iPhone Could be More iNnovative

While we can fathom that electronic accessories aren't the most environmentally viable of creations, at least I was under the impression that the iPhone, and all products Apple, are as safe as they can be. Apparently this is not so, as I learnt from the TechCrunch post today.

According to Greeneace, the iPhone is the only top phone company still using PVC in the manufacture of the earphone cables. The iPhone also contains chemicals like Bromine, Chlorine and Phthalates - some of which have been eliminated or greatly reduced in Nokia and Sony phones. Moreover, the non-user-replaceable batteries of the iPhone don't help Apple one bit.

Maybe it's time Apple took lead in another aspect of technology by choosing to go green in a way no other company has gone before. After all, we expect Apple to be nothing less than exceptional in every aspect.

Microsoft Should Read Email

Steve Ballmer, the CEO of Microsoft, is back in the headlines after claiming last week that 'Unlike Google, Microsoft doesn't read your email'. Pray tell, Mr. Ballmer, how does Microsoft know where to send the email if they don't read it? For an email to be transmitted over the internet to my browser, it definitely needs to be read first. What Microsoft doesn't do (can't do?) is serve-up unobtrusive contextual ads. Moreover, how does Microsoft detect spam emails if they don't read any emails at all?

For one, Steve Ballmer is not new to creating controversy. He was in the news earlier for his comments on the iPhone and how the expensive phone will not appeal to customers because of the lack of a keyboard. On how Microsoft plans to compete with the iPhone, he said "Right now we're selling millions and millions and millions of phones a year, Apple is selling ZERO phones a year (this is just before the launch of the iPhone). In 6 months they'll have by far the most expensive phone in the marketplace and let's see how the competition goes". We all know how the competition went for that one. Here's a video where you can see Mr. Ballmer fielding the question himself -

If you like the iPhone, though, you would love the following video where Craig Ferguson bashes Microsoft's Zune in favor of the iPhone. A must watch video -

If you want to head to where people are discussing Mr. Ballmer's latest comment, here are some places -

Steve Ballmer Attacks Google's Gmail Ads at Mashable

Microsoft's Ballmer: Google Reads Your Mail at Slashdot

iPhone no longer tied to AT&T

Play this post

Great news - the iPhone can now be freed from the AT&T network. If you're on Verizon (or any other network), you can still buy that iPhone you've been drooling over. No need to wait for that lock-in period to end before you lay your hands on this one of God's creations. For $96, your iPhone can be (re)configured to work on any network. Hackintosh forums has a step-by-step guide on how to go about making the necessary changes to your iPhone

Of course, doing so will void your warranty and neither Hackintosh nor I can be held responsible. Moreover, I haven't tried the stunt yet but I have this feeling it will work. Mashable reported earlier on this iPhone hack. In fact, Tech blogger Digital Inspiration also reported earlier that Indian hackers will unlock the iPhone for as little as $25. This report from his blog on how.

All the best to iPhone fans across the globe. Do give the hackers in India a chance before you go all out to void your warranty yourself.

iMuse

Okay, so mankind survived through the iPhone hype and now all the die hard fans already have their iPhones. Congratulations to all of you. In case you're not among the people who camped outside Apple or AT&T stores before the release, you might want to check this post from Gizmodo about the features the iPhone doesn't have (yes, it isn't perfect!). Some of the features you might miss in the iPhone - No video recording, MMS or IM, no GPS and no games. Other than this the iPhone is pretty much living up to its hype. And, once the iPhone apps market hots up, there will be some very exciting applications coming.

Here's a look at two interesting videos - one pre-launch and one post-launch. Some of the features promised in the pre-launch video have been delivered in the post-launch! It's only a matter of time before the rest of the apps make it.


Pre-launch hype




Features mentioned:
- Camera
- Movie Player
- Remote control
- Bottle opener
- Electric razor
- Blow Drier
- Mousetrap
- Lip gloss
- Condiment dispenser
- Mace
- Cheese grater
- Sonogram
- Treadmill
- Thermometer
- Portable shower
- Bookmark
- Hand grenade
- Flute
- Sideburns
- Prophylactic





Post-Launch magic





Features/Apps available
- Coffee!
- Electric razor (delivered as per the hype)
- X-Ray (should not be used as a sonogram)
- Stocks

Not only that, you can even see the OS10 in the background if you shake the phone a bit.

Now that's what I call an iNtelligent phone!