Closed systems stink! My evidence? The Apple iPhone.

There is a great round up of the features and missing features of the Apple iPhone over on Gizmodo. Here is their list:What it has: • Built-in iPod with Video playback • Intelligent predictive typing • Multi-touch interface (fast) • Great scratch resistant screen (easily cleaned with your sleeve) • Tilt sensors that lock the screen when up to your face, but unlocks it when you lower it to type numbers • Screen that's visible in direct sunlight • Software upgrades over time • Decent voice quality • Call and song control from its headphones • Viewing Word, Excel and PDF documents • Free live traffic in Google Maps • Turn by turn directions that simulate a GPS (need to tell the phone when you're turning) • Dedicated volume control and mute switch • Microsoft Exchange support if your IT staff enables a setting on the server • Push email via Yahoo Mail • Syncing via Outlook calendar and contacts through iTunes (works even on Vista with the latest Outlook) • Ability to play with other applications while you talk • Good battery life • A "real" browser • Yahoo, Gmail, AOL, EarthLink, and various other email support • Visual voicemail (support for rewinding, fast forwarding like a song) • YouTube support • Decent 2-megapixel camera • It's thin • Lots of eye candy • Conference call with up to 5 people • Built-in speakers if you don't want to use headphones • Quicktime support in Safari • Activating the phone requires iTunes and internet access • A speakerphone What it doesn't have: • Support for all iPod accessories—doesn't support all car adapters for playing back, only charging • An easy way to transfer phone numbers, via AT&T, from an existing phone • Copy and paste support • MP3/iTunes music ringtones • Built-in game support • Flash support anywhere (including browser) • Instant Messaging • Picture messaging (MMS) • Video recording • Voice recognition or voice dialing • Wireless Bluetooth Stereo Streaming (A2DP support) • One-size-fits-all headset jack (May have to buy an adapter for certain headphones) • 3G (EV-DO/HSDPA) • A hardware keyboard • GPS • Removable battery • Expandable Storage • Direct iTunes Music Store Access (Over Wi-Fi or EDGE) • BlackBerry support • Flash or zoom on the camera • Windows Media support Known Problems: • Can get a little warm after use • Battery will need to be replaced by Apple after 300-400 charges • Levy had problems with one of his email accounts, due to his ISP blocking port 25. Apple's engineers "suggested a fix and said that this was something that would probably be addressed in an update." • EDGE data is very slow • AT&T's signal is lousy • No hardware playback buttons make you go back to the iPod app to change songs or stop music • Takes more taps to reach the phone interface than other smartphones • Getting your contacts onto here from your old phone may be a hassle • No real-time navigation • The few web-app programs Mossberg tried weren't' impressive • Camera is only good with ample light and no motion • Only 200 text messages included on any calling plan • Playing back music through an iPod dock may cause interference, so the iPhone "offered to switch to airplane mode". Doing so means you get no calls. What we still don't know: • How fingerprinty/face greasy it gets • Whether Bluetooth file transfer works • When and how often software updates (with new features) will appearCan you imagine the amazing flexibility and features that would be available by the fans and geeks out there if this was a more open system? Most of these missing features would be solved in the first week or two. Too bad that Apple is still too tight to open things up. Of course there is nothing that can be done for some of the issues. It could be perfect from a hardware/software perspective and just the fact that it is only AT&T is reason enough for me to completely ignore it. No flash player? Er what? Can you even browse anything even remotely entertaining on the web without flash? Oh wait, it doesn't matter because its not using the almost non-existent AT&T 3G network. Instead its using the just slightly faster than carrier pigeon 2.5G network. I guess having a media rich web experience will be next to impossible on a phone that has the capability to play iTunes media. Wow! That makes a ton of sense!I also love the fact that it causes too much interference while playing iTunes to receive calls. What is the advantage of having a phone that can play iTunes if I can't get calls when I do it? Yeesh. So I'll take my Motorola RAZR and Zaurus c3000 over the iPhone any day. Is what I have perfect? Nope, but because the Zaurus runs Linux its a totally open platform. That means that its getting more perfect everyday. I can play my media. I can attach to Sprints 3G network and download media and play it back. I can also just attached via Wifi. Do I have cool finger navigation? Nope. That would be cool though. I think out of everything, the only thing I am interested in is the iPhone interface and finger navigation techniques. Apple always does one thing right, and that is the user interface. It looks "insanely" great. So now I just want that cool interface on top of my Zaurus.