iPhone SE ??

[Jim Thompson]

After years of dragging my feet I'm considering a "smart" phone.

As one who prefers a small phone, not a hand-distorter, I'm
considering the iPhone SE.

Comments?

...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson | mens |
| Analog Innovations | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| STV, Queen Creek, AZ 85142 Skype: skypeanalog | |
| Voice:[phone] Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |

I'm looking for work... see my website.

Thinking outside the box... producing elegant solutions.

[Don Y]

Post by Jim Thompson
After years of dragging my feet I'm considering a "smart" phone.
As one who prefers a small phone, not a hand-distorter, I'm
considering the iPhone SE.
Comments?

What are your *needs*? Do you want a phone? "Tip calculator"?
Portable web browser? etc.

And, what are your capabilities/limitations (dexterity, vision, etc.)?

I keep a 6S in the car (too big to carry on my person) for the times
when I need a camera, internet access, etc. while traveling. I carry
an old LG <mumble> on my belt, otherwise (much smaller size, less
obtrusive, etc.)

Both are annoying as they are effectively two-handed devices
(I think you need a slide-phone to get around that). But,
better than nothing.

[Note that I don't use a phone AS a "voice communicator" so can't
comment on that aspect]

[bitrex]

Post by Don Y

Post by Jim Thompson
After years of dragging my feet I'm considering a "smart" phone.
As one who prefers a small phone, not a hand-distorter, I'm
considering the iPhone SE.
Comments?

What are your *needs*? Do you want a phone? "Tip calculator"?
Portable web browser? etc.
And, what are your capabilities/limitations (dexterity, vision, etc.)?
I keep a 6S in the car (too big to carry on my person) for the times
when I need a camera, internet access, etc. while traveling. I carry
an old LG <mumble> on my belt, otherwise (much smaller size, less
obtrusive, etc.)
Both are annoying as they are effectively two-handed devices
(I think you need a slide-phone to get around that). But,
better than nothing.
[Note that I don't use a phone AS a "voice communicator" so can't
comment on that aspect]

My girlfriend has an Android smartphone, I was amazed at what you can
get for not much more than $100 in Linux-land these days

[Cursitor Doom]

Post by bitrex
My girlfriend has an Android smartphone, I was amazed at what you can
get for not much more than $100 in Linux-land these days

That must be about the first sensible comment you've ever posted here.

[Don Y]

Post by Don Y

Post by Jim Thompson
After years of dragging my feet I'm considering a "smart" phone.
As one who prefers a small phone, not a hand-distorter, I'm
considering the iPhone SE.
Comments?

What are your *needs*? Do you want a phone? "Tip calculator"?
Portable web browser? etc.
And, what are your capabilities/limitations (dexterity, vision, etc.)?
I keep a 6S in the car (too big to carry on my person) for the times
when I need a camera, internet access, etc. while traveling. I carry
an old LG <mumble> on my belt, otherwise (much smaller size, less
obtrusive, etc.)
Both are annoying as they are effectively two-handed devices
(I think you need a slide-phone to get around that). But,
better than nothing.
[Note that I don't use a phone AS a "voice communicator" so can't
comment on that aspect]

My girlfriend has an Android smartphone, I was amazed at what you can get for
not much more than $100 in Linux-land these days

The LG is "handy" because it's small (~3 inch display) so it doesn't require
a shirt-front pocket or other place suitable for large items (if I bend over
to lift something, I don't want a phone slipping out of a shirt pocket and
crashing on the cement).

It sees most of its use as:
- timepiece (I don't wear a watch as my hands are often around
things that object to unwanted conductors)
- camera
- magnifying glass (what idiot decided that 4 pt type was useful
for ANYTHING??)
- quick check of email (WiFi)

And, it lets my music come with me so I can just step into the
car without having to figure out what I want to listen to *there*
(the music pauses as soon as I exit the vehicle and resumes the
next time I reenter it)

It *could* have use as a calculator (I'm pretty good at doing
arithmetic in my head so not needed).

And, of course, as a 911-phone (thankfully never needed).

