USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/edwardbaig/2007-06-26-iphone-review_N.htm Apple's iPhone isn't perfect, but it's worthy of the hype The mania over Apple's iPhone launch has created stratospheric expectations that are near impossible to live up to. Yet with a few exceptions, this expensive, glitzy wunderkind is indeed worth lusting after. That's saying a lot. After months of hype, Apple has delivered a prodigy — a slender fashion phone, a slick iPod and an Internet experience unlike any before it on a mobile handset. Still, iPhone isn't perfect, or even the most ideal smartphone for every user. It's pricey. It lacks certain features found on some rival devices. AT&T's coverage was spotty in some areas I tested over the past two weeks. Your employer may prevent you from receiving corporate e-mail on the device. For consumers who can afford one ($499 or $599, plus the cost of a two-year wireless plan with exclusive carrier AT&T), iPhone is by far the most chic cellphone I've seen. And there are terrific reasons — besides announcing to neighbors how cool you are — to try to nab the device when it finally goes on sale at Apple and AT&T stores at 6 p.m. local time Friday across the country. For starters, iPhone is a breeze to set up and fun to use, evident from the moment you slide your finger across the screen to unlock it. It's a wonderful widescreen iPod and fabulous picture viewer. Smart sensors change the orientation of the display from portrait to landscape mode, based on how you hold the device and what you are doing at the time. Once you get the hang of its "multitouch" interface — give it a few days — you won't have to schlep a separate iPod and cellphone in your pocket. No question, the iPhone is striking to look at. The revelation is that it's also comfortable to hold and touch. Mostly black and silver with a stainless-steel bezel surrounding the top surface, it's light (under 5 ounces) and less than a half-inch thick, or roughly two iPod Nanos placed on top of each other. It's a little taller and wider than a Nano. The scratch-resistant glass-top surface protects iPhone's gorgeous 3.5-inch touch-screen display, which I found visible even in direct sun. The most remarkable thing about iPhone is what's missing: a physical dialing keypad and/or full qwerty, or traditional, keyboard. Instead, either a virtual keypad or keyboard shows up on the iPhone screen, depending on what you are doing — entering a Web address, for instance, or banging out a text message. No stylus is provided. Your fingers control everything; you "tap," "flick" and "pinch." Finger-tapping takes getting used to. Best advice: Start typing with one finger before graduating to two thumbs. You also have to learn to trust the device; an intelligent virtual keyboard auto-corrects mistakes on the fly and anticipates what you will type next to try to prevent you from making a mistake. Though you're frequently touching the display, I didn't notice fingerprints when iPhone is on. Only a few physical buttons of any type are onboard. A "home" button on the front leads you to the screen with iPhone's main icons, including ones for stocks and weather. On the side is a ring/silent switch and separate volume control. On top is an on/off switch. Apple points out that iPhone's features — unlike other cellphones — can be upgraded in the future through software. The phone is built on top of the same OS X operating system that is on its Macintosh computers. You sync up the device to a PC or Mac through iTunes just like an iPod. A USB dock is supplied for this purpose. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ That's just a part of the review. Click the link at the top of my post for even more about the phone. The only thing I have not seen anything about though is whether the phone has a carrying case already or not. I wouldn't want to carry it around in my pocket......Lol.
When you consider it's an iPod, a phone, a camera plus you can surf the internet on a much bigger screen with a better browser AND get email, the price is very reasonable. The problem is some (like me) always avoid the firstfruit of a new product line, don't want to spend $500-$600 on any one individual item and see several weaknesses in the iPhone that will obviously be improved upon. Plus you throw in the fact it's married to AT&T (Cingular). Unlike the PS3, the iPod is not too far ahead of it's time because all of the features are relevent to right now and desireable. What's really exciting is when you see how the iPod improved over the years and assume the same thing will happen to the iPhone, all of us are better off because Apple is forcing competitors to get better. When a 3G iPhone comes out that isn't married to AT&T, I will be in the market for one.
Apple iPhone Line Waiting Service for Orlando, FL We'll wait in line so you don't have to! 5 people have bid?!?!?!? INSANE. LOL!
