Questions from a potential Iphone buyer (can you sway me from "the storm"?

[blairh]

Hey guys.

So I'm on the middle of a road, and at one end of the road is the Iphone, and at the other end, the Blackberry Storm.

I'm a Verizon subscriber, I love their service in my area (Newton, MA) and its coverage when I travel within the States. I have to update my dumbphone this week, and I'm debating the Storm or Iphone. My contract is up, I'm a free agent baby.

Here is my mindset with everything: I tried a Storm out at Verizon yesterday. I enjoyed the QWERTY keypad and do not feel concerns about not being able to type as fast as I can on a physical QWERTY keypad. The web browser on the Storm is a very important feature for me. It's clearly not as good as the Iphone's with the omission of multi-touch and less smooth scrolling of pages. Also the lack of wifi IS NOT a deal breaker for me, but I would have liked to have it as an option. Having said that, I still think the browser is "good enough" for satisfy my needs.

So here are my questions for Iphone users. Any answers are greatly appreciated. Here goes.

1. What is the learning curve for using the touch keypad on the Iphone? I find myself making a lot of mistakes in the short time I've used it. I find myself making a lot less errors using the Storm QWERTY in the first time I used it.

2. A lot of my friends who have Iphone's say that the Safari web browser often crashes during use. Has this happened to you?

3. How is your battery life? In my situation I would keep 3G and wifi off during the day, and turning it on only when I wanted to browse the web, etc.

4. How has your plastic casing held up? I would not want to add a case, and I fear the hard plastic would break easily if dropped. Also, if you own a white Iphone, has your plastic back gotten dirty or cracked over time? I question how durable that white case is over time.

5. Do your apps crash often? I was talking to an Apple store rep yesterday and I asked about the app that gives you a QWERTY key pad in landscape, and he said it's very buggy and he would not recommend it.

6. This is more specific: does anyone here live in or near Newton, MA? I fear AT&T's service in my area. The AT&T site says I have great coverage, but I hear a lot about dropped calls and poor call quality from my friends who live in Boston and surrounding cities.

7. Is 3G coverage still as spotty as it used to be? I've read a lot of complaints about inconsistent 3G coverage, etc.

If I think of any additional questions, I'll add them here. Thanks in advance for all your answers!

 

[miiles]

5. Do your apps crash often? I was talking to an Apple store rep yesterday and I asked about the app that gives you a QWERTY key pad in landscape, and he said it's very buggy and he would not recommend it.

He had no idea what he is talking about. At all. It's not a separate App or anything, its a feature, so if your texting and you flip it on its side the keyboard goes landscape. It's not buggy, and its not an app.

 

[blairh]

I'm sorry. I should have been more specific.

I'm talking about the "Touchtype" app. .99 cents in the app store.

And there is also a free app that does the same called "Easywriter".

 

[CrzyCanuck72]

He had no idea what he is talking about. At all. It's not a separate App or anything, its a feature, so if your texting and you flip it on its side the keyboard goes landscape. It's not buggy, and its not an app.

I don't know what kind of iPhone you have, but the rest of us do NOT have landscape texting.

 

[nickspohn]

Hello, and thanks for your interest in the iPhone.

1. What is the learning curve for using the touch keypad on the Iphone? I find myself making a lot of mistakes in the short time I've used it. I find myself making a lot less errors using the Storm QWERTY in the first time I used it.

At first, everyone makes mistakes. Friends who try my phone are like, how do you type on that thing? Overtime, you become extremely familiar with the keyboard. When getting used to the phone, hold the phone with 1 hand, and type with your index finger. Then move onto holding the phone in your hand and typing with the same index finger the phone is in. THEN, hold the phone with 2 hands and use thumbs. This is by far the fastest way to type on the iPhone. You'll get used to it in no time.
2. A lot of my friends who have Iphone's say that the Safari web browser often crashes during use. Has this happened to you?

