Thoughts on the new iPhone?

[CompuDude]

So, what do you all think? [Some] Details on new 3G iPhones were announced today, slated to ship July 11.

-- 3G high speed internet connection (for those lucky enough to live in major metropolitan areas that have 3G coverage, that is)

-- Exchange connectivity for enterprise email systems

-- Lower price... $200 for 8gb phones, $300 for 16gb phones

-- GPS built-in

There are some things that were NOT upgraded. No 32gb model, bluetooth still doesn't support stereo audio, no cut-and-paste.

I'm very unhappy with my current service (Verizon), and have been wanting to jump ship from my Treo, which is having more and more issues (despite being fantastic with regard to integration with my dive computer). My wife loves her iPhone to death (except the address book, which will be upgraded with the iPhone 2.0 software), and I know I reach for it every time we're together and I need to look something up, since my phone takes forever to access the internet... in a far less satisfactory way. I think I can live with most of the compromises, although I'm NOT sure I can live without cut-and-paste. Minor software upgrade update or not, it's been promised (by underlings) for a year, and still not delivered. Why, who knows, but it's STILL not here.

Camera is the same. 2mp of clear photos is so much better than my current phone's it's not even funny. I have a real camera for when I need better than that. My Treo shoots video, but it's so crummy why should I care that the iPhone doesn't? Battery life worries me a little, but most days I'm pretty close to power... I'll have to ration my surfing when away from power for any big amount of time, of course.

What do you all think of it?

[hooligan]

It sounds nice. I don't know why they just didn't go 3g to begin with. I mean the technology was there when it was being developed. The 3g phones over here in Japan kick the crap out of US phones. I mean, some phones have 5mp cameras, MicroSD card slots. I think MicroSD is up to 4gigs now. Apple should've put one of those in the iphone. Of course then no one would buy the 16gb version... so I guess that's why they didn't.

[Black-Gorrilla]

first of all... I want an IPHONE and so does my brother... and i think we are about to jump ship on sprint.

[Ryanh1801]

Ill take my blackberry any day over the Iphone. I have only messed around with friends Iphones, but I was not to impressed. IMO blackberry is the way to go with a smart phone.
This always makes me laugh.
The iPhone is a piece of ****, and so is your face.

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by hooligan

It sounds nice. I don't know why they just didn't go 3g to begin with. I mean the technology was there when it was being developed. The 3g phones over here in Japan kick the crap out of US phones. I mean, some phones have 5mp cameras, MicroSD card slots. I think MicroSD is up to 4gigs now. Apple should've put one of those in the iphone. Of course then no one would buy the 16gb version... so I guess that's why they didn't.

I wish they had SD/MSD slots and such, too, but so be it. They couldn't reasonably do 3G at the beginning of the launch because the power requirements for the large hi-res screen plus the 3G chipsets available at the time drew too much power to offer reasonable battery life.

The new iPhone offers 5 hours of 3G connection use (heavy, high-speed downloading). The competition... today... offers 3 hours, and doesn't offer half of what else the iPhone offers. And usually in a bugger, clumsier package. (There are exceptions, but those smaller phones with smaller screens can't compare in other areas) Ditto with the Japanese phones. Huge feature set, but the phones themselves are huge to try to give decent power, and the user interface is a nightmare. Feature creep run amok, is the quote I recall. Nothing compares to the iPhone for surfing, and nothing compares to the iPod for music, and that's what Apple has brought to the table. Lots of little features I wish it had, of course, but the core featureset is there. EXCEPT cut and paste... ARGH!

Oh yeah, and those sweet Japanese phones are Docomo/NTT only, and won't run on GSM networks like the rest of the world, so you're holding a pretty brick if you have to leave Japan. Or, maybe there's an option buried 10 layers deep in the menu that lets you, but no one has found it yet!

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by Ryanh1801

Ill take my blackberry any day over the Iphone. I have only messed around with friends Iphones, but I was not to impressed. IMO blackberry is the way to go with a smart phone.
This always makes me laugh.
The iPhone is a piece of ****, and so is your face.

I'll take surfing on an iPhone over surfing on a Blackberry any day of the week. And do you really want to compare listening to mp3s (and navigating the interface) on a Blackberry compared to an iPod?

The one area the Blackberry wins, IMO, is the keyboard. I'll miss the real keyboard of my Treo, when I finally jump ship.

The Blackberry also wins with corporate email integration (for now... although they're in trouble if the new iPhone corp email is as good as promised), but the average joe doesn't care about that for their personal mail. I'm no average joe, but I don't need exchange integration for my personal mail, either, just work (I'm fine making do with imap to access work email on my personal phone... I don't want it to be too nice, I'll just have to work more!).

That web page is hysterical, though. (if somewhat outdated, given the new capabilities)

[longtailbda]

I like what I've seen so far, better pricing, faster speeds and longer battery life than the competition. Still some limits but great ideas for a phone.
I have to be honest with you though, it's still an electronic leash. there are times I think that cell phones have become the bane of our existence.

[Empacher]

I will be getting an iPhone on the 11th (if I can find one!) This would require me leaving my Treo and Verizon, but it would be worth it. My only concern is that (currently) limited amount of medical software available. Hopefully, alot will change with the new apps store being launched.

[Aquatrax]

i have the iphone and I like it very much. The only issues I have with it are the blue tooth is not great, but none are and the phone is slick to hold in your hand. I looked at the blackberry put I am tired of trying to hit those tiny buttons. The iphones touch pad is easier to use with man fingers.

I don't do a lot of surfing but is handy and easy to use. GPS is a definite upgrade to mine but the mapquest like driving directions function works well for me.

[torrey]

Originally Posted by Ryanh1801

The iPhone is a piece of ****, and so is your face.

Holy crap, I haven't seen a Maddox rant in ages, I forgot how funny he was. Thanks for the laugh, seriously.

Originally Posted by longtailbda

I have to be honest with you though, it's still an electronic leash. there are times I think that cell phones have become the bane of our existence.

I agree. It was a stretch for me to even get a motorazr 2 years ago, and that was just because it was cheap with a new subscription. I talk on it some, use it's calculator occassionally, and set reminders with it. I don't text, take crappy pictures, play games, watch tv, or browse the internet. I don't want to. I only want to know it's there when it rings or when I want to figure my gas mileage.