Twelve Black Code Monkeys

Well, finally all the rumors of an iPod with a color screen for viewing photos have actually amounted to something. Today, Apple announced a new iPod called iPod Photo. It’s a bit more expensive than the standard iPod at $500 for a 40GB model ($100 more than the standard 40GB model), and $600 for a 60GB version.

The most detailed page about the iPod Photo that I’ve found so far indicates that it will display Tiff, PNG, JPEG, GIF, and BMP, but no RAW. You will be able to output images to a TV via S-Video or Composite connections, and there is an improved 15-hour battery life, the color screen, of course. In addition to being able to synch your images with a new version of iTunes released today, it will also let you sync album art for your music (and maybe audio book?) titles. The screen will be 220 by 176 pixels at 65,000 colors. This is not terrible, but still pretty small compared to other photo viewers, or even some mobile phones like the upcoming Treo 650.

I actually upgraded to a 40GB 4G iPod just a couple of months ago, so it’s a little annoying that if I had just waited a little bit longer, I could have saved up an additional $100 and gotten the added capability over what I have. So pardon me if what follows sounds a bit grumpy.

While progress is always good, I can’t help but think that Apple has really been taking advantage of the fact that they control a huge chunk of the market to make this progress really slow. We’ve had for quite some time now other products that have given larger screens with higher resolution, plus the ability to watch video in addition to just viewing individual pictures. The iPod Photo will not allow for direct loading via memory cards, rather one will have to use an accessory like the Belkin Media Reader at added expense and with a fairly slow transfer rate. Neither will you be able to play RAW digital photo files. Although the last two features might only appeal to digital photography enthusiasts, the fact that no video file format is going to be supported, not even Apple’s own Quicktime, is I think a universally understood disadvantage. Why did it take about four years for Apple to get a color screen to view images? Maybe by 2008 they will have an iPod Video! I don’t want to sound like a naysayer, but I am just dying for some major company like Sony, or even a well-known name like Epson to provide us with a device that not only does a whole lot more, but is actually designed as nicely as the iPod is. This might just provide some decent competition for the iPod which it currently does not have. And that’s why Apple can take it’s own sweet time introducing features that have been on other devices for years!

Thanks Gizmodo, for the heads up!

The dust has settled a bit with announcements about the new Treo 650. We’ve gotten a much clearer picture as to what the phone will have and what it won’t. I thought it might be useful for those who already have a Treo 600 or a similar device to list potential reasons to upgrade to this new version, since some people have been dissapointed with some of the phones features, or lack thereof. I’m writing this for myself as well, kind of my own “thinking out” about whether it makes sense for me to buy this thing. Sure I would upgrade in a second if the money wasn’t an issue, but $600 is not an insignificant amount of money for me, nor for most people. Those who don’t own any kind of smartphone type of device but have been looking to get into this world with the release of the 650, I think, can really ignore most of the criticisms. For the most part it looks like a great phone. While there are definitely features that I would like to have seen which it lacks, features which will probably be available in a future generation Treo (the theoretical Treo 700), you could say this about almost any technology. The next generation will almost be undoubtedly better, and in many cases even cheaper to boot!

The disappointments have been given and while their definitely are some valid ones, none are actually items that are new to the 650. In other words, they are simply disappointments because leaks had made us believe that there would be big improvements that weren’t there, or that a feature might be added that, as it turns out, was not. So, for those things, the phone simply has not made IMPROVEMENTS, it’s not gotten worse or less functional.

So, here are the items that I can see convincing current Treo 600 (or similar devices) owners to go for a 650:

Higher resolution, more colors: although this is no revolutionary new feature and doesn’t carry the buzz of “Bluetooth” it still will make a huge difference in usability because the screen in general will be clearer, fonts will be smoother, you will be able to see more text on a given page, etc.

• Speed: This is actually two-pronged:

Processor Speed: the higher speed 312Mghz processor which will allow for much more processor intensive stuff, like better video, flash animation, and more sophisticated programs.