At first, it did, but over time with updates, it is FAR more stable. A update was put out just yesterday, and it is by far extremely stable. Only time the browser crashes is on heavy loaded sites, like the desktop version of myspace, but that is even rare now. A site like google or this site even will never crash

3. How is your battery life? In my situation I would keep 3G and wifi off during the day, and turning it on only when I wanted to browse the web, etc.

WiFi eats little battery, i would keep that on during the day. The big battery eater is GPS, followed by 3G. Leaving 3G does eat the battery a lot quicker than edge, but if you charge your phone every night, you could leave 3G and WiFi on, with the screen at a decent brightness, and get through the day with a few hours of use. Screen brightness is always a key role that people forget about, and the iPhone screen can be very, very bright.

4. How has your plastic casing held up? I would not want to add a case, and I fear the hard plastic would break easily if dropped. Also, if you own a white Iphone, has your plastic back gotten dirty or cracked over time? I question how durable that white case is over time.

I have both iPhones. The black one shows EVERYTHING. Smudges, everything, but hides scratches, not that i have any . The white can fade over time, mine really hasn't yet, but it can look unpleasant. If you are careful with your phone, it will never scratch. As of course you know as well, the screen is glass, so you don't have to worry about the screen scratching.

5. Do your apps crash often? I was talking to an Apple store rep yesterday and I asked about the app that gives you a QWERTY key pad in landscape, and he said it's very buggy and he would not recommend it.

Depends what app. If it's an App built into the phone, then it doesn't crash. I really don't know what the Apple rep was talking about. 3rd party apps are up to the developer and how they make the program. You can use the iPhone in landscape mode in Safari as far as the built in apps.

6. This is more specific: does anyone here live in or near Newton, MA? I fear AT&T's service in my area. The AT&T site says I have great coverage, but I hear a lot about dropped calls and poor call quality from my friends who live in Boston and surrounding cities.

If you live in a populated area, i wouldn't worry. EDGE is more than likely flourished in your area, so this question is really about 3G. You should be fine on EDGE, and if your 3G coverage is dropping calls and not getting a good signal, then you can just turn it off.

7. Is 3G coverage still as spotty as it used to be? I've read a lot of complaints about inconsistent 3G coverage, etc.

It's getting better. It will of course over time. It will be a long time before it's just as good as EDGE is now, but it's great in populated cities.

If I think of any additional questions, I'll add them here. Thanks in advance for all your answers!

If you have any more questions feel free to ask.

 

[blairh]

Follow ups.....

Nick,

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions.

Some follow ups:

1. You mentioned the white iphone fades in color? How so? What color does it fade/discolor to?

2. So 3G can actually cause you to have dropped calls? I thought 3G just affected your browsing speed?

 

[nickspohn]

Well i don't really mean fade, it just gets a discolored look overtime. It's like the iPods. After being used with hands for so long, it can get a yellowish look.

Yes. 3G is cellular as well, not just data like EDGE. If you were on EDGE and trying to load a webpage, you can't get calls or make calls, it would go straight to the voicemail. Since 3G is spotty, it can happen, but if the 3G signal is hard to get, the phone switches to EDGE. These updates (with 2.2) have helped fix the issue even more.

 

[blairh]

I feel so ignorant. I had NO IDEA that you can't receive calls while browsing with safari. I thought an alert that a phone call was being received would show up while browsing, like when you are listening to music on the Iphone.

 

[nickspohn]

I feel so ignorant. I had NO IDEA that you can't receive calls while browsing with safari. I thought an alert that a phone call was being received would show up while browsing, like when you are listening to music on the Iphone.

I might of worried you a bit ONLY when the page is loading, you will not get calls. If you have Safari open just sitting there and nothing is loading or moving, you can still get calls like normal. Sorry about that . This is the same for all phones though.

 

[blairh]

Haha. Oh, okay.

Thanks gain Nick for your answers. I'm going to go to Verizon and play with the Storm more to really figure this one out. It's a big decision!

 

[skye12]

Keep in mind as you list the weak points of the iphone, the storm will
wind up having many as well.

