Apple's iPhone: an initial (but in-depth) review

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Comments

  • Reply 41 of 94
    sabonsabon Posts: 134member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by noirdesir View Post


    Good ideas. As additional shortcuts, maybe pinching for cutting, copying and pasting could be used. Your method of selecting but then negative pinching (moving your fingers together) could be used for cutting and positive pinching for copying and pasting.



    Drool. Just think of how they could do this --visually--. Watching text squish together and disappear ...
  • Reply 42 of 94
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,408member
    Has anyone figured out whether/how "On The Go" playlists work on the iPhone? I seem to be unable to figure it out.... gosh, that would be a serious bummer for me if it wasn't there....... esp. with a long foreign trip coming up next week. \
  • Reply 43 of 94
    morbomorbo Posts: 7member
    Wow! This is easily the best review yet on the iPhone - particularly in the understanding and discussion of Apple's design decisions. Excellent job!!
  • Reply 44 of 94
    sabonsabon Posts: 134member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post


    Has anyone figured out whether/how "On The Go" playlists work on the iPhone? I seem to be unable to figure it out.... gosh, that would be a serious bummer for me if it wasn't there....... esp. with a long foreign trip coming up next week. \



    Yes - one of the training vidios on Apple's website tells all about this. I can't remember which one but go to Apple, click on iPhone, and look for the iPod part of the training videos.
  • Reply 45 of 94
    sabonsabon Posts: 134member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by rjstanford View Post


    One feature that's almost worth the entire price for me (and there are many) is visual voicemail. Not so much the random-access portion, although that's wonderful, but the simple controls. You check your voicemail by touching the entry, after which it starts playing. Immediately. No voice prompts of any kind whatsoever. To delete it, you hit the "Delete," key. Wow. Simple, yet revolutionary.



    As for the network - I know several people with "3G" phones. Even ignoring issues with crashing and browser L&F, and just looking at the network, I will admit that its a lot faster.



    When it works.



    And that's the catch. The iPhone is a true pleasure to use on a WiFi network, even to the point where I won't walk into the other room to surf something quickly if I just need a piece of information (like a movie time). Its that good. But more to the point, I have yet to find anywhere, even in places where other people's 3G phones have died off from lack of signal, where EDGE didn't work consistently.



    So that's the key, IMO anyway. Great performance 90% of the time (or more), and damn near total availability the rest of the time. I'll take that over identically great performance 90% of the time and somewhat better performance for 5% of the time, if it means absolutely no connectivity the other 5%.





    I don't have one yet but am working with my Chief Financial Office (a.k.a. wife) about getting one. The biggest reason for waiting? Still a year left on Verizon.



    For me the list of what I wouldn't be using is quite short. What isn't there to like of what it currently actually has?
  • Reply 46 of 94
    One feature that's almost worth the entire price for me (and there are many) is visual voicemail. Not so much the random-access portion, although that's wonderful, but the simple controls. You check your voicemail by touching the entry, after which it starts playing. Immediately. No voice prompts of any kind whatsoever. To delete it, you hit the "Delete," key. Wow. Simple, yet revolutionary.



    As for the network - I know several people with "3G" phones. Even ignoring issues with crashing and browser L&F, and just looking at the network, I will admit that its a lot faster.



    When it works.



    And that's the catch. The iPhone is a true pleasure to use on a WiFi network, even to the point where I won't walk into the other room to surf something quickly if I just need a piece of information (like a movie time). Its that good. But more to the point, I have yet to find anywhere, even in places where other people's 3G phones have died off from lack of signal, where EDGE didn't work consistently.



    So that's the key, IMO anyway. Great performance 90% of the time (or more), and damn near total availability the rest of the time. I'll take that over identically great performance 90% of the time and somewhat better performance for 5% of the time, if it means absolutely no connectivity the other 5%.
  • Reply 47 of 94
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Damn! I've never read so many glowing remarks about an AI article. Mr. Eran should ask for more money.
  • Reply 48 of 94
    sabonsabon Posts: 134member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Damn! I've never read so many glowing remarks about an AI article. Mr. Eran should ask for more money.



    That's because most articles aren't very good.
  • Reply 49 of 94
    amoryaamorya Posts: 1,103member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ajhill View Post


    Dude! Your email is taking more than a day to get to it's recipient? It's time to get a new provider. My worst lag time is in the order of seconds.



    Or new friends. Most of mine don't check more than once or twice a day



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post


    I think when you start to use the email interface on the iPhone (I have it set up for .Mac, Gmail, and Yahoo, and all are similar), you'll see that this is a non-issue -- both SMS and email access and responses are equally intuitive and easy.



    If everyone had an iphone, maybe...



    Even then, I think I would not want to check my email so often, because of the sheer volume I get. I get fewer SMSs, so can read them immediately.



