iPhone Questions for Early Adopters

[arn]

Website Compatiblity

Meebo.com
MacRumors.com
Google Spreadsheet
Google Docs
How does it (not) handle Flash?
Any other websites?

General Feel/Use

Other language options?
Stable? any crashes?
Startup time?
Instalock work? does it easily get triggered?
Can keychains be synced with your Mac?
Screen seem scratchable?
Speaker quality?
Background noise with headphones/mic?
How is using the virtual keyboard?
How was the installation experience with importing all the stuff
How easy is it to set up mail, contacts etc.
Do you have any scratches or smudges yet?
How's the screen in the sun?
How good is the multitouch?
Does it support foreign language SMS, email and webpage?
Can the keyboard switch between qwerty and alpha numeric when typing? like on the wii?

Network

EDGE bearable? Benchmarks?
Which WIFI Encryption is supported?
How well does it find signals?
For the super fast cell phone texters, can the keypad keep up with quick presses of keys, or is there a laggy delay before the input is displayed? If you've ever used a Motorola Razr, you're familiar with this lagginess.
Exchange support?
Zoom algorithm in Safari?
Can you save websites for later view?
Left or right hand issues?

Form Factor

How does it feel in your hands, slippery, easily droppable?
Interface?
Can you input text in landscape mode? (only in safari)

Comparisons

If you had service higher in oomph than EDGE (like 3g), can you say how slow it is in comparison? Jump off a building level, or tolerable?

Battery

How long does it take to charge?
How is battery life?
How much does it drain battery life if your mail is checking every 5 minutes?

Accessories

Does the iPhone offer compatibility with Nike + iPod?
Handsfree kit work?
Usable under an invisibileShield or other screen protector?
Voice headset?
Speakers?
Does the iPhone's Bluetooth support A2DP? - for stereo bluetooth headphones?
Dock, Car Adapter?
Bluetooth kb or mouse?
Other accessories?

Data / Sync

Can the iPhone data connection settings be modified so that it can be connected to other mobile service provider?
Does the iPhone work as a regular wireless modem (just like my current Nokia 6350 does)? i.e. can I connect to the iPhone via bluetooth and browse the web on my MBP?
Dial Up Networking?
Can you download files?
Sync over internet via .Mac?
Bonjour support?
Can you access other computers on the wifi network?
Sync with Hotmail?
How does Notes sync? Where to?
Can you download/sync voicemail?

Documents

What attachments can mail display?
Can it read/display PDF documents?

Music

Can you listen to music on speaker?

Calendar/Alarm

Data Entry?
Can one set repeating alarms?
- And for weekdays only?

Financial / Contract

Are you contractually obligated to features or a particular plan, or can they be changed whenever?
Will Apple Care be available as insurance against damage. If so, how much will it cost?
Any insurance?
Did you get any discounts like military, student, or employer discounts? (And if so, how much and what employer, as well as what proof did they require?)
Which additional features (text messaging, if not included, data plan if separate and optional, insurance if offered, etc) did you choose?

Tweaking

How much free space is there on 4GB or 8GB?
Can you turn the accelerometer off?
Video out through the headphone jack?
Can you use iPhone as bluetooth remote?
Can it Print?
Terminal? SSH?
Will it boot without the SIM card? any functionality?
Can you record phone conversations?

[natallica]

I'd like to know about the push e-mail and how well it works. I can't abandon my BlackBerry until I know that I can still get my business e-mail right away.

Thanks and I'm jealous of all of you early adopters! :-)

-- N

[hob]

What happens with GMail? Do you have to go through the web browser or does it integrate properly into the email client?

Cheers

[Project]

does read/unread status of emails in the Mail app sync with those on Mail.app? Or do they work in silo?

[kristoffer4]

How is SMS on it?
Because I see that you have to change the keyboard to do a punctionation...which seems a little silly.

[Virtualball]

Ringtones?

[myjellyass]

Guys, you've already had a chance to contribute questions. Any chance we could keep this space for answering the above questions rather than turning it into a big brawl with people throwing questions around cluelessly? Thanks.

[tyronesmith]

First of all congrats to the early adopters!!

Anyway, I would love to get the phone but before I jump on the boat, I would like to make sure it displays Japanese text fine.
Could you someone try and access the any of the following sites and see if iPhone displays Japanese text.

http://www.asahi.com
http://www.yahoo.co.jp

Also, I have heard A2DP support for Bluetooth is crippled. I would like to see if that is true.

[Voidness]

I'd like to know if there's any form of file management or a file explorer, some sort of Finder.

