I loves me some iPhone. I got mine on day one and have used it every day since. Now the gadget blogs are atwitter about the next generation coming out in June or July. So, for whatever it’s worth, here’s what I hope to see.
The Likelies
Thinner, lighter, faster, more storage. Can you name an Apple product that got thicker, heavier, slower, or less storage in a second version? Me neither.
Better reception. It’s passable in San Francisco, but my Sidekick had much better reception on T-Mobile.
Hardware design tweaks. The gadget sites are talking about a plastic back. I bet that’s true, in order to increase reception. I hope the thing is easier to hold on to (see below).
Better battery life. My iPhone is dead by the end of the day. That sucks.
A standard headphone jack. (The recessed metal one actually sliced my finger open once. Now that’s cutting edge tech! (Sorry. Had to say it.))
The Hopefullies
Fix the camera. More resolution, better image quality, faster shutter. And, dare to dream, a dedicated hardware shutter button for the camera. The iPhone has the weakest camera of any phone I’ve ever used. Even the Sidekick’s was better.
Video recording. If the iPhone could record video, I could stop carrying the Flip.
Rubbery grip. I doubt they’ll do it because it’ll clash with the Apple aesthetic, but I wish the thing was easier to hold on to. My iPhone is the most expensive thing I’ve ever dropped in the dog’s water dish.
Better earbuds. Again, doubt it will happen, as the iPod earbuds have sucked basically forever, but a guy can dream.
Wireless functionality. Why Bluetooth so crippled in the current incarnation is a mystery. I should be able to print, share files, and sync wirelessly.
Better speakers in the bottom. I actually use them a lot for music.
The only thing that’s absolutely certain is that, the day iPhone 2 comes out, I’ll be in line. It’s the best mobile phone I’ve ever used. I can’t wait to see what Apple does next.
See Also: My 10 iPhone Wishes from 10 months ago. Alas, most are still unfulfilled.
Mega meta t-shirt store. Fantastic. I kinda wish they had a section for long-sleeve t-shirts. I love those and can never find ones with designs I like.
Here’s the thing: small magazines like ours depend on our subscribers in order to publish. And we don’t have enough subscribers to publish the next issue yet. And that makes us sad.
So we’re having a subscription drive. If you’ve ever thought about subscribing, now’s the time! And to sweeten the pot, we’ve reduced prices by up to $15. The more subscribers we get, the sooner we can publish issue 2.
Hey artists! Looking for a fun project? Check out these fun new assignments from Moo, The Sound of Young America, and musician Andrew Combs.
The people at Moo love to print. If you’ve ever seen their work, you know they make beautiful cards and stickers. They’re holding an assignment to find artwork for a special stickerbook. 90 artists will win a year of Flickr Pro. Check it out in MOO’s Sticker Competition.
Jesse Thorn, aka America’s Radio Sweetheart, is the host of MaximumFun.org’s The Sound of Young America, a radio show about things that are awesome. He posted an assignment looking for artwork for their t-shirt, which will be used in their next pledge drive. 1-5 artists will win prizes worth $100 and Jesse Thorn’s voice on your answering machine. Check it out in The Shirt of Young America.
Andrew Combs is a singer-songwriter from Texas, and he’s looking for some beautiful artwork for the cover of his next CD. He loves the Holga, so you plastic lens people get crackin’! The winner will get $50. Check it out in Andrew Combs CD Artwork.
The Brooklyn Museum is holding a crowdsourced art show. They held an open call for photography on the theme “the changing face of Brooklyn.” They got hundreds of submissions. Now, the crowd is voting on them. The winners will appear in the final show, and even be sized according to their vote counts.
Can the crowd be wise enough to curate a gallery show? We’ll see. You can have your say now through 23 May. Give it a try!
