Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone 3G First Impressions and Reviews
- Thread starter Blue Velvet
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
what? the ringer switch is ring or silent, you can make either ring or silent vibrate as well in the settings of the phone there is no separate switch from silent to just vibrate.
airplane mode turns off ALL radios, it turns your phone into an ipod touch
I got the 8gig, and luckily at that (4th to last one) unfortunately, I don't have internet on my laptop right now, so I can't finish the activation! At least the wait is over...
Quick Question for you 3Ger's
I am one of the few who will not use the data plan much, or at all since I am almost always near a WiFi connection. I was wondering do you have the option to only have a voice plan and no data. I don't want to pay $30 extra a month when its unnecessary.
I am one of the few who will not use the data plan much, or at all since I am almost always near a WiFi connection. I was wondering do you have the option to only have a voice plan and no data. I don't want to pay $30 extra a month when its unnecessary.
I am sure there is much to love about 2.0, but two things that irritate me already:
- Why another contacts app? What was wrong with clicking the phone button? It just another icon that I can't get rid of and taking up space.
- "XYZ would like to use your current location Allow/Deny" What is this Vista?! Every single time you click camera/maps location this comes up! How irritating. I thought Apple was all about UI and experience, this just annoys me. I want to take a quick pic and bam "Do you want to allow the camera..."
You can turn it off in the menu, but then that defeats the point. Surely by having it turned on in the menu IMPLIES you want to use it without being prompted every time. Also on maps, clicking the Locate me button prompts you even if turned off on the menu. You would think clicking locate me would imply you wanted to be located. shocking. I can understand for other peoples apps... but offical apple ones?
- Also locate me (using wifi-cellular indoors) keeps placing me in the ocean off USA, when im in the UK.... interesting..
Otherwise the new software is looking great with lots of great new features!
- Why another contacts app? What was wrong with clicking the phone button? It just another icon that I can't get rid of and taking up space.
- "XYZ would like to use your current location Allow/Deny" What is this Vista?! Every single time you click camera/maps location this comes up! How irritating. I thought Apple was all about UI and experience, this just annoys me. I want to take a quick pic and bam "Do you want to allow the camera..."
You can turn it off in the menu, but then that defeats the point. Surely by having it turned on in the menu IMPLIES you want to use it without being prompted every time. Also on maps, clicking the Locate me button prompts you even if turned off on the menu. You would think clicking locate me would imply you wanted to be located. shocking. I can understand for other peoples apps... but offical apple ones?
- Also locate me (using wifi-cellular indoors) keeps placing me in the ocean off USA, when im in the UK.... interesting..
Otherwise the new software is looking great with lots of great new features!
gee...
I never liked contacts buried in the phone menu anyway. And I know I'm not the only one. If you don't like it, don't use it. Dig in the menus to your heart's content.
That's one small step for man, one large step for a quicker search.
I never liked contacts buried in the phone menu anyway. And I know I'm not the only one. If you don't like it, don't use it. Dig in the menus to your heart's content.
That's one small step for man, one large step for a quicker search.
I got my 16GB Black iPhone. So far I am pretty impressed. I used http://testmyiphone.com/ to test all 3 connection speeds. 3G top out at 1.5mb edge top out at 0.19mb and wifi top out at 7.8mb
Hmmm... quite disappointed with my one so far. The screen is definitely dimmer and yellower than my original iPhone and the whole thing feels cheaper than the original. The black borders around the screen are much bigger and give it a cheap look and I can clearly see the 'hidden' three sensors next to the loudspeaker.
Not impressed.
Edit: Blurry iSight picture included to show what I mean. The bright one on the right is my 2G iPhone. The yellowy one on the left is the 3G iPhone.
View attachment 123557
Yup. My screen is yellow as well. Very disappointing. Very.
This coupled with the horrendous mobileMe "launch," and I'd say I'm very unimpressed with Apple these days. Push e-mail does not work yet on 3G phones (at least for me). I was a .Mac subscriber, so it could be a legacy customer issue.
Bad bad bad.
Phone is dead sexy. Got the 16g Black. Finger prints galore already though. The Apple store I got it at was having the same itunes server issues that were reported. My phone is active (I can send/receive calls) but I cannot get on the 3g network (and yes I am in a coverage zone here in Houston). I wonder if it is something that will work once I finish the activation at home. I want my 3G data!!!
