You know, I'm so glad that sophisticated, cool-looking smartphones like the iPhone have replaced the clunkier, less communicative PDAs of yesteryear. Because now we can pay $50 a year to do some of the stuff that we used to be able to do for free.

At least, that was my second reaction when I found out that the iPhone was adding what to some of us is an important function: the ability to work with documents. Transmedia has launched its Web-based Glide Mobile application that allows iPhone users to create and edit Microsoft Word and Open Office documents, PDFs, and Web sites. You get 2 GB of storage for free; if that's not enough, you have to shell out This $49.95 for 12 GB.

My first reaction was: Good for them! Back in the Old Days, you had to carry around two digital devices -- a phone to make, well, phone calls, and a PDA for everything else. One of the things you could do on that PDA was to edit and create documents -- get yourself a lightweight portable keyboard to go with it, and you could get a lot of work done in trains, planes, and waiting rooms without having to drag around your notebook. However, the keyboard was the only added expense -- the word processor was usually already included with the PDA.

Okay, I admit it -- this may all be sour grapes on my part. Because I'm unwilling to pay the high maintenance price demanded of iPhone owners, I'm not one of those who gets to play with such an admittedly cool piece of technology -- especially when it finally will be able to do something I would find really useful. And unless you really expect to fill 12 GB of space with documents, you may be able to keep to the free service.

However, I would like to caution all you lucky iPhone fans to keep an eye on those nickels and dimes. A fee of $50 a year doesn't sound like a lot -- but there will be more to come, and at the end of the line, you may be paying a lot more for the privilege of owning an iPhone than you bargained for.

What do you think? Are Glide's fees reasonable? Leave a message on the InformationWeek Blog and let us know.

Barbara Krasnoff
bkrasnoff@cmp.com
www.informationweek.com

The BI Explosion
Examine the business intelligence strategies of 500 companies, including deployment drivers and challenges, spending plans, and vendor selection, in this recent InformationWeek Research report.

Join Us For GridTalk Tuesday With Science Fiction Writer Charles Stross
Our guest for our next GridTalk is science-fiction writer Charles Stross, whose most recent novel Halting State, is set in the near future -- just 11 years from now, when virtual worlds, massively multiplayer games, advanced mobile computing, and augmented reality are a part of daily life.

With iPhone Set For European Launch, British Unlockers Could Get An Apple Bricking
Ready for some iBricking in the U.K.? With apologies to the Sex Pistols--I realize I'm straining for an analogy here--that could be the tune soon after the Friday evening launch of the iPhone in England by mobile-service provider O2.

Has Someone Already Written A Google Android Mobile Application?
Forget the fact that there are no Android-powered mobile devices on the market -- and that it could be a year before we see any Android-based cell phones. It seems some eager developers have already written an application that runs on Android.

Ballmer: Google's Android 'Just Some Words On Paper'
I gotta give a hand to Steve Ballmer. He always gives great copy. Like here at Web 2.0 where he colorfully described Microsoft's fight with Google over search. Or the big B.'s candid dismissal of Google's Android.

Sprint's Divorce From Clearwire Can't Be Good For WiMax
Sprint Nextel says it remains ?fully committed? to WiMax even though it has pulled the rug out from under the planned nationwide network that?s central to its WiMax strategy. Who?s in charge anyway?

Cmdr Taco: At 10-Years Old, Slashdot Continues To Play A Role
It's been ten years since Slashdot emerged from Rob Malda's personal Chips & Dip site. Also known by his Slashdot signature, Cmdr Taco, Malda was a student at Hope College on Lake Macatawa in Michigan, an institution of The Reformed Church In America, at the time. The setting sounds a little like the Prairie Home Companion's Lake WoeBeGone. The result was an enduring fixture of the open source community.

Guide For Switching From Windows To Mac
Going through some Web pages from the beginning of the year, I came across this excellent Lifehacker guide for switching from Windows to the Mac. The guide focuses on the two biggest headaches for switchers: Different keyboard shortcuts, and different ways of launching and shutting down programs and documents.

For Workday, Growth Hinges On Scalability
Supporting 10,000 employee records was a starting point for Workday, the HR-as-a-service company launched by PeopleSoft founder Dave Duffield. The startup's next challenge is to manage 50,000 employee records, then 100,000 and beyond. The vendor is using custom database software to get it there.

Will Banking Fallout Pull Down The Business Mobility Market?
The subprime mortgage crisis is hitting the banking industry hard. As a result, banks are spending less on mobile technology. Cisco has already reported a drop in demand from banks and Wall Street expects similar news from BlackBerry-maker RIM. Could the banking fallout kill the mobile business market?

If You Build It, They Will Hack It
It didn't take very long for the Apple hacking community to make short work of the iPod Touch and hack into it, mere hours after a new "locked-down" firmware was released for it. It makes you wonder why they bother -- but then again, that goes for most everything kept under a digital lock and key, doesn't it?

Get Better Results from your IT investments
In today’s environment, you need to get the most out of your assets and people … all the while serving the strategic needs of your business and dealing with growth and acquisition issues. In addition, it is critically important to quantify results of those investments for leadership and accurately track service level agreements.

Featured Jobs:

Sunoco, Inc. seeking Oracle DBA / Developer in Philadelphia, PA

CAST Software, Inc. seeking Sr Implementation Consultant in New York, NY

Monterey Peninsula College seeking IT Instructor in Monterey, CA

Hayes Group seeking Computer Specialist in Alexandria, VA

Icom America, Inc. seeking Software Engineer in Bellevue, WA

For more great jobs, career-related news, features and services, please visit our "Career Center.

Try InformationWeek's RSS Feed

Discover all InformationWeek's sites and newsletters

More than 20,000 IT terms, more than 20,000 definitions:
All at your fingertips, all in TechEncyclopedia

Saw a TechWeb feature you want to see again?