Do you like your iPhone?

[dmw16]

I am pondering buying an iPhone. I am still under contract with Verizon, and would at least initially only use the iPhone for text, email, web surfing, etc.

Sometimes I buy tech gadgets and then regret it and I bet there are others on here who have bought tech toys then wish they hadn't.

So if you have an iPhone tell me what you think? Web surfing speed, general usefulness, and so on.

 

[Kmax82]

I don't have an iPhone, but I do have the iPod Touch, and I have used my friend's iPhone. I would say, hold off buying one until June. Mainly because you will probably get a better phone for cheap (if you can wait). You will either get a newer model for the same price as now, or one of the current models for cheaper. This is what I'm doing.

I think that the phone is completely worth it. Just the little bit of time I've had with my iPod Touch, I'm totally and utterly in love. This is one of the greatest devices that I have used, in a long time. I know that's a lot of praise to heap on something. But it really is an amazing device!

Usefullness - you can't sync "Notes", which is annoying, but you can sync bookmarks, iCal events, photos, etc... and that makes for a wonderful experience. I get a call (on my non iPhone) and I can use my Touch to type the event into iCal right there without having to run over to my computer. Especially useful when you are out and about, and then when you get back to your computer it will sync back with your Mac. Email is right at your fingertips, photos and so on. I have used my Touch to show photos to family numerous times over the last two weeks that I have owned the device.

Web surfing speed - This is quite slow. For instance, I went to Engadget and it took about 10-15 secs to load to a point to where I could surf on it. So depending on the app, it might be just too slow for typical web use. It is nice to have, though, when you just need to get to the web and have no other means of doing so.

I'm sure others have greater ways of expanding on the extensibility of the iPhone, but those are the uses that have been of greatest importance to me.

 

[aphex]

I've always been one to upgrade my cell phone every 3-5 months. I've purchased an array of phones from thin and light, to powerful smartphones. All of them I found things to like and things I didn't like, but eventually found something else "better" and I upgraded. I usually went through 4 different phones a year for nearly the past 3-4 years.

The iPhone, without a doubt, has cured me from this "upgrade-itis". It is everything I want and need in a cell phone, combined with a uber-slick interface. As a result I could not be happier.

Sure it doesn't do everything other smartphones can, but for me and my purposes, it is perfect.

 

[Tyranicus]

I just bought an iPhone today, and I'm in love. Seriously, this is the best phone I have ever used. If you can afford it, the iPhone is (in my opinion) your best option.

 

[Kaido]

It's cool but it does have it's drawbacks:

1. No 3G Yet. Hopefully this will be be upgraded in June or else later this year. EDGE is pretty slow and depends on your network reception.

2. AT&T reception is poor. At least in my area. 5 bars outside, zero bars inside. Coverage is spotty; talk to other AT&T owners. My bars fluctuate constantly; this problem isn't limited to me because my wifes iPhone does it too.

3. Useless speakerphone. The speakerphone is underpowered and is completely useless in a loud environment such as a car. You can solve this by getting a wired or Bluetooth headset, but it's not a quick thing to connect hands-free in your car while driving if your headset wasn't previously tethered to your phone.

4. Recessed headphone jack. This means that most headphone cables won't fit and you have to buy a dumb adapter. Minor nitpick but annoying.


I can go on and on about the great features...

1. Multi-alarm clock (replaces my morning alarm, various alarms throughout the day, laundry switch alarm, etc.)

2. Best. Email. Ever.

3. Fabulous, huge touchscreen. Great colors, DVD rips look fantastic, multitouch is amazing.

4. Really easy access to contacts.

5. Great SMS system

6. Great iPod

7. Lots of hacked programs available (iFlix, MxTube, etc.)

8. Handy RSS system

etc. etc. etc.

If you can live with goofy reception (depending on your area) and don't need a speakerphone, then it's a pretty awesome phone. I love it; the only reason I would upgrade is for 3G.