Also, I wonder how it handles languages other than English. I'm particularly interested in Arabic, so can someone post a photo of this website, which tests unicode support in web browsers:

http://www.madore.org/~david/misc/unitest/

[lilmoonee]

What does it do/display when a non AT&T SIM card is inserted (eg is there an option to put an unlock code in?)

thanks guys...have fun with your new toy!

[B2O]

Originally Posted by hob

What happens with GMail? Do you have to go through the web browser or does it integrate properly into the email client?

gmail allows the use of pop3 so any email client capable of this functionality will be gmail compatible, including the iphone.

[joeshell383]

When someone calls you from a different area code does it show where they're calling from (ex. state name or city name, state name)? I know Sprint has a feature like that.

[Mykbibby]

That's a very mixed review...would you say the iPhone is worth buying now, or should you wait till version 2?

[Chip NoVaMac]

Originally Posted by Mykbibby

That's a very mixed review...would you say the iPhone is worth buying now, or should you wait till version 2?

My take is for those that are in need of a new phone, or are wanting to switch to AT&T - the iPhone is a buy. I am coming away from the Treo 650. Never used half of the PIM capabilities of the Treo. I used it mainly for email checking and VERY occasional web browsing - along with syncing with iCal and Address book (only when I was willing to put up with the small screen size and resolution). I am still working my way through the iPhone, but is everything that I needed in a phone and basic PIM so far.

The good: a smart interface, very easy to read screen; call quality is good, have tones of friends/associates on the AT&T networks (so free mobile-to-mobile minutes); EDGE speed seems bearable (look for PDA/WAP sites for faster download times); very nice scrolling (made setting calendar appointments very easy); battery life seems to be decent (used mine today after its second "full charge" and used it only for browsing on the Edge and my own wifi networks and an hour of iTunes listening, it is showing 3 hours of use, with standby of 1 day - concern here is that I have used 1.8mb sent and 22.7mb received data on edge (hope the AT&T "police" don't hit me up with some big fine soon down the road - will have to checkout if there is a setting like in VersaMail on the Treo that can selectively down load attachments in the mail app); good news seems to be that you can change features/plans at any time - I added the nights and weekends starting at 7PM

The bad (some are subjective): had only one small "crash" (happened when connected to my iMac- wasn't doing a sync) and removing the iPhone from my iTunes allowed the iPhone to instantly wake up again; can't rotate the iPhone to landscape to take advantage of the larger keyboard except in the Safari mode (as easy as scrolling is, I would like this option); the screen does smudge - but I wear glasses so I always have a microfiber cloth with me - I prefer the Spudz cloths since they bunch up in a "pouch" and can clip to what ever (http://www.alpineproducts.com/products/Spudz.php) is handy; the camera at 2mp is just passable so far for me compared to other cell phone cameras

The ugly: So far none for me, don't regret the purchase

Somethings I would like: a Camera Connector compatible with the iPhone (on my last two trips I traveled only with P&S cameras, and it was nice to send emails from my PB 12" - now a MB 13" - to friends/associates during my travels); to know where the iPhone Notes app files are stored on my iMac, and how I can create notes on my iMac to send to my iPhone; the ability to have a folder on the iPhone, so that I could readily view Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, and PDF's without sending them to my mailbox and organizing them for later viewing (something I do miss from my Treo); the ability to use my iTunes library as possible ringtones (without an extra charge)

Fantasy (at this point) things I would want: user interchangeable batteries; GPS built in (I have read the Apple response to the issue about battery life - I accept that - hope things will change in that regard with version 2 of the iPhone); the ability to tether the iPhone to my MB on rare occasions that the iPhone won't do without extra surcharge (I know this is more of an AT&T thing than Apple); lacking a Camera Connector having an SD slot would be nice

BTW I tried the MacRumors WAP site today and only got HTML code....

Originally Posted by segfaultdotorg

I'm a bit perplexed by this. If the display is locked, and you have the thing in your pocket or a backpack, it seems like it would be easy for the switch to inadvertently get bumped, making the phone ring out loud when you don't intend for it to. Am I right on this, or is the switch locked out if the screen is locked?

Not so far in the Griffen elan SNAP-IN case

Originally Posted by oliversl

I'm most interested in the flash issue? Does safari has it?
Many Web 2.0 depends on Flash

Tried to use the SpeakEasy website and it said I did not have the right Flash available

Originally Posted by CaptainHaddock

Gosh, I really hope they don't fragment the iPhone OS into regional varieties, like those that have plagued Windows forever. When the Japanese-compatible iPhone arrives, there should be a software update that enables it on all iPhones.

Speaking of Japan, proper language support could be a killer feature. There are tons of immigrants needing a phone that handles Korean, Chinese, or Portuguese as well as Japanese, but all the offerings I've seen, including my own phone, are Japanese-only (sometimes with some half-assed English support too). I imagine that in the rest of Southeast Asia, the usefulness of a multilingual smart-phone is even greater.