[It also lets me interact with much of the kit around the house
using a "visual" interface]

It would be *lousy* as an ebook reader. I currently use Color
Nook's for that -- though they are painfully large which makes
carrying them places tedious (doctor/dentist office, any place
where I am likely to have time to kill, etc.). I may try to
use the 6S in that capacity as it would be considerably more
portable than the Nooks (despite being pretty small)

For me, much of this is an exercise in learning what it is like to
have to *carry* a piece of kit around, keep it charged, etc.

[k***@notreal.com]

On Tue, 11 Jul 2017 13:40:14 -0700, Don Y

Post by Don Y

Post by Don Y

Post by Jim Thompson
After years of dragging my feet I'm considering a "smart" phone.
As one who prefers a small phone, not a hand-distorter, I'm
considering the iPhone SE.
Comments?

What are your *needs*? Do you want a phone? "Tip calculator"?
Portable web browser? etc.
And, what are your capabilities/limitations (dexterity, vision, etc.)?
I keep a 6S in the car (too big to carry on my person) for the times
when I need a camera, internet access, etc. while traveling. I carry
an old LG <mumble> on my belt, otherwise (much smaller size, less
obtrusive, etc.)
Both are annoying as they are effectively two-handed devices
(I think you need a slide-phone to get around that). But,
better than nothing.
[Note that I don't use a phone AS a "voice communicator" so can't
comment on that aspect]

My girlfriend has an Android smartphone, I was amazed at what you can get for
not much more than $100 in Linux-land these days

The LG is "handy" because it's small (~3 inch display) so it doesn't require
a shirt-front pocket or other place suitable for large items (if I bend over
to lift something, I don't want a phone slipping out of a shirt pocket and
crashing on the cement).

I keep my Note-5 in my front pants pocked on the weekends. Workdays,
I carry it in a belt "holster". Works fine.

Post by Don Y
- timepiece (I don't wear a watch as my hands are often around
things that object to unwanted conductors)
- camera
- magnifying glass (what idiot decided that 4 pt type was useful
for ANYTHING??)
- quick check of email (WiFi)

Texts (pick up milk), Internet, settle arguments, look up movie times,
make reservations, watch movies, navigate, find restaurants...

Post by Don Y
And, it lets my music come with me so I can just step into the
car without having to figure out what I want to listen to *there*
(the music pauses as soon as I exit the vehicle and resumes the
next time I reenter it)

Audio Books are quite nice on long trips.

Post by Don Y
It *could* have use as a calculator (I'm pretty good at doing
arithmetic in my head so not needed).

I use an HP-11C emulator on mine. Works great, though the hysterisis
on the buttons sucks.

Post by Don Y
And, of course, as a 911-phone (thankfully never needed).

A regular phone (thankfully, I receive exceedingly few calls).

Post by Don Y
[It also lets me interact with much of the kit around the house
using a "visual" interface]
It would be *lousy* as an ebook reader. I currently use Color
Nook's for that -- though they are painfully large which makes
carrying them places tedious (doctor/dentist office, any place
where I am likely to have time to kill, etc.). I may try to
use the 6S in that capacity as it would be considerably more
portable than the Nooks (despite being pretty small)

I have a 7" Nook (a subsidized Galaxy Tab-A), too, but I don't use it
as an eReader. It's too big to carry around. I use it in the gym to
watch Netflix. Makes a couple of hours on the treadmill bearable.

Post by Don Y
For me, much of this is an exercise in learning what it is like to
have to *carry* a piece of kit around, keep it charged, etc.

It shouldn't take a lot of thought. I just "hang it up" (Qi charger)
by the bed at night. It doesn't move overnight. As a bonus, it's
there to keep my blood pressure record (Bluetooth connected meter).

[k***@notreal.com]

On Tue, 11 Jul 2017 12:19:38 -0700, Jim Thompson

Post by Jim Thompson
After years of dragging my feet I'm considering a "smart" phone.
As one who prefers a small phone, not a hand-distorter, I'm
considering the iPhone SE.
Comments?

I think you'll find iOS "weird". After having several smart phones, I
definitely prefer the larger ones. My Note-5 isn't quite big enough.
I think I'd like it about an inch larger (still pocket sized but
just).

[Cursitor Doom]

Post by Jim Thompson
After years of dragging my feet I'm considering a "smart" phone.
As one who prefers a small phone, not a hand-distorter, I'm considering
the iPhone SE.
Comments?

