iphone

[prOk]

I got one, and I thought it was pretty cool initially.. but after a few days of using it there are just so many tiny things about it that are extremely well thought out.. every day I have been running across things that just make stuff that was a PITA on my blackberry a snap. Well worth the money in my opinion, and being it's essentially a baby mac the software updates and advances will probably be awesome over time..

[Perfectlap]

I'm buying one and I don't even have AT&T!

you'll be able to make free international calls
http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/14144/

[cfos]

prOk: I'm curious about how long the "charge" on the phone lasts -- especially since there is so much (apparently) that you can do on the phone. My Razr is pretty good, but if I start using MP3s, camera, games, etc. -- you know those 5 minutes or so before a movie starts, the battery runs out fast. How is the iphone?

[jmabasa]

I'm curious too about the web surfing and internet capabilities. Is it fast enough? Is there a lag?

[prOk]

OK.. i'll try and answer the questions below

Speed wise, AT&T's EDGE service isn't the speediest, but it's adequate for routine web browsing. However, the iPhone will automatically switch to wireless networks (802.11) when one's in range and things are very snappy from there.

Battery wise, I bought mine Saturday in New York city.. Charged it once that day, watched a movie on it on the plane ride home to Orlando and never plugged it back in to power until Thursday.. so that's not bad.. 5 days of use, watching a movie, connecting to wireless networks, listening to music and just plain being on standby. They claim 8 hours of continuous use on the batter and I think I read somewhere that it was confirmed.

Now, for the browsing experience.. let's just say there's not a phone on the planet that comes close in that respect. The only thing lacking is Flash support which I hear is coming with the first update to the software. Web pages are viewed exactly the same as they would be on your desktop at home, you just use taps to zoom in and scroll where you want to see.. very very cool.

[jmabasa]

Thanks for the info! Helps a lot!

[easyc]

Anyone know how it works with the becker iPod hack?

[FrayAdjacent]

I picked up a 4gig iPhone yesterday afternoon. I had checked the Apple site to see if any Apple stores would have any in stock. None in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana or New Mexico! I decided to swing into the nearest AT&T store (that was out of stock on the 4th) just to see if they had gotten any. Asked the guy, and he said they may have an 8gig model, but he'd check. Came back out with a shiny new 4gig iPhone box. They JUST got some in.

Got it home and got it activated. Synced with my contacts in Outlook, so I instantly had all my phone numbers. SCHWEET! It imported the one POP mail account I had set up in Outlook (I use Thunderbird as my primary mail client), and imported calendar events. I like the calendar, since I use Yahoo Calendar a lot, and can sync that with Outlook, then in turn sync it with my iPhone.

Everything on the phone runs well... the email client is a bit simplistic, but it works. Text messaging is very neat with the way it groups incoming and outgoing message by who you're 'talking' to.

Typing on it isn't that difficult, actually. On the occasional fat finger, if it's on a word in the normal dictionary, it autocorrects, and it does pretty well.

Google Maps is nice, it's easy to zoom in and out and move around. Would be nice if it had a GPS receiver, or could at least use a bluetooth GPS receiver. Also the map right around where I live is probably 4 years old.

Looking up a business on Google Maps is nice, since it will show you all the locations. You can click on one, it will take you to a screen with the address and phone number. Click the number and it dials automatically. Sweet!

The camera isn't too bad, but there are NO settings you can tweak.

Viewing pictures is nice. The screen is BEAUTIFUL!

The browser is nice, and will load whole pages just like on a PC (although no Flash support).

I have made a couple calls, and the sound quality and volume is good. Not great, but good. Did have some popping and crackling earlier today, but that could have been on the other end since I was talking to a friend on her cell. I was also able to easily pair my Motorola BT headset with it. Got voicemail setup, but haven't received any yet.

I only put about 700MB of music on it. Found how to download the album art so when holding the phone horizontally, you can scroll by album. It runs VERY nicely. Sound quality is on par with the 4GB Nano I had a while back (gave it to my little sister in NYC).

All in all, I dig it bigtime. It wouldn't work well for power users who need a productivity device. Stick with your crackberries if you need that stuff. But for a phone, a music device, and some other communications, it's very nice.