Why is the iPhone restricted only to iTunes and YouTube?

Watching a video, a sitcom, or even a full length movie on an iPhone can be quite an experience. With its impressive, rich display, Apple iPhone has not only made the notion of watching videos on a cell phone possible, but also exciting. However, there is a major hiccup.

The iPhone only supports videos that are associated with iTunes and the phone’s built-in YouTube application. You cannot watch any other video on an iPhone. While there are some applications that can customize non-iTunes or non-YouTube videos for the iPhone, these apps are few and far between and are not popular with a lot of iPhone users. As a result, this stops a significant number of iPhone users from enjoying videos and other such stuff on the iPhone.

The iPhone does not support Flash, which is one of the most used software for digital streaming services. Steve Jobs, earlier this year, dispelled the idea of making the iPhone support Flash software stating that it can take a toll on the battery life and the processor of the phone. However, Adobe has confirmed that it is working on a Flash iPhone player which will meet the strict requirements of the iPhone. If it does come up with such an app, it would be great news for iPhone users as it can make their mobile-video experience a lot more exciting. However, till then, iPhone users are only limited to videos from iTunes and YouTube.

Ecommercetimes has a great article on this issue. Do check it out and let me know your thoughts.

Categories: Apple iPhone, All things mobile phones.

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Apple to release its 3G iPhone on July 11

The long wait is over folks. The much-awaited 3G iPhone from Apple will be out on July 11. There is a hefty price cut as well, as the price has been slashed by $200. You can get the 8GB model for $199 and the 16GB model for $299. If you’re one of those early birds who paid $499 for your iPhone, well; I can understand your plight.

Before I get into the details, it’s worth remembering the ‘cause’ which triggered this effect. When Apple released its hugely anticipated iPhone, the response was overwhelming. However, soon there was a complaint that the iPhone was a tad too slow when it comes to browsing the internet. This was a major letdown and Apple had to do something about it. Out came the idea for a next generation iPhone which will offer superior mobile web experience. And now, here we have it.

Alright; back to the current scenario. Steve Jobs has promised that this 3G iPhone will certainly be ‘the phone’ which will stand out from the rest when it comes to mobile browsing and mobile web experience. He also promises that this phone will be more than 35% faster than its rival Nokia N95 when it comes to mobile web. This has made a lot of people sit back and take notice. Also, Apple thinks it can crack the working professionals/executives segment, which is a major market for Blackberry, with its 3G iPhone.

Another interesting thing about this 3G iPhone is the number of mobile apps it boasts of.

1. Mobile Me, which stores your emails, contacts, calendars, and other details in a server called ‘cloud’ and forwards your emails to your PC, Mac, iPod Touch, or iPhone. Whatever change you make in one device will get updated automatically in the other devices.

2. Cow Terry, a music making software, which lets you create songs on the go in your iPhone.

3. A mobile blogging software from TypePad

4. A social networking service from Loopt

5. An app from MLB.com which brings you live scorecard from major league games.

Overall, I would say the 3G iPhone is good. And it’s way better than the current version of iPhone that we’re using now. Most importantly, at $299, I think it’s quite a bargain. So, have you decided to buy it on July 11 or what?

Categories: Apple iPhone, All things mobile phones, Mobile Web.

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