mrmysterious's Full Review: iPhone 3G Black (16 GB) Smartphone
Introduction Like many people I have spent the last year in awe of a little black device made by Apple. The iPhone (and it's cousin the iPod Touch) have been toying with my inner geek, but a little thing called Early Termination Fees (ETF) kept me tethered to my cell provider. Finally after going through my 4th PPC-6800 (Mogul) in a year I had enough. My old provider refused to upgrade me earlier and they lost $160 in revenue a month. My wife and I went to the local AT&T store and bought shiny new iPhones. Initial Impressions The iPhone, like most of Apple's products utilizes the bare minimum in packing and inserts. With the iPhone you will find a small box, a quick start manual, headphones, a cleaning cloth, a USB cable, and the 110v to USB charging adapter. Nothing else is included. The lack of a manual is frustrating if you are the type to read the manual. If you like to dive right in the iPhone is extremely intuitive and you should pick the basics right up. There is a handy help website located in your favorites inside Safari you can use in a pinch. Features The phone features a full color touch screen and three buttons and one switch. One button, located on the front is the home button. You press this to leave applications and go back to the home menu. On the top is the headphone jack and a power type button. You use the power button to put the phone in standby, shut the phone off, silence the ringer, and send calls directly to voicemail. The left side features a volume button and the silence switch. The silence switch is great, you flip a switch and the phone is now quiet. You can even feel if the switch is engaged because it does not sit flush with the iPhone when it is engaged (handy for movie theatres). On the bottom is the charging/accessory/sync port. The iPhone 3G uses AT&T's 3G data network for data. The iPhone also includes Bluetooth and wifi connectivity. There is no keyboard to slide open so you will have to adjust to tapping out your texts and e-mails on a screen. It takes a little bit of time to get used to but once you adjust it's pretty easy. Voice Quality Using the iPhone as a phone, I get pretty good voice quality. The voice quality doesn't seem to be as good as what I had with my previous cell company but it is fine. The quality through Bluetooth is typical Bluetooth. Using a Jawbone headset I get acceptable voice quality but not the best. The quality coming through the earpiece reminds me of phone call quality in the early 1980s. 3G Speed With 3G I speed test an average of 700 kb/s. Not the fastest in the world but it allows for ok web surfing. In the Indianapolis area I'm yet to see anything but 3G. iPhone as a music player The iPhone is also an iPod. It allows you to play your digital music. Only downside is you have to use iTunes. It's not as cumbersome as it used to be, and over the years (two previous iPods) I have gotten used to the iTunes quirks. The music quality is great when playing music. Unfortunately, I still prefer to navigate my mp3 collection with a click wheel, but using finger flicks is still light years ahead of changing CD's! Native Applications The iPhone comes with some native applications. · Text - Send SMS messages. They are threaded in little talking comic bubbles. Only complaint is the keyboard doesn't go landscape. · Calendar - Not as nice as what I had on WM 6.1 but it's ok. It syncs with Outlook which is good. · Photos - See the photos you take or what you sync. · Camera - Take pictures. The quality is pretty good for a phone. · YouTube - Watch videos. Quality is good. Application is pretty slick. · Maps - Google Maps, has location based searches and directions. This will not replace a car navigation system. · Weather - Convenient weather application. I end up using just to see the temperature outside quickly. · Clock - The time, alarms, stopwatches, and timers. · Calculator - Tilt to get a scientific calculator · Notes · Settings · iTunes - Shop for music · App Store - Get more applications, some are free, most are a few bucks. Handy if you know what you are looking for but if you are just browsing stick with the popular stuff. There are too many titles to just browse through. · Contacts - See your contacts, also syncs with Outlook. · Phone · Mail - Check your e-mail · Safari - Surf the ‘net · iPod · Stocks - Check stocks Overall So far I remain in awe of the iPhone. Browsing the net is intuitive and easy. It does not feel forced and reformatted like it does on a Windows Mobile device. Yes, I would love a real keyboard but typing on the screen is fine. The phone is also pretty heavy and is almost too bulky for a pocket. If you want a new phone that lets you do much more than just talk and text the iPhone is definitely worth a look.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 299.00 Recommended for: Stylish Trendsetters - Hip and Trendy
Introducing iPhone 3G. With fast 3G wireless technology, GPS mapping, support for enterprise features like Microsoft Exchange, and the new App Store, ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
Click on the links below to obtain manuals for the iPhone. iPhone User Guide iPhone Finger Tips Guide iPhone 3G Important Product Information Guide! T...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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