iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Very first initial thoughts... Keyboard will take some time, but Im sure I will get used to it... The callings is flawless... Email is fantastic in my home wireless network so far....

Screen is beutiful!!!! Will post more thoughts later...

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

lol maybe the keyboard does take some time to get used to.

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Holy f--- this is cool!

I am doing my first sync now, as with Ron the setup was a breeze.

I opted for an AT&T store that was close to work--got there after 5:00pm and stood in a line of about 60 (in front) and half that in back. By 6:30, an AT&T rep was filling out forms with our names, numbers, and requested phone (the 8 gig one, of course). She said they still had them, then the manager came out and said that they were beginning to run low. The guy next to me opened his eyes like a deer in the headlights... the few, the proud, the people in line were quite fanatical and chatty.

I would say that the demographic was mostly middle-aged men, a few women, and a few youngsters (20-30-something guys). People came straight from work.

At about 6:45 I was in the store. I ended up getting the Beklin Sleek Acrylic case--will see how it does, but will take it back and exchange for another if it does not work out.

At this point, as much as I would like to take it out of the cradle and bring it over while visiting friends, I really want that battery to charge fully first.

This is the coolest piece of tech I believe I've ever owned!

- Steve

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Nice - we have at least 3 HTforum reviewers in house.

Thanks guys!

First question - outside of WiFi, Is the supposed new speed from AT&T OK? How does it feel in the real world for email, etc. Maps might be a good test.

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

The old cell phone number transferred in 30 minutes!

- Steve

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

I think this hits the right casual audience very well. But, having played with it, there are issues I don't think that I can work around that will make me stick with the Blackberry.

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

dont keep them to yourself.
lets have it.

btw apple .com ships iphone 2-4 weeks.

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

OK. So far im diggin it big time. I cant seem however to drag and drop any music from m library onto it. Also, so far i havent been able to send pictures to a phone via email using the mms.att.net email addy. Anybody??

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Seems i had to create a playlist then sync that playlist. Perhaps im missing a step but iwould think i could drag and drop..

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Well, I SHOULD be reviewer #4...

Went by the local AT&T store after work (only place locally to get it; our Apple Store isn't open yet). Got there about 7:15 (had to work late). Very few people there - walked in, was greeted by a very nice, helpful lady, said I wanted an iPhone, she said what size, I said 8 GB, and she went and got it. Very easy check out. She said they had about 35 people lined up at 6, and they processed them out quickly. People walking in every minute or two since then to get the phone. I even got a pleasant surprise - when I told her who I worked for she said to call her after activation and she would apply our company discount to the plan. Sweet! There was something on AT&T's iPhone page that said company discounts wouldn't apply, but it turns out that was against the cost of the phone itself.

So I head home with my new toy and unbox it. As I'm fondling the techy goodness, I feel... something wrong.

Turns out I've got a minor fit & finish issue. There's the slightest separation between the top & bottom layers at the upper right corner of the phone. It's easier to feel than to see - feels very sharp (the rest of the seam is quite smooth). You can also see the tiniest of nicks there. It's obvious to me there was just a bit of a slipup when this particular phone was built.

Now, if this is your standard $20 phone, no biggie. But damn it, for $600 I expect perfection. (I'm also concerned about the phone's layers separating over time). So I'm forgoing the activation tonight and will be at the store when they open tomorrow hoping I can get a straight exchange. I'm not sure what their policy is on this - and of course I have to hope they still have units available.

So - I'm bummed.

Other owners - are your phones smooth all around the seam, or is this actually normal?? Am I being too picky?

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Is this your first time using iTunes?? What you're experiencing is the iTunes way. With normal iPods, you can drag & drop if you set the iPod to be managed manually. I'm not sure if this is an option with the iPhone. IBut if you learn how to use smart playlists you can let iTunes do the work for you via its autosync capabilities.

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Not a first time user of Itunes. After some research on other Iphone forums there does not seem to be a way to manually manage music. Must create a playlist and sync that. Not a big deal i spose..

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

In regards to my thoughts.. part of what has made my blackberry my key tool during the day is multiple calendar and email synchronization with numerous POPs and Exchange.

This is something where the iPhone just isn't quite it. If you've got a single POP or maybe multiple POPs, you might be able to pull it off, but it's desktop synchronization tool with any scheduling software is seriously lacking.

The other function I noticed which is a killer for me is how quick you can zip off an email or a SMS. On a blackberry, the tactile feel of the keyboard comes in far handier then I ever imagined, as I find the smooth surface to not offer me any tactile response.. on a blackberry I can "type blind" because I know the keyboard and I can feel it. On an iPhone, the slick touchscreen surface makes it impossible to "feel your way" if you want to send out a message of any merit.

What I think is a subtle killer is something Ron mentioned a few pages back: the speaker phone is terrible. If you've gotten used to the terrific speaker phone use on the Blackberry 8700/8800, you're going to be stumped by the iPhone.

As a phone, it does well. And, it's in a class of it's own with media management and network browsing. But if your key functions are mail and calendar management, or if you find yourself typing at any great length, then it's hard for me to ever see the iPhone as a real contender for that market segment.

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Like what?

- Steve (from his iPhone!)

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

he posted his thoughts just before your post

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Chris, you are entitled to your opinion,but it lacks the tactile experience of actually using an iPhone.

I fully expect to be as adept at this iPhone keyboard as you are with your Blackberry.

Exchange support is sure to come as are other deltas in functionality.

Meanwhile this is some of the most amazing technology I have ever played with.