My guess it will have to wait till the 16/32GB iPhones to come out in a year or two.... perhaps with version 2 with a better processor to handle multiple languages at the same time

Originally Posted by chillywilly

This was the answer I was looking for. Thank you.

For some of us, the ability to use the SIM card in another phone is attractive. I am now hoping that a co-worker will want the RZar2, in order get his RZar cheap as a back-up if I have to send in my iPhone for service or a battery replacement...

Originally Posted by Rojo

How easy (or difficult) is it to take self-pics? Not the "stand in the mirror" variety where you see the camera in the picture (always thought that was kind of tacky) -- but the "extend the camera far away and point it back" kind (which at worst gets an arm in the pic, unless you're an expert like me)

If the button to press is on the screen, I'd assume this is rather difficult?

The iPhone lacks the fish-eyed "mirror" that many camera phones have so one can take self-pics. The one thing I will say is that the camera function seems slower on the pic taking than on my Treo 650. It may have to do with the cutesy aperture thing....

[texasmafia]

I'm in a hurry to go eat with some friends but I have an iPhone in my hand and it is AMAZING!!! I'll answer more questions later but my first impression is that it meets and even surpasses my expectations.

[avah12]

Originally Posted by joeshell383

When someone calls you from a different area code does it show where they're calling from (ex. state name or city name, state name)? I know Sprint has a feature like that.

Not sure if this was already answered but it does indeed show the city they are calling from. Don't remember if its when they are calling or afterwards when you see the details of a missed call. But regardless, it only happens for people who are not in the address book.

[MR MIDWAY]

QUESTION?
can anyone tell me what the icon to the left of the blue tooth icon is? it looks to me like an old fashioned phone receiver on top of two small rows of squares the first row has 4 2nd row has 3 squares and what it represents, i cannot find reference to it any where.
thanks

found the answer i had my tty in the on position in my settings

[Nall]

Originally Posted by arn

Are you contractually obligated to features or a particular plan, or can they be changed whenever?

A note on this. At the local store, atleast for existing Cingular customers, you just paid for the phone and they'd ship it to you. You didn't do anything with a plan instore, but apparently your 2 year contract gets reset. Doesn't matter if you just bought a subsidized phone 3 days ago.

Originally Posted by Mykbibby

This is getting ridiculous. Stop getting off topic with your posting! The only posts on this page should be answers to the questions. And if you didn't do your iPhone research, please don't ask questions we already know the answer to! Just don't post unless your answering a question!

Hey, some of us have questions that may be relevant to our day-to-day use. A lot of details up to this point haven't been verified, and the APPLE EMPLOYEE at the local AT&T couldn't answer any of my questions except one about the SIM card, and apparently his answer (that the SIM card is not removable) is DEAD wrong.

[blindzero]

anyone else having issues with their wifi? i have all the settings the same as my macbook but nothing...i'm using wep64 bit on my router.

[segfaultdotorg]

I'm a bit perplexed by this. If the display is locked, and you have the thing in your pocket or a backpack, it seems like it would be easy for the switch to inadvertently get bumped, making the phone ring out loud when you don't intend for it to. Am I right on this, or is the switch locked out if the screen is locked?

[JPyre]

Originally Posted by segfaultdotorg

I'm a bit perplexed by this. If the display is locked, and you have the thing in your pocket or a backpack, it seems like it would be easy for the switch to inadvertently get bumped, making the phone ring out loud when you don't intend for it to. Am I right on this, or is the switch locked out if the screen is locked?

The vibe/switch is actually kinda hard to switch, a woman might break a nail, not really but its pretty much almost recessed, I doubt it will switch by accident very often if at all.

[JPyre]

Both med-low light not bad... ones shaky. ^--- Cisco IP phones w/ power injectors rat's nest

[segfaultdotorg]

Originally Posted by JPyre

The vibe/switch is actually kinda hard to switch, a woman might break a nail, not really but its pretty much almost recessed, I doubt it will switch by accident very often if at all.

Thanks for the answer. It'll probably be 2-4 weeks before I get my hands on one!

[MobyIck]

What I wan't to know is will it link with my infiniti G35 Bluetooth car interface. I would really hate to go back to that stupid earpiece....

[r6girl]

Originally Posted by MobyIck

What I wan't to know is will it link with my infiniti G35 Bluetooth car interface. I would really hate to go back to that stupid earpiece....

i can't speak to how it works with infiniti's, but it works perfectly with my bmw x3 - uploads the phonebook pretty quickly and can control everything through the steering wheel buttons and voice dial as well...