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Review: Apple's New iPhone
Apple iPhone
Although the hype has died down, for most of the past month, you could not turn to any print or broadcast media outlet and not hear something about Apple’s debut into the wireless phone arena, the iPhone. By now, you’re probably familiar with most of its capabilities: you can browse Web sites, send and receive email, listen to MP3s with its built-in iPod, watch videos from YouTube … and oh yeah, you can place and receive phone calls. Based on the pre-sales hype, thousands of people camped out for hours, if not days, in front of Apple Stores and AT&T stores around the country for the privilege of being some of the first to own and use the new device. Despite it’s steep price: $499 for the 4 GB model and $599 for the 8 GB iPhone, plus a two-year commitment to AT&T at a minimum rate plan of $59.98. Since news reports have, for most part, described the
features of the iPhone, I won’t waste space with a feature “rehash.”
However, if you’re considering whether to take the plunge, what I offer here
is a list of what I like and don’t like about the iPhone. And while
no new piece of technology is without its flaws, I want you Superlative
readers to be aware of known bugs in the iPhone … most, if not all,
of which should be fixed in the future with free updates. What I Like About the iPhone 1. Given that Apple calls it the “iPhone,” I should start off with what should be its primary feature – the call sound quality with the iPhone on AT&T is very good, on both ends of the conversation. Either by holding the handset to your ear or using the included earphones with built-in mike, both you and the caller sound great. Although a phone call using a wireless Bluetooth headset produces static and broken transmission on both ends, that’s a result of the wireless Bluetooth technology, rather than the iPhone itself or AT&T. I should mention that, despite the fact that I love the sound quality of phone calls on the iPhone, later on I will tell you something that I don’t like about phone calls. 2. The iPhone’s Safari web browser is the best web experience I have ever used on any wireless handset. Web sites appear on the iPhone in almost the same way as they would on your desktop (the iPhone does not yet support Flash objects in web sites). And unlike most web browsers in wireless phones, you can se the full page, then zoom in on a specific area of the page, and scroll around, by using your finger as you would a mouse. Although AT&T’s wireless “EDGE” internet connection can be slow at times (at 100Kbits per second, it’s 1/5 the speed of broadband, but still twice the speed of dial-up internet), I haven’t found the speed painful to deal with. But if you’re near a wireless hot spot or have wireless internet at home, the web surfing experience is just as good!
3. I actually like the phone activation process, which requires you to set up your service with AT&T from iTunes on your PC at home or work. Although most salespeople can be trusted, when I have set up phone service at stores in the past, I’ve felt funny saying “out loud” my private credit information, in front of other customers and assorted passersby. With the iPhone, you fire up iTunes, plug in the handset, and then iTunes lets you type in your credit information; the credit check and account activation is all done from your own PC. And during iTunes activation, you can even port your old wireless or landline number at your PC. Your number is usually moved to the iPhone within a day, but can take longer, especially if you’re moving your old landline number. 4. For all functions, I love the large, bright, crisp screen on the iPhone. Photos and videos look wonderful; iPhone on-screen components are large for most to easily navigate and use. 5. Current video iPods and first-generation iPod Nanos are notorious for having faceplates that are easilt scratched; even just by putting it in a “protective” case. Or even by wiping off dust and fingerprints. These iPods created a huge demand in the accessories market for “screen protectors.” Because the face is made of a hardened glass, the
iPhone’s screen eliminates the need for scratch protection … in fact,
you really don’t need a case for it (if scratches are your concern).
