PS- GPS was accurate... couldnt test it to see if it wobbled on table flat on back cause of security box and wires. girl who got one let me try, it isnt sturdy, it just kinda rolls... ehhh. if i let my expectations down for this phone, i might get one. i am a mac guy from birth, i waited a year --- still not there, will be there in its prime i feel by the 3rd or 4th year - like the iPod wave that everyone rode.
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iPhone 3G First Impressions and Reviews
- Thread starter Blue Velvet
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Are you kidding?
I'm still trying to figure out why anyone would want an iPhoney. The first generation was interesting as there were no similar phones at the time, and it's hard to dispute that the form factor was and remains very cool, but why would anyone want to buy one today? We now know how bad AT&T's service is. We also have much better phones to choose from (the LG Voyager, for example). The 3G network is valuable in Europe and elsewhere, but 3G coverage in the US is weak, at best. The iPhone doesn't even have a keyboard! The new version finally offers a GPS (a feature that has been offered on other phones for years), but the iPhone doesn't even offer audible turn by turn directions! Early reviews on the iPhone state that battery life is very poor. Why would anyone want one? It's not THAT cool!
I'm still trying to figure out why anyone would want an iPhoney. The first generation was interesting as there were no similar phones at the time, and it's hard to dispute that the form factor was and remains very cool, but why would anyone want to buy one today? We now know how bad AT&T's service is. We also have much better phones to choose from (the LG Voyager, for example). The 3G network is valuable in Europe and elsewhere, but 3G coverage in the US is weak, at best. The iPhone doesn't even have a keyboard! The new version finally offers a GPS (a feature that has been offered on other phones for years), but the iPhone doesn't even offer audible turn by turn directions! Early reviews on the iPhone state that battery life is very poor. Why would anyone want one? It's not THAT cool!
Why in the world are you even on this forum, if you hate the iPhone so much? Seems a waste of time to me, and by the way I LOVE MY NEW IPHONE!!!
Still asking why
Good question Bindi. Maybe it's the same reason people slow down on the road when they pass an accident. I'm very familiar with the blind reverence Apple people have for their toys. Most of the world (approximately 94%) doesn't care, but since I'm among the few who pays attention to that which Apple does, I'm curious as to why anyone who is even remotely objective would still buy an iPhone. Even the Mac has a few areas in which they are superior to PCs, but I challenge anyone to defend the value of the iPhone when compared to the competition. It was interesting when first released as there was no competition, but why would you buy one today? It clearly lacks features, functionality, and at least where I live and travel, can't seem to maintain a 5 minute call without dropping. The problem of dropping calls is largely an AT&T issue, but regardless, most of us buy phones so we can rely upon them for phone calls. The latest novelty from Apple still seems to fall short of that.
Good question Bindi. Maybe it's the same reason people slow down on the road when they pass an accident. I'm very familiar with the blind reverence Apple people have for their toys. Most of the world (approximately 94%) doesn't care, but since I'm among the few who pays attention to that which Apple does, I'm curious as to why anyone who is even remotely objective would still buy an iPhone. Even the Mac has a few areas in which they are superior to PCs, but I challenge anyone to defend the value of the iPhone when compared to the competition. It was interesting when first released as there was no competition, but why would you buy one today? It clearly lacks features, functionality, and at least where I live and travel, can't seem to maintain a 5 minute call without dropping. The problem of dropping calls is largely an AT&T issue, but regardless, most of us buy phones so we can rely upon them for phone calls. The latest novelty from Apple still seems to fall short of that.
Well, it's good you found something that works for you. Where I live and travel AT&T works about as well as anything else I have ever used. I didn't have the first iPhone, so this is all new to me...I love the thing and am very happy. I am sure any of the other phones you mentioned would be equally as nice, I just opted for the iPhone, it fits my needs perfectly.
I am turning into a real apple geek, I guess...got my first MAC computer about 2 months ago and love it, too! It is what brought me to this forum, in the first place. Have fun rubber necking....LOL
I hope you're still enjoying it in a few weeks. I know a number of people who bought the first generation and can't wait to get out of their ATT contract. The iPhone clearly has appeal. I'm just curious about why anyone who really knows what they're getting into would buy another one. I'm sure some people love them. I hope you can become one who does. Good luck.
I picked up a white one last night after 4 hours in line.
I wasn't sure about the white, but really liked it when I saw it in person.
My take sounds similar to many others.
1. Screen is very nice and sharp..better than my gen 1 in my opinion.
2. I like the plastic back just fine and it feels better in the hand than gen 1; although I liked cold metal feel of the original.
3. Call quality is much improved..3g has something to do with that. 3G data is much better needless to say and it feels zippier. avg about 550kbps on my tests from home.
