Friday, June 29, 2007

apple.com/iphone Does Apple's much-hyped iPhone have what journalists really need?

I'm going to try to get an iPhone, mostly because my current Internet phone pulls tiny hairs out of my beard. The iPhone is almost certainly going to stimulate the market for convergence devices. It does wifi, Web browsing, e-mail, SMS, and Google Maps. And the interface is glorious.

But for journalists, version 1.0 of the iPhone may largely be defined by what it doesn't have. I added up a long list of gotchas, based on David Pogue's review and FAQ at the New York Times, plus a careful reading of what isn't mentioned at Apple's site.

Here's a rundown of missing features that might matter to working journalists:

• No Bluetooth profiles for keyboards, printers, or file transfer.
• The two-megapixel camera has no flash and can't record video.
• No audio memos or call recording.
• No slot for a data card, and the internal memory can't be used for data. Also, apparently the notes application can't be synched to a computer.
• No Java and no Flash.
• No computer-style instant messaging.
• No RSS.

Of course, some of this may be improved through software updates or in later versions. But for today the question is: What can you live with -- or without?

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