With the launch of the iPhone only a couple days away, I’ve been hit up by more than the average number of peeps with the “iPhone: yay or neigh?” question. And while the iPhone isn’t a match for my uber-camera handset requirements, it’s likely to be loved by a good many.

However, in the blindness of it’s extra-shiny UI and hardware design, I find it most helpful to point out that it isn’t… and if they’re things people are fine with, I’d say it’s a good match for them… especially if they’re Apple/iPod fans. So here’s the list of missing features (from a handful of sources), ordered from most to least important, strictly from my perspective:

The iPhone Doesn’t Have:

• Wireless Bluetooth Stereo Streaming (A2DP)
• A physical keyboard
• Buttons/Tactile-feedback for control during running/gym/activities
• Picture messages (MMS)
• One-size-fits-all headset jack (May need adapter for certain headphones)
• Direct iTunes Music Store Access (Over Wi-Fi or EDGE)
• Removable battery
• 3G (EV-DO/HSDPA)
• Decent/competitive camera quality
• GPS
• Stereo speakers
• A Flash for camera
• Video recording
• Expandable Storage
• Voice recognition or voice dialing
• Instant Messaging
• Songs as Ringtones
• Games
• Any flash support

Many of you are gonna make it through the list and and not miss any of those… and to you folks, I’d say the iPhone is a good choice. But you might take your time on the first half of that list, and makes sure you’re ok with certain aspects of a device so different.

For example, if you don’t carry wired headphones with you all the time, the iPod aspects of your phone can’t really be utilized. And you likely can’t wind your headphones around the device, as you need to access the touch screen. So plan on carrying headphones on a headphone spool of some sort, in another pocket. Now, you’d face this headphone-management problem with many mp3 phones, but since you can’t use wireless headphones for music on the iPhone, it’s a step back from the current industry trend, where other phones have already gone (Nokia N Series and Sony Ericsson handsets now support A2DP for wireless headphones use).

So if you think through each point like this one, and are ok with what it might mean, I’d wager you’d love the iPhone.

A couple other pre-launch thoughts…

With the iPhone so long in the making, I wish Apple would have discovered a revolution in one-handed text input for mobile devices. They’re great at innovating simple, usable solutions where others fail to see possibilities. I’m hoping they don’t see a tiny touchscreen QWERTY being the best answer.

Also… I’d be surprised if a month passes without us hearing about iPhone muggings… maybe even a iPhone-theft-related death. I don’t think using a stolen iPhone would be very easy due to network restrictions of this device, but I doubt most muggers are really tech savvy enough to know or care. I’m not trying to be dark, but this device is quite the lust-able item. If I was an iPhone owner in the first couple months, I’d think twice about whipping it out at a sketchy bus stop.

Let the frenzy begin! :)

It’s about damn time.

Last week, Sony Ericsson finally announced their 5 megapixel Cybershot camera phone, the K850i (or Sofia, as it had been called prior to getting a model number). You’ll either love or hate the design… I have yet to decide for myself.

Ok, twist my arm. I’ll take the blue one.

Defining stats:
- 5 Megapixel Cybershot camera with auto-focus and Xenon Flash (a real flash)
- BestPic™ (9-shot burst mode) & Photo fix (think tiny mobile iPhoto)
- QVGA (320×240px) video recording @ 30 fps (.3gp format)
- Dual memory card support: Memory Stick Micro(M2), SanDisk microSD/Transflash
- 3 touch-sensitive softkeys and an insane d-pad concept
- Accelerometer to auto-rotate screen orientation in gallery view
- 3G, MP3 player, Stereo Bluetooth, and 320×240px screen

This little gem is slated to be out later this year… unfortunately for SE, they have to follow in the wake of Nokia’s 5MP N95, and the soon-to-be-announced Nokia N82… a 5mp camera phone, and Nokia’s first model with a Xenon flash (check a few posts back).

Nokia’s N Series 5MP models will have additional big features like GPS and WiFi… while Sony Ericsson delivers consistantly top-notch cam quality and surprisingly… really useful camera features. I hightlighted BestPic and Photofix above for a reason… they’re great additions and quite easy to use.

Cam quality usually wins me over, but I’m a sucker for good hardware, too. The K850i has some questionable design choices… the first being the crazy directional pad. The K850i’s dpad is a ring around the 2 and 5 button, with raised edges (apparent on the close-ups if you scroll through the photos). I see this as a potential nightmare (especially after being trained to hit the center button of a dpad/joystick for “accept”). But Rafe says it’s quite nice to use, and he speaks my gospel, so I’m not gonna get discouraged just yet.

Additionally, instead of 2 softkeys, this model has 3 touch-sensitive softkeys below the screen. Done wrong, it could be a nightmare; done right, it could be quite cool.

Note the the bottom of the phone has a hinged, sliding door to access the SIM card and battery. This is a great option that I’m surprised we haven’t seen more of yet. It stands to reduce the likelihood that the handset developing creaking noises from a removable back side. This could make the phone feel extra solid, and makes the slick back look really sharp.

Anyhow, I’m just glad the race is on again. And it looks like the Sony Ericsson K850i is gonna be neck-and-neck with the Nokia N82. And as time has told, you know I’ll wrangle me one or the other, the very second they’re wrangle-able. And maybe just a tiny bit before that.

Yup, we’re heading East at the end of August, on another adventure… moving to Ottawa.

Where?! Ottawa. Ottawa,to other fellow Americans those of you who aren’t familiar, is the capital of Canada. It’s 200km West of Montreal. View it on a Google map to see where it is. Its urban area has a population of just about 1.2 million, and aside from obviously being a government city, is smattered with tech companies (surprised when I first realized this).

Anyhow… we’re moving because Mark was offered a great position there doing public health work. Since I work remotely for my company, I’m free to roam North America. So what’s a third (in 3 years) move across the country? But this time, it looks like I need to make my residence in Canada official.

But truth be admitted, Ottawa isn’t exactly a metropolitan paradise. That being said, I have met some great guys in Ottawa, and look forward to having them in my day-to-day. And I’ll be a quick jaunt to NYC and Boston to visit my buddies that live there. And when it’s time for a quick party, we can always jump in the car for 90 minutes and zip to Montreal.

Anyhow, felt the need to post this update. This Summer is getting packed full of visits of friends and family to Vancouver, not to mention a last-Summer-in-Vancouver party agenda. So it should be a hoot. And yeah, I’m working on the new mix, so hopefully I’ll get that out soon, too.

Anyhow, wish us luck! If you’re familiar with Ottawa, please feel free to drop a note and add to my list of positives.

I’m so glass-half-full.