A buddy of mine called me up the other day and asked me to help him purchase a PC. He stated that he didn’t need anything extravagant and all he used his now defunct PC for is trading in the stock market and surfing the net. His sole requirement was that the computer needed to have a decent amount of RAM to support 2 monitors and a few resource hungry applications running at the same time. No problem.

I accompanied him to our local Best Buy to look at his options, and man did he have options! We were confronted with a sea of black & grey boxes from HP, Acer, Gateway, and Compaq. Here’s the revelation. Neither of us cared what the brand was; as long as the PC had a minimum of 2GB of RAM, he was fine. There are no differentiating factors between any of the PCs aside from price, configuration, and whether or not Best Buy had it in stock.

This brings me to why I never really loved my PC.

The Looks

It’s so hard to love something that is so indistinguishable from everything else. If you had stacked hundreds of PC towers next to each other in a line and through mine into the mix, it would take close inspection to actually pick mine out of the pack. There is only so much a PC manufacturer can do to stand out – manufacturing a cleverly hidden media card reader or replacing a side panel with see-through glass is not innovation. It’s a lame attempt at punching a customer hard enough for them to give their box a passing look.

The Operating System

I can probably reuse the above example in describing the operating system. Windows XP is not exciting, it suffices a need that doesn’t over-deliver. It looks identical on every machine, no matter who manufacturers it (Sony’s desktops may look a bit different on a first boot thanks to all the bloatware). After you boot into XP, you forget what brand your PC is until you reach for the power button to turn it back off. And let’s not forget Windows Vista here. Sure, Windows Vista looks a bit different than Windows XP but is it really worth it? In fact, Microsoft has been consistently extending Windows XP expiration dates because of how much users hate Vista!

The Community

When was the last time that someone referred to an HP community? How many times have you heard people exclaiming that they loved their Acer? People don’t love their PCs. How could you love something if you don’t know its name? There is not a single PC manufacturer that differentiates themselves enough from the pack that would enable a user to justify their admiration. Their HP does exactly the same thing as their neighbor’s Dell.

The Buying Experience

I’ll go back to my opening story for this one. My buddy and I decided to approach a salesman to discuss some options. Keep in mind here that Best Buy salespeople make no commission whatsoever so his recommendations were less biased. In suggesting a PC, he paid no mention to the manufacturer and solely focused on finding one that had at least 2GB of RAM and was in stock. He had found a few contenders and then begun to narrow them down by which one had the best offer and came with a decent monitor. When asked what differentiated the computers from each other, he proceeded to read from the specs sheet in front of the PC.

The Conclusion

PC’s are just not that exciting. You get one when you need it and it fullfills a need. You never learn its name, find out where it came from, or how it gets along with your family. It’s very difficult on the first date(s), doesn’t pay for itself, and never kisses you back. How is it that we can have so many manufacturers using the same exact skin (operating system) that have not figured out a way to differentiate themselves from everyone else?

Let’s take Windows Mobile as a quick example. Manufacturers do all they can to differentiate themselves by releasing handsome hardware and some have truly succeeded! However, one manufacturer took that one step farther. Not only did they create some of the sexiest handsets we have ever seen, but they also reskinned the operating system in a much sleeker presentation. It’s no secret why HTC sells so many damn Windows Mobile phones – it’s different from the rest!

Why is the iMac so damn successful? Well, let’s see: it’s beautiful, easy, and it’s not Windows XP! Here we have an alternative to an otherwise drab set of look-alikes. It’s no wonder why people that want a Mac will settle for nothing but. In cellphones, HTC has carved a name for itself by differentiating its hardware and skinning Microsoft’s software. What PC manufacturer has the balls to do it on a PC?

Stay with me folks, I don’t think I’m too crazy with that title.

SanDisk launched a new line of 1GB microSD cards that will contain high quality (320kbps) DRM-free MP3s of full albums pre-loaded. While this sounds like yet another scam for the music industry to save itself from the decline in cd sales, there may actually be a strategy back there – even if SanDisk doesn’t realize it.

SanDisk will likely entice users to purchase these memory cards by solely highlighting the music on the card itself. This may be the wrong way to approach this. My way would be a bit less invasive and obvious.