Does that "yellowness" carry over to all parts of iPhone? Are websites tinted yellow? How about when typing out an e-mail? Calendar? Calculator? iPod section? Coverflow? Yellow tint there? What did Apple or AT&T, depending on place of purchase say when during the activation process and saw that yellow? Has anyone checked Apple's discussion boards about the extent of yellow tinted screens? Maybe a bad batch got sent out to a few various places. Take it back after the hoopla has died down in the next few days in return for a non yellow tinted iPhone.
Well I am currently typing this post on my new iPhone 3G(black 16g) and I must say so far I love it. It is much more snappier than the original.I was number 6 in line at my AT&T store and they only had 20 total iPhones. I will do a full revue when I get back to my mac.
Couple of things I noticed:
- You DO NOT need to sync your phone to use App Store, just need a iTunes account
- When entering a password, it displays you key stroke for a second before it turns it to a star
- I like the new contacts button
- GPS works well
I am having a blast with it!
- You DO NOT need to sync your phone to use App Store, just need a iTunes account
- When entering a password, it displays you key stroke for a second before it turns it to a star
- I like the new contacts button
- GPS works well
I am having a blast with it!
K
kgiglio2
Guest
So I intended to purchase a 16GB black iPhone. I was 18th in line at my ATT store out of about 120 people. Before I even got in the store, they told us that they had sold out of the 16GB black, so I impulsively bought the 16GB whites that they had left. They only had 40 total iPhones. I thought I'd just cover it up with a case all the time, but the white actually looks great.
My iPhone is yellowish in some areas as well. Webpages are noticeably yellowish, nothing else is terrible. One small thing that nobody has noticed yet is that in the 2.0 update, the flip sheet in the Maps App actually has a textured finish. It's a small touch, but it's really cool looking.
My iPhone is yellowish in some areas as well. Webpages are noticeably yellowish, nothing else is terrible. One small thing that nobody has noticed yet is that in the 2.0 update, the flip sheet in the Maps App actually has a textured finish. It's a small touch, but it's really cool looking.
I never liked contacts buried in the phone menu anyway. And I know I'm not the only one. If you don't like it, don't use it. Dig in the menus to your heart's content.
That's one small step for man, one large step for a quicker search.
I stand corrected. I'm guessing you can't please everyone. Perhaps there should be a way to remove/add official applications.
Odd though that Apple would add a new "application" and hide it away on the second page when there are another two slots on the front page
What's more effort a tap and a tap, or a swipe and a tap....definately get a case, I would just to protect against accidental drops, I bought the 8gb version and thinking of getting the speck toughskin for iphone 3g, rugged and can absorb the shocks from a fall.
Turned up to one of two Car Phone Warehouses in Cheltenham at 7am... There were 15 outside the other CPW and 30 outside 02... But somehow everyone had ignored the small store so I ended up second in the que.
This was lucky as the store only had two 16gb phones - the sales guys were quite open about what they had when they unlocked and it wasnt much!
They let us in at 7.55... I think it was more they wanted to compete to see who could sell the most so two of the salespeople broke ranks while the others were smoking.
Word of advice - do not go on the 35 quid plan... Go the 45 quid one, you ccan go down after 9 months and it works out cheaper over the life of the phone!
I activated the phone at the office, no hold ups on itunes. Found it great so far although it is a smudge magnet. Mobile Me email is working, although struggling to get the rest sorted.
It is getting better reception than either my Skypephone or Jasjam and is having no issues with our wifi.
Downloaded Super Monkey Ball and Cromag... both fantastic and the control system so intuiative!
With the way the email works I think maybe the Macbook might get to stay at home a little more.
I am glad I got up early!
This was lucky as the store only had two 16gb phones - the sales guys were quite open about what they had when they unlocked and it wasnt much!
They let us in at 7.55... I think it was more they wanted to compete to see who could sell the most so two of the salespeople broke ranks while the others were smoking.
Word of advice - do not go on the 35 quid plan... Go the 45 quid one, you ccan go down after 9 months and it works out cheaper over the life of the phone!
