Maybe that is the problem. I've never had any kind of smart phone so my expectations were a little high.
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iPhone 3G First Impressions and Reviews
- Thread starter Blue Velvet
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Maybe that is the problem. I've never had any kind of smart phone so my expectations were a little high.
I think the plastic back is great. I didn't have the 1st gen iphone but I'm sure the must have interfered with Wifi signals. Anyhow, I'm for this new look. Function-wise, this phone makes my life SO MUCH easier since I'm on the road a lot.
I would say I'm pretty satisfied with the battery life considering how many features it offers. I was dying to have the battery run out last night (first full day with the phone) but it just wouldn't die. And I was doing web-surfing, calendar, using the ipod, calling, texting, etc - the whole package.
Great purchase. I love it.
I would say I'm pretty satisfied with the battery life considering how many features it offers. I was dying to have the battery run out last night (first full day with the phone) but it just wouldn't die. And I was doing web-surfing, calendar, using the ipod, calling, texting, etc - the whole package.
Great purchase. I love it.
I used the GPS/Maps all day and have to admit, it was extremely accurate. Once we get a true turn-by-turn application the iPhone will be replacing a lot of GPS units me thinks.
Though I am still disappointed with 2.0's stability. I'm not getting any crashes, but moving from iPod to dock to contacts, ect causes a few seconds of lag (even caused the iPod to skip). Hopefully they can find out what's causing this in the next firmware update.
Though I am still disappointed with 2.0's stability. I'm not getting any crashes, but moving from iPod to dock to contacts, ect causes a few seconds of lag (even caused the iPod to skip). Hopefully they can find out what's causing this in the next firmware update.
I agree! Today I went for a drive with the iPhone placed in my dash instrument cluster, in front of my tachometer, on top of a sticky rubber mat (currently I use this for my Palm TX + TomTom software + bluetooth GPS solution). The brightness was great, and the GPS seemed to be quite sensitive enough considering the GPS signal had to travel through the windshield and the dash to get to the iPhone. I hope TomTom software arrives soon for the iPhone!
I'm a newbie
I have not purchased an iphone, however I wanted to know whether AT&T is the only provider for this phone. I had AT&T in the past and they were continuously terrible in terms of their customer service. Having said that, will Apple be teaming up with another provider in the near future??
I have not purchased an iphone, however I wanted to know whether AT&T is the only provider for this phone. I had AT&T in the past and they were continuously terrible in terms of their customer service. Having said that, will Apple be teaming up with another provider in the near future??
I have not purchased an iphone, however I wanted to know whether AT&T is the only provider for this phone. I had AT&T in the past and they were continuously terrible in terms of their customer service. Having said that, will Apple be teaming up with another provider in the near future??
In the U.S., yes, AT&T is the only provider. Rumor has it that Apple and AT&T have an exclusive contract for the iPhone for 5 years. Since we just passed the 1st year not too long ago, there is in theory 4 more years before another U.S. cell phone provider can sell the iPhone.
Doesn't really matter in either case, as the only other national GSM carrier in the U.S. is TMobile (while they have a good customer service reputation, the coverage is awful).
There is also no CDMA version of the iPhone and probably won't be for the foreseeable future (almost everyone else in the world uses GSM), so don't expect the iPhone to work on Sprint or Verizon any time soon.
I got my first gen iphone on UK launch day and have been really pleased with it.
I went into an empty 02 store on Saturday and sheepishly asked if they had a 16 gig 3G and they said yes so I bought it for Mrs MrCatMan replacing her 8gb Nano and Razr phone in one swipe.
Here are my observations.
I feels better in the hand but is pants on a flat surface as it wobbles about.
The phrase "Be careful what you wish for" comes to mind as I think I prefer the recessed headphone slot; the new one feels cheap
When syncing it seems to take forever.
MobileMe set up was simple. Glad I waited for a week as setting it up when it was launched on my first gen was a nighmare. I think anyone who wasn't an apple fan would have been seriously put off by the experiance.
When you get a 3G signal then loading websites is very impressive.
Could not activate Sat Nav. Had to restore which took forever and but now works and is very good.
I think that the most impressive feature was 2.0 especially with the App store; so I don't think that I am going to upgrade even if I could find another G3 phone.
