In the Apple iPhone review
Apple March 7th, 2010
Before I start my review, I think you need to know my prejudices.
First, I admire Apple engineering very much, in particular, their software, but I have never had to turn in the Mac camp. I come from the world of UNIX, and was forced to convert to the world of work-related issues, and I’ve never owned a device product (in addition to the purchase of a pair of iPod for my kids).
Secondly, while I love the idea of converged devices, my particular experience with them on the HTC universal hasn’t that was cool. After a few months I actually yanked the SIM card from my universal and return it in my Motorola v180 and already use my Universal as PDA-only so far. He was too big and inconvenient, to be honest, even when I’m beautiful Card Bluetooth headset. Other things I am sure that I’m a big fan of PDA-I bought the original Palm pilot 1000-and I use PDAS much on everything from games to read eBooks, watching movies. So much going on in this, I had high hopes that not only will the iPhone be a decent phone, but that he will have a good PDA functionality, can I watch movies? Read eBooks? (No, unfortunately.) How would the Web browser experience? As smudged was screen will I get? (Very) Journey with me and learn.
Purchase and activation (and timing)
For a new device that everyone wants (and boneheads in New York were lining up for the days reported), my purchase process was quite seamless. You can read about all that if you want, but the short version is that I waited in line for about 45 minutes, bought the phone in about five minutes, and it was on my merry way, no problem.
Activation is put the iPhone in the cradle, and through the revitalization process in iTunes. Beware, however, you must have the latest version of iTunes, and in the future to iPhone release madness, I had to upgrade at least twice. So don’t forget to refresh. But in General, the process is simple and convenient (although I ran into a few bumps, but that was due to personal issues with my account, not Apple or AT&T).
One note: iPhone requires you to use a “higher power” USB port. You can find out which ports on your system. I do not, and on the iPhone plugged in “low power” port, and our system (and iTunes), not recognizing it.
The initial impression (and interface)
I liked the device immediately, honestly. Size-wise, it is a good place between the size of a traditional PDA, such as O2 XDA or Palm. The lack of a keyboard allows it to be narrower that BlackBerry or Treo, although to my eye it approximately 25% more than my Motorola v180. Here is the O2 XDA, an iPhone, and v180.
It’s thinner than all those, though, and even in Belk in sliding thing that I bought for her, it’s still very thin device, just put in your pocket and not feel the weight down. Here’s an iPhone, stacked with
Physically, the iPhone has an incredibly clean design. Moving around the device on our World Famous device Diary tour ™, and here from the top:
From left to right you have on/off slot for SIM card (which is supposed to only remove one Apple “genius”, but I’m sure you can remove it yourself if you like, personally, I’m leaving it just what the heck) and headphones. The right side absolutely smoothly and button free (that makes him quite an amazing contrast with my O2, who has a slider switch and three buttons, one of which nothing would give!). Bottom has a slot for docking stand, and external columns. The left side has a volume rocker switch and Ringer off/on switch. Spink has 2 megapixel in the upper-left corner. And suppose that the battery is in there somewhere, but I don’t have the nerve to pull it apart and learn.
The interface is easy to use and clean, typical of Apple. I believe “main page” on the screen a little busy, personally, and wish it was configured.
There are a number of points concerning the internal screen that I’ll use rarely, if ever, and as software library grows (hopefully enable eReader and game!), I want to change it. For example, while I believe I live SMS, calendar, and tweaking, after two weeks, I think I went in stocks only on the first day (just to check it out), and I doubt I’ll use Photos enough to want it on the main screen.
In “return home” button at the bottom of the phone, however, fine, you never can get lost, because you can always return “home” and the software enough usage to save state you were last in your application, so “going home”, not kill you (for example, if you searched in Google Web page in Safari, and went to its main page, the next time you go to Safari, Google Web page is displayed).