4. Speaker phone volume slightly better
5. Better clarity listening to music through speaker
6. GPS works great and the app is similar to how it looks on google maps for my blackberry or n95. Probably will work fine with app designed for auto nav.
7. UI is sluggish in places..sms app slow to open..sounds familier.
8. Battery life seems to be murdered by gps/ 3g data
Big Thumbs up: 3G Voice and data speeds, gps, app store, great style and feel, mobile me wireless sync
Big Thumbs down: No dock included..thanks apple, still no mms(3rd party app?? hopefully), the whole process with activations..so un apple like..get out of bed with ATT/ carriers and sell them unlocked
I wasn't sure about the white, but really liked it when I saw it in person.
My take sounds similar to many others.
1. Screen is very nice and sharp..better than my gen 1 in my opinion.
2. I like the plastic back just fine and it feels better in the hand than gen 1; although I liked cold metal feel of the original.
3. Call quality is much improved..3g has something to do with that. 3G data is much better needless to say and it feels zippier. avg about 550kbps on my tests from home.
4. Speaker phone volume slightly better
5. Better clarity listening to music through speaker
6. GPS works great and the app is similar to how it looks on google maps for my blackberry or n95. Probably will work fine with app designed for auto nav.
7. UI is sluggish in places..sms app slow to open..sounds familier.
8. Battery life seems to be murdered by gps/ 3g data
Big Thumbs up: 3G Voice and data speeds, gps, app store, great style and feel, mobile me wireless sync
Big Thumbs down: No dock included..thanks apple, still no mms(3rd party app?? hopefully), the whole process with activations..so un apple like..get out of bed with ATT/ carriers and sell them unlocked
Your first impressions as "none iPhone owners" are interesting. I can tell you I don't have dropped call issues. The interface is far superior to any mobile device I've used, and the apps you can get for it already are far superior (and we are still in the early stages of the app development phase). Can't stress how much this brings to the table. The interface is simply stunning and the features set is pretty darn good. Are there a few things missing...yep, but as a whole far better than anything else out there for me. Makes my new Blackberry (Pearl) seem like an ancient "rock". There may be show stoppers for you, but thankful most of us aren't you and our iPhones are great devices and meet our needs in an great way.
My (objective) opinion is the iPhone is outstanding!
Why would you NOT want an iphone?
I played with one at Dick Smith (in a shopping Centre just outside Sydney) and it was just mind blowing. First experience with one and its just so totally totally cool, to use that guys vernacular.
What I was really struck by was teh external form and design. It just felt perfect, it was gorgeous you just have to have one. Even if you never turned it on it's a beautiful object.
I tried the GPS A and even in a shopping centre so no view of sky and the GPS satellite I could see where I was to 20m.
There was a crowd playing with it so it was hard to get a go.
I saw two people buy one from Dick Smith and interestingly enough I would say 50% of the crowd playing with it were girls. I saw two girls buy (well pre order) one from Optus too. This is just not just a gadget for us nerdy gadget geeks.
Why wouldn't you buy one, well if you worked for Nokia,, Microsoft, HTC, LG, Samsung, Blackberry you wouldn't as you will be fuming that you don't have a gadget within 100 miles of the playing field apple is constantly scoring goals on.
I played with one at Dick Smith (in a shopping Centre just outside Sydney) and it was just mind blowing. First experience with one and its just so totally totally cool, to use that guys vernacular.
What I was really struck by was teh external form and design. It just felt perfect, it was gorgeous you just have to have one. Even if you never turned it on it's a beautiful object.
I tried the GPS A and even in a shopping centre so no view of sky and the GPS satellite I could see where I was to 20m.
There was a crowd playing with it so it was hard to get a go.
I saw two people buy one from Dick Smith and interestingly enough I would say 50% of the crowd playing with it were girls. I saw two girls buy (well pre order) one from Optus too. This is just not just a gadget for us nerdy gadget geeks.
Why wouldn't you buy one, well if you worked for Nokia,
, Microsoft, HTC, LG, Samsung, Blackberry you wouldn't as you will be fuming that you don't have a gadget within 100 miles of the playing field apple is constantly scoring goals on.
I didnt buy one but I got to play with one on launch day, so heres what I think:
Its good, as was the previous iPhone, and the speeds are really good, when I tried it there was low signal but it was still fast loading Safari pages and streaming YouTube videos! However, apart from that and the fact the new black and white backs look really cool, its the same iPhone. Not a bad thing, but I dont think its anything to be excited about if you already own a first gen iPhone, unless you really need faster internet speeds.