The 3G speed would only really useful to me on the train to work. I'm a pretty patient guy and if I must read the web while I am travelling then I prepared to wait. Anyway I'd sooner switch off and listen to Music or watch a film which I could do on the 1st Gen phone. At work and at home then I switch to WiFi so no real advantage.
Sat Nav is not essential either for me either. If I'm driving I've got a Tom Tom which is better suited for the job. If I'm not then I don't tend to get lost too much and if I do then the MAP function is plenty good enough.
Still for Mrs MrCatMan the Sat Nav is essential as she hasn't a clue where she is going and 3G Internet Speed will make the upgrade a better experiance and it is really working for her.
The other point of note is about MMS. Mrs MrCatMan was my biggest MMS messager and it was really frustrating when she used to send me pictures from her RAZR. Now she has an iphone she uses e-mail for photos; A much better experiance all round. So maybe Apple was right?? The answer is to buy everyone you know an iphone then no problem! (Unless they want to send you a video message!)
I might be tempted to wait for 32 gigs, still if a white 16 gig appears it might be too tempting.
MrCatMan
I went into an empty 02 store on Saturday and sheepishly asked if they had a 16 gig 3G and they said yes so I bought it for Mrs MrCatMan replacing her 8gb Nano and Razr phone in one swipe.
Here are my observations.
I feels better in the hand but is pants on a flat surface as it wobbles about.
The phrase "Be careful what you wish for" comes to mind as I think I prefer the recessed headphone slot; the new one feels cheap
When syncing it seems to take forever.
MobileMe set up was simple. Glad I waited for a week as setting it up when it was launched on my first gen was a nighmare. I think anyone who wasn't an apple fan would have been seriously put off by the experiance.
When you get a 3G signal then loading websites is very impressive.
Could not activate Sat Nav. Had to restore which took forever and but now works and is very good.
I think that the most impressive feature was 2.0 especially with the App store; so I don't think that I am going to upgrade even if I could find another G3 phone.
The 3G speed would only really useful to me on the train to work. I'm a pretty patient guy and if I must read the web while I am travelling then I prepared to wait. Anyway I'd sooner switch off and listen to Music or watch a film which I could do on the 1st Gen phone. At work and at home then I switch to WiFi so no real advantage.
Sat Nav is not essential either for me either. If I'm driving I've got a Tom Tom which is better suited for the job. If I'm not then I don't tend to get lost too much and if I do then the MAP function is plenty good enough.
Still for Mrs MrCatMan the Sat Nav is essential as she hasn't a clue where she is going and 3G Internet Speed will make the upgrade a better experiance and it is really working for her.
The other point of note is about MMS. Mrs MrCatMan was my biggest MMS messager and it was really frustrating when she used to send me pictures from her RAZR. Now she has an iphone she uses e-mail for photos; A much better experiance all round. So maybe Apple was right?? The answer is to buy everyone you know an iphone then no problem! (Unless they want to send you a video message!)
I might be tempted to wait for 32 gigs, still if a white 16 gig appears it might be too tempting.
MrCatMan
I bought the 16GB black model 2 days ago to replace my 1st gen iPhone.
Generally I am very happy. 5 things I love about the new iPhone 3G besides obviously having 3G and GPS.
1. Physical look and feel. Feels much better in the hand and less prone to slipping. Feels thinner and looks sexier.
2. Flush headphone jack (this should have been included in the first iPhone)
3. I can finally sync more than 1 personal ringtone to the phone!
4. CAPS LOCK!!! This is huge!
5. Much louder and clearer speakerphone.
Generally I am very happy. 5 things I love about the new iPhone 3G besides obviously having 3G and GPS.
1. Physical look and feel. Feels much better in the hand and less prone to slipping. Feels thinner and looks sexier.
2. Flush headphone jack (this should have been included in the first iPhone)
3. I can finally sync more than 1 personal ringtone to the phone!
4. CAPS LOCK!!! This is huge!
5. Much louder and clearer speakerphone.
Well, it's been about 3 hours with my new iPhone and I have to say, %>|~*\^\!!!!!!! This thing is soooo awesome. I just had to say something.
I've got nothing particularly interesting to say But just wanted to post as another very satisfied customer, to balance out the problems others have been happening.