• Start distributing these things with the premise that you are getting something that you were already looking for (a memory card for your cellphone or MP3 player for instance) but with a bit of an added bonus. 
• Work with wireless cariers to bundle the cards with new phone purchases. Those users that just purchased their multimedia-ready phone may start unpacking the phone before they leave the damn store and will almost definitely shove that MP3 packed memory card into the phone.
• Use the slotMusic name for embeddable MicroSD cards into the cellphones & MP3 players. This has been talked about quite a bit and seems like a logical progression. This would be similar to Nokia’s “Comes With Music” functionality.
• Instead of pre-loading albums on to the memory cards, create categories such as rock, rap, pop, top20, etc. Less and less people are actually downloading albums these days.

Clearly Apple doesn’t want its users blaming them for not being able to make ringtones out of their purchased songs from the iTunes Store.

Some of you may be aware of that strange iPhone 3G device that reared its head on July 11th. Naturally, I lined up and shared my story. Aside from the battery draining issues, I loved my new toy and wrote off the battery performance as a victim of its own creation. I played with the iPhone all damn weekend and found it an absolute joy to use. Come Monday however, it was an entirely different story. The iPhone 3G was clearly not ready for true business use since it lacked many business-centric features such as cut-and-paste (duh), calendar invites, no sub-folder sync, no extension dialing, and so on (I know that only BlackBerries really offer some of these features but keep reading, i’ll address it). So, no more iPhone for me and it’s back to the BlackBerry I went.

I’ve also tried a handful of Windows-based devices to no avail. While most of them offer a decent feature set, I find that all lacked in one or more major areas. Lets take HTC for example. Their devices can be downright gorgeous at times but are always hampered by the Windows Mobile OS. Windows Mobile introduces serious hang-ups, downright crashes, random restarts, and security issues. Because the operating system is the root of the problem, these issues carry over to Palm, Motorola, Samsung, and any other device that go with the WinMo route. Also, many of the Windows Mobile devices tend to go for a longer horizontal keyboard which makes single-hand typing impossible. I’ve tried alot of WinMo devices over the past few years and have never really had much luck with them.

The closest replacement candidate that I have seen is the Nokia E71. The device has gotten awesome reviews by almost every respectable online publication so I was naturally curious enough to try it. I purchased my Nokia E71 at Nokia’s flagship store in NYC and immediately tore it open once I got home. Having had uninspiring experiences in the past with the business features of QWERTY phones in the past, the first thing that I did was connect to my company’s Exchange server. The process was relatively smooth but, once complete, I already had reasons to miss my BlackBerry. A few of my contacts did not sync over, no extension dialing, no sub-folder syncing (or viewing for that matter), no way to invite attendees to meetings, etc. Also, the Symbian operating system used by Nokia phones just lacks polish entirely. There are strange abbreviations (mangment?), convoluted menus, grammar mistakes, and way too many features such as video calling that are just not available in the USA. Overall, the device looks and feels amazing but lacks quite a few key features that I have grown to depend on in my BlackBerry.

With all that said, would I still try other QWERTY (love typing that) devices in the future? Probably, but it is becoming more apparent that no one can replicate what RIM has done to make their devices the true king in business. I don’t care how many manufacturers decide to release a device that targets the BlackBerry marketshare; there is just no equivalent to a BlackBerry other than a new phone directly from them.

When word of iPhone 3G and firmware 2.0 leaked out, I was ready to hop on line (I had given my girlfriend the original iPhone and bought a BlackBerry almost a year ago) to pick one up. So I bought a white 16gb iPhone 3G. I loved it and had played with it non-stop for 3 days, completely draining the battery twice.

Once the initial novelty wore off, however, it was time to get to business. I hooked up Exchange and was off and running in no time. My contacts, calendar, and email synced up as promised with no issues. Right away, I noticed an immense battery drain. I also noticed all the things lacking on the iPhone that I have become to rely on in the Blackberry.

Now, I know what you are saying: “If you love the Blackberry so much, why did you switch?” It’s because I had faith in Apple. I believed that if they were to tackle a new enterprise market, they would do it right. Well, I was wrong. I know that Blackberry has had years of experience in the enterprise market and that Apple can’t just leapfrog all of that and introduce a superior enterprise level device. But why not? Isn’t that what Apple fans expect? Look at what they did to the consumer cellphone market after they introduced the original iPhone! Surely, Apple wouldn’t falter this giant step.

