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The Iphone as a ......phone?

B

bazookafx3

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 17, 2008
184
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Alright the iphone has so many great apps and uses we sometimes forget it is actually a phone. This summer I'm planning to buy an Iphone (2g) but i just wanna know how does it NOW compare to other phones as an actual phone. I hear such things as 'You get a sweaty face from the glass screen' or 'it just dosen't hold right during a call'
Personally I'm not a heavy caller its usually just the 'wanna hang? yeah ill meet you there' kinda calls other than the occasion long chat with some people. Also how long does it take to get used to the keyboard? Im a blackjack II user so im not sure if i can exactly leave the tactile feedback (sp?)
Thank you
 
bazookafx3 said:
I hear such things as 'You get a sweaty face from the glass screen' or 'it just dosen't hold right during a call'
Personally I'm not a heavy caller its usually just the 'wanna hang? yeah ill meet you there' kinda calls other than the occasion long chat with some people. Also how long does it take to get used to the keyboard?
Click to expand...

to me the iphone is the best mobile phone I've ever had / used. I don't get a sweaty face from the glass screen (lol..) and as long as your hands aren't tiny, you should be fine with the ergonomics of the iphone. I'm that kind of caller, too... and I must say that it's just perfect for it. It took me about 2 days to get used to the keyboard and as time passes you'll get faster and faster ;)
 
Yeah my iPhone screen does get a little wet from the sweat if its hot out, but that doesn't matter really. Most phones get that though, including my 2 last ones.


The phone is great though. People can hear me fine and i can hear them. When i talk to someone with an iPhone, sound quality in my opinion is better than other cell phones. I give it a 9/10, with 10 being the best.
 
Alright good, that is just what i was hoping to hear. One other question I have is have you scratched your screen? I own an Ipod Touch and i thought they were 'indestructible' as far as screens go but randomly right next to the home button i noticed a small scratch circle (like no joke a perfect circle) was this a simple fluke on apple/my part? Does the touch have less durable screen for the Iphone? or is this some variation of a crop circle?
 
bazookafx3 said:
Alright good, that is just what i was hoping to hear. One other question I have is have you scratched your screen? I own an Ipod Touch and i thought they were 'indestructible' as far as screens go but randomly right next to the home button i noticed a small scratch circle (like no joke a perfect circle) was this a simple fluke on apple/my part? Does the touch have less durable screen for the Iphone? or is this some variation of a crop circle?
Click to expand...

I don't know about the ipod touch screen, but my iphone screen also has a little scratch on the right next to my home button. I believe it was the pvc case I bought for it at the beginning. (I stopped using it afterwards and since then I never had any new scratches)... I haven't used any case since november 2007.
 
bazookafx3 said:
Alright the iphone has so many great apps and uses we sometimes forget it is actually a phone. This summer I'm planning to buy an Iphone (2g) but i just wanna know how does it NOW compare to other phones as an actual phone. I hear such things as 'You get a sweaty face from the glass screen' or 'it just dosen't hold right during a call'
Personally I'm not a heavy caller its usually just the 'wanna hang? yeah ill meet you there' kinda calls other than the occasion long chat with some people. Also how long does it take to get used to the keyboard? Im a blackjack II user so im not sure if i can exactly leave the tactile feedback (sp?)
Thank you
Click to expand...

I guess it depends on the size of your hands, but I find the iPhone size "just right" to hold. Weight is "solid" no heavy. For longer calls (if you know it is going to be a long call or you need your hands free) then using the supplied earphones (with the built in mike) is a good way to go. A 45 minute call to my boss from Birmingham airport would have been a killer on the arms with otherwise - just dial and stick the phone back in the belt pouch I bought for it and keep talking. Gives much better results than a bluetooth headset too. ;)

Keyboard. This is going to be a case of personal preference. I didn't find it a problem. The trick is to "trust" the iPhone. When you stop and think about it you make more mistakes :D. Within a day I could text faster then most of my friends could on their phones and with fewer mistakes. It isn't perfect - heavy text entry and editing is a bit beyond what the iPhone can do (unless they add copy and paste), but that is the sort of job I'd get out my MacBook for anyway.

Been using the iPhone for 5 months. So far not a mark on it. I don't have a skin or protector on the phone itself, but that Incase belt pouch was probably worth it.
 
The sweaty thing on the screen depends on the person who uses it, I don't get it.

It's excellent (the best out there) to:
- dial into conference call/ meet me lines
- you can mute/un-mute easily
- hold a call, answer another, merge them, etc..

I have been working from home the last couple of months and dialing to AT&T conference lines without wasting my minutes, nothing more comfortable that to use my iPhone with my in earphones to participate during all morning calls, with a regular motorola, nokia or whatever cellphone out there I will never do this.

Buy without hesitation.
________
buy vaporizers
 
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The iPhone really impressed a man riding with me yesterday. I had gone out to dinner with a couple of friends when I took a call from my sick wife who wanted me to stop and get her some take out from another place.

I asked my friend to type the dinner's name into goggle maps and hit search. After he found it, I asked him to open the details window and tap on their phone number and hand me the phone. When they answered I asked how long they would be open as I felt they probably would close before I could get there.

After they assured me they would be open for another two hours I asked them if they could hold while I got my wife on the phone. I hit hold call and then added my wife by tapping her name in Favorites and when she answered I told her we would be ordering in a second her take out.

I hit MERGE CALLS and she spoke with the restaurant, made her detailed order and I told them I would be there in ten minutes and hung every up. She knew I was enroute and the restaurant got right on her order. As far as I know they never realized she wasn't riding with me in the car until I told them she was sick at home when I got there.

In about ten minutes I picked up the waiting package and as we took it home my friend said he couldn't do anything that easy on his cell phone - he was very impressed at my indifferent use of technology for as to me it was no big deal but typical of my iPhone usage.
 
4phun said:
The iPhone really impressed a man riding with me yesterday. I had gone out to dinner with a couple of friends when I took a call from my sick wife who wanted me to stop and get her some take out from another place.

I asked my friend to type the dinner's name into goggle maps and hit search. After he found it, I asked him to open the details window and tap on their phone number and hand me the phone. When they answered I asked how long they would be open as I felt they probably would close before I could get there.

After they assured me they would be open for another two hours I asked them if they could hold while I got my wife on the phone. I hit hold call and then added my wife by tapping her name in Favorites and when she answered I told her we would be ordering in a second her take out.

I hit MERGE CALLS and she spoke with the restaurant, made her detailed order and I told them I would be there in ten minutes and hung every up. She knew I was enroute and the restaurant got right on her order. As far as I know they never realized she wasn't riding with me in the car until I told them she was sick at home when I got there.

In about ten minutes I picked up the waiting package and as we took it home my friend said he couldn't do anything that easy on his cell phone - he was very impressed at my indifferent use of technology for as to me it was no big deal but typical of my iPhone usage.
Click to expand...

You should be writing the script for the next :apple: iPhone commercial !!!
________
Mercedes-Benz O309
 
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Thats what