I've had mine for four days and it's been a star. I can't get good 3G reception, and have turned off WiFi and Bluetooth, as I don't use them. Very good battery life - over 10 hours of Safari, in-built apps and App Store on the first charge. As I mentioned in another thread, I reckon Apple should drop a 'low power mode' toggle switch into 2.1, turning off all but EDGE (which does me fine for the sites I visit). Then new users who don't know all the settings won't just assume that the phone is a horrible power hog.
But anyway, it's excellent. And with the App Store, it's only just beginning...
M
But just wanted to post as another very satisfied customer, to balance out the problems others have been happening.I've had mine for four days and it's been a star. I can't get good 3G reception, and have turned off WiFi and Bluetooth, as I don't use them. Very good battery life - over 10 hours of Safari, in-built apps and App Store on the first charge. As I mentioned in another thread, I reckon Apple should drop a 'low power mode' toggle switch into 2.1, turning off all but EDGE (which does me fine for the sites I visit). Then new users who don't know all the settings won't just assume that the phone is a horrible power hog.
But anyway, it's excellent. And with the App Store, it's only just beginning...
M
i tried the iPhone 3g white for a week, and i just switched back to my iPhone 1st gen today :
-iPhone 3g (3g + wi-fi + bluetooth) battery life is poor, even without using the iPod function at all, compared to iPhone 1st gen (wi-fi + bluetooth) which is amazing, even when using the iPod function a lot
-iPhone 3g feels and looks a little bulkier
-iPhone 3g back plastic cover feels cheat, and does not look like an iPhone from the back (obviously a very subjective, non technical, personal opinion)
-iPhone 1st gen touch screen seems to be more responsive
:-iPhone 3g (3g + wi-fi + bluetooth) battery life is poor, even without using the iPod function at all, compared to iPhone 1st gen (wi-fi + bluetooth) which is amazing, even when using the iPod function a lot
-iPhone 3g feels and looks a little bulkier
-iPhone 3g back plastic cover feels cheat, and does not look like an iPhone from the back (obviously a very subjective, non technical, personal opinion)
-iPhone 1st gen touch screen seems to be more responsive
i tried the iPhone 3g white for a week, and i just switched back to my iPhone 1st gen today
-iPhone 3g (3g + wi-fi + bluetooth) battery life is poor, even without using the iPod function at all, compared to iPhone 1st gen (wi-fi + bluetooth) which is amazing, even when using the iPod function a lot
-iPhone 3g feels and looks a little bulkier
-iPhone 3g back plastic cover feels cheat, and does not look like an iPhone from the back (obviously a very subjective, non technical, personal opinion)
-iPhone 1st gen touch screen seems to be more responsive
Just curious, when you have wifi on, why don't you turn 3G off? 3G sucks more battery then anything else on the phone. Thats how 3G is on any phone. the 3.5 - 4hrs of 3G use I get on my iPhone is far better then any other 3G phone ive owned.
mostly because i don't pay attention, and i don't ask myself "am i wi-fi? yes, so let's turn off 3g...", and then i would have to remember to turn 3g back on when i leave wi-fi coverage, etc...
i'm a firm believer that technology should work for you, not the opposite (unless you work in IT, of course
)I have had my iphone white for 48 hours and I could not be happier. I have not had any 2.0 problems. Battery so far has been ok. I just really love the funtionality. It does everything I want and 3g is awesome. With only one bar it is snappy..thanks Apple.
I walked into my Apple store and was out in 20 minutes with the best in customer service.
I walked into my Apple store and was out in 20 minutes with the best in customer service.
I waited in line on the 11th for 7 hours and walked away with my 16Gb black iPhone and I am happy with it. Sure, I have many of the same issues that others are having...random crashes, restarts, lagging etc... but I know that Apple will address these issues in a firmware update so I will just remain patient for a while longer.
Here are some impressions:
GPS in my area (a suburb of Stockholm) is sketchy at best. It will lock on to my general location but will not always zoom in to a precise location. Again, this might become better with a firmware update and really, i don't use GPS that often to be concerned.
The black plastic casing is a fingerprint magnet and i knew this when I purchased mine so I can't complain. I put an IS on my phone but I really don't like it so I amy remove it and purchase a SwitchEasy Capsule rebel case for it instead. i could probably leave the IS on and use the case as well. Not sure if I'll do that yet.