Well, they did. No inbox folder push. No capability to setup meetings. No way to see meeting responses. No folder collapsing. Abysmal battery life. No copy & paste. No capability to create folders. No auto-shutoff. No way to dial extensions embedded in phone numbers. The list goes on and on and I’m sure there are things that I have forgotten about.

I understand that an iPhone is not a Blackberry. But come on, the Motorola Q had better business features! I love the many extras that the iPhone has that my Blackberry didn’t, but it just isn’t enough to keep me on it. So, it is with great lament that I will be returning my iPhone and turning back to my Blackberry.

Now that my iPhone can proudly boast 3G speeds, I intend to make the above list the norm of my everyday use for my poor iPhone. Unfortunately, however, this is going to reek havoc on the batter and already has. I have had to consistently keep charging my iPhone for the past 3 days and have actually seen the 10% battery warning twice already. This can be a serious problem for me since this is how I intend to use the gadget moving forward.

After giving it some though, I came to the conclusion that you can’t actually fault the battery itself here. The battery is not weak, it’s quite capable (and easier to replace!). The problem is that the device is really amazing. It’s so amazing in fact, it has replaced several reasons of why I would have to use my laptop and may actually render my PSP a paperweight. I exaggerate a bit but for good reason. See, the iPhone is so damn conveniently small, so I am able to fore-go any extra functionality I may be losing in my laptop and PSP. I don’t need to play GTA4 when I have free games in the app store on a gadget that also functions as a phone/pda/web browser/multimedia hub/steam iron.

With all that said, as convergence devices begin to, umm, converge (?) more devices, where does that leave battery technology? A laptop is ok if it only has 3 hours of battery life. A phone is fine with the same. A PSP doesn’t really need more than 3 hours. But what happens when you combine all three of these devices and then some? Three hours just isn’t enough when you can use one device to accomplish the tasks of many.

I’m heading back from work on Friday, July 11th at around 3pm EST and decide to brave the lines at Menlo Park Mall in Edison, NJ for the new iPhone. I figure I should be in and out in about 2 hours or so, before my girlfriend even gets home. Even so, I call her and let her know what I’m doing just in case I dont make it home before she does.

This is my story in chronological order.

4:00 PM: I walk into the mall and start walking down towards the Apple Store. I approach the store and am immediately directed to the “iPhone Line”.

4:05: The line stretched across a shorter wing of the mall. Here’s a satellite image of how everything is layed out. Let’s refer back to this image for the rest of the post:

I know it’s a bit hard to see, but the red, open-ended rectangle is the iPhone line. The miniature Apple logo directly above it is the location of the Apple store.

4:20: I wasn’t really sure how long the wait could be so I was thinking 2-3 hours tops. A few of the people in line reaffirmed my estimation so I was in the clear.

4:45: Looks like the line starts to move a bit but it turns out that it was just the security guards condensing the line to make room for newcomers.

5:30: The shit starts to hit the fan. At the one and a half hour mark, a very nice Apple employee walks by with two gifts: one of them is free water. The other is a close approximation of how long our wait really is: approx 4 to 4.5 hours. Awesome. I’ve already been in line for an hour and a half so I just figured I’ll wait.

6:00: Uh-oh. Someone cut in line about 4 or 5 places behind me. This made one particular person somewhat agitated and he confronted the line-cutter. Mayhem insued. Security is called. Threats of arrest are made. Line-cutter exits the line.

6:15: An Apple employee decides to drum up some excitement and wake up everyone in the line by running the entire line holding out his hand for high-fives. I slap his hand. So do my new friends around me.

My friends on the line (can’t remember their real names so I will make them up):

Mike: He’s new to the iPhone world and is sporting a Blackberry Pearl. He’s constantly on the phone but seems nice, if just a bit on the slow side.
Jacklyn: She’s likely in her mid to late 30s and is holding a Palm Treo. She has a 2 year old that her mother is watching. The mother and her kid stop by to say high every now and again while remaining in the mall throughout the entire wait. Jacklyn and I joke about her priorities a few times.
Michelle: Michelle is younger and is originally from San Diego. This is also her first entrance into the iPhone universe. She only took out her cellphone once throughout the entire wait and I didn’t get a good look at it. Her boyfriend accompanies her but heads off to the bar in the mall every now and then to have a few shots and to catch the Yankees game. At one point, he was gone so long that he had time to watch 3 innings of the game.
Trevor: This one is very young – maybe 15 or 16 tops and will be paying for the 8gb iPhone from his own pocket. His mother instructs me to keep an eye on him because he is a diabetic, and then leaves to go see Hancock at the theater in the mall. She gets through the entire movie and then returns later.