Fine if you're happy about paying fancy money just for the name. I
wouldn't touch anything Apple, personally. It's a cult for those with
more money than sense.

[k***@notreal.com]

On Tue, 11 Jul 2017 20:07:13 -0000 (UTC), Cursitor Doom

Post by Cursitor Doom

Post by Jim Thompson
After years of dragging my feet I'm considering a "smart" phone.
As one who prefers a small phone, not a hand-distorter, I'm considering
the iPhone SE.
Comments?

Fine if you're happy about paying fancy money just for the name. I
wouldn't touch anything Apple, personally. It's a cult for those with
more money than sense.

They aren't much more expensive than the equivalent Samsung. You pay
for quality.

[Mark Storkamp]

Post by Jim Thompson
After years of dragging my feet I'm considering a "smart" phone.
As one who prefers a small phone, not a hand-distorter, I'm
considering the iPhone SE.
Comments?
...Jim Thompson

I finally broke down and got my first cell phone and got the SE. All the
power of the 6 in a small size, and only $200 new. Since I already have
an iPad I don't need to buy any apps for it, and I was pleasantly
surprised to see that the iPad rings when the phone does, and I can make
and receive calls on the iPad now too. Android may do that too, but I
think it just shows you're better off staying within one system or the
other.

[Spehro Pefhany]

On Tue, 11 Jul 2017 12:19:38 -0700, the renowned Jim Thompson

Post by Jim Thompson
After years of dragging my feet I'm considering a "smart" phone.
As one who prefers a small phone, not a hand-distorter, I'm
considering the iPhone SE.
Comments?
...Jim Thompson

Nothing wrong with the Apple phones, they're rather nice, as are the
new higher end Android (Huawei, Samsung etc.). They just work. I did
notice some glitchiness it tethering iPhone to Win 7 but they seem to
have fixed that. I have an "obsolete" iPhone 5 (battery already
replaced once) and the youngster the smaller size of 6 (he had a
choice between the larger screen and more memory and wisely chose the
latter.. it doesn't take long to fill up the smaller memory
allocations. C. has a Blackberry Priv, again - very nice phone. All
the nice ones are $500+. USD- nice being a combination of great
super-sharp screen, responsive touch, powerful processor, reasonable
battery life, enough memory, not too ugly, good cameras. The biggest
gripe I have with Apple is the lack of a micro SD slot and the high
prices they charge for memory.

I think the SE still has a 3.5mm jack, which is a deal breaker for me
if it's gone.

If you want to get full use of it try to get a generous or unlimited
data plan (at least 2G/month) until you figure out how you will use
it. You may be able to dump satellite radio and your GPS and your mini
camera (and your calculator, and a flashlight and a few other things)
and, if necessary, you can even call people on it (one of the
lesser-used apps). A lot of the time you can use Wifi but the times
when it comes in most useful seems to be when you're out of range of
free Wifi.

--sp

[k***@notreal.com]

On Tue, 11 Jul 2017 19:23:49 -0400, Spehro Pefhany

Post by Spehro Pefhany
On Tue, 11 Jul 2017 12:19:38 -0700, the renowned Jim Thompson

Post by Jim Thompson
After years of dragging my feet I'm considering a "smart" phone.
As one who prefers a small phone, not a hand-distorter, I'm
considering the iPhone SE.
Comments?
...Jim Thompson

Nothing wrong with the Apple phones, they're rather nice, as are the
new higher end Android (Huawei, Samsung etc.). They just work. I did
notice some glitchiness it tethering iPhone to Win 7 but they seem to
have fixed that. I have an "obsolete" iPhone 5 (battery already
replaced once) and the youngster the smaller size of 6 (he had a
choice between the larger screen and more memory and wisely chose the
latter.. it doesn't take long to fill up the smaller memory
allocations. C. has a Blackberry Priv, again - very nice phone. All
the nice ones are $500+. USD- nice being a combination of great
super-sharp screen, responsive touch, powerful processor, reasonable
battery life, enough memory, not too ugly, good cameras. The biggest
gripe I have with Apple is the lack of a micro SD slot and the high
prices they charge for memory.

I haven't noticed anything getting better. I have an iPod Touch
(essentially an iPhone-5, sans radio). It's always "interesting"
getting stuff moved to the iPod and iTunes *insists* on doing things
its way, including mucking up my music library.

