Right now T-Mobile is really irritating me. Their data network has been offline for me most of the weekend and again today. This weekend I was in HB. Today I am in RSM. Grrrr.

Humm, not good. I wonder if it is related to their (finally) setting up a 3G network to support the Android.

[unrelated Nokian] Glad you (and he) like it. [/unrelated Nokian]

No clue. As soon as I posted that it started working.

so then if you just post every time you have an issue it'll be fixed. No problem.

I know you were responding to ISM on this point, but having THE most popular phone (or whatever) is not important to me. I prefer something that is at least sort-of common, but having the #1 is irrelevant to my decision.

Further, one cannot compare the Razr to a smart phone (such as the iPhone, Android or the T-Mobile MDA that I currently use).

And the (fill in the blank) was going to trounce the iPod.

Before you give your answer, I will give one of mine: because corporate IT decision makers don't want to change. They know MS. It would be too expensive to change an entire corporate IT structure.

And it is millions of applications that I don't need. And out of those millions of applications, a large number of them are buggy, incomplete pieces of crap. In my computing lifetime, there have only been three applications that have required a PC. One was a program that Susan needed for her Pampered Chef business (which she is no longer in), one is for her sewing machine, and one is for creating an index from PDF documents (and it has got to be one of the most inelegant programs I have ever used!). For every other need in my life, the Mac has worked just fine!

Although I haven't checked in a while, the most "mobile" applications were available for the Palm platform: by the logic given, one should invest in the (antiquated) Palm.

Also, while not a perfect solution (and Apple does sometimes go a little overboard with it), I like that Apple is selective about the third-party apps that go on the iPhone. This helps ensure better stability.

The smart phone I have been using for the last two years has been an unstable POS. It is not unusable, but definitely problematic. I know of three people with the same (or in one case, newer model) phone and they all report the same issues.

The single biggest reason I like Apple products is this: they work. Yes, there have been some hiccups along the way (I don't EVEN want to discuss the Performa line), but overall, I have enjoyed a stable computing environment. It is a computer that works for me, not vice-versa. I know there are people who enjoy building and tinkering with their computers (you and CoasterMatt come to mind, and I am sure there are others on this board and in this world), but I am not one of those.

I am not sure what you are having to deal with: I use their Directory Assistance all the time without having to have a separate account: I use it the same way as I have with other carriers. Yes, I am charged for it (I am too lazy to use the Google number), but I do not need to keep a separate deposit account. You must have really pissed someone off! :D

Touching on the Corporate IT point - it scares me how many people can barely operate a PC. One thing goes wrong and they freak out. Having to access something a slightly different way caused mass confusion and near meltdowns.

I could not see Macs in the every day business world simply because there isn't enough people who are know how to use them or would be comfortable learning the OS.

Here's the date breakdown for the 3G rollout. Looks like yesterday's issues may have been 3G related...

Baltimore - Aug 18th
Houston – Aug 19th
Minneapolis – Aug 20th
San Diego – Sept 15th
Los Angeles – Sept 16th
Phoenix – Sept 16th
Sacramento – Sept 17th
Portland – Sept 18th
Seattle – Sept 23rd
San Francisco – Sept 24th

Also launching sometime in 2008:

Atlanta
Birmingham
Chicago
Dallas
Denver
Detroit
Kansas City
Memphis
Miami
New England
Orlando
Philadelphia
Tampa
Washington, D.C.

As long as the price point comes in at the $149 range, I will most likely jump on the Dream/G1 bandwagon.

Outside of the BB Pearl, T-Mobile doesn't have anything remotely interesting in the smart phone category, so I'm willing to give it a try. I can't beat my rate plan so I won't switch carriers and the rumored data plans certainly sound reasonable. The T-Mobile folks didn't seem to be all that enthused about the Kickstart and with my phone on it's last leg...I don't think I can wait for the Javelin.

The G1 does have some neat features. Have any of you checked out the video of the google maps compass feature? It is a very cool GPS feature. It isn't an iPhone, but I wouldn't shell out the money for an iPhone rate plan. It seems to be a decent compromise and a nifty little toy...provided that it works. ;)

I'll make you the same offer I did ISM. I think the iPhone is a popular product and it's not going away any time soon but like the Mac vs the PC, the iPhone will be a small percentage of the overall market vs Android. In fact I think Apple wants it that way. It helps preserve the elitist image.

Sure that's the case now. But let's not forget, Apple was first to market with a personal computer. The PC eclipsed them due to open standards for hardware and software. I maintain the Android phone will do the same thing for the same reason. I do however agree that the other "iPhone/iPod killers" were strictly posers. I wonder if Apple will take out full page ads welcoming Andriod to the market...


That would be the primary reason I won't be jumping on the Android band wagon just yet. I don't want a phone that goes wonkers on me when I need it. I'll give it some time to prove itself.