I've been saying this since they released the first images that yeah its pretty but it doesn't have the functionality that businesses want and THAT is where these expensive PDA's make their money. No corporate email, no apps, no security. Plus the (EDGE) internet connection sucks. Companies Hang Up on Apple's iPhone Workers Beseech Employers To Add Device, but IT Units Cite Email Incompatibility By JESSICA E. VASCELLARO and NICK WINGFIELD June 19, 2007; Page B1 While millions of consumers are eagerly anticipating Apple Inc.'s launch of its iPhone next week, Bill Caraher is bracing for the worst. Mr. Caraher, technology director of von Briesen & Roper, a Milwaukee law firm, says he is being besieged by inquiries from employees wondering whether the office's email system can be used with the device. His answer, at least initially, has been no. The main problem is that the iPhone can't send and receive email through the company's corporate BlackBerry email servers. He says he is unwilling to look into workarounds, because they might compromise the company's security. "It's another hole in the system people can exploit," he says. This scene is being repeated in workplaces throughout the country as Apple moves closer to its much-ballyhooed rollout of the iPhone. While iPhones can be used for email, for now, many businesses don't plan to sync them with internal email systems that use technology from BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd., Microsoft Corp. and Good Technology, owned by Motorola Inc. That means many iPhone users won't be able to directly send and receive messages through their corporate email systems, although they may be able to forward their work emails through a third-party service like AOL or Yahoo Mail. All this may change later this month when Apple plans to unveil the iPhone. According to a person close to Apple, the company is expected to fight for this market, currently dominated by players like BlackBerry's RIM, Palm Inc. and, increasingly, Nokia Corp. and Motorola. If Apple comes up with an acceptable strategy for integrating with business software systems, many companies might change their tunes. Apple's plan to go after the business market represents a shift for the company, which has never been a strong player in corporate technology. In recent years its focus on the consumer market has accelerated with its products like the iPod and its effort to open a broad network of retail stores. The initial plans of many companies to snub the iPhone will likely come as a disappointment to many consumers who are eager to substitute the iPhone for the multiple devices they carry around for music, cellphone and both corporate and personal email services. These users may put pressure on business technology departments to support iPhones even if that means incurring additional expense and changing their policies. Incompatible technology has become an increasing problem for businesses as hand-held email and phone devices are evolving into minicomputers that can do such things as download music, take pictures and surf the Web. In the past, businesses have been unwilling to support certain devices, like those with cameras, for instance, because of concerns employees could use them to document company secrets. But these tensions would be magnified if the iPhone is as popular as Apple is hoping and some analysts expect. The public's broad acceptance of the iPod, more than 100 million of which have been sold, has given Apple a hip currency among many professionals, including business travelers for whom iPods are ubiquitous gadgets on the go. That, in turn, could translate into strong demand for the iPhone among business users. A business email system can use a popular email standard known as IMAP to sync with an iPhone. While many large companies have the ability to activate IMAP, they have chosen not to because they are worried about exposing their mail servers to the public. Some companies are warning employees who are planning to buy iPhones, which will cost $499 and $599 depending on whether they have four or eight gigabytes of memory. Bear Stearns Cos. last week sent its global staff of 15,000 an email saying that the iPhone won't work with the company's email service. "At this point we are not aware of any plans to change the device to become compatible with corporate email systems," it stated. Other businesses are taking a wait-and-see approach. Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP of New York has been getting hit with a range of iPhone inquiries, according to spokeswoman Claudia Freeman. The law firm may try to support the device once it is launched, she says. Even some companies that have activated IMAP for external traffic don't want their employees using iPhones on their network. Troy Saxton-Getty, vice president of technical operations at St. Bernard Software Inc., a software company based in San Diego, says he currently wants to support only BlackBerrys. The system becomes less reliable when other devices are introduced, he says. But Mr. Saxton-Getty says he is worried that "rogue" employees may figure out ways to route their corporate emails to their iPhone. "I am getting a lot of push back, and people saying they are just going to go get it on their own," he says, adding that an employee asks him about the iPhone and whether the company will support it about every hour. Jonathan Anderson, who works for St. Bernard Software, says he plans to ditch his new BlackBerry for an iPhone as soon as he can get his hands on one and set it up on his own. "Other people might be intimidated but I don't care," says Mr. Anderson, who adds he is happy that he will be able to have access to television shows and music from his iTunes collection on the device. One way Apple could make it easier for corporate users would be to license software from Microsoft or Research In Motion for their devices that would allow them to act like virtual BlackBerrys or Windows Mobile devices. That would alleviate many of the security and compatibility concerns voiced by corporate technology departments. Apple may face pressure from iPhone customers to make the devices more compatible with their corporate email systems, according to Ranjan Mishra, a director at consulting firm Oliver Wyman in Boston. "They [Apple] should focus on the white-collar traveler segment who would like a nice storage device and some music and a corporate cell." In one step that might enhance the iPhone's appeal among business users, Apple yesterday said the iPhone will come with significantly better battery life than the company had initially promised. The company said the iPhone will deliver eight hours of talk time, compared with the five hours it originally promised and the four hours of talk time each for the Blackberry Curve and Palm Treo 750. Apple also said the iPhone will offer 24 hours of audio and seven hours of video playback, compared with a previous estimate of 16 hours and five hours of playback, respectively. Apple declined to say how the company achieved the improvements. Generally, engineers can achieve longer battery life for products with hardware and software enhancements, including code that more efficiently handles power-hungry functions like backlighting a screen. Apple also said yesterday that iPhones will come with a glass screen that will have better scratch resistance and clarity than the plastic screen Apple had originally said it would include with the product. Write to Jessica E. Vascellaro at jessica.vascellaro@wsj.com and Nick Wingfield at nick.wingfield@wsj.com
I agree with this, except that AT&T part. I really like the phone, features, and when you look at the plans that come with the iPhone compared to others plans AT&T has for its other phones they're a bargain. But.....I will wait and see how it evolves and what other phone companies come out with before committing to spending half a grand on a phone that will eventually come down in price, have numerous competitors, and a newer design and features. Although I want, I'll wait.
