[geeks] Cell phones: block incoming calls

[Joshua Boyd]

On Thu, Dec 06, 2007 at 08:00:35PM +0000, Mike Meredith wrote:

> > Unless we get a iPod Touch SDK that is really good, I'm beginning to
> > think that what we need is an entirely new OS for this sort of thing.
> 
> Well, an iPhone SDK *and* a decent upgrade to the iPhone ... the
> current one is a very fancy interface around a rather mediocre phone.
> No matter how many fancy flowers you wrap around a turd, it is still a
> turd :)

I specifically do not want a phone.

I'm assuming (or maybe only hoping) that a iPhone SDK and iPod Touch SDK
will be one and the same.
 
> I'm not sure we need a new OS, what with Symbian (Series 60, Series 80,
> UIQ), PalmOS, Linux (with multiple different APIs on top), Windows
> Mobile (or whatever I'm supposed to call it), and now OSX. What we need
> is a little "Apple magic" to smooth out the rough edges on the other
> OSes. 

I don't believe that PalmOS has a solid enough foundation for the
future.  However, PalmOS emulation may be a valuable feature in a future
system. 

Linux is possible, but it still seems like overkill.  It may be a good
starting place.  Especially if you want a virtualized OS on your
device. 
 
> Most of the functionality is there at least in the form of an API. What
> is needed is for the implementation to be done, or the interface to be
> made more natural.

I'm not sure that enough of the work is done in the form of APIs.  One
of the big things that tend to be missing is good data integration, and
as far as I can tell, no reasonable current system offers this.
 
> I think that's one of the things that allows phone manufacturers to get
> away with mediocre interfaces. Perhaps most of the people using
> smartphones have them thrust upon them. Certainly at work, the managers
> have the latest Win-thing provided ... presumably it's chosen by
> someone who goes through a checklist of features (WiFi, 3Mpix
> camera, ...) without trying to ascertain usability ("it's Windows, how
> hard can it be?").

Ick.  Work doesn't provide me with a cell phone, thankfully.

My palm is driving me crazy.  The touch screen is going bad.  But I am
so sick of palms that I've been putting off a replacement in hopes of
something better, specifically the possibilty that an iPod Touch SDK
will allow people to fill out the missing pieces. 

> Personally I want a cli-phone :-
> 
> $ call $(contact-search jones)

That would be amusing.