IMO, iPhones are great if you live in an iWorld. If you do Windows,
you're much better off with Android.

Post by Spehro Pefhany
I think the SE still has a 3.5mm jack, which is a deal breaker for me
if it's gone.

I've never used the jack on my current phones. Everything is
Bluetooth now. I'd gladly trade it for more water resistance.

Post by Spehro Pefhany
If you want to get full use of it try to get a generous or unlimited
data plan (at least 2G/month) until you figure out how you will use
it. You may be able to dump satellite radio and your GPS and your mini
camera (and your calculator, and a flashlight and a few other things)
and, if necessary, you can even call people on it (one of the
lesser-used apps). A lot of the time you can use Wifi but the times
when it comes in most useful seems to be when you're out of range of
free Wifi.

But you can use *it* as a hotspot (of course your data plan applies).
I do it all the time.

[Spehro Pefhany]

Post by k***@notreal.com
I've never used the jack on my current phones. Everything is
Bluetooth now. I'd gladly trade it for more water resistance.

That's a false trade. There is no reason why they can't waterproof a
3.5mm jack- Samsung does it AFAIUI. My car is old enough that it can
pair with BT for calls, but not stream music so I need the aux port or
an adapter of some kind. I also have two Bose noise-cancelling and a
couple other expensive headsets with 3.5mm cords.

I was looking at the Sony top end noise cancelling BT headphone- even
better than the Bose, but unfortunately priced even higher.

Post by k***@notreal.com

Post by Spehro Pefhany
If you want to get full use of it try to get a generous or unlimited
data plan (at least 2G/month) until you figure out how you will use
it. You may be able to dump satellite radio and your GPS and your mini
camera (and your calculator, and a flashlight and a few other things)
and, if necessary, you can even call people on it (one of the
lesser-used apps). A lot of the time you can use Wifi but the times
when it comes in most useful seems to be when you're out of range of
free Wifi.

But you can use *it* as a hotspot (of course your data plan applies).
I do it all the time.

Hence my 'tethering' comment above, but not all data plans allow it.
Sure is nice to be able to use a full laptop interface while driving
down the Pacific Coast highway (as a passenger, of course!).

--sp

[k***@notreal.com]

On Wed, 12 Jul 2017 10:25:14 -0400, Spehro Pefhany

Post by Spehro Pefhany

Post by k***@notreal.com
I've never used the jack on my current phones. Everything is
Bluetooth now. I'd gladly trade it for more water resistance.

That's a false trade. There is no reason why they can't waterproof a
3.5mm jack- Samsung does it AFAIUI.

Do they? I didn't think Samsungs could be immersed.

Post by Spehro Pefhany
My car is old enough that it can
pair with BT for calls, but not stream music so I need the aux port or
an adapter of some kind. I also have two Bose noise-cancelling and a
couple other expensive headsets with 3.5mm cords.

Mine's the same, so I don't do it. I use an iPod for this purpose,
the few times I do it. Bozo has some interesting Bluetooth earwigs
that are supposed to be really good. One of my Cow-orkers came from
Bose and pointed me to them. I have a couple of pairs of LGs but they
don't have any noise cancelling.

Post by Spehro Pefhany
I was looking at the Sony top end noise cancelling BT headphone- even
better than the Bose, but unfortunately priced even higher.

The Bose set, above, is $300US. Bit on the high side for me since my
use-case is mowing the lawn. My LGs are good for everyday use and the
gym.

Post by Spehro Pefhany

Post by k***@notreal.com

Post by Spehro Pefhany
If you want to get full use of it try to get a generous or unlimited
data plan (at least 2G/month) until you figure out how you will use
it. You may be able to dump satellite radio and your GPS and your mini
camera (and your calculator, and a flashlight and a few other things)
and, if necessary, you can even call people on it (one of the
lesser-used apps). A lot of the time you can use Wifi but the times
when it comes in most useful seems to be when you're out of range of
free Wifi.

But you can use *it* as a hotspot (of course your data plan applies).
I do it all the time.

Hence my 'tethering' comment above, but not all data plans allow it.
Sure is nice to be able to use a full laptop interface while driving
down the Pacific Coast highway (as a passenger, of course!).

