I already wrote about my iPhone acquisition experience. That was only a set of first impressions based on the few “daylight” hours the device was active. This is a more comprehensive review after having four days of ownership and four three days of real use under my belt.
In order to really use something new, you have to go cold turkey, so my Blackberry curve went off, and I became a 100% dedicated iPhone 3G user. Now either because of my job or my tendency to obsess, I check my Blackberry 7 days a week. Don’t think that just because it was the weekend I didn’t get much exposure with the Enterprise capabilities of the iPhone. Below is a list of observations:
- I wasn’t getting 3G coverage – only to find that for some reasons after enabling the 3G, it was disabled, and seemed to keep on doing so while WiFi was on. When I disabled WiFi, 3G went active – and stayed that way in NYC, areas of Northeastern New Jersey, and in Raleigh & Durham. Ironically enough the worst 3G coverage (less than 3 bars) was in Newark Airport’s Terminal A.
- It isn’t hard to adjust to the keyboard. At first it seemed strangely sensitive then not, but after a few hours and typing a few e-mails you adapt. I heard that the new Verizon-only Thunder will have some form of tactile screen which is allegedly better than the iPhone. The last I saw however it is just a more localized version of the Samsung Instinct’s tactile interface (nothing more than a vibration when you touch the screen – very annoying in my opinion).
- I indicated the GPS was a toy – in fact, it works much better than originally reported. It hones in as well as my Garmin Nuvi 200 and the iPhone’s maps are better.
- Voice quality blows the doors off of my Blackberry. I use a Jawbone (first gen) headset. Both with the headset and without I had no dropouts, fading voice, or microphone volume issues.
- Signal strength was way better than with the Curve – there is a certain area on I-40 in North Carolina where I would ALWAYS drop a call with the Curve. I assumed the same would happen with the iPhone, but signal strength stayed, and the call continued without a glitch.
- You can switch from ring to vibrate/silent mode without unlocking your device. Blackberry users whose IT department requires your device to lock should appreciate this. On the Blackberry if you want to switch profile you need to unlock your device, then hit your profile button, and select your profile. With the iPhone, you just hit the slide switch above the volume control. It doesn’t matter whether your phone is on or off, locked or unlocked.
- The iPhone 3G has the ability to receive emails while on the phone (while in 3G or WiFi modes). The first time it happened I heard a short beep through the headset. I thought it was call waiting, but there were no new incoming calls. That’s when I realized what had happened. The ability to read an e-mail that just came in, talk on the phone, and even browse the Internet at the same time is a huge plus.
Now for a few things I would like to see resolved:
- There is no indicator when you get a new e-mail if the iPhone is locked or while you are in other applications. If you miss the “ding” or the vibrate alert, you have to unlock or go to the home screen to see if you have a new message. It’s a nuisance more than a problem, but also something that I could see being easily rectified. There is already an app that loads your calendar into your lock screen (this requires jail-breaking the phone).
- Battery life with 3G is pretty bad. I would be lucky to make it through a whole day of use without draining the battery. It only takes about an hour to charge, but be prepared to have a charger with you. I know it took about 10 days for the Curve’s battery life to really get up there, so I am not worried about this, but I would like to see some external battery cases. A portfolio that holds your iPhone and an extra battery would be ideal. I haven’t checked the life yet with both WiFi and 3G disabled but I assume it will be better. There are already some tips to help.
- Capability to do E-mails and notes in landscape mode
- Ability to set screen lock timeout to be greater than 5 minutes
- A phone-only ring/vibrate mode
- The ability to set different e-mail signatures for different e-mail accounts
The bottom line:
It’s still a Blackberry killer for me. The size, user interface, and lack of required desktop software and proxy/intermediary servers between Exchange and your device make this a winner. Many of the issues (even battery life) can potentially be resolved with future code updates or 3rd party applications.
After having used Windows Mobile and Blackberry for years, the iPhone is the most “finished” I have seen a second generation device. I don’t think it will remain alone in this category, but we technology geeks tend to flip devices every 12-18 months and I am pretty confident of this purchase.
The Leader in Network Knowledge
iphone 3g backup battery
Sure the battery on iPhone 3G is not that great, but what can we do? We want small size phones, powerful features and lengthy battery life.
Just get a backup battery. I got mine from iPhoneck brands. Their new 3G backup battery is probably one of the better looking products in the market. Their website is www.iphoneck.com