No push email is a deal breaker for me. Not that I was ever in the market for a $500 phone. Now if Apple would get together with blackberry and design a better handset for their system, I could be tempted to take a look.
Thats going to be the case with pretty much any phone you buy...no matter when, or any electronic for that matter.
The iPhone cannot be all things to all people at first launch and it won't be down the line either. Maybe they will launch a future model focused on business users that works on R.I.M's network and maybe ditches the camera, etc. Apple has always been a consumer-focused company and will probably stay that way. There is plenty of market share to gain just in that area. I agree the EDGE connection is a huge downside. But for millions of people, email & internet take a back seat to music, camera, phone, slickness and the unique user interface. Not me, though. Lil Pun, the plans are affordable but AT&T's network has a lot of problems and I deteste them (AT&T/Cingular) more than all of the other wireless carriers put together (long story). I'm going to borrow "Although I want, I'll wait" from you.
Oh really? Then why did Apple release a battery life chart comparing the iPhone to the Nokia N95, the Samsung Blackjack, the Blackberry Curve, and the Palm Treo? I mean, for crying out loud, the chart title is called "iPhone Competitive Data".
Because the original prediction was that the iPhone would have less than 5 hours of battery life. They had to stifle those early rumors. With 5 hours of talk-time and no replaceable battery, you'd have to lug around a charger wherever you went in the hopes you could keep the thing charged. They also compared it against those phones because those are some of the best phones in the US in terms of all-around use.
Everybody keeps saying the plans are affordable. I honestly don't know if they are or not... my current Blackberry plan with TMobile is the most expensive plan I've ever had and it took an act of God and some re-budgeting for me to be willing to pay it. I get 1000 minutes + unlimited text messaging + unlimited Web for $59.99. The reviews I've been hearing about the phone have been mixed, but mostly positive. The biggest negative has been either sorry reception (depending on where you are) or getting used to the keyboard and not fat-fingering everything. As for Nokia and others catching up... I doubt it'll be too tough. Nokia has had the N700 out for a couple of years and recently released the N800. They just need to downsize it and add a phone to it (and it's not like they don't know phones). Of course, they intentionally left both models without a phone initially to cater to a different audience (they call them "internet tablets"). The nice thing about it is the N700 now can be had for only around $130 and the N800 for something like $300+. Here's the N800 : http://www.nokiausa.com/link?cid=EDITORIAL_21733. I'm hoping for good things to come out of this war.
No Instant Messenger? WTF? i was hoping we would finally see GoogleTalk on there. But not only can you not get that, you cant even get AIM or Yahoo. Ill wait for the new sidekick.
As DoD said. What else are you going to compare it to? Apple seems very deliberate in every bit of marketing they do. They would have actually used the term 'PDA' if that's what they were pushing the phone as.
You've got to be kidding. The iPhone isn't a PDA? I have a big bag of ****. But I'm not going to call it a big bag of **** or market it as a big bag of **** so it is not a big bag of ****.
Um...you yourself just posted an article pretty much stating how far the phone is from being a PDA. If Apple wanted us to believe they had created the best PDA ever you don't think they'd be screaming it from the rooftops?
