So after a long search, I settled on the Apple iPhone. It met most of my reqs for a phone and in my opinion has probably the best user experience. I am still debating whether to wait for iPhone 3.0 OS to come out in June or to jailbreak, so this review is on the iPhone 3G not jailbroken.
For my review, we’ll start with the basics. Every cell I think should start with good call quality, clear speakerphone, easy texting ability and mp3 ringtone capability.
The iPhone as a phone performs solidly and probably better than I expected. With all the media capabilities and everything it does I expected lower quality on the phone side. But it is actually a solid phone. Clear call quality, probably not as good as my old school Nokia from back in the day but pretty good. The speakerphone is solid, the only complaint is that I wish it were a bit louder, I use the speakerphone a lot when I call family so they can hear my son. Texting is actually easier than initially thought. I had trouble with the texting since I wasn’t used to texting on the touchscreen, but that is something I’ve gotten used to rather quickly. The only thing is I’m not able to feel and text without looking like I used to since it is not an actual keypad. Another thing missing is MMS or picture/video/sound messaging. The iPhone is blocked from doing so unjailbroken (I’m not sure if there is a limitation from AT&T to do so if phone is jailbroken, someone message me about that). The iPhone does have mp3 ringtone capability for select songs you have downloaded through iTunes (I have not downloaded/bought any songs on iTunes, and it does cost extra to cut your own ringtones). I’m sure there is a jailbreak capability to use whatever mp3 you have, so I have yet to delve into that.
Next we’ll go over the extras. Extras I had to have was an above average camera with video, solid internet browser, easy to use email application, and preferably a touchscreen.
The iPhone has a pretty decent camera on it. My non-jailbreak phone has no video capture capabilities, so another complaint there. It seems a pretty standard feature on newer phone, so I don’t see why Apple skimped out on video. The internet is by far the best on any phone out right now, at least the ones I’ve had a chance to play with. You have the option of looking at the mobile version or the actual website (outside of flash sites, the only real weakness to the internet on there). Endless list of applications both free and paid make the experience even better. The 3G connection with AT&T is faster than expected. The speed tests I’ve done clock it at best at right below 1 mbps. When I’m at home I have it switch to my wi-fi connection to download apps. The email app is easy to use, but doesn’t have a lot of features. I use my Gmail account on it and it doesn’t have some of the options like starring or flagging certain emails. And of course the touchscreen on the iPhone is the best in the industry, the only one with the two-finger zoom (I don’t know what they call it so we’ll call it that).
And then I had some specifics that I wanted in a phone: compact size, sleek design, and cool factor.
The shape and size of the phone is almost perfect. I like how it is thin and flat. The design is very sleek and ahead of the game. It is the phone that has the most cool factor with the app store and everything. A few extras that are really cool include Google Maps app since it is basically a GPS since it is able to pinpoint your location and even has the street view feature, and the built-in iPod. I still use my Fifth-Gen iPod at work just plugged into speakers at my desk, but for me on the go it is a great all-in-one unit.
The iPhone is the ultimate toy and I haven’t even unlocked its full potential in jailbreaking. The only complaints I have are the lack of video capture, MMS, and a really basic email app. Although I think that a lot of my complaints will hopefully be addressed with the iPhone 3.0 upgrade coming up (rumors have video capability, MMS). Some of my fave apps include Pandora internet radio (thanks Quach and AD), Facebook (of course), Weather Channel (live radar = the shit), and ScoreMobile (live sports scores and updates). My son loves BubbleWrap, Action Bowling, and Drum Kit Lite. Surprisingly he knows how to unlock my phone and which icons to press to get to those apps. He’s only 2! Just imagine what kinds of phones will be out when he’s a teen, it’ll probably be a frickin chip inserted into our brains or some crap.
So all in all, iPhone = greatness. Other than those three complaints I couldn’t imagine life without my iPhone now. It’s a game-changer that hopefully Apple will continue to advance.
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