38 days with an iPhone
This is not just a follow-up to my previous post, but also a followup to some people who have "reviewed" the iPhone even though they've not used one for more than an hour or two.
Having lived with the device for over a month, it has made me appreciate how good (and bad) Windows Mobile is. My previous phone was an i-mate JasJam, a good Windows Mobile 6-based device with a slide out keyboard which unfortunatly suffered from Microsoft bloat, a slow UI, small memory, poor video support, no standard audio jack and various other issues.
Things I've found better on the iPhone than my JasJam:
Quality of App Store Applications
Overall, most programs have exceeded my expectations given the price. In fact, the only ones that were crap, were a couple of the free ones so I'm not out of pocket.
There was a controversy when an application that allowed you to share your net connection was removed from the App Store. Its back now. According to the developer it was pulled due to an inconsistent user interface and was asked by apple to fix, then resubmit.
GPS and Turn-By-Turn Navigation
Prior to the 2.0.1 update, the GPS would take a fair while to lock on from time to time. Now its quick as anything. As far as the criticism aimed at the lack of a turn-by-turn nav system, yes, the SDK terms and conditions prohibit publishing of one but both TomTom and Magellan both have working betas awaiting special approval from Apple. There is talk Apple is delaying it because they are going to have their own but it'll come soon enough. I think they can be forgiven seeing as the v2 hardware has only be out for less than 40 days. :)
No MMS
Last financial year, I sent a total of 10 MMS. None of them were essential and all 10 could have been sent by email in higher resolution with only a slight delay in reception. Losing MMS is no loss to me, especially given the 50c charge per message vs free for email.
Not for everyone
The iPhone is a strange breed of device. It isn't for everyone and anyone who says it is, i will quite happily label an Apple Fanboy. Having said that, it is an excellent device, overcomes a large number of complaints about my last phone and has spurred the development of a huge number of mobile applications, a lot of which are free.
Early days
Many are making critisms comparing the iPhone to Windows Mobile and Symbian as if they were on a level playing field. The original iPhone was closed and only in February were a very small number of 3rd party developers granted access to an SDK that allowed them to begin developing. Given how long it has been a "semi-open" platform, I'm very impressed with how far it has come.
Why I got an iPhone
Yes, I like apple hardware, but my server runs Linux, my desktop at home runs Vista 64bit, my desktop at work runs Vista 32bit, the PCs I manage run XP, the servers at work are Linux, Windows Server 2003 32bit, 64bit and Windows Server 2008. I only own 2 pieces of apple hardware, my laptop and my iPhone. Why am I saying this? Because I'm not a FanBoy. I'm only a fan of good design and good products.
I got an iPhone because it was within the last month of my phone contract ending, meaning for about $60 I could get a new phone and there was nothing on the Windows Mobile side of things that was significantly better than my 2 year old i-mate JasJam. The iPhone was different, had the features I wanted and overcame my most major frustration with the JasJam, the speed.
Do I regret my purchase?
Do I wish I had bought something else? Nope, not at all. Still, the closest thing that would interest me is the HTC Touch Pro which isn't even available in Australia.
Having lived with the device for over a month, it has made me appreciate how good (and bad) Windows Mobile is. My previous phone was an i-mate JasJam, a good Windows Mobile 6-based device with a slide out keyboard which unfortunatly suffered from Microsoft bloat, a slow UI, small memory, poor video support, no standard audio jack and various other issues.
Things I've found better on the iPhone than my JasJam:
- Speed: Much faster user interface
- Email: Good multiple account support
- Screen: Higher resolution, easier to read, zooming support
- Web: can actually browse web pages effectively
- SSH: A working SSH client!
- 3D: Yes, it has working 3D games which are lots of fun
- Music: The best UI for music on a portable device, good sound quality
- Video: Get to watch my pod-casted TV shows (eg: GNW, Media Watch) big, smooth and clear
- User Interface: Excellent and easy to use, quick to navigate and get what I need
- Size: Much much thinner, lighter and more convenient
- GPS & Maps: Awesome to help me find addresses while on foot of when stopped in the car in lieu of a street directory.
- App Store: Some crap apps but mostly good and lots of free ones despite the short amount of time since the SDK became available
- Standard audio jack: Seems logical, but my last phone didn't have a standard 3.5mm audio jack, you needed to buy and adapter or use the crappy included earbuds
- The keyboard: Obviously a physical keyboard will be better but I still find the iPhone's "good enough"
- Background applications: It is annoying that I cant leave something running when I switch applications. Hopefully a jailbreak and/or the push notifications will alleviate this in the next couple of months.
- Cut/Copy/Paste: Quite annoying to have people email me contact details and then not be able to copy/paste into a contact
- Camera: Same picture quality but the lack of a flash and macro function is frustrating.
- Battery: I think, overall, it lasts slightly less on the iPhone however I do use it a lot more so its probably a dead-heat.
- Bluetooth: Having ONLY a headset/handsfree profile is unacceptable these days and the iPhone should have ALL of them or at least as many as the JasJam did.
Quality of App Store Applications
Overall, most programs have exceeded my expectations given the price. In fact, the only ones that were crap, were a couple of the free ones so I'm not out of pocket.
There was a controversy when an application that allowed you to share your net connection was removed from the App Store. Its back now. According to the developer it was pulled due to an inconsistent user interface and was asked by apple to fix, then resubmit.
GPS and Turn-By-Turn Navigation
Prior to the 2.0.1 update, the GPS would take a fair while to lock on from time to time. Now its quick as anything. As far as the criticism aimed at the lack of a turn-by-turn nav system, yes, the SDK terms and conditions prohibit publishing of one but both TomTom and Magellan both have working betas awaiting special approval from Apple. There is talk Apple is delaying it because they are going to have their own but it'll come soon enough. I think they can be forgiven seeing as the v2 hardware has only be out for less than 40 days. :)
No MMS
Last financial year, I sent a total of 10 MMS. None of them were essential and all 10 could have been sent by email in higher resolution with only a slight delay in reception. Losing MMS is no loss to me, especially given the 50c charge per message vs free for email.
Not for everyone
The iPhone is a strange breed of device. It isn't for everyone and anyone who says it is, i will quite happily label an Apple Fanboy. Having said that, it is an excellent device, overcomes a large number of complaints about my last phone and has spurred the development of a huge number of mobile applications, a lot of which are free.
Early days
Many are making critisms comparing the iPhone to Windows Mobile and Symbian as if they were on a level playing field. The original iPhone was closed and only in February were a very small number of 3rd party developers granted access to an SDK that allowed them to begin developing. Given how long it has been a "semi-open" platform, I'm very impressed with how far it has come.
Why I got an iPhone
Yes, I like apple hardware, but my server runs Linux, my desktop at home runs Vista 64bit, my desktop at work runs Vista 32bit, the PCs I manage run XP, the servers at work are Linux, Windows Server 2003 32bit, 64bit and Windows Server 2008. I only own 2 pieces of apple hardware, my laptop and my iPhone. Why am I saying this? Because I'm not a FanBoy. I'm only a fan of good design and good products.
I got an iPhone because it was within the last month of my phone contract ending, meaning for about $60 I could get a new phone and there was nothing on the Windows Mobile side of things that was significantly better than my 2 year old i-mate JasJam. The iPhone was different, had the features I wanted and overcame my most major frustration with the JasJam, the speed.
Do I regret my purchase?
Do I wish I had bought something else? Nope, not at all. Still, the closest thing that would interest me is the HTC Touch Pro which isn't even available in Australia.
posted by TheScream at
11:32 AM
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