Take
a guided tour of what so many people seem so excited about. It's a phone, an iPod and includes an e-mail client and a Web browser (unfortunately it uses
Safari.) You know, the real innovation here may well be
the user interface -- a development on the same scale as the scroll wheel that came out with the iPod.
You can read a Web page while downloading your e-mail on this little device. It includes a YouTube player that launches form the home screen, as well as Google maps and even traffic information. It also includes Apple widgets, which I am sort of addicted to -- weather, stock, iCal and so on -- and the screen is among the largest and highest resolution on the market.
It uses wi-fi. Apple claims the battery will provide eight hours of talk time or six hours of Web time. The voice quality of the phone -- after all, this is a phone -- was listed by the
Wall Street Journal as "good but not great."
What will this cost? $499 for the four-gigabyte model or $599 for 8 gigs. You will have to have a service plan, and in this case, it will have to be signed through AT&T. That will set you back $59.99 a month ($719 a year). You must sign at least a two-year contract. You will also cough up a $36 activation fee.
The
WSJ explains:
AT&T is offering special monthly calling plans for the iPhone, all of which include unlimited Internet and e-mail usage. They range from $60 to $220, depending on the number of voice minutes included. In an unusual twist, iPhone buyers won't choose their plans and activate their phones in the store. Instead, they will do so when they first connect the iPhone to the iTunes software.
If you already have a contract with another carrier, you may have to pay a penalty for dropping your contract early.
Here is
a list of things a consumer should consider before plunking down the dough.
NPR called it
"flawed but absolutely beautiful."The
Wall Street Journal calls it a
"breakthrough." The highly respected
WSJ tech reviewer Walt Mossberg said:
We have been testing the iPhone for two weeks, in multiple usage scenarios, in cities across the country. Our verdict is that, despite some flaws and feature omissions, the iPhone is, on balance, a beautiful and breakthrough handheld computer. Its software, especially, sets a new bar for the smart-phone industry, and its clever finger-touch interface, which dispenses with a stylus and most buttons, works well, though it sometimes adds steps to common functions.
See
a video from the
WSJ's Walt Mossberg. Mossberg said three days into his test he wanted to throw it out the window because he hates the virtual keyboard so much. But five days into his test he got used to it. He now calls the lack of a real keyboard a "non issue."
Mossberg does say the biggest drawback of the iPhone is the exclusive AT&T carrier deal. There are no plans for Apple to do any deals with any other carrier in the next few years. So, if you have great AT&T coverage, good. If you don’t then this may not be for you.
Another reviewer said:The iPhone is also missing some features, such as voice dialing and voice recognition. And though it has a built-in camera, you can't send pictures to other cell phones (you can send it via e-mail but your friend's cell phones might not get e-mail and photo attachments).
See
a collection of other reviews from
Newsweek,
NYT and
USA Today.
Is Al buying one? No. I usually am not an early adopter of new hardware. After the first recall, I usually get in. I like my BlackBerry (although I don't like the keyboard) because it works and has great coverage.
Who Opposes Safer Mattress Laws?New mattress safety laws
kick in July 1. All mattresses made or sold in the US must conform to a new, higher fire-safety standard. Why would anybody oppose that?
Some groups fear
the chemicals used to make the mattresses safer are themselves unsafe.
Click here to read more.The Web site opposing the new mattresses is sponsored by folks who sell
"prescription beds." These are "toxin free" mattresses that a doctor or chiropractor may prescribe.
The Washington Post first reported on this fight two years ago.
For TV, it is
an ideal scary sweeps story, with a title like, "Is Your Mattress Killing You?"
The
Sleep Products Safety Council responds:
Before finalizing the standard, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission concluded that flame-retardant materials widely used to meet the requirements did not present any appreciable risks to consumers or the environment. They include materials that have been safely used in other consumer products for decades. There was also no evidence that exposure to flame-retardant chemicals commonly used in mattress components contribute to or exacerbate allergies, asthma or multiple chemical-sensitivity.
These materials and chemicals are generally non-volatile, not associated with fragrances or odors, and not derived from biological materials.
Terrible TrafficThe worst traffic in the country is in California, Minnesota, New Jersey and North Carolina, according to a new study.
The Associated Press said:North Dakota and South Carolina roads rated highest in the study's overall rankings, while New Jersey roads ranked the lowest. The study ranked Montana highways as the deadliest in the nation.
The study, based on data from 1984 through 2005, found that while road conditions have improved in recent years, traffic congestion and highway fatalities have increased slightly.
The state-by-state evaluation of highways was conducted by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and financed by the Reason Foundation, a libertarian think tank based in Los Angeles.
Here's the
press release.
Get local -- state by state -- with
the full study [PDF],
an interactive map and
full tables [XLS].
States Tackle Payday LoansStateline.org says states are, one by one, going after payday loan businesses. Nevada, New Mexico and Oregon are the latest states to tighten payday loan practices. Legislators in Georgia and Virginia also tussled with the issue this year.
Payday lenders may charge short-term borrowers as much as 900 percent interest.
According to a legal analysis by the Consumer Federation of America, 12 states effectively ban payday lending: Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Vermont and West Virginia.
In response to growing legislative pressure, payday lenders in February kicked off a year-long, $10 million advertising campaign to defend against what they consider unfair criticism -- and to tout a new set of
"best practices" to reassure borrowers. Among other standards, the guidelines call on lenders to use truthful advertising techniques and "appropriate collection practices" to retrieve payments.
We are always looking for your great ideas. Send Al a few sentences and hot links.
Editor's
Note: Al's Morning Meeting is a compendium of ideas, edited story
excerpts and other materials from a variety of Web sites, as well as
original concepts and analysis. When the information comes directly
from another source, it will be attributed and a link will be provided
whenever possible. The column is fact-checked, but depends on the
accuracy and integrity of the original sources cited. Errors and
inaccuracies found will be corrected.
I lead the AT&T media relations team in the southwest...
