I’ll admit, I was pretty impressed when I heard the EVO 4G could record 720p HD video. It was one of the most touted features of the 4G. However, after seeing these comparison videos I’m surprised that HTC can even get away with advertising that the EVO 4G records HD video. Watch these two comparison videos recorded simultaneously on an EVO 4G and an iPhone 4 by Chris Pirillo:
Watch a few seconds of the iPhone 4 Video:
Now, watch the same video as recorded by an HTC EVO 4G:
There is just NO comparison here. The quality of video and audio being captured by EVO 4G is awful, and could be bested by even the oldest Flip camera out there. The bitrate/compression is very low, and it seems like the frame rate is capped at below 25 fps, possibly even 15 fps. That is NOT HD video. The “resolution” may be 1280×720, but that is absolutely not high-definition quality video.
Of course, by comparison iPhone 4’s “HD” capability looks fine, but i’m noticing quite a bit of CMOS “jelly” motion when there’s some side-to-side movement going on in the frame. Not perfect, but it seems to minimize it more than most Flip devices. Another observation is that the iPhone 4 camera seems to handle very well in low-light, which is encouraging.
I’m excited, as I’m sure many others are, about tomorrow’s WWDC keynote. I’ll be watching simply to find out how much money I’m going to be paying to Apple in a few weeks when the next iPhone goes on sale. That’s right. In my mind, I’ve already justified the purchase of the new phone. Yes, I’m perfectly happy with my 3GS. And no, I’m not a totally sold out Apple fanboy. Though, I admit, it would be hard to convince anyone that I’m not.
I’m not just falling back on all of the usual arbitrary reasons people use to justify buying a new Apple product. I’m buying the next iPhone simply because the iPhone, in my opinion is still the best phone and the best platform out there. Using the iPhone over the past 3-4 years has been the best experience I’ve ever had with a phone. I’ve been impressed with Android’s offerings lately, but there is just no device that competes with the iPhone in terms of end-user experience.
As Apple’s iPhone has rocketed to the top of the smartphone world in the last 3-4 years, the company’s image has taken quite a beating. Apple has been accused of being quite evil for the ways in which it closes down and polices the iPhone platform. I honestly don’t think Apple purposefully behaves in a way that hinders developers, nor does it willingly close down the iPhone platform just as a profit motive. I think what Steve Jobs said onstage at the D8 conference last week was the honest truth: that Apple just wants to make the best products it can. And for that mission to be accomplished there’s a certain amount of quality control that has to be in place. Hence, the App Store approval process. Hence the closed platform.
There are numerous ways in which we could split hairs over the current smart phone market, but my honest opinion is still that Android’s open platform is both its best feature, and its greatest flaw. It’s marketable as a great competitor because it’s an open platform, yet, the user experience can be inconsistent and typically falls flat. And rest-assured, whatever Apple announces tomorrow in the way of the next iPhone is likely going to be another leap in quality controlled, fine-tuned user experience that will put the Android platform another year to two behind achieving anything similar.
A lot of people are criticizing Apple’s new tablet device for its perceived shortcomings without having even used it themselves. In my opinion, this sort of harsh and snarky criticism is to be expected with any significant Apple release, and if you follow the pattern of previous Apple product launches, this type of criticism is always present, and is, in my opinion, a very good sign. I think Stephen Fry has said it best on his blog why hindsight is important with product releases like this:
The first release of iPhone was 2G, closed to developers and without GPS, cut and paste and many other features that have since been incorporated. Neither they, nor I, nor anyone, predicted the “game-changing” effect the phone would so rapidly have as it evolved into a 3G, third-party app rich, compass and GPS enabled market leader.
There are many issues you could have with the iPad. No multitasking, still no Flash. No camera, no GPS. They all fall away the minute you use it. I cannot emphasise enough this point: “Hold your judgment until you’ve spent five minutes with it”. No YouTube film, no promotional video, no keynote address, no list of features can even hint at the extraordinary feeling you get from actually using and interacting with one of these magical objects.
Literally every super-sucessful Apple product was met with harsh criticism at first, which then transformed into high praise as those devices matured in the marketplace. Back in 2001, the iPod was largely dismissed by critics as “too expensive”, “too niche”,Slashdot users even called it lame.
So save your judgment on the iPad until you actually use one, and even then, if you still think it’s lame, at least recognize it for the innovative product it is, and the game-changing product that it will eventually become.
I jumped on the eBay bandwagon in 1998 as it was starting to become a household name. A little over four years ago eBay and I had a falling out. We couldn’t reconcile our differences, and I stopped using the service altogether. During that time I was introduced to Amazon Marketplace by a friend and I’ve never looked back.
This past weekend I sold an old Panasonic HD camcorder on Amazon Marketplace and the experience prompted me to write this little piece about the benefits of using Amazon Marketplace over eBay. (more…)
Wow. I don’t think there’s ever been a Macworld Keynote where all of the rumors preceding it were so completely off. The only rumors that proved to be accurate were the ones that surfaced late last night about iTunes nixing DRM.
Take this to heart: now that Apple’s market share has more than doubled in the last five years, the rumors are even more speculative and inaccurate than ever. Folks overlooked the fact that Apple was overdue for a new iLife & iWork suite, and that the Macbook Pro 17″ needed an update to match the current generation of models. Instead it was all high-flying ‘Gee, wouldn’t it be great?’ rumors that weren’t even on Apple’s radar. You gotta love Macworld.
