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Seth Weintraub

Apple versus Google

Where iPhone beats computer

15 comments

TAGS:App Store, Facebook, iPhone
IT TOPICS:Macintosh & Apple, Mobile & Wireless, Personal Technology

Apple's iPhone beats out a desktop computer in some important areas for me. I've even gotten into the habit of grabbing my iPhone instead of jumping onto my computer for various tasks. Here are 10 things I'd rather do on an iPhone than my desktop.

1. Weather. When I want to know the weather, it is just quicker to check my iPhone than find the Mac widget or dial up weather.com.

2. GPS Maps. If I want to do some local area mapping, it is much easier firing up the Maps app and hitting the little blue button on the lower left than firing up a browser and a maps bookmark or Google Earth then inputting the current location. More complex mapping operations may require more work by the computer. This might change if Snow Leopard has Core Location functionality.

3. SMS and Phone. I know I am being a bit 'Captain Obvious' here but with Skype and SIP apps on the Mac, I often use the computer to make calls and send SMS messages. That being said, when I want to do any of things, my tendency is to reach for the iPhone first.

4. Facebook. The iPhone Facebook app is great and a great way to cure 5 minutes of boredom. Sure you can do more with the regular webpage, but its all right there on the iPhone.

5. Music. At work I have my whole music collection both on my iTunes and my iPhone. I reach for the iPhone first for some reason. Perhaps it is the ability to walk around with my music on the iPhone. It certainly isn't a chore to listen to music on the iPhone (Which Steve Jobs called "The best iPod we've ever made")

6. Checking Email. I naturally reach for my iPhone when I want to check my email. It's pretty quick and easy and I have the first 5 lines of the email in the subject line so I don't have to open most of them. If I want to write an email, I definitely head over to my desktop.

7. Contacts/Addressbook. The Contact and Addressbok in the iPhone works well enough that I haven't opened the Addressbook on my desktop in a few months.

8. Gaming. I actually enjoy gaming on the iPhone more than on my Mac. It may be purely psychological or maybe I enjoy the ability to take the game on the road with me, but when I want to play a quick game (GL Golf is my current favorite) I head to the iPhone.

9. Notes. I take most of my important notes when I am on the road so when I need to get to them, they are on my iPhone. It would be nice if Apple let me sync my stickies and my iPhone notes. Until then, they are on my iPhone.

10. Twitter. I use Tapulous to let those around me know what's up and where I am. Again, this is more about the GPS Core Location functionality than the App being better than my desktop client. It certainly takes more time to enter the data into my iPhone than it does the computer...and I can't cut and paste URLs either.

As Apple ramps up the capabilities, processor and screen of the iPhone, more and more computing tasks will be offloaded from my main machine. Am I alone? What do you use your mobile for that you once used primarily on your traditional computer?

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Notes on the iphone

Submitted by DieMonkey on February 20, 2009 - 9:08 A.M.

Try the free Evernote application. It will change your life. Notes in Evernote synch between the iphone, the web and any mac or pc version of the program you have. I don't have an iphone, but I am currently synching Evernote between my work laptop, a powerbook and my iMac at home.

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Especially if that ntebook is a mini 9 running Mac OS X

Submitted by Anonymous on February 17, 2009 - 6:07 P.M.

;)

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Netbook over iPhone

Submitted by cynthia636 on February 17, 2009 - 3:32 P.M.

Sure the iPhone would be more convenient and portable if you are comparing it to a full tower desktop computer in your home or office. But if you have a netbook or ultra portable notebook weighing about 2 pounds or less then which would you rather use. If I was an AT&T DSL customer, then I would rather use my netbook to connect to hotspots and use google maps, check emails, and play games, etc. instead of the iPhone.

www.2cow.net

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Search

Submitted by JK on February 17, 2009 - 1:26 A.M.

I am more apt to use search on the iphone especially when watching TV or a movie and there is a question about bodies of work. Google voice search may take two tries but it works faster than running upstairs and logging on.

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Email and Music

Submitted by Anonymous on February 17, 2009 - 1:18 A.M.

I HATE email on the computer, i feel its so much more reliable on the iphone. All the servers and junk is confusing, and I don't think Apple's Mail app is very good. It needs more simplicity when inputing data such as username and password and server (the iphone is far easier when it comes to setting up an email address.)

I also disagree that the iPhone is the finest music player apple has ever made. There seem to be many glitches in the iPod.app on the iPhone, at least for me there are. I often get album art glitches, and sometimes music won't even work. It's ridiculous. Also, I think that Apple should put a little bit better speaker in the next iPhone, it's just too muffled. Why does the sound come out of only one speaker?

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iPhone keyboard is better

Submitted by ChrisH on February 16, 2009 - 9:44 P.M.

@matt_s, I am confused, very confused. You said:

"I just can't get my huge fingers and thumbs to make that itty bitty keyboard on the iPhone work without an error every other letter"

I don't know which Blackberry you have, but the ones I've checked out have keys the same size as the iPhone's. I lined up a Bold and an iPhone and the keyboards were almost identically sized.

Further, most Blackberriers seem to use their thumbs. Thumbs are much fatter than fingers, so why aren't all those people having problems too? (I use my index finger on the iPhone)

So your fat fingers argument doesn't make sense to me.

Furthermore, when I tried using the Bold's keyboard, I found it very slow, difficult and error prone. I found pushing the keys a chore, and my finger often slipped off the buttons.

On the iPhone, without the need to press buttons, my fingers dance over the keyboard. Not to say I don't make mistakes, I do make more than I'd like. But for me, having used an iPhone keyboard first, I find it better than the Blackberry.

I would love to see a real objective comparison instead subjective ones that you and I submit. But it would be hard, coz I think whichever you use first you'll prefer.

BTW I've typed up to 700 word pieces on the iPhone, and regularly type longer emails and I blog on it as well.

It's not the keyboard that holds it back for doing longer writing - it's the screen size (which might be just me and the way I like to see as much of my work before me as possible when I type) and the lack of copy&paste.

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And the web!

Submitted by ChrisH on February 16, 2009 - 9:31 P.M.

Seth, I do a *lot* of web browsing on my iPhone. I usually read the papers each morning online on my iPhone, plus cricinfo.

I do most of the other things you said too.

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I cannot see Apple getting

Submitted by Anonymous on February 16, 2009 - 7:39 P.M.

I cannot see Apple getting away with no copy and paste with iPhone 3.0, or at least their next iPhone release, since Apple has been putting a lot of focus on software recently. I would be amazed if Apple didn't put copy and paste into the next iPhone/OS.

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I would switch from my

Submitted by matt_s on February 16, 2009 - 2:06 P.M.

I would switch from my Blackberry to my iPhone completely if the keyboard could be enabled to go horizontal and Apple incorporated copy/paste.

I just can't get my huge fingers and thumbs to make that itty bitty keyboard on the iPhone work without an error every other letter :-)

There is simply no way I can manage hundreds of incoming email daily on that neonatal keyboard and no copy/paste from one email to another.

So, it's certainly a nice iPod and works well as a 2nd phone for my wife and I. It's actually a better mobile phone overall than the Blackberry but it's just lacking some real key features.

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