As for the whole “using fingers as your pen” that suggestions are required to perform the action, as they did a bang up job. I address the keyboard stuff below, but conversations, scaling and work great, and become second nature after only a few minutes, and like many other elements of the software, you can say that about? And tap chooses; and double-tap does different things depending on the application (for example, in the gallery application, the mouse moves); putting two fingers on the screen and mouse gets you a pinching, whereas µm, pinching the mouse gets you (logically enough); put the finger on the screen and flicking towards Scrolls content in this direction. This combination of moves really makes life easier when you do things like Web surfing, looking at the documents, or by mail, looking at the pictures, or whatever. (Details below).
The downside, of course, is that your screen is smudged all to hell. Now I tell you, right: this screen is so sharp, high quality screen that you really don’t notice this, unless you do something like watching the movie or show photos of people, so I cannot find yourself reaching for destroy-cloth, every five seconds. And when you use the fabric, it is active in interface; Apple was that clever. I thought that would be irked at not having a stylus and a curse for the lack of Work. I was wrong, and work was right, I don’t miss the pen at all. Plus, Apple includes erase cloth with the iPhone.
Internet features, e-mail address, Web browser
I gave an email address and Web browser good happening during my testing, how to use various wireless networks (at home, and around the city), and using AT&T’s edge network. I have AT&T customer and I are not used for 3 g speed, so those of you who should bear this in mind.
Create a connection quite easily. You must know the details of your e-mail and home wireless account (if it comes to security account), of course; things like password, and port number. But, in addition, the interface on the iPhone has a very simple and intuitive, and it only took me a few minutes. I had a brief bobble explains why device default passwords and my wireless modem requires ASCII password, but it’s certainly not blame and iPhone.
I’ve read a lot of complaints on speed, or lack thereof, in AT&T’s edge network, and I even read people, comparing it with “speed dial”. Those people who either for drugs (really good), or short memory. It wasn’t all that long ago that I dial network download sites and large files, and the edge network anywhere near as slow that, believe me. Whether it is just as fast as my broadband wireless modem? Heck no. Whether it is just as fast as 3 g? Of course, not. But it’s not too bad. And if you’re in that a large number of “hot spots” and Austin is one of those places-the iPhone usage enough to go hunting for wireless connection first, before it by default, the edge, which puts it one on my laptop, honestly.
So your expectations here. Being a long time AT&T customer memory goes back to the times when modems were 30 at suckers you connected phone in, I think it is just fine, and even more than good. Corrupted 20 somethings who grew up together with cable modems and satellite down speed, whose phones were 3 g for the past two years, so that they will be disappointed when they do not run in local wireless networks, yup. It’s all in your expectations, and (here’s why I put my biases up front.)
In a wireless network, I love using the iPhone for surfing. Simple interface makes small screen size easy-with an irritant, not deep pain in the ass. For example, if I surfed the Web page, I often had to change from “smart” to “standard” mode, and then open the “settings” and change the text size to increase or decrease, depending on the size of the text as a Web page was organized and formatted, and so on. Bitter. The iPhone, I surf on the page, and if the page must be landscape, I rotate and bingo, the landscape. If I need it anymore, I pinch and slide and boom, the scale. To scroll, and flick I tap. This is insanely easy, and I love to do.
Email is not so wonderful, unfortunately. If you have *. Mac e-mail account folder is not copied through its iPhone and iPhone (yet) does not have any way to create the folder on the device, so all mail sits there in your Inbox. If your letter folder organization zealots like me, it’s a real pain in the butt.
In addition, the email can be read only in portrait mode; rotation in landscape mode (yet) is not supported. In the column width of about 50 characters (I didn’t count, but it’s about it), he is very narrow, and the ability to rotate would be fine.
Finally, there are still a few bugs. If you are connected to Microsoft Exchange Server account calendar on the desktop are not reflected on your iPhone, although reviews about device do get synchronization with Outlook. (If you have only one POP attention though, schedule synchronization works fine.) incoming e-mail on your POP account that you read on your desktop are not copied to your iPhone, and vice versa, and with those folders are also not duplicated, items that you have read and deleted on your iPhone, not noticed in Outlook, so you should remove all again on the desktop, forcing you to wade through the same spam twice. I find myself only email when I’m out and about, and it is, I mean, who wants to cull spam twice?