- Steve

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Steve-

I spent the day (well, three hours) using it So, this isn't coming as someone who has no use of it at all

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

If it had a way to do real time chat (which i hope is coming) then this thing would be perfect for me. Im flat out in awe of the way the touchscreen works on this. It really is amazing technology.

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Well mine was short lived.. Th headphone jack is no good as the receptacle is set down to deep in the case and i cant plug any headphones into it.. nice.

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Does this include the headphones that came in the box? It's been noted that the headphone jack is set unusually deep, but Apple (and other vendors) are coming out with adaptors to accommodate set that don't work with the new jack.

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

OH! Lemme check. Thanks.. Right you are.... Now thats just plain stupid..

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Yeah, can't say why they designed it that way.

Griffin is one company making a headphone adapter for the iPhone.

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

I don't think three hours is enough to form a qualified opinion on anything, including mine.

- Steve

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

I'm not saying it is, just a first blush.

But right now, there are some things that are acknowledged stickies that are not an option (Exchange Support, multiple Calendaring sources and pushable event/task management) which are dealbreakers.

I believe those things may happen later, and when they do, I'll have more interest in it. I spent the evening helping a client who is a devotee set his up. And for him, he was very happy, outside of losing support for Microsoft Exchange, which he's willing to wait hoping there is a plugin.

For me, those issues are complete deal breakers. I don't care if the phone can play MP3, I have no need of that (hell, I've spent $1.99 total on Itunes last year). I really don't like camera phones, so I've avoided those. Critical to me is that I can have my two office calendars auto-pushed to me. That's it. That's the only application I give a darn about.

I'm not the target market that Itunes is after. Like several of my clients, I have no problem paying >$500/month to Cingular to keep up my data services because my time on the phone is what pays my bills.

Their are things I don't like about the Blackberry, but it does exactly what I need to do better then anything I've tried (I've tried the PocketPC angle, and Treo when it was new).

The iPhone is something that I think is heading down the right path. Maybe I'm headed the other direction. I keep seeing Tiawan show flippable UMPCs, which is much closer to what I'm after when I look to change. Give me something that can pop open a remote desktop on my phone, and I'm in total heaven (and no, not talking the PPC 6.0 lame remote desktop, I'm talking truly enabled with all resource sharing allowed).

I think Apple in that respect is absolutely on the right path. And I'm glad my client is happy with it's coolness factor.

I'm happy to wait

All of this could change in a blink of an eye when software that will connect to Exchange, or software that allows for separation of multiple mail sources and combinations of POP/IMAP4 mailboxes into separate groupings appear. Give me that kind of functionality, the same I can get in the phone I have, with a slicker look and I'm all over it. But the opinion that those are deal breakers for me isn't something that's a snap judgment.. those are just features that aren't there under any means right now. Which is cool. I represent the business clientèle who aren't really the target buyers of this phone.

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Know that I am an avid MAC lover and user so I fully look forward to all the iPhone can offer in its future. But I don't think it is ready yet for hardcore PDA business users. But, first generation hardware is usually a big test. Look how har the iPod has come. I do love my T-Mobile Dash right now running the new Windows Mobile 6. And its ability to handle all of the stuff the iPhone currently can not in regards to multiple email accounts, MMS, etc...I will be sticking with it for till iPhone version 3 or 4.

So...for those of you who love the look of the iPhone, but love the functionality of your T-Mobile Dash, Samsung Blackjack or Motorola Q, you can simulate the look (although smaller and minus the touch screen) using the Windows Mobile Skin program Facade. iPhone Skins have already been made and seem to work fairly well.

Knowing what Apple has done with attempts to skin windows machine to look like OSX in the past, I suspect these will not be up long, so get them now.

Here are some screen shots of the Windows Mobile Skin









Kind of cool. It will look like a little iPhone, but with a tactile keypad.

And to give credit of where you can get the free WM6 theme...
http://forums.sbsh.net/index.php?showtopic=17842

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

I went over to the Apple Store in Chicago four hours after the phone went on sale and picked up two 8GB models that are now on eBay. The store was mobbed, but the lines were moving fast. Based on that kind of volume, that store alone must have received a couple thousand phones at least. The guy standing next to me in line said "You look pretty happy to be getting those phones." Truthfully, I was just amused at the thought that some poor suckers spent 4 days waiting in line while I simply went four hours after the initial crush and we both got the same things.

That said, my boss bought a couple iPhones for testing in the office and gave me one to try out for a week. First observation is that I'm shocked at the implementation of the virtual keyboard. At first I tried to be too precise...trying to touch the letters with just my fingertips. Actually, it seems to be more accurate if I just put my big fat thumbs over the letters and press. Second observation is that the AT&T service sucks in our building. Very poor signal strength. I spent most time on our wireless network. Third observation...I've just put in 18 hours at the office today and need some sleep. More testing tomorrow...

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

Guys, you are missing the point.

http://fakesteve.blogspot.com/2007/0...d-changed.html

- Steve

P.S.:

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

What's funnier is the feedback to that.

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

So far that is my most major complaint....then again, the speakerphone
on a Blackberry is superior to those on most average phones. In other
words, Blackberry users may be more distressed about the poor quality
over regular phone users. Not sure.

I have no problems with the keyboard. Perhaps my fingers are
perfect size, but right out of the box I was typing along as well as
I had on my Blackberry.

Will be playing with it at work today and report back soon.

Re: iPhone - so...what's the deal?

The only time I have tried to use the speakerphone on the cell phone is in the car, and the road noise makes it impractical.

At work, I use my desk phone or Polycoms.

I suspect I will get use out of the headset with integrated microphone in the car on those rare occasions I take a call while driving to/from work. Or I will experiment with my Bluetooth headset.

- Steve