Thursday, November 15, 2007

iPhone Redux


Now that I've had the iPhone for over a month, here's my review:

Pros -
Touch screen gets the job done, keyboard is easy to use and novices can master it quickly
Google Maps + traffic feature has saved me tons of time
Seamless picture to email functionality
Calls are great, speaker phone is great
Web surfing is incredible - surfing with the touchscreen is a whole new world
Data plan is cheap ($20/month)
Text messages are stored like IM's - you can see your text history like an IM conversation
Email client for POP3 (gmail, yahoo mail) is slick, works really well
Viewing pics and videos is amazing - sharing pictures on the spot has become my new hobby...
Contact list is very cool - best integration I have ever seen.

Cons that are permanent -
Camera could be better (flash, zoom)
EDGE data speed can crawl sometimes- forget about streaming videos outside of WiFi, but EDGE is bearable for low-content web surfing
Battery life is short (2 days for me), but that is to be expected with such a large screen.
Fixed 4GB/8GB memory - I only use 3 GB, so this is not an issue for me, but would be for Susan...

Cons that could be fixed with a firmware update:
No Bluetooth stereo music support- can't send music over Bluetooth connection to car radio
No multi-media messaging (pictures, video, music)
No support (or security) for corporate email
No Office Apps (word processor, spread sheet, powerpoint reader, etc.)

Overall - if the firmware updates (above) are made, the iPhone instantly becomes a laptop replacement. But even without, it is worth every penny.

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