The curved back really is nice. Most of my friends who hated on my 1st Fen iPhone commented that the new iPhone looked thinner.
The speaker: All I can say is wow! What a huge improvement over the original iPhone's speaker! the sound quality is the most noticeable difference but the volume is also greatly improved IMHO.
The screen: Again, IMHO, I don't think the iPhone 3G's screen is as good as the original's screen. The 3G's screen seems harder to see when exposed to direct sunlight. I may be mistaken though and unfortunately I have no way of confirming this as I sold my original iPhone a month before buying the new one. (at a profit hehe, bought it for 400US and sold it for 450US).
Fit and finish: I've been reading a lot about other's iPhones having uneven screens, light leakage, cracks etc... but I've checked mine for all of these (under a blue light for cracks) and I don't have any of these issues with my phone. Guess I got lucky.
Call quality: I should first point out that I am not on a typical iPhone contract. Here is Sweden, we are able to opt for an EDGE contract for calls and sms messages and add an unlimited data package to that. My contract is for two years at 33US per month with the unlimited data package also at 33US added onto that. I paid 164US for the iPhone (in the store on release day). So...I am not using 3G for calls, text messages or while surfing unless I am in a WiFi zone and Telia gives me free access to all of their hotspots. Call quality on EDGE with the 3G phone is very good and I would argue better than the original iPhone. I constantly have 5 bars and never get disconnected when going through tunnels on the subway like I did with the original.
Battery life: Again, since I am on EDGE, I disabled 3G and my battery life is simply superb. With heavy usage, it still lasts me a full day or more and I usually don't use it that heavily. My commute is 1.5 hours to my university (one way) and I always play Backgammon with music playing in the background the entire way and the battery meter is still full when I arrive at Uni.
Camera: Honestly, I would NEVER use the iPhone's camera for any pictures worth keeping. I have a Nikon D300 DSLR that follows me everywhere and the iphone's camera is only used for "fun" and usually temporary pics that i might send to a friend etc... The iPhone is a iPod/phone with a camera not (like Sony Ericssons or Nokias) a camera with a phone and music capabilities. I've had both a SE W800i and a Nokia N88 and I could never imagine using either of them the same way as I use my iPhone. Web browsing alone makes the iPhone so much better than anything presently out there and yes, that includes the N95, Touch Diamond or SE Xperia (or whatever it's called).
With all that said, I will admit that there are areas where Apple could improve the iPhone. A camera flash of some sort would be useful even if I don't use the camera that often.
MMS? Nope, who needs it! I really don't see a need for it and think that it is a highly overrated function that should be kept off the iPhone. But tethering would be nice to have (now that Netshare is MIA again).
Better bluetooth would also be useful to those that use it. I don't but that doesn't mean full Bluetooth shouldn't be there. It should.
A front-facing camera...yup, it's needed and should be there.
That's it and for those that just received their new iPhones, congrats and I hope you enjoy it as much as i am enjoying mine.
Here are some impressions:
GPS in my area (a suburb of Stockholm) is sketchy at best. It will lock on to my general location but will not always zoom in to a precise location. Again, this might become better with a firmware update and really, i don't use GPS that often to be concerned.
The black plastic casing is a fingerprint magnet and i knew this when I purchased mine so I can't complain. I put an IS on my phone but I really don't like it so I amy remove it and purchase a SwitchEasy Capsule rebel case for it instead. i could probably leave the IS on and use the case as well. Not sure if I'll do that yet.
The curved back really is nice. Most of my friends who hated on my 1st Fen iPhone commented that the new iPhone looked thinner.
The speaker: All I can say is wow! What a huge improvement over the original iPhone's speaker! the sound quality is the most noticeable difference but the volume is also greatly improved IMHO.
The screen: Again, IMHO, I don't think the iPhone 3G's screen is as good as the original's screen. The 3G's screen seems harder to see when exposed to direct sunlight. I may be mistaken though and unfortunately I have no way of confirming this as I sold my original iPhone a month before buying the new one. (at a profit hehe, bought it for 400US and sold it for 450US).
