dtskiles's Full Review: Apple iPhone 3G S Black (32 GB) Smartphone
This is my first iPhone. I am replacing my Sprint cellphone, Dell Axim organizer, and 30GB iPod (which my children graciously took off my hands.) I admit - it's impressive. It's also nastily expensive, so I was leery about whether it could live up to the price. We refused to get the previous models because 16GB was not enough to lure us away from our 30GB iPods. But with 32GB on the iPhone, it's wonderful.
What it does well. 1. It does everything. I can check my personal email (whether comcast or gmail) in one quick step. If it doesn't do it, there's an app that will. 2. Sound quality is improved. Our 2006 iPod was good - very good. I loved it. This sounds better. I used the same earbuds from my old iPod and was really amazed at how much better the sound quality was. 3. Feel - it just feels nice in the hand. Enough weight to feel substantial but not enough to be heavy. I almost don't want to put the rubber cover around it. 4. Intuitive - everything makes sense. I have yet to open the instructions. 5. ITunes - say what you will, but ITunes rules the music world. And I like the fact that I can buy music right off the phone, rather than going home to download. 6. Apps, apps and more apps. Aside from the standards - (which I won't list here - hit the Apple site for that) - Holy cow - I could probably get an app that will wash my dishes and put them away. And it would cost less than $5. I've got 3 pages of apps and they don't take up any noticeable memory. 7. Fun features. Whether it's the etch-a-sketch erase feature, the shake-n-shuffle iPod feature, or the jiggly icon editor - they've really made this into a virtual easter-egg hunt, with a fun surprise around every corner. 8. Wallpapers and customization. I like the fact that Apple has finally accepted that PC users like to tweek things. Unlike the older iPod, I can have cool colors and photos as decoration. 9. Battery monitor - I'm happy to see an exact percentage of battery life remaining. The iPod had problems with battery management, so this is helpful.
What it could do better. 1. Anything with this much functionality eats battery life. I'm stunned at how quickly just answering email eats up battery life, much less watching a movie. 2. I miss the wheel. I watch a lot of videos on this when I travel, and the touch-screen slider bar is much harder to use on a bumpy plane or train than the wheel. If I want to back up a show and watch a couple minutes over, I've got to be really delicate. 3. I love the fact that the web interface will automatically turn from portrait to landscape. But the iPod interface in landscape is much different than it is in portrait and less functional. 4. Uncool - you can't creat email groups in Contacts unless you own a Mac. You'll need another app for this. 5. Sync - It won't sync tasks from Outlook. Mail, Contacts, etc., but not tasks. You need another app for this. 6. Accepting meetings. If I forward a meeting from my office desktop (which prohibits me from hooking the iPhone directly to my office computer) - I can't accept the meeting the way I could on a Blackberry. You have to send it Desktop to Desktop (assuming both have Outlook) to accept the meeting. 7. Earbuds. These things just hurt. My wife said so too. We knew this was a problem with the old iPods and I was rather surprised they haven't fixed this in 3 years. Plus, there are a very VERY limited number of vendors who make in-ear buds with the microphone on them. The Apple in-ear buds are about $80 and not as good as Sony, JBL or VModa, etc. I find myself just using my old buds and just unplugging them to take a call. 8. Battery heat. It's not very old yet, but we own two iPhones. Both tend to heat up with use. Not terribly. No exploding iPhones here, but we'll keep an eye on this. 9. Glare - do get the low-glare protectors. I wonder if the high-gloss screen is designed to work with these, with the assumption that EVERYONE will put a screen protector on it. 10. Backwards compatibility. Older format home videos that played well on the Video iPod don't play on the iPhone. Not to mention that our 2yo car adapters and wall plugs don't work with the iPhone. (The kids get those too.) 11. Purchasing. Not to bad. The slightly hyper kid at the Apple Store was great. But there's an AT&T store in my neighborhood, so hiking my family 20 miles to the nearest Apple Store to buy one was a bit annoying. Not to mention the angry crowd of customers waiting in line for their appointment. I think I accidentally cut in line, but they might have just been anxious to get my 4yo out of the store before she broke something!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 299 Recommended for: Professionals On-the-Go - Internet and Email is a Must!
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