    It seems to me that the "just use email" line (used when complaints are made about missing MMS, long SMS, bluetooth file transfer or whatever) is the sign of an Apple apologist. If I was to use email for all communication needs on the iphone, it would be possible, but would cause me a great deal of annoyance. I can imagine the scornful looks of a motorola owner: "Your phone won't receive bluetooth messages?" If Apple truly had a better paradigm it might be different, but they don't: I'd have to change the behaviour of all my friends if email was to be a useful phone function.
  • Reply 50 of 94
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    I reached in my pocket to get out my iPhone and felt a sharp sting. I then noticed a small cut on my finger which started to bleed. On inspection of the iPhone I realized that the edge around the headphone jack is razor sharp. It shaved off a nice piece of skin which was lodged inside the jack. Ouch!



    m
  • Reply 51 of 94
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    I reached in my pocket to get out my iPhone and felt a sharp sting. I then noticed a small cut on my finger which started to bleed. On inspection of the iPhone I realized that the edge around the headphone jack is razor sharp. It shaved off a nice piece of skin which was lodged inside the jack. Ouch!



    m



    Perhaps you bought a RAZR by mistake?













    Sorry, it was terrible, I know, but it had to be done.
  • Reply 52 of 94
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Engine Joe View Post


    Perhaps you bought a RAZR by mistake?:



    good one



    iPhone is bleeding edge



    Actually, I need to do something about it. I suppose I could file in down or something. It is REALLY sharp all the way around that opening.
  • Reply 53 of 94
    garytgaryt Posts: 2member
    ..just a note about the car integration.



    I was able to pair the iPhone with my cars entertainment system (Mercedes). I can make and receive calls without a problem. Also got a very nice ring tone (different from my Razr).



    However, the contact list is not transmitted. So calls have to be initiated from the cars keypad or from the iPhone - if it is not in my brief case.



    Surely not perfect, but workable.



    Gary



    P.S.

    Biggest iPhone flaws: No Cut & paste and no synchronizing Note Pad !
  • Reply 54 of 94
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,822member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Engine Joe View Post


    Perhaps you bought a RAZR by mistake?













    Sorry, it was terrible, I know, but it had to be done.



    ROFL
  • Reply 55 of 94
    noirdesirnoirdesir Posts: 1,027member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ajhill View Post


    Dude! Your email is taking more than a day to get to it's recipient? It's time to get a new provider. My worst lag time is in the order of seconds.



    As several others have pointed out, the issue is that people don't check their e-mail every ten minutes.



    I even occasionally sent out SMS, asking people to check their e-mail.
  • Reply 56 of 94
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by noirdesir View Post


    As several others have pointed out, the issue is that people don't check their e-mail every ten minutes.



    I even occasionally sent out SMS, asking people to check their e-mail.



    Recieving:

    1) Get a free Yahoo account

    2) Forward email to Yahoo account



    Sending:

    1) Open up Mail

    2) Type phonenumber @ their.carrier.com or hose from contacts in the reply field.



    I've heard of some people claiming it never works but I've had no trouble sending emails to SMS enabled cell phones.



    This of course doesn't work with phones that don't support any real email program. SMS is obsolescing. I hope it dies sooner rather than later.
  • Reply 57 of 94
    ak1808ak1808 Posts: 108member
    Thank you.
  • Reply 58 of 94
    amoryaamorya Posts: 1,103member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    This of course doesn't work with phones that don't support any real email program. SMS is obsolescing. I hope it dies sooner rather than later.



    I don't.



    Any alternative to SMS that has been proposed results in more work for me. I don't want more work.



    Why should I remember which network my friends are on? I have lots of friends, and have no other need for this information.
  • Reply 59 of 94
    It seems abundantly clear to me how to solve the copy and past problem. Apple already has a gesture to accomplish dragging. For years (even before the multi-touch track-pads) Apple has provided the tap-tap-and-slide method. If you double-tap the track pad without releasing your finger the second time it initiates a drag. This is very useful and is pretty much the only way I select text on my MacBook. This easily translates into the user interface in iPhone. You should be able to tap-tap-and slide on text to initiate a drag (most likely for whole words because letter precision would be pretty hard - although the mag-glassing might solve this) then a menu should pop up to copy, cut, or move. I hope to see this come as a software update pretty soon.
  • Reply 60 of 94
    noirdesirnoirdesir Posts: 1,027member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Recieving:

    1) Get a free Yahoo account

    2) Forward email to Yahoo account



    Sending:

    1) Open up Mail

    2) Type phonenumber @ their.carrier.com or hose from contacts in the reply field.



    I've heard of some people claiming it never works but I've had no trouble sending emails to SMS enabled cell phones.



    This of course doesn't work with phones that don't support any real email program. SMS is obsolescing. I hope it dies sooner rather than later.



    Sure, if all phones were to handle e-mail as easily (including push) as SMS, e-mail could replace SMS. Except for the problem of spam. SMS almost always cost money. That cuts down the spam a lot. If I get spam via SMS it is in 99.9% of all cases from my wireless provider itself (who does not have to pay for spam).
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