Video of me messing with it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrT4hA8iCfE
Its good, as was the previous iPhone, and the speeds are really good, when I tried it there was low signal but it was still fast loading Safari pages and streaming YouTube videos! However, apart from that and the fact the new black and white backs look really cool, its the same iPhone. Not a bad thing, but I dont think its anything to be excited about if you already own a first gen iPhone, unless you really need faster internet speeds.
Video of me messing with it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrT4hA8iCfE
Easy, it's only available on Rogers in Canada. I would have gotten one if they changed there ways but they seem they haven't. Doesn't look like I'll be getting an iPhone for a few years or so.
Is my wake/sleep button defective?
One side of my wake/sleep button appears to be "pushed in" more thatn the other. Is this normal for the iphone 3g?
One side of my wake/sleep button appears to be "pushed in" more thatn the other. Is this normal for the iphone 3g?
Coverage area within the US is obviously a function of ATT. I live in a major metropolitan area in the US and literally everyone I know who has an iPhone unanimously agrees that they frequently experience dropped calls and poor call quality. That notwithstanding, even if you use your phone in an area with good coverage for voice or 3G, the rest of the features and functionality fall short of the competition. Battery life, for example. Better yet, don't you think it's absurd that the GPS fails to provide audible directions? Why no keyboard?
It's interesting to see the lengths to which Apple disciples will go to defend yet another inferior product. They're cute toys if you find it important to be noticed at Starbucks, but they're pretty much useless in the real world.
It's interesting to see the lengths to which Apple disciples will go to defend yet another inferior product. They're cute toys if you find it important to be noticed at Starbucks, but they're pretty much useless in the real world.
Moron - None of the people with iPhones that I know experience what you're saying, nor have I with one year of use. You obviously are here to troll.
"Why no keyboard" Are you kidding? Way to drudge up ancient news. Anyone living with the iPhone for more than 2 weeks knows the keyboard is fantastic.
Don't buy one and please go troll elsewhere. This is a first impression/review thread.
"Why no keyboard" Are you kidding? Way to drudge up ancient news. Anyone living with the iPhone for more than 2 weeks knows the keyboard is fantastic.
Don't buy one and please go troll elsewhere. This is a first impression/review thread.
Great insights Meagain. I'm glad you haven't experienced the shortcomings that others have. Where did you find an iPhone with audible directions on the GPS? Other phones have had that feature for years.
If I needed audible directions on my phone I would buy a phone that had it or planned to have it. I wouldn't come on forums bitching about a device that lacked a feature I wanted. I would simply buy another device. LOL WTH
I will not be engaging you in convo. Sorry guys for already doing that. Good luck.
I will not be engaging you in convo. Sorry guys for already doing that. Good luck.
It's interesting to see the lengths that Apple haters will go to rip their products. GPS w/ audible directions is in the works. Tom Tom, TeleNav, iGo and others will be rolling them out soon...just search the web. For example:
Tom Tom: http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/09/tomtom-already-has-iphone-navigation-software-ready-to-roll/
TeleNav: http://gizmodo.com/5024018/telenav-confirms-iphone-in+car-navigation-app
I travel for a living and ATT is far from perfect but your comments about the coverage being THAT bad is utterly laughable. I've visited over a dozen cities in the US so far this year and the coverage in most cities has been pretty darn good. (I had a 1st generation iPhone during those trips.)
One of the things that short-sighted people such as yourself don't get yet is the iPhone is now a platform that a lot of companies and people want to develop on because there are millions of owners. There will soon be sooooo many apps for the iPhone (1st generation and iPod Touch) that you won't be able to get anywhere else. The AppStore already has a lot of cool apps and we are still in the very early stages of having the SDK available.
Keep hating on Apple...while we just enjoy.
Rogers/Fido Question
Hey,
Just checking if anyone out there has any info on this...I went to a Fido outlet on Friday and told the salesman that I didn't plan on using the 3g data service and that I would just access through wifi at home/work etc. He told me that I need to subscribe to SOME SORT of data plan in order for the wifi to function...this can't be right???!?!?!?!?!?
Hey,
Just checking if anyone out there has any info on this...I went to a Fido outlet on Friday and told the salesman that I didn't plan on using the 3g data service and that I would just access through wifi at home/work etc. He told me that I need to subscribe to SOME SORT of data plan in order for the wifi to function...this can't be right???!?!?!?!?!?
I live in Canada and am very upset about the way the new iphone g3 was released here... they made it pretty much impossible for anyone who's an existing Rogers customer to get one. u either have to sign a new contract and own 2 phones or u have to be eligible for a hardware upgrade! i have been waiting for the release of this phone for ever, as im sure a million other ppl are. no one knew when we were going to get them like 6 months ago so i had to do a hardware upgrade back in feb. and now i either have to wait till someone puts them up on ebay for sale, or rogers decides to sell them straight out with out a new contract. im sooooo disappointed! i have stayed with rogers as a customer just for the iphone. now im wishing i haven't.