One review I read really disliked the storm whereas Walt Mossberg seemed
to like it ok, but you get the feeling the iphone is still #1. AND the iphone will
just keep getting better with each model.

Which is why I have decided to wait until next summer or so for the next
revision of the iphone.

 

[nickspohn]

Too be honest, and I'm not being biased here, but the iPhone would be the best solution for you if you want a phone that is stable, and you can rely on. The storm has a lot of catching up, and while the iPhone might lack some storm features, most can be added later on to the iPhone.

 

[Starflyer]

1. What is the learning curve for using the touch keypad on the Iphone? I find myself making a lot of mistakes in the short time I've used it. I find myself making a lot less errors using the Storm QWERTY in the first time I used it.

Give it 2 weeks and you will be texting like a champ.

2. A lot of my friends who have Iphone's say that the Safari web browser often crashes during use. Has this happened to you?.

I have yet to have Safari crash with iPhone OS 2.2. I use Safari heavily throughout the day.

3. How is your battery life? In my situation I would keep 3G and wifi off during the day, and turning it on only when I wanted to browse the web, etc.

Mine battery life is fair. Although I have a charger in my car and my office so my battery rarely dies. Two things to keep in mind: 1. The Storm does NOT have WiFi. 2. The iPhone scores pretty high in 3G smartphones when it comes to battery life.

4. How has your plastic casing held up? I would not want to add a case, and I fear the hard plastic would break easily if dropped. Also, if you own a white Iphone, has your plastic back gotten dirty or cracked over time? I question how durable that white case is over time.

I have the white one and it has held up rather nice. I am really hard on phones. After I dropped it a few times I bout the InvisibleShield from Zagg and I am VERY happy with it. I havent noticed any discoloration and have had mine sice day one.

5. Do your apps crash often? I was talking to an Apple store rep yesterday and I asked about the app that gives you a QWERTY key pad in landscape, and he said it's very buggy and he would not recommend it.

Any app that I have had to purchase I can't remember any issues with crashing. Free apps on the other hand...

6. This is more specific: does anyone here live in or near Newton, MA? I fear AT&T's service in my area. The AT&T site says I have great coverage, but I hear a lot about dropped calls and poor call quality from my friends who live in Boston and surrounding cities.

Can't help you there. I for the most part have great ATT service in the Knoxville, Tennessee area.

7. Is 3G coverage still as spotty as it used to be? I've read a lot of complaints about inconsistent 3G coverage, etc.

Like I said in the previous answer. I have been pretty happy.

Hope this helps.

 

[extraextra]

1. I have smaller hands and I found that within a week I had adjusted well to typing. I've even turned auto-correct off because I find it to be annoying for me, however if you're one who makes a lot of typos it's a lifesaver.

2. I don't find mine crashing too often. It usually only crashes if I have 4+ tabs open, or I'm loading a page that has a LOT of stuff on it. I would say it crashes about 2%-5% of the time.

3. An average day - I turn 3G off, wifi is always on (it searches for open networks), I talk about 20min a day, text constantly, and surf the internet for anywhere from 1-3 hours. Brightness is usually pretty low, locations services and BT are off. I find the phone lasts me 9-11 hours, maybe 6-7 hours if I use the iPod for an extended period of time.

4. I have an Incase rubber case on it so I can't say. However with the rubber case I've dropped it several times and nothing has happened.

5. Not at all. Tetris crashes a few times but that seems to be the only app with major issues for me.

6/7. I don't live in MA, but in Southern California and call quality is clear and I have great coverage. There is 3G in most major cities here but I rarely use 3G unless I want to surf the internet w/o wifi.

 

[dredg]

go with Iphone

I say go with the iphone it is a great phone ive only had mine less then 2 weeks battery life is alot more better with the 2.2 update that came yesterday gps is great 3g where i live in a small ass town (20000 people or so) and i have 3g and it works really well 3g dos eat up the battery but with the new update it lasts alot longer. but i use wifi most of all its faster and not a battery drainer like 3g. but the iphone is a good phone i would highly recommend it. i would of said go with the blackberry storm but it needs to mature a little more then it will be a worthy opponent to the iphone.