Demonstrations have shown that keys won’t scratch the screen. However, I
would recommend some sort of iPhone case if you wanted to clip it on
your belt, or stow it in your bag. What I Don’t Like About the iPhone 1. Although this complaint is more toward AT&T’s wireless service and not the iPhone itself, I still included it since Apple has “bound” the iPhone to AT&T. Despite my praise for the sound quality – and in spite of the AT&T ads claiming “the fewest dropped calls” – I’ve had more dropped calls and loss-of-service with the iPhone and AT&T than I have with any other carrier. Since 2002 I’ve used Verizon Wireless, and even now I use T-Mobile. In those five years I’ve lost only one call. In the two weeks that I’ve used AT&T, I’ve had at least 15 dropped calls. And when I haven’t been “on a call,” I frequently see wireless signal strength get totally lost; then back to normal two minutes later. Some of you may respond (reasonably so) that I can’t expect “perfect coverage” everywhere I go. Here’s the problem: I have noticed this behavior in my home … in the heart of downtown Boston; and I live 500 yards from an AT&T wireless tower. 2. Just like all iterations of the iPod line, the iPhone has a built-in, sealed battery that cannot be removed. Which means that, if your battery dies in the middle of the day, you can’t swap in a spare, fully-charged battery. You need to plug your iPhone in an outlet or a PC (which will power the handset for conversation), or wait until the battery is fully charged again; a minimum wait time of three hours if the battery is totally dead While I’ve never understood why Apple didn’t design iPods with replaceable batteries, it’s not a big issue; iPods are “leisure” devices. A phone is different. Sometimes you’re not near a handy AC outlet, or a PC with USB ports. Despite your iPhone battery being permanently “imprisoned” … if you’re worried about your phone becoming useless when you battery can no longer be charged, fear not. Apple announced an iPhone battery replacement program which costs $85.00. At the very least, now your iPhone won’t turn into a 4 GB “doorstop” upon battery failure. 3. Before I voice this “complaint,” let me remind you of one feature of the iPhone: it has an iPod built in. Having said that: the iPhone does not allow the user to select MP3s to use as phone “ringtones.” On the iPhone you can assign photos to each of your Contacts; and, you can assign a ringtone which plays when that contact calls you. However, you can select only one of 27 Apple-selected tones. What’s interesting is this: when the iPhone was introduced earlier this year, the demo showed a version of iTunes running which showed a ringtone “functionality.” This iTunes feature is not in the current version. So custom ringtones may be in the iPhone’s future. It’s just not there now. 4. If you’re an audiophile, and own a top-of-the-line set of earphones which you use for your portable audio player, they will probably be unusable on the iPhone. The iPhone’s earphone jack is “recessed”; which means that only earphones with the thinnest plug will fit properly.
The picture on the left shows a close up of the earphone jack. You will notice that the iPhone chassis is a few millimeters above the edge of the jack. Since it’s a narrow hole, many – if not most – wide earphone plugs just won’t fit. I have heard of many iPhone users who have “shaved” the excess plastic off their earphone plugs so they will fit. In addition, you can now purchase jack “extenders” for $10.00 which will allow any size plug to be used on an iPhone. Personally, I do not recommend these jack extenders. The excess wire and the weight puts a strain on the main jack itself. In similar circumstances over the years, I’ve found that that stress on the jack results in audio failure. Sometimes the wires under the main jack come loose as a result. Sometimes the jack leads come out of alignment due to that same stress. 5. While many report no problems, there are thousands of reports – my own unit included – that the iPhone speakerphone feature is barely audible. My own testing, as well as these same “thousands” of reports, show that, on speakerphone, we sound great from the other end of the call. But again, an iPhone user can barely hear the person that he/she is calling. Whether or not this is a “bug” is not yet known. Given the audio behavior of other iPhone functions, some believe that this problem can be fixed with a software update; especially since many others are happy with the sound quality of the speakerphone. 6. With the exception of the connection / power cords, almost all "feature accessories" for previous iPods will not work with the iPhone. Of primary interest to me is the Nike+ iPod Sport Kit (click here to read a preview on the Sport Kit by Laura Herald). Since I spend two hours each day on the treadmill, the Nike+ Sport Kit and my iPod Nano are a daily tool in my life. If the Sport Kit worked with the iPhone, I could have my iPod and mobile phone with me during my workouts. Sadly, that's not "to be". I have confirmed firsthand that, in addition to the
Sport Kit, the iPod Camera Connector and the iPod Radio Remote
will not work with the iPhone. In addition, I have also heard reports that
many other third-party iPod accessories (especially iPod car radio
connectors) are also incompatible with the iPhone. The Superlative Opinion I am happy to admit it: it’s been a pleasure using the iPhone. It really is nice to have a pocket-sized device that allows you to surf the Web as it was designed to be “seen.” And if weren’t for the dropped calls and frequent “loss of service” (even in major cities), conversations were loud and clear. Interestingly, I’ve found myself watching more videos on the iPhone than I did on my 60 GB video iPod; I think that’s because I can now watch widescreen videos in real widescreen. Living in Boston, I haven’t encountered the “drool” factor: people gawking over the fact that I have an iPhone. However, I know someone in Western Tennessee whose iPhone is the center of everyone’s attention! Is it worth the steep price -- and the two year commitment to AT&T? Had there not been
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