I activated the phone at the office, no hold ups on itunes. Found it great so far although it is a smudge magnet. Mobile Me email is working, although struggling to get the rest sorted.
It is getting better reception than either my Skypephone or Jasjam and is having no issues with our wifi.
Downloaded Super Monkey Ball and Cromag... both fantastic and the control system so intuiative!
With the way the email works I think maybe the Macbook might get to stay at home a little more.
I am glad I got up early!
Battery.....
My only concern is the battery life.... So far what is everyone's impression of the battery life with 3G?
My only concern is the battery life.... So far what is everyone's impression of the battery life with 3G?
well
i have to admit i'm disappointed from what i've read and seen.
why anyone would upgrade their phone just for 3g, a service that should have been provided originally, instead of EDGE, a lousy connection.
the pros i'm seeing are, feels nice, looks nice...typical stuff that makes us apple users (myself included ) appear that we are most concerned with aesthetics and looking cool.
the bottom line is there is MINIMAL functional upgrades. there are many upgrades that should have been in this (recording video, more bluetooth options) that simply aren't there. having a speaker that is louder when it shouldn't have been so darn quiet in the first place doesn't make it an amazing product.
i love my current iphone, and i love my macbook, aaaand my ibook. i love mac!
but i'm surprised that everyone is drinking the koolaid with this new iphone.
the firmware upgrade is great...but you can get that on the 1st iphone too.
adding things like push email, and other things that should have been available, and changing the aesthetics, coupled with a GPS that doesn't work well for driving, is quite a bummer.
again, i'm a huge mac fan, and i own an iphone, and love it! but if you really evaluate the pros and cons being listed, it makes you wonder how much people are into computing and how much people are just into looking cool and feeling nice...
just my two cents
i have to admit i'm disappointed from what i've read and seen.
why anyone would upgrade their phone just for 3g, a service that should have been provided originally, instead of EDGE, a lousy connection.
the pros i'm seeing are, feels nice, looks nice...typical stuff that makes us apple users (myself included
) appear that we are most concerned with aesthetics and looking cool. the bottom line is there is MINIMAL functional upgrades. there are many upgrades that should have been in this (recording video, more bluetooth options) that simply aren't there. having a speaker that is louder when it shouldn't have been so darn quiet in the first place doesn't make it an amazing product.
i love my current iphone, and i love my macbook, aaaand my ibook. i love mac!
but i'm surprised that everyone is drinking the koolaid with this new iphone.
the firmware upgrade is great...but you can get that on the 1st iphone too.
adding things like push email, and other things that should have been available, and changing the aesthetics, coupled with a GPS that doesn't work well for driving, is quite a bummer.
again, i'm a huge mac fan, and i own an iphone, and love it! but if you really evaluate the pros and cons being listed, it makes you wonder how much people are into computing and how much people are just into looking cool and feeling nice...
just my two cents
My Experience So Far...
Got in line at 4:40 a.m. pacific time and was about 35th in line. Apple really had their fecal matter in an orderly fashion. They made sure everyone knew all they needed to know, and got us in and out quickly.
How checkout worked was I was taken into the actual store one-on-one with an associate. I chose the color/size I wanted, he went and got it and then did all the scanning, the plan selection and checkout with me. Then I took the phone to the genius bar where I opened the box, unwrapped the phone, plugged it in, etc. It was great that NO ONE but me touched the phone, the geniuses just monitored.
I was not able to actually activate my phone because of the server errors. I opened the phone, plugged it in, and as soon as the error popped up they told me what to do at home and sent me on my way.
As for the phone itself, I hadn't decided on color really until I got in there. The pictures of the white are rather misleading. It is sleek and sexy, and the white is very crisp, very Apple. If you are on the fence, I would highly recommend seeing it in person before jumping to any decisions.
My personal impressions about the phone (keeping in mind I haven't actually activated it yet):
- Lighter, wider, and maybe even a little taller (very little)
- Plastic feels great, not "plasticy" or cheap. I would go so far as to say it feels sturdier than the 1st gen back.
- Screen is wicked sharp, definitely better than 1st gen in terms of clarity
Hopefully I will get to activate it sometime today and really see how it is.