 

[fireshot91]

Well i don't really mean fade, it just gets a discolored look overtime. It's like the iPods. After being used with hands for so long, it can get a yellowish look.

Yes. 3G is cellular as well, not just data like EDGE. If you were on EDGE and trying to load a webpage, you can't get calls or make calls, it would go straight to the voicemail. Since 3G is spotty, it can happen, but if the 3G signal is hard to get, the phone switches to EDGE. These updates (with 2.2) have helped fix the issue even more.

not really, I was using my first gen. iPhone yesterday, in Safari, loading a page, and then it went to the home screen, thinking that it crashed I tried to click on it again, but then my phone started vibrating and then started to ring, and I got a call

my brother pre-ordered the Storm unlocked on AT&T and after I actually use it I'll go ahead and post here saying whats better/not better.

 

[SFStateStudent]

I apologize OP, b/c I am biased=Go iPhone ONLY...

 

[kdarling]

my brother pre-ordered the Storm unlocked on AT&T and after I actually use it I'll go ahead and post here saying whats better/not better.

What did he order to get one that would work on ATT? Is he getting an unlocked Vodafone version?

 

[CocoaPuffs]

1. What is the learning curve for using the touch keypad on the Iphone? I find myself making a lot of mistakes in the short time I've used it. I find myself making a lot less errors using the Storm QWERTY in the first time I used it.

Both phones use touch keyboard, iPhone OS was designed for touch, and Blackberry's touch interface was an add-on.

2. A lot of my friends who have Iphone's say that the Safari web browser often crashes during use. Has this happened to you?

How many of your same friends have used Storm? This aspect is not available yet for comparison.

3. How is your battery life? In my situation I would keep 3G and wifi off during the day, and turning it on only when I wanted to browse the web, etc.

Even if you keep wifi and 3G on during the day with little usage, you will be fine. Again, you can't compare in this aspect when Storm has not been user tested.

4. How has your plastic casing held up? I would not want to add a case, and I fear the hard plastic would break easily if dropped. Also, if you own a white Iphone, has your plastic back gotten dirty or cracked over time? I question how durable that white case is over time.

You should read engadget's review on the build quality of Storm, then you wouldn't question the quality between the two.

5. Do your apps crash often? I was talking to an Apple store rep yesterday and I asked about the app that gives you a QWERTY key pad in landscape, and he said it's very buggy and he would not recommend it.

Again, not available yet for comparison.

6. This is more specific: does anyone here live in or near Newton, MA? I fear AT&T's service in my area. The AT&T site says I have great coverage, but I hear a lot about dropped calls and poor call quality from my friends who live in Boston and surrounding cities.

Network is network, if that is the most important factor of getting the phone, then you shouldn't worry about any of the above.

7. Is 3G coverage still as spotty as it used to be? I've read a lot of complaints about inconsistent 3G coverage, etc.

6 and 7 is the same question...

iPhone is the pioneer and leader of touch UI...your questions aren't about making comparison between the two, but rather just pointing out some of the shortcoming on iPhone.

If I am trying to pick a smart phone and network coverage is not the primary factor, I would wait few months after Storm has been user tested before making comparison.

 

[blairh]

I'm getting an Iphone!!!!

It's amazing how much can change in an hour.

So after my post and a few replies here, I made my way to Verizon to play with the Storm once again. To make a long experience short, it was a nightmare. I played with 3 units. The first 2 had major issues, major, and the third unit showed me how bad the browser is. I won't get into details, but to put it simply, browsing on the web with the storm is not enjoyable.

So I hightailed it to my local Apple store and after 10 minutes on safari decided to get an Iphone. I'm going to wait until Black Friday to save on Mass sales tax, but I'm psyched to finally make the leap!

