The iPhone as a Murder Suspect

Ever since my sister Joyce and her friend, Steve, gave me an iPhone 3G for my birthday last July, I’ve been searching for ways to explain to my more conservative peers, particularly members of the eCoast Angels, why I think the iPhone is such a revolutionary device. Here is a fine explanation.

“You may not realize it, but your mobile phone is a cold-blooded killer,” writes Dan Shapiro.

“The first victim, the phone booth, wasn’t particularly well-loved, and nobody was expecting a complete extermination.

“The next victims were just “accidents.” Seen anyone whip out a paper address book lately? And who would have thought that a little thing like the clock on the phone’s home screen could cause so many business professionals to stop wearing watches? Just who, exactly, is next?”

Dan proposes the following framework for evaluation.

1. Every phone’s got it. Until a feature is a part of every phone, mainstream, non-tech-savvy America won’t notice that it’s there—camera phones only penetrated everyone’s consciousness when they were everywhere.
2. The user experience really works on a phone. Mobile TV is coming. SMS remains the definitive mobile success story, but don’t wait for the end of email.
3. It crosses the Good Enough Threshold. The “GET” is the point where the best phone experience exceeds the minimum consumer bar for the feature.

You can read Dan directly and see his list of likely murder victims by linking directly to his post. And thanks again, Joyce and Steve.

Mobile Computing Forum on April 7 in Cambridge

On April 7, Xconomy will hold its first-ever Forum on the Future of Mobile Innovation in New England. CEOs, engineers, analysts, and investors from more than 15 local companies and venture firms will be on hand at Microsoft’s New England Research and Development Center to share their insights and predictions and to tackle the audience’s questions.

For more details on the Forum, for registration, and to see a list of companies wanting to show off their technologies, go to Xconomy by clicking here.

My photo should appear now.