One last thing, there is a white piece of something under the glass on the black border around the screen on mine, like a small speck of dirt got under the glass somehow. Its not actually on the screen though, so I don't plan on trying to exchange it. The reason I mention it is because I am concerned more stuff might be able to get in between the glass and screen as time progresses.
Thanks for listening!
EDIT: Finally able to activate at 12:04 pm Pacific time. The sound on this things is great! And the display is brilliant, a lot crisper than the 1st gen I was using, although I do notice that it is yellower than my 1st gen. I love this silly thing!
Got in line at 4:40 a.m. pacific time and was about 35th in line. Apple really had their fecal matter in an orderly fashion. They made sure everyone knew all they needed to know, and got us in and out quickly.
How checkout worked was I was taken into the actual store one-on-one with an associate. I chose the color/size I wanted, he went and got it and then did all the scanning, the plan selection and checkout with me. Then I took the phone to the genius bar where I opened the box, unwrapped the phone, plugged it in, etc. It was great that NO ONE but me touched the phone, the geniuses just monitored.
I was not able to actually activate my phone because of the server errors. I opened the phone, plugged it in, and as soon as the error popped up they told me what to do at home and sent me on my way.
As for the phone itself, I hadn't decided on color really until I got in there. The pictures of the white are rather misleading. It is sleek and sexy, and the white is very crisp, very Apple.
If you are on the fence, I would highly recommend seeing it in person before jumping to any decisions.My personal impressions about the phone (keeping in mind I haven't actually activated it yet):
- Lighter, wider, and maybe even a little taller (very little)
- Plastic feels great, not "plasticy" or cheap. I would go so far as to say it feels sturdier than the 1st gen back.
- Screen is wicked sharp, definitely better than 1st gen in terms of clarity
Hopefully I will get to activate it sometime today and really see how it is.
One last thing, there is a white piece of something under the glass on the black border around the screen on mine, like a small speck of dirt got under the glass somehow. Its not actually on the screen though, so I don't plan on trying to exchange it. The reason I mention it is because I am concerned more stuff might be able to get in between the glass and screen as time progresses.
Thanks for listening!
EDIT: Finally able to activate at 12:04 pm Pacific time. The sound on this things is great! And the display is brilliant, a lot crisper than the 1st gen I was using, although I do notice that it is yellower than my 1st gen. I love this silly thing!
i have to admit i'm disappointed from what i've read and seen.
why anyone would upgrade their phone just for 3g, a service that should have been provided originally, instead of EDGE, a lousy connection.
the pros i'm seeing are, feels nice, looks nice...typical stuff that makes us apple users (myself included
the bottom line is there is MINIMAL functional upgrades. there are many upgrades that should have been in this (recording video, more bluetooth options) that simply aren't there. having a speaker that is louder when it shouldn't have been so darn quiet in the first place doesn't make it an amazing product.
i love my current iphone, and i love my macbook, aaaand my ibook. i love mac!
but i'm surprised that everyone is drinking the koolaid with this new iphone.
the firmware upgrade is great...but you can get that on the 1st iphone too.
adding things like push email, and other things that should have been available, and changing the aesthetics, coupled with a GPS that doesn't work well for driving, is quite a bummer.
again, i'm a huge mac fan, and i own an iphone, and love it! but if you really evaluate the pros and cons being listed, it makes you wonder how much people are into computing and how much people are just into looking cool and feeling nice...
just my two cents
I'm with you on this one. I'm really looking forward to actual reviews of the 3G version from a hardware point of view vs. 2G. Most of these reviews are about the experience of waiting in line and purchasing/activating the phone. I'd love to hear some thoughts on battery usage, volume, speakerphone, call clarity comparitively to the 2G. Anyone?
Server problems is pretty pathetic on opening day... these people got to get it together.
With all these negative reviews I think I am going to stick to my original 2G that is running 2.0 for a while. Especially now that it seems the screen is not as good as first generation. Sure I have a couple of dead pixels but you would never know unless conditions are perfect. We shall see...
With all these negative reviews I think I am going to stick to my original 2G that is running 2.0 for a while. Especially now that it seems the screen is not as good as first generation. Sure I have a couple of dead pixels but you would never know unless conditions are perfect. We shall see...