If you already have a Mac and *. Mac account, however, I suspect that it will not be a problem. And I can’t speak with Gmail accounts at all.
Phone Function-calling, SMS/settings link List
I’ve read quite a lot of reviews, who complain about iPhone functionality in your phone. These complaints are divided into two categories: people who bummed that Apple has signed an exclusive deal with AT&T, and people who think about the iPhone is worse than a regular phone connection, even on the AT&T network.
I cut back to the point: I can’t speak to the first question. I was an AT&T customer for a long time, and while I believe people who say on at&t network stinks, all I know. But as for the iPhone in sound quality and respect, that’s great. This is much better than my v180, and it’s better than my daughters RAZR. When using iPhone without comes ear buds that it sounds perfectly, and I get five-bar signal in places I never submitted (for example, in the middle of my living room). When I use ear buds, the sound quality. So all these people complain, honestly I do not agree.
Settings (or SMS) with the iPhone from Apple uses built-in keyboard and text recognition system. Now I have a bias against stated, for example, a dog and Treo, with those itty bitty keyboard. On the one hand, I have a spinal nerve, causing me cannot feel my left thumb and index finger). On the other hand, I can’t stand those small keys.
So for me, the iPhone keyboard with text and text recognition system not only better, but also far superior. I don’t use two fingers method, because I can’t feel one of my thumbs; I use one index finger. And in doing so, it is much faster than the old hunt and peck method on my old RAZR v180 or keyboard. And I think the lack of tactile feedback no problems at all, frankly. From the Apple text prediction software also fine, but when you use a short text (“ru free 2 day?”), it can get a little confused.
I have Windows Mobile devices, as well as translation of my Outlook data (via iTunes interface) went very smoothly. Love how contact list is integrated with set, SMS, map features, and other features on the iPhone. In addition, it is a convenient “rolodex function at the bottom that allows you to use alphabetic letter close to the name that you are looking for, which I found very handy.
In the same list of contacts (and email address, and a host of other applications on the iPhone) is missing is the search function, which is a big disappointment. Now I happen to have a good memory funny, so I should not have will fumble too awful lot, but I still have problems, remember that my child dentist name was “Singletary;” she would generally considerably simplifies the search for “dentist” in the contact list. I read on discussion boards (and in other reviews) many people, grousing about this, so I guess from Apple connection away at it, but still, this is not enough.
iPod Features music, movies, and iTunes (also downloadable, Ripping and conversion)
This is old hat to you all veteran iPod users out there, but it’s new to me, so bear with me. All iPhone interface with the computer via iTunes. This has advantages and disadvantages (the largest of the time it serves as a conduit to Outlook, and that sometimes causes problems), but overall this is a Good thing. In the iTunes interface, for the most part, clean and easy to follow, although with iPhone weirdnesses, which took some getting used to.
To synchronize with the iPhone from your desktop (on a PC, this usually means Outlook), you plug it in its cradle, raise iTunes, and click “sync” in iTunes. Alternatively, if you’re one of those people who really loves what ActiveSync automatically syncs PDA every time you connect it to your computer (I didn’t I old Palm guy, and I hate it), you can enable automatic synchronization when the iPhone is connected “option and it will be, let’s say, automatically sync your iPhone when you plug it in the cradle. I really appreciate that Apple provided that either/or option; Microsoft does not, and, frankly, that one of the (many, many) things about Windows Mobile that me nuts.
You cannot drag items from your library to your iPhone, which I found odd, to be perfectly honest. You can do it on the iPod, why doesn’t the iPhone? If the element is omitted from your iPhone, the item in your library is, weirdly, and not empty, it seems counterintuitive to me. And if you finish the film, and remove it from your iPhone and then want to download it again, this is kind of a pain because you have to modify and cancel this a bunch of stuff, or you end up accidentally loading and/or deleting things you does not mean (and this is why I would prefer to have drag-and-drop enabled).
On the other hand, do things like ripping songs and loading them on the iPhone, buy songs and TV shows and upload it to your iPhone, and so on, it’s just a dead easy. (I personally think iTunes interface too busy, but that’s just me.) After many years, using a variety of my PDA, progressive albums, transform it, and copy music in my PDA play on third-party software (and never use it), I’m starting to see why people are so in their iPods.