7:00: Trevor’s mother comes back with a AT&T brochure in hand and questions him about the monthly fees. Turns out that Trevor did not know that the new iPhone required a $30 data plan. Trevor’s mother casually withdraws him from the line and Trevor did not complain. Approximately one hour ago, I overheard Trevor explaining to his friends that he will weather the line until he gets the iPhone, no matter what happens. Poor Trevor.

7:30: A rather annoying Apple employee named Karl walks down the line answering questions. We ask how much longer the wait can be. He says an hour and a half tops. Fine with me, that’s what I expected. Jacklyn and I joke about why we wait so long for a stupid phone.

8:00: Karl (annoying Apple employee from 7:30) tells us that things should move quite a bit faster now. They have shut down the Apple store for everyone but the people in line to get an iPhone. Spectacular.

8:30: An hour has passed since we asked anyone how much longer we will be waiting. Karl approaches and against my better judgement, I ask him how much longer. He looks to the people in front of us and his shiny new black iPhone (why?). “Only about another hour or so”. Refer to 7:30 and you should find that I was not amused.

9:00: I’m getting tired and begin to feel it. The mall starts shutting down. The AT&T store across from us closes (they have been sold out since noon).

9:30: There are about 7 or 8 people in front of me now. They are calling us one by one for the iPhone. Karl is back. He asks us if we had any corporate discounts because a few of the people directly in front of us have been refused or delayed because of this issue. Jacklyn speaks up. Karl says “come with me”. They go talk under a palm tree in the mall.

9:45: Jacklyn comes back after a hair-raising visit to the AT&T store. The store has been shut down for about 30 minutes now but employees were forced to remain to deal with iPhone technical issues. Jacklyn is glad they stayed. They were able to reverse their corporate discount.

10:00: I get called in. People clap and I thank them.

10:02: I walk into the Apple Store and am greeted with a very pleasant atmosphere. They’re treating people like kings and queens. I notice that some people that were called in 30 minutes ago are still in the store chatting up the Apple employees. My personal Apple employee approaches and asks what she can do to help me. I tell her that I want a white 16gb iPhone.

11:00: I am still in the Apple Store. It turns out that my personal Apple employee thought that I wanted to open up an extra line for my new iPhone instead of replacing my BlackBerry and has spent the past 45 minutes on the phone with AT&T customer service since she was having issues with activating a new line. I catch a glimpse of the conversation and reaffirm that I would just like to replace my existing phone as a simple upgrade. She sighs and hangs up the phone.

11:20: The Apple employee has had to go through 3 new iPhones since she messed up the activation on the prior 2 and had to start over every time. It becomes clear that she knows nothing about the Apple brand and this is likely her first week on the job. She finally succeeds in the upgrade and successfuly rings up my new iPhone and a Belkin case. I stumble out of the store only to find out that the entrance by which I parked has been chained off forcing me to exit through the only entrance still open – on the other side of the building.

Midnight (9 hours later): I get in my car and sit in traffic on the way home due to a lane closure on a major highway (route 1).

Would I do it again? Probably.

So July 2nd could have been special. I fired up my PS3 and quickly (well, not so quickly) installed the new firmware. Sweet, it also comes with a clock on the top-right of the XMB – bonus! Once the install finished with no issues – unlike other people – I loaded up Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. Right away, I disabled all forms of music. I entered a race and quickly shifted back to the in-game XMB to load up some mp3s.

Ugh. Not only does it not allow streaming of music, but it won’t read off of usb hdd’s either. OK, fine, I copied a few albums to the internal hdd and tried playing them. No dice. Sony politely tells me that it is incapable of playing media for this game. WTF?! The one game that would actually benefit from an alternative soundtrack won’t allow it! Seriously Sony, was that necessary? Now I’m too lazy to re-enable the in-game music that came with Gran Turismo.

UPDATE: Looks like Sony has actually decided to pull the 2.40 firmware due to reports of bricked PS3s.