Once again - Google has built a web based application which is superior to a regular client application. I am referring to the improved Gmail web application for iPhone and G1. The web app was released earlier this month and I took plenty of time to try it out. I have switched now and I am only using web Gmail on my iPhone.
I have noted that the improved web app has, largely, been greeted positively but most reviewers still seems to refrain from switching from the mail app - for instance, as reported on The Web Worker Daily and by bloggers such as Matt Thommes. Email usage and habits may account for some differences of how the native mail app is compared with the web app but I wonder if the reviewers had the patience to really give the web apps a fair chance.
The web app implements key Gmail functionality such as threaded email conversations and labels (and stars). The proper search functionality is an added benefit. But the benefits goes beyond that and the app is, in my view, much smoother and more responsive. It's interesting that the inherit Ajax functionality of the Safari browser offers a richer experience than the native applications - the floating bar is probably the most obvious example of this. I also find it possible to accomplish more with fewer actions in the web interface.
The only real down-side I see at this point is that some buttons are a bit small, such as the refresh button.
Showing posts with label iphone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iphone. Show all posts
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Case Study: My iPhone
In order to illustrate the highly customizable nature of the iPhone, let me share what I have on mine as a small case study.
Address book: My address book is connected to an online contact database provided by ZYB. This provides an ongoing backup of my contacts and it's much easier to add and edit information in a browser. The app for syncing is SyncML by Synthesis AG.
News: I am a newsjunkie. I get general news from AP by the app Mobile News. The current version of the app is a bit slow to update the headlines but it's otherwise a good app and fantastic content. The app Bloomberg is an incredible source of financial news and information about stocks. The app use movement of the phone for navigation in a very smart way. I get customized news with the RSS reader NetNewsWire by NewsGator.
Networking: The apps (in order of importance) are Facebook, TwitterFon, and LinkedIn.
Calendar: I use the Google Calendar and the app SaiSuke provides full access. It costs a few bucks but it's well worth the price.
To do: The app Zenbe by the company with the same name provides the ability to work with to do lists on the phone and online. The lists can be shared by many users and also integrated into web content such as the customized Google page. I use it for work lists, private lists, and grocery shopping lists - it's very practical.
Google Docs: I sometimes use Google Docs and the app MiGhtyDocs provides read access to the docs while on the go.
Wikipedia: The app Wikipanion provides easy access to Wikipedia. It's fast and easy enough to be used while engaged in conversations or in meetings.
Personal finances: I use the generic Banking app and it provides basic access to my accounts. That's just perfect, not too much access but limited to looking up information easily on the go. The app Pageonce is interesting and I use it to centralize account info and access information of services such as my AT&T billing information, rewards programs, travel info, etc. It can be used for other matters such as credit cards but I am not comfortable to go that far.
There are a bunch of other good and nifty apps, such as AIM, What's On? for looking up the TV schedule, iSSH for server administration, AirSharing to carry files on the phone. I also use the Amazon.com app for shopping and researching products.
There is actually something for everybody on my phone and my five year old daughter love to play with the app iDoodle2lite.
There are also decent games for the phone and apps using the GPS.
Of course, the phone is also a phone and an iPod, it provides access to email, web browsing, camera, and alarm clock - those are important features but it's not what makes this thing rock.
Address book: My address book is connected to an online contact database provided by ZYB. This provides an ongoing backup of my contacts and it's much easier to add and edit information in a browser. The app for syncing is SyncML by Synthesis AG.
News: I am a newsjunkie. I get general news from AP by the app Mobile News. The current version of the app is a bit slow to update the headlines but it's otherwise a good app and fantastic content. The app Bloomberg is an incredible source of financial news and information about stocks. The app use movement of the phone for navigation in a very smart way. I get customized news with the RSS reader NetNewsWire by NewsGator.
Networking: The apps (in order of importance) are Facebook, TwitterFon, and LinkedIn.
Calendar: I use the Google Calendar and the app SaiSuke provides full access. It costs a few bucks but it's well worth the price.