They don't? I thought everyone allowed it these days. If I were
driving (riding) down the Pacific Coast Highway, I doubt I'd have my
face in a laptop. I'm about to put a GPS in my truck, mainly for the
backup camera but also for better navigation (display).

[Jasen Betts]

Post by k***@notreal.com
On Wed, 12 Jul 2017 10:25:14 -0400, Spehro Pefhany

Post by Spehro Pefhany

Post by k***@notreal.com
I've never used the jack on my current phones. Everything is
Bluetooth now. I'd gladly trade it for more water resistance.

That's a false trade. There is no reason why they can't waterproof a
3.5mm jack- Samsung does it AFAIUI.

Do they? I didn't think Samsungs could be immersed.

They do.

"""
Do not immerse the Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 edge in water deeper than
1.5 metres and do not keep it submerged in water less than 1.5 metres
deep for more than 30 minutes.
"""

HTTPS://www.samsung.com/au/pdf/IP68.pdf

[sms]

Post by Spehro Pefhany

Post by k***@notreal.com
I've never used the jack on my current phones. Everything is
Bluetooth now. I'd gladly trade it for more water resistance.

That's a false trade. There is no reason why they can't waterproof a
3.5mm jack- Samsung does it AFAIUI. My car is old enough that it can
pair with BT for calls, but not stream music so I need the aux port or
an adapter of some kind. I also have two Bose noise-cancelling and a
couple other expensive headsets with 3.5mm cords.

There are many non-audio devices that make use of the analog headphone
jack. <https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/07/applejack/>

And as you stated, it's possible to still have a waterproof phone with a
headphone jack. Apple had good reasons to eliminate the headphone jack
because it drives more revenue through licensing fees, it reduces
manufacturing costs, and it reduces warranty repair costs, and few
iPhone users are going to move to Android as a result of the loss of the
headphone jack.

Android phone makers don't have the luxury of being able to de-content
their products since there is so much competition, and similarly, it's
why you see new features on Android products long before the same
features appear on the iPhone (3G, LTE, NFC, fast charging, wireless
charging, large screens, etc.), no Android maker wants to be at a
disadvantage compared to other Android makers, but iPhone aficionados
are perfectly willing to wait a year or two for those features.

Post by Spehro Pefhany
Hence my 'tethering' comment above, but not all data plans allow it.

Yeah, Cricket now charges extra for tethering, and only offers it on
higher cost plans.

[kevin93]

...

Post by sms
And as you stated, it's possible to still have a waterproof phone with a
headphone jack. Apple had good reasons to eliminate the headphone jack
because it drives more revenue through licensing fees, it reduces
manufacturing costs, and it reduces warranty repair costs, and few
iPhone users are going to move to Android as a result of the loss of the
headphone jack.

...

The iPhone includes a 3.5mm headphone jack adapter for no extra charge.

Slightly less convenient but you can plug a 3.5mm jack device into the phone to attach to audio systems etc.

[Tom Del Rosso]

Post by Jim Thompson
After years of dragging my feet I'm considering a "smart" phone.
As one who prefers a small phone, not a hand-distorter, I'm
considering the iPhone SE.
Comments?

I think you'll be happier with an Android. You'd probably think the
Apple OS is Californicated. I think of it that way.

[bitrex]

Post by Tom Del Rosso

Post by Jim Thompson
After years of dragging my feet I'm considering a "smart" phone.
As one who prefers a small phone, not a hand-distorter, I'm
considering the iPhone SE.
Comments?

I think you'll be happier with an Android. You'd probably think the
Apple OS is Californicated. I think of it that way.

"shit's gay brah, the OS might give me a case of the gays"

[k***@notreal.com]

On Tue, 11 Jul 2017 22:56:11 -0400, "Tom Del Rosso"

Post by Tom Del Rosso

Post by Jim Thompson
After years of dragging my feet I'm considering a "smart" phone.
As one who prefers a small phone, not a hand-distorter, I'm
considering the iPhone SE.
Comments?

I think you'll be happier with an Android. You'd probably think the
Apple OS is Californicated. I think of it that way.

Very good analogy!