I agree for the most part except the actual call quality, volume and speakerphone are considerably better which you can't really measure in the store..except for maybe the speaker. This alone was reason to upgrade for me.
iPhone 3G newbie!!
Got my 3G on launch day (arrived 3am to get mine!!).....IT WAS SO WORTH THE WAIT. I've never waited in line so l long in my life (including new rides as Six Flags!!!) for anything...but since i got the iPhone 3G, i can't keep my hands off it!!! there's so much on it to do (load your itunes, surf the web, download new app's-Shazam ROCKS!!, fiddling w/ the GPS....)my excitement can be attributed to moving from a pay-as-you go, no thrills Motorola to this AMAZING piece of technology!!
Of course all this enthusiasm pays a toll on the BATTERY LIFE (can easily recharge couple of times a day!!!) so i also got a CAR CHARGER(highly recommend!! especially if you want to use your GPS) you plug in to your lighter....
so my over all impression-a 10 out of 10!!!. everything from the Customer Service at my AT&T store to full activation at home on my Mac
flowed perfectly....just as i had planned it!!!!
Got my 3G on launch day (arrived 3am to get mine!!).....IT WAS SO WORTH THE WAIT. I've never waited in line so l long in my life (including new rides as Six Flags!!!) for anything...but since i got the iPhone 3G, i can't keep my hands off it!!! there's so much on it to do (load your itunes, surf the web, download new app's-Shazam ROCKS!!, fiddling w/ the GPS....)my excitement can be attributed to moving from a pay-as-you go, no thrills Motorola to this AMAZING piece of technology!!
Of course all this enthusiasm pays a toll on the BATTERY LIFE (can easily recharge couple of times a day!!!) so i also got a CAR CHARGER(highly recommend!! especially if you want to use your GPS) you plug in to your lighter....
so my over all impression-a 10 out of 10!!!
. everything from the Customer Service at my AT&T store to full activation at home on my Mac flowed perfectly....just as i had planned it!!!!
Battery Life Concern in Weak 3G Areas?
Hey Guys,
I just wanted to know if anybody else experienced bad battery life in areas where 3G is weak (3 bars or less in Tampa, FL)?
Yesterday, my iPhone ran on battery from 9 AM to 6 PM with only 2-3 phone calls (<=30 minutes), and about 1hr each of playing music and browsing the web. By 6PM, I only had 20% battery left.
Perhaps Apple can release a firmware update that lets you set a 3G threshold that would allow the phone to switch back to Edge coverage?
For example, if you set the threshold to 2, and the phone detects 2 bars or less of 3G, automatically switch to Edge? That way, the battery shouldn't get drained trying to look for 3G?
i never owned the original iPhone. So, i don't know if this is the expected battery life.
Thanx,
RaZaK
Hey Guys,
I just wanted to know if anybody else experienced bad battery life in areas where 3G is weak (3 bars or less in Tampa, FL)?
Yesterday, my iPhone ran on battery from 9 AM to 6 PM with only 2-3 phone calls (<=30 minutes), and about 1hr each of playing music and browsing the web. By 6PM, I only had 20% battery left.
Perhaps Apple can release a firmware update that lets you set a 3G threshold that would allow the phone to switch back to Edge coverage?
For example, if you set the threshold to 2, and the phone detects 2 bars or less of 3G, automatically switch to Edge? That way, the battery shouldn't get drained trying to look for 3G?
i never owned the original iPhone. So, i don't know if this is the expected battery life.
Thanx,
RaZaK
amazing and utterly beautiful. 6th person at my store to get one. i live kinda in the middle of nowhere, so they only let 5 people in the store at a time, then the next could come in and play with the demos, so that was cool. i've basically been running off it for the past two days until i get my macbook sometime this week, and i'm in love with it. it's incredibly useful, and i've had zero problems with coverage. i don't have 3G in my area, but even still the edge network is decent and having the internet connection everywhere i go is awesome. i got the black, and it does get fingerprints on it, but the cleaning cloth that came with it works incredibly well and it's in a case whenever i'm not using it anyways. my only complaint so far is that my college email account will only send emails to other people at my college, not to anyone without an email address there. but that's not an apple problem, and it's not a big deal, since i'm going to be using email on my iphone almost exclusively for college. anything else can wait until i get to my macbook. so no regrets, it's amazing, i love it, and i recommend it to anyone who hasn't gotten one yet.