I don't act black/white, but I am pretty heavily invested towards open and against closed systems - for me to choose more closed one the choice would have to be about something insignificant or it has to have major benefits over the more open choice. In this case I bought, without supporting apple, a nearly free product built around walled garden ecosystem I could replace at anytime if it bothered me too much. Plus there was no other takers for that iPod at the time.

I drank too much coffee.

I remember having this phone with a fatter extra battery that made the already brick size phone (of course all phones used to be bricks back then) almost twice as thick :) I don't remember how much extra battery time it provided, but I seem to recall that it wasn't proportionally as much as the size increase :)

I know this reply was rather pointless - just memories :)

LOL, I've had copy/paste in my freaking dumbphone before there was iOS.

I don't loath the language. I do loathe the Sheldon Coopers here deliberately misunderstanding whatever anyone says that could be interpreted in more than one way but where the meaning is really clear - and they do it ALL THE TIME.

This site is full of that, it sickens me.

It may be fun for you to deliberately to not understand what someone meant - it makes you an idiot douchebag to others though. Have fun.

*yawn*

Too bad I don't have mod points to +1 you - or -1 the bollocks you got as a result. Anyone claiming total UEFI lockdown on ARM is for security and has nada to do with blocking OtherOS is deluded - and anyone thinking MS wouldn't love to do just that with x86 but took slightly more moderate route because they are a monopoly at x86 desktop, and it would just be nasty for them if they had gone that way, is deluded.

What you describe is what's happening with the plan they had to settle with.

...yeah, I totally hear what you're saying...

Gotta hand it to you for really putting in the effort to explain all this :) Many would have done with a small percentage of words - and would have written a much more boring reply at that >:) So congrats.

Just wanted to say my compliments on you tagline... it actually made me feel a bit nauseous, and that's a lot from a tagline!

Riiight, that quote really is at right use against negative review of product that clearly deserves negative review.

I'm suggesting a strong possibility...

Amen to that. Also, if you offer me an option for DRM'd version only, don't expect me to act like I have a *proper* way to legally obtain your work.