To do: The app Zenbe by the company with the same name provides the ability to work with to do lists on the phone and online. The lists can be shared by many users and also integrated into web content such as the customized Google page. I use it for work lists, private lists, and grocery shopping lists - it's very practical.
Google Docs: I sometimes use Google Docs and the app MiGhtyDocs provides read access to the docs while on the go.
Wikipedia: The app Wikipanion provides easy access to Wikipedia. It's fast and easy enough to be used while engaged in conversations or in meetings.
Personal finances: I use the generic Banking app and it provides basic access to my accounts. That's just perfect, not too much access but limited to looking up information easily on the go. The app Pageonce is interesting and I use it to centralize account info and access information of services such as my AT&T billing information, rewards programs, travel info, etc. It can be used for other matters such as credit cards but I am not comfortable to go that far.
There are a bunch of other good and nifty apps, such as AIM, What's On? for looking up the TV schedule, iSSH for server administration, AirSharing to carry files on the phone. I also use the Amazon.com app for shopping and researching products.
There is actually something for everybody on my phone and my five year old daughter love to play with the app iDoodle2lite.
There are also decent games for the phone and apps using the GPS.
Of course, the phone is also a phone and an iPod, it provides access to email, web browsing, camera, and alarm clock - those are important features but it's not what makes this thing rock.
Monday, January 5, 2009
iPhone and G1 Driving the Market
A few years ago, who would have guessed that Apple and Google would drive the cellphone market? Well, here we are - these two companies are now the high-end cellphone market. OK, RIMs Blackberries and a few similar gadgets are trying to adapt to hang on but they are not in the driving seat.
It's significant to consider the background of these two companies - one is an old computer company and the other born in the waves of the web. Apple may be a traditional computer company but it's a highly innovative player and it created a new market with the iPod. Google's lifeblood is innovation and they have been successful so far even if they made a number of PR blunders leading up to the phone.
The successful quest of these two companies is not a coincidence - the high-end cellphones are convergence gadgets. They're not phones and they are not computers - they are bit of both. I noticed that my usage the traditional computers changed when I started to use the iPhone. I also started to do some new things thanks easier access to information.
The access to the web browsing on the iPhone is good but that is far less important than what I anticipated - I don't browse the web that on with it. Instead, the apps provides easy access to the information I need and want. This represents another aspect of the iPhone/G1 concept - it's a highly customizible platform. Apple still controls the districution channel of the applications but they rely on others to produce the programs - this results in leveraging innovation on a scale no single company can compete with. The Google product has relinquished control completely and the total openess of the Android platform will probably respresent an important feature in the competition with the iPhone.
One important aspect of many of these third party applications is the integrate of the iPhone and G1 phones with other systems and information. Hence, the value proposition of these gadges is not only access to email and web but access to all other kinds of stuff we aready use (mostly on the computer). Additionally, Google and Apple have developed some new features and those are nice but they are not what makes these gadges fly.
It's significant to consider the background of these two companies - one is an old computer company and the other born in the waves of the web. Apple may be a traditional computer company but it's a highly innovative player and it created a new market with the iPod. Google's lifeblood is innovation and they have been successful so far even if they made a number of PR blunders leading up to the phone.
The successful quest of these two companies is not a coincidence - the high-end cellphones are convergence gadgets. They're not phones and they are not computers - they are bit of both. I noticed that my usage the traditional computers changed when I started to use the iPhone. I also started to do some new things thanks easier access to information.
The access to the web browsing on the iPhone is good but that is far less important than what I anticipated - I don't browse the web that on with it. Instead, the apps provides easy access to the information I need and want. This represents another aspect of the iPhone/G1 concept - it's a highly customizible platform. Apple still controls the districution channel of the applications but they rely on others to produce the programs - this results in leveraging innovation on a scale no single company can compete with. The Google product has relinquished control completely and the total openess of the Android platform will probably respresent an important feature in the competition with the iPhone.
One important aspect of many of these third party applications is the integrate of the iPhone and G1 phones with other systems and information. Hence, the value proposition of these gadges is not only access to email and web but access to all other kinds of stuff we aready use (mostly on the computer). Additionally, Google and Apple have developed some new features and those are nice but they are not what makes these gadges fly.
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