New Phones

I was reading on engadget a little while ago about the new iPhone, and how Verizon is dropping the Droid Eris, and that article linked me to a few about the Droid 2 and the Droid X.

When do these things stop being phones and start being mini-computers?


The easy answer is when Apple drops the iPad.  God that name is stupid. 


I know this has been said a million times, but the iPad is just a supersized iPhone, without the phone service.  What it really is though is just another toy you can show to your friends and say "haha I have one and you don't!"  Which will almost assuredly get responded to with "...ok."


Let's pretend for a moment thought that its a good idea.  At the end of the day, its a mobile tablet PC for under 1000 bucks.  That's a pretty huge deal right now.  Apple has always been about innovation, and the iPad is clearly that.  The iPhone changed what was considered a cellphone, the iPod changed portable music, the iPad is going to do the same thing.  However, with the exception of the iPhone, nothing has really been incredibly revolutionary, just convenient.

Breaking it down, the iPad doesn't really bring anything new to the mobile PC stage.  Well, it itself doesn't.  But the App Store has the potential to make it amazingly useful.  Its the same thing with the iPhone, but that's a completely different topic.

There is a lot more I could say about the iPad, but that's not the point of this post.  Its cell phones, and their continuously expanding capabilities.  So, on to the Droid X.

First, what got me started on this, this thing is huge.  A 4.3 inch screen on it.  That's almost a full inch larger than what's currently considered standard.  Is this a good thing?  In my opinion, yes.  But that is because I use my phone a lot to browse the internet when I'm bored, and a larger screen is always going to be welcome in that regard.  But when does it get to the point of too big?  I think this is pushing that limit.  For a reference point, I have a Tmobile G1, which has a 2.7 inch touch screen, so thinking of something almost twice the size of that is just like "really?"

Having said that, I've been wanting to get a new phone, and I have been thinking about the Nexus One.  Which is what leads me to my next part of this post, which is how people look at specs, like processor speed, built-in gpus, size, video recording, and image quality.  All in a phone. 

Calling them cell phones doesn't work anymore.  A phone is for calling people, that's it.  My home phone doesn't let me text people, or take pictures, or play Pac-Man.  But when people look at phones now, they have this list of requirements they look for before they buy one.  Does it have a flash?  An HDMI out?  Does it record video in HD?  How much memory does it have?  Does it have an associated App store?

Just seems like a lot to ask from a device to keep you in touch with friends.