[Pflanze, Stephen]

Post by Jim Thompson
After years of dragging my feet I'm considering a "smart" phone.
As one who prefers a small phone, not a hand-distorter, I'm
considering the iPhone SE.
Comments?
...Jim Thompson

Before you get a cell phone consider what Dr Devra Davis has to say
about them:

[TTman]

Post by Jim Thompson
After years of dragging my feet I'm considering a "smart" phone.
As one who prefers a small phone, not a hand-distorter, I'm
considering the iPhone SE.
Comments?
...Jim Thompson

You're gonna pay extra $$$ for the name. Go Android as others have said...

---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus

[b***@ieee.org]

Post by TTman

Post by Jim Thompson
After years of dragging my feet I'm considering a "smart" phone.
As one who prefers a small phone, not a hand-distorter, I'm
considering the iPhone SE.
Comments?

You're gonna pay extra $$$ for the name. Go Android as others have said...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Search_of_Excellence

is a book published in 1982. It mentions a coupe of companies that - at the time - could charge 50% more for their products than the competition could.

Hewlett-Packard was one I rememeber, and IBM another. Apple now seems to be in the same happy position.

I've got a Samsung S4. When I bought it was about half the price of the S5, and - while not as good - was quite good enough to do the stuff I wanted as well as I needed it done. My wife gets her mobile phone from her employer, and she's now got an S5, but she's happy to nick mine to do something hi-tech if the S5 is out out of reach. The camera isn't as good, but if my wife wants to take photos she's got a proper - if compact - camera. A Lumix something or other with image stabilisation, and a zoom lens ...

[Jim]

Post by Jim Thompson
After years of dragging my feet I'm considering a "smart" phone.
As one who prefers a small phone, not a hand-distorter, I'm
considering the iPhone SE.
Comments?

Had mine for a year now - great phone. No problems to date. Good size.

[sms]

Post by Jim Thompson
After years of dragging my feet I'm considering a "smart" phone.
As one who prefers a small phone, not a hand-distorter, I'm
considering the iPhone SE.
Comments?

Lot of apps for Android that are not available on iOS.

Yeah, the problem of size creep on phones is rather annoying. I'd look
at getting a Moto G5 Plus with a 5.2" screen, it's a good compromise and
a lot smaller than the 5.5", 5.7", 5.8", and 6.2" screen phones, though
larger than the iPhone SE. The G5 often goes on sale at Fry's, Amazon,
B&H, and Costco. Unlocked to work on all four U.S. carriers and their
MVNOs. I'd only buy quad-carrier unlocked phones at this time (and note
that the iPhones sold direct from Apple in the U.S. meet this criteria,
but if you buy the current generation iPhone from a GSM carrier (AT&T or
T-Mobile) it will not have the CDMA radio needed for Verizon and
Sprint)). The flagship phones from LG (G6) and Samsung (S8/S8+) and
Google (Pixel) also are also available quad-carrier unlocked.

I never knew how much more capable Android was until I was trying to put
some apps on my wife's iPhone from work, and it became clear that such
apps were not available because of iOS limitations.

[Spehro Pefhany]

On Wed, 12 Jul 2017 12:34:16 -0700, the renowned sms

Post by sms
I never knew how much more capable Android was until I was trying to put
some apps on my wife's iPhone from work, and it became clear that such
apps were not available because of iOS limitations.

What apps in particular are you talking about? I have not run into any
deficiences with the phone, the iPad is a bit more irritating because
the more computer-like interface leads one to try to do computer
things with it, like edit Word documents. I can do that but it wasn't
free and isn't a perfect emulation.

--sp

[sms]

Post by Spehro Pefhany
On Wed, 12 Jul 2017 12:34:16 -0700, the renowned sms

Post by sms
I never knew how much more capable Android was until I was trying to put
some apps on my wife's iPhone from work, and it became clear that such
apps were not available because of iOS limitations.

What apps in particular are you talking about? I have not run into any
deficiences with the phone, the iPad is a bit more irritating because
the more computer-like interface leads one to try to do computer
things with it, like edit Word documents. I can do that but it wasn't
free and isn't a perfect emulation.

One is Torque Pro. The issue is that iOS doesn't support the necessary
Bluetooth protocol (SPP) needed for the ELM327 OBD-II modules. While
there are more expensive Wi-Fi ELM327 modules, but there aren't any
equivalent apps to Torque Pro. It's not clear why Apple decided to not
include SPP (Serial Port Protocol) in iOS, but it appears to be related
to licensing issues and royalties for their alternative, "MFi is only
relevant to Classic Bluetooth data connections to / from iOS devices,
where you need to use Apple's iAP protocol, be a MFi licensee, use an
external Apple Authentication IC and pay a royalty to Apple."