Communication speed: the 650 will be capable of communicating via EDGE or EV-DO, 3G technologies which will make doing any kind of data transfer many times faster than the more basic protocols that the current Treo 600 uses. So, downloading new programs, synching your data over the air, or just viewing web pages will get much faster. However, this assumes that your carrier employs these technologies in your area. AT&T (which is finally merging with Cingular) has the only national EDGE network. T-Mobile supposedly is in the process of upgrading to EDGE, but I couldn’t find anything specific or official about a roll-out. Verizon has an expanding EV-DO network and Sprint has plans to have a nationwide EV-DO network by sometime next year.

• Bluetooth: for Bluetooth fanatics, this feature alone will make them upgrade. I admit I am not one of them. I never quite understood this obsession. I mean it’s nice not to have wires, but it seems more of an aesthetic thing, rather than something super useful and while I can certainly appreciate aesthetics, it’s not top priority for me. In any case, Bluetooth will allow wireless headsets, wireless GPS devices, wireless synching, etc., and just means less wires to keep track of, which is always a good thing.

• Video: Ok, so the camera is the same crappy .3 megapixel as the 600, but at least there’s one big improvement here, Video capture. Being able to see video clips, albeit small and short ones, will actually improve the overall “capture of the moment.” Increasing resolution for a still image can add to the reality of a shot, but so can being able to capture multiple images over time and so actually capture what it was like to be there for 10 seconds (or whatever), not just a frozen moment in time. Sure it’s a bit of a rationalization, but you know you want to indulge it!

• Synch: for corporate-types who currently use a Blackberry, or just for those people who want a seamless solution to keep track of their mail, appointments, and to-do-list, this could be a big factor. Out of the box, the 650 will come with support for Activesynch, which will allow for synching of data between the Treo and an exchange server over the air, similar to what the Blackberry has, but maybe without the email. However, Versamail will take charge of the email aspect and synch that. For those who really like the Blackberry’s system, RIM will be coming out with it’s own Blackberry software implementation for the Treo, although this will be an extra purchase. And perhaps the Blackberry software will offer push email functionality, which I have not heard anything about so far for the 650.

• Battery Life: with a removable battery, the potential battery life of the 650 is infinite. Ok, well, maybe not practically, but theoretically. A lot of people will at least buy one extra and then me able to go at least a couple with heavy data usage and not have to be in fear of it dying on them.

• Keyboard: the Treo 600’s keyboard, while usable, is not something one would want to write long essays in! Not that one would want to do this on a 650 either, but from what we’ve gathered, the keyboard will be enhanced. It certainly looks nicer and the keys look bigger and flatter, and just more typable. We’ll need to check in with people who’ve gotten to play a bit with the 650 to really find out how this new one shapes up. I don’t want to get too excited for fear that this could be another disappointment, but at least potentially this could be something that makes the device much more usable as a mobile alternative to emailing and other things which involve a fair amount of typing.

I could be forgetting something, but I think these are the key feature upgrades from the Treo 600. I’m still not sure if I will purchase one myself. I’m a bit spoiled in that I got the Treo 600 for a ridiculously low price thanks to a very generous friend, so paying he full $600 or thereabouts for this phone is going to be difficult. On the other hand, I will definitely be keeping track of the early reviews and will try one out as soon as they are in Sprint Stores (I’m not a Sprint customer but they will be the first to carry the phones, so hopefully they will have them available to at least play around with), or other stores that sell Sprint phones/service. At the very least I will try to get my hands on a Treo 650 if even for a week so that I can write up a review and/or a comparison between it and the Danger Sidekick II.

Finally, I thought I’d leave you with a list of additional articles I’ve found on the unveiling of the Treo 650:

Want a Treo 650? Better Sprint - CNet

Finally! The Treo 650 Arrives - PC Magazine

PalmOne launches Treo 650 - The Register

Live From CTIA - Sprint and AT&T Announce Treo 650 Plan - BargainPDA.com

Sprint to be first carrier to offer Treo 650 - myTreo.net

Treonauts Spends 1 Hour with the Treo 650 In Hand - Treonauts