With regard to its iPod functionality, this excellent iPhone. I can’t speak to Steve Jobs ‘ claim that “iPhone is the best iPod ever”, and not having owned an iPod, but it certainly is damn good music player. It does a better job in “mixing” and not any third-party application I used before, and I love the “album cover of the opinion that the iPhone offers where you can flick through album collection, not just a list of songs; and, finally, for the first time I have a music player that is so easy to use, so that the light, and (sorry) so much fun that I really take it everywhere.
In connection with this note: ear-buds that come with the iPhone hold a microphone/pause button on the right speaker wire. It acts as Your microphone for phone calls, and when, and for listening to music, you simply squeeze it once, and you can reply to your call. Again hanging your call and a summary of your song with which you were.
It’s pretty cool-I personally always had problems with my fumbling with cell phone in the car and find the right button to turn it on, but he added coolness: when you listen to the songs or watch the video, and want to take a break, just click conversations, rather than on the screen. Now you might think I’m too responding, but I think that is really cool. Many times I of listening, or sitting in the living room watching the show, or any other, and I get interrupted-children need something, you hit the disk, but on the basis of, or any other-and this makes it easy. No fumbling find button pauses, or anything, just press the button and pause! and if we talk about movies, currently we are in my area of bigotry. And in this area, the iPhone simply kicks ass all other PMP, that I studied. It does not have many of them (which these days ranges from 30-60 GB or more), and the screen a little less than some (3.5 “compared to 4″), but the screen is the dramatic today of three other that I reviewed, and certainly more than my Tapvave of the zodiac. In fact, it is simply spectacular. In addition, since all solid-state memory, no noise issue form on your hard disk drive does not seek to delay in fast-forward or rewind, and loading your movie going very fast. As the screen resolution of 480 × 320, you can pick your aspect ratio, rather than 480 × 272, as most PMPs these days.
(Sorry for the fuzziness of the snapshot, and I should take it without Flash, or glare from the Flash will cover all.)
There aren’t many movies from Apple (irritatingly property) mv4 format, but there are plenty of TV programs, many of which are not yet available even on DVD (such as “Heroes”, which I am finally able to watch). The iPhone does play standard MP4 movies, and there are free MP4 converter is called Handbrake that works well (and if you know how capricious I am going to tools, say something). Manual can handle conversion as directly to DVD, and VOB files cut using DVDShrink or similar tools. I found this process is very simple and convenient, and he was deeply released. (Though I am not particularly happy that I have to convert my video library again. Oh well.)
The good news is the iPhone can handle movies transferred to video bit rates up to at least 1200 KBS, with audio 128 kbs. This gives you absolutely fabulous clarity, sharpness, and the sound quality on films you convert himself, much better than any PMP I’ve seen. I am just incredibly happy with iPhone in PPMs.
Errors and Irritations
Before I get into this, let me say that I am very impressed with how solid is a device, especially at the stage 1 product. But like all stage 1 products, with some bugs, and how my čejenn name would be “Destroyer program,” I found a few.
Firstly, the map function accidents in satellite mode. A lot. I found that if I chose address, scale, and then moved to scale and back, it will be very much disaster every time.
Safari a little bad, and it again seems to be associated with scaling. When I go to a Web site, open the page zoom, and page down on the same page multiple times, Safari crashes.
In the auto rotation function a little obscure, in my opinion. Rotation detection algorithm may be and the more sensitive-it revolves in landscape mode when you just point, not rotating 90 degrees to-and-sensitive-it does not rotate, if not rotate the device quickly enough, you, um, clear the turn and turn again, if you see what I mean. In General, it works very well, but it’s irritating at times.
The interaction between the iPhone and iTunes is-at least for me, the device newbie’s-several confusing. Why can’t you dragging items directly from your iTunes library directly on your iPhone? When you delete a movie or a song from the iPhone, then why not that paragraph abolished in your iTunes library? Why some albums art found, but not other albums of art? Why aren’t you can drag items from one category to another, for example, drag the TV program on TV category? All these things I believe most confusing.
iTunes allows you to help transition from Windows audio formats an iTunes. That’s great. But it does not allow automatic conversion from the video format (WMV) on iTunes movie format. This is lame.