Another one is GPS satellite trackers. This is something I use at work
for our IOT devices. In iOS you can't read NMEA data so you can't see
which satellites the GPS is connecting to. It's not clear why Apple
decided to not include NMEA data access.

Another one is SMS forwarding. When traveling outside the U.S., with a
foreign prepaid SIM it's useful to forward text messages to a foreign
phone number or to a Google Voice number, from a phone you leave at
home. Apple doesn't allow SMS forwarding apps. The workaround is to get
a cheap Android phone to leave behind, stick in the domestic SIM card,
and set up a text forwarding app on it. In this case, it is clear why
Apple doesn't allow SMS forwarding, they are concerned about security
and viruses, i.e. what if a virus started forwarding bank verification
codes to a third party.

What the iPad needs is what the Microsoft Surface, and Android tablets
have--mouse support. I know that the iPad was never intended for stuff
like spreadsheets and documents, but people like to use it for that, and
have a Bluetooth keyboard for typing, but supporting a Bluetooth (or
USB) pointing device, like Microsoft and Google do on their OSes, would
be very welcome. Whenever this is mentioned, there are screams of "if
you need a mouse, buy a Macbook," which are similar to the screams of
"buy an iPad," when someone laments the lack of a touch screen Macbook.

[Spehro Pefhany]

On Thu, 13 Jul 2017 13:43:52 -0700, the renowned sms

Post by sms

Post by Spehro Pefhany
On Wed, 12 Jul 2017 12:34:16 -0700, the renowned sms

Post by sms
I never knew how much more capable Android was until I was trying to put
some apps on my wife's iPhone from work, and it became clear that such
apps were not available because of iOS limitations.

What apps in particular are you talking about? I have not run into any
deficiences with the phone, the iPad is a bit more irritating because
the more computer-like interface leads one to try to do computer
things with it, like edit Word documents. I can do that but it wasn't
free and isn't a perfect emulation.

Fair enough for all those. I have Torque Pro on an Android tablet and
it's nice. Yes, the forwarding would be nice.

MS Surface is tempting... if they could just cram a bit more SSD in
there without jacking up the price too much.

Post by sms
One is Torque Pro. The issue is that iOS doesn't support the necessary
Bluetooth protocol (SPP) needed for the ELM327 OBD-II modules. While
there are more expensive Wi-Fi ELM327 modules, but there aren't any
equivalent apps to Torque Pro. It's not clear why Apple decided to not
include SPP (Serial Port Protocol) in iOS, but it appears to be related
to licensing issues and royalties for their alternative, "MFi is only
relevant to Classic Bluetooth data connections to / from iOS devices,
where you need to use Apple's iAP protocol, be a MFi licensee, use an
external Apple Authentication IC and pay a royalty to Apple."
Another one is GPS satellite trackers. This is something I use at work
for our IOT devices. In iOS you can't read NMEA data so you can't see
which satellites the GPS is connecting to. It's not clear why Apple
decided to not include NMEA data access.
Another one is SMS forwarding. When traveling outside the U.S., with a
foreign prepaid SIM it's useful to forward text messages to a foreign
phone number or to a Google Voice number, from a phone you leave at
home. Apple doesn't allow SMS forwarding apps. The workaround is to get
a cheap Android phone to leave behind, stick in the domestic SIM card,
and set up a text forwarding app on it. In this case, it is clear why
Apple doesn't allow SMS forwarding, they are concerned about security
and viruses, i.e. what if a virus started forwarding bank verification
codes to a third party.
What the iPad needs is what the Microsoft Surface, and Android tablets
have--mouse support. I know that the iPad was never intended for stuff
like spreadsheets and documents, but people like to use it for that, and
have a Bluetooth keyboard for typing, but supporting a Bluetooth (or
USB) pointing device, like Microsoft and Google do on their OSes, would
be very welcome. Whenever this is mentioned, there are screams of "if
you need a mouse, buy a Macbook," which are similar to the screams of
"buy an iPad," when someone laments the lack of a touch screen Macbook.