Quick follow up: my current Verizon account is in my mom's name. I opened the line when i was 16, 12 years ago, and never took my name off the actual bill (even though my name is attached to the account and i have full access to it). I asked a sales rep at the Apple store if I need her to come in to switch my account to an Iphone, and he said I just need my current account number and her social security number.

Can anyone confirm if this is correct or not? I would really prefer not having to drag my mom to an Apple store to get my Iphone (for obvious reasons ).

 

[jmccullough108]

It's amazing how much can change in an hour.

So after my post and a few replies here, I made my way to Verizon to play with the Storm once again. To make a long experience short, it was a nightmare. I played with 3 units. The first 2 had major issues, major, and the third unit showed me how bad the browser is. I won't get into details, but to put it simply, browsing on the web with the storm is not enjoyable.

So I hightailed it to my local Apple store and after 10 minutes on safari decided to get an Iphone. I'm going to wait until Black Friday to save on Mass sales tax, but I'm psyched to finally make the leap!

Quick follow up: my current Verizon account is in my mom's name. I opened the line when i was 16, 12 years ago, and never took my name off the actual bill (even though my name is attached to the account and i have full access to it). I asked a sales rep at the Apple store if I need her to come in to switch my account to an Iphone, and he said I just need my current account number and her social security number.

Can anyone confirm if this is correct or not? I would really prefer not having to drag my mom to an Apple store to get my Iphone (for obvious reasons ).

If your name is on the account, and you have permissions to do things in a retail store, I don't see an issue. AT&T has this thing online where you can list names of people that can access and change plan packages and such in a retail store. I would imagine verizon has a similar section for that on its website, though I do not have any experience with them.

Congrats on going to the iPhone, you will love it, and at times you may hate it, but overall, you will love it, by far the best choice.

Good luck,

Ryan

 

[Auzburner]

Nick,

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions.

Some follow ups:

1. You mentioned the white iphone fades in color? How so? What color does it fade/discolor to?

2. So 3G can actually cause you to have dropped calls? I thought 3G just affected your browsing speed?

I have the white iPhone, what Nick is predicting is the chance that the white iPhone may turn a yellowish faded color when it ages as do most white plastics. So far, personally I have not observed anything of the sort.

3G can be spotty on occasion. Personally, I have not experienced more than 2 dropped calls in owning my iPhone 3G Since (July, 2008). I do live in Central New York, and my 3G coverage is fantastic so my results are good for that reason. Just check your local coverage. You are right in saying the 3G is there to increase data speeds, some have experienced their iPhone 3G's dropping calls at much higher numbers than the original iPhone. Then blaming the 3G signal for the problems, which is probably true, but their local coverage is at fault, so before you buy an iPhone 3G - check the ATT 3G coverage map for good coverage in your area.

http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/

 

[nikhsub1]

I think you should buy the Storm.

 

[shakenmartini]

If you are into media, go iPhone as this has, and still appears to be, a significant weakness of BB's. From the reviews, safari is better than the Storm browser.

If you are into email and have a company with BES, go blackberry. If you are happy with Verizon and Att coverage sucks in your area go with the storm.

The iPhone doesn't have discoloration issues with the white.

3G works great on iPhone and ATT unless your coverage is crappy. No need to fiddle with turning it off an on as of 2.1 firmware.

Battery life on the iphone is about the best I know of for a 3G smartphone. If you get any 3G smartphone you will only get one day of charge out of it. Less if you use it heavily. I can talk a few hours a day, light browsing and lots of iPod use and stil have plenty of battery left at the end of the day. I don't do any special power management things (even use push email). The big battery killer on the iphone is browsing and some processor intense apps. iPod battery life is outstanding. Very little noticeable battery drain compared to not using the iPod.

Note that the BB doesn't have WiFi. This is actually a PITA because WiFi is much faster

 

[rush0]

I dont really like the touch screen on it. Its far from an iPhone. Wonder why they dropped Wi-Fi