Fit and finish: I've been reading a lot about other's iPhones having uneven screens, light leakage, cracks etc... but I've checked mine for all of these (under a blue light for cracks) and I don't have any of these issues with my phone. Guess I got lucky.
Call quality: I should first point out that I am not on a typical iPhone contract. Here is Sweden, we are able to opt for an EDGE contract for calls and sms messages and add an unlimited data package to that. My contract is for two years at 33US per month with the unlimited data package also at 33US added onto that. I paid 164US for the iPhone (in the store on release day). So...I am not using 3G for calls, text messages or while surfing unless I am in a WiFi zone and Telia gives me free access to all of their hotspots. Call quality on EDGE with the 3G phone is very good and I would argue better than the original iPhone. I constantly have 5 bars and never get disconnected when going through tunnels on the subway like I did with the original.
Battery life: Again, since I am on EDGE, I disabled 3G and my battery life is simply superb. With heavy usage, it still lasts me a full day or more and I usually don't use it that heavily. My commute is 1.5 hours to my university (one way) and I always play Backgammon with music playing in the background the entire way and the battery meter is still full when I arrive at Uni.
Camera: Honestly, I would NEVER use the iPhone's camera for any pictures worth keeping. I have a Nikon D300 DSLR that follows me everywhere and the iphone's camera is only used for "fun" and usually temporary pics that i might send to a friend etc... The iPhone is a iPod/phone with a camera not (like Sony Ericssons or Nokias) a camera with a phone and music capabilities. I've had both a SE W800i and a Nokia N88 and I could never imagine using either of them the same way as I use my iPhone. Web browsing alone makes the iPhone so much better than anything presently out there and yes, that includes the N95, Touch Diamond or SE Xperia (or whatever it's called).
With all that said, I will admit that there are areas where Apple could improve the iPhone. A camera flash of some sort would be useful even if I don't use the camera that often.
MMS? Nope, who needs it! I really don't see a need for it and think that it is a highly overrated function that should be kept off the iPhone. But tethering would be nice to have (now that Netshare is MIA again).
Better bluetooth would also be useful to those that use it. I don't but that doesn't mean full Bluetooth shouldn't be there. It should.
A front-facing camera...yup, it's needed and should be there.
That's it and for those that just received their new iPhones, congrats and I hope you enjoy it as much as i am enjoying mine.
yeah how would you take a picture of scenery/an object with a front face camera?
im sure that they took that into consideration when they put the camera on. with a front face camera, you can pretty much webcam on a phone call with anyone that has a iPhone, but you cant take pics of anything, because well you cant see the screen, so maybe a rotatable camera(in the same place as it is now, but it can rotate to the front?)
im sure that they took that into consideration when they put the camera on. with a front face camera, you can pretty much webcam on a phone call with anyone that has a iPhone, but you cant take pics of anything, because well you cant see the screen, so maybe a rotatable camera(in the same place as it is now, but it can rotate to the front?)
The idea is to have a front-facing camera as well as the camera on the rear. The front-facing camera would only be activated when an IM app is started (for IM video conversations) or when you specifically start it up (for self-portraits etc..). I think a rotatable camera would be very difficult to implement on the iPhone but an additional camera on the front would be fairly simple and should not take up that much room internally.
@Rybold - You're very welcome!
The new iPhone 3G is AWESOME. It is sleek, sexy, cool and amazing. I ordered mine through the telephone to carphonewarehouse, (by the way i live in the UK) and i was suprised that i was able to order one, i ordered it on July 11th and they said that they would send it the next day, i payed extra to make sure it came but it didn't come to the following monday, i was abit annoyed, but it was definatly worth the wait. I didn't have the previous iPhone so i was really excited and i am so glad i have one they are just amazing. Thanks Apple for another AMAZING product!
, i was abit annoyed, but it was definatly worth the wait. I didn't have the previous iPhone so i was really excited and i am so glad i have one they are just amazing. Thanks Apple for another AMAZING product!
I agree. That would be a nice feature. On a different thread, I proposed that 3G should automatically turn on when you open the browser (or other heavy data feature) and turn OFF when you close the browser. Apps that require less bandwidth will work just fine on EDGE. In effect, 3G is reserved ONLY for web browsing and nothing else. (of course, this would be a setting that the user could choose)