 

[ric1287]

if you are not used to 3g speeds, then you will be fine.

I went (or tried to) from a Blackjack w/ 3g to the 28.k modem on the iPhone, and it was reason enough for me to sell it.

I will however say that once they include 3g & REAL gps, i'll be all over one.

 

[Kmax82]

I have a question for you iPhone users... when using Mail.app on the iPhone, can you set it up to vibrate when you receive new mail? I'd assume this is a standard function since the Blackberry's that I have seen all can do this. I'm just curious. I'm waiting until June to buy one, but just thought of this the other day.

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: Kmax82
I have a question for you iPhone users... when using Mail.app on the iPhone, can you set it up to vibrate when you receive new mail? I'd assume this is a standard function since the Blackberry's that I have seen all can do this. I'm just curious. I'm waiting until June to buy one, but just thought of this the other day.

Yep, it vibrates when you receive mail. However, it doesn't keep vibrating every few minutes until you check it, only when its first received.

 

[Kadarin]

Originally posted by: aphex

Originally posted by: Kmax82
I have a question for you iPhone users... when using Mail.app on the iPhone, can you set it up to vibrate when you receive new mail? I'd assume this is a standard function since the Blackberry's that I have seen all can do this. I'm just curious. I'm waiting until June to buy one, but just thought of this the other day.

Yep, it vibrates when you receive mail. However, it doesn't keep vibrating every few minutes until you check it, only when its first received.

Only when first received.

 

[Kmax82]

Originally posted by: aphex

Originally posted by: Kmax82
I have a question for you iPhone users... when using Mail.app on the iPhone, can you set it up to vibrate when you receive new mail? I'd assume this is a standard function since the Blackberry's that I have seen all can do this. I'm just curious. I'm waiting until June to buy one, but just thought of this the other day.

Yep, it vibrates when you receive mail. However, it doesn't keep vibrating every few minutes until you check it, only when its first received.

Oh... well that's enough. That's something I would like my Touch to do, but realize there's not a real purpose for a vibrating motor in the Touch other than for alerts, like Mail. It might come in handy for games for like a force feedback, though.

 

[dnuggett]

Originally posted by: ric1287
if you are not used to 3g speeds, then you will be fine.

I went (or tried to) from a Blackjack w/ 3g to the 28.k modem on the iPhone, and it was reason enough for me to sell it.

I will however say that once they include 3g & REAL gps, i'll be all over one.

The "modem" on the iPhone is not 28k. Speeds are about 100kpbs.

While I freely admit there is some slowness, it really isn't all that bad. The interface easily outweighs the slowness. I have a 3G Tilt that I would never use for browsing, the browser is horrid. I regularly surf using the iPhone.

 

[fatdragondzc]

Where are some places to get 3rd party apps after jailbreaking an iphone?

 

[Tyranicus]

This site has a lot of iPhone apps.

 

[DnetMHZ]

By far the most useful phone I've ever owned. I, like you, have purchased several smartphones, PDAs, etc, etc, and they end up collecting dust.
The iPhone is the first one I actually USE every day and I couldn't force my self to ever go back to a "regular" phone. The interface is fantastic and I still enjoy using the device after several months of owning it.

Not to mention the seamless integration with my Mac calendar, address book, iTunes, etc.

 

[torpid]

Best phone I've owned. I don't have 3g coverage in my area anyway due to a contractual dispute between AT&T and the local Wi-Fi group (no idea how that works). I bought one before June because I had a narrow opportunity to break contract with verizon due to text messaging rate increases.

There are only two major drawbacks... no flash support and no copy/paste.

Unlike Kaido I get significantly better reception everywhere except out in the country roads. I used to get 0-1 bar in my office, now I get full 5 bars. Similarly, I like the speakerphone because callers often can't even tell I'm on it. It is maybe bad in crowded rooms, but I wouldn't use a speakerphone in that case anyway.