You must run the iTunes initiate synchronization between iPhone and your system. It would be nice if Apple has included hardware synchronization button on the cradle, similar to that in Palm, so if you don’t want to run iTunes, you can just sync with the click of a button.
You can’t do a search in most applications, where it would be useful to hell, such as calendar or email. This should be fixed rather quickly.
When I got my amount of free space down to about 350 MB, I managed to freeze the functions of the phone in my iPhone. I suspect it has something to do with swap space and memory management, but I don’t know exactly.
When I put my iPhone in its dock, Windows requires that I associate it with iTunes, not because of the camera on the iPhone. I find it deeply irritating.
Camera cannot record video, it can only take photos.
Summation
I know that I spent a bunch of items are errors, but don’t let that fool you: I love this gadget, but the rocks. On the one hand, it is certainly best cell phone I’ve ever had, it’s the easiest to use, has better reception and its interface is intuitive and simple.
As an iPod, it rocks. I was never a big iPod guy and I’ve tried to use my PDA as a portable music devices, and while I enjoyed a few, the troubles associated with it-not to mention weight and size of my PDA at the moment-has made it more difficult than it’s worth. But with the iPhone, these problems simply disappear in the fog, and progressive download songs, albums, TV shows, podcasts, and whatnot, so simple and easy; I finally understand why people are so addiction “.
Finally, with regard to the other features are great, and the interface just incredibly (and I’m very capricious against software that pretends to be “intuitive”). As you can see from the above, I just love watching video software, but it is clean, sharp, unpixilated, and converter that I used hellaciously easily and simply. Screen exactly, the interface is very simple and intuitive (there’s that Word again durn!), and low weight of the device the iPhone means watching the hour-long TV episode does not give hand strain, as she does something wanted one Arhos. The lack of hard drive means no extraneous noises and not wait time during disk seeks. In General, is by far the best movie viewer I have ever used.
In other areas, the interface is very sweet. I am sure that in the advanced settings, it will get better, but after a few minutes, I found I didn’t have any thoughts on what I need to do to achieve my goals. This is a sign of good interface.
He briefly, there are several holes. It would be nice if you could rotate letter landscape mode. In the absence of any of the game is a downer (not even the Klondike?). I really miss the ability to upload my book about there, it seems to me that Jobs lacking in large market, integration with iTunes kind eReader functionality. I mean, he’s got television shows, movies, podcasts … seems apparent expansion for me.
Finally, I would like to say a few words about the price. A number of browsers and articles harped on the price of $ 600. USA label: “$ 600 for a mobile phone? Here’s a crazy! “You can say, equally” $ 600 for a fully functional computer that you can hold in your hand, which also makes phone calls? This is unbelievable! “On the iPhone is not just a phone, but and PDAs and Internet devices. My O2 XDA, which has 4 “screen, and not nearly as much onboard memory (and slow as a dog, relatively), and weighs more than twice as many, worth $ 1200. The Motorola RAZR costs $ 300 when it first came out, and if you were to combine this with high end Palm T | X or Windows Mobile device (and the iPhone has a much better than any PDA, in my opinion), you will have to shell out another $ 300-$ 500 for a second device. And so on. You can make the argument, perhaps that is too iPhone at $ 50-$ 100, but even that is questionable in my opinion. So, in other words, I strongly disagree with my colleagues review about price. This device is a PDA/Mobile phone/Web surfing device, which costs money.
Programme of the Apple iPhone can get Apple online, or at Apple and AT&T stores
MSRP: $ 499 for 4 GB, $ 599 8 GB
That I love: almost everything, but especially at the phone/contacts interface, iPod/music functionality, as well as a sneak preview
That satisfactory: search (e.g., email); some mistakes to be corrected (especially card failure problems and mailbox folders; needs some games (mother and not through Internet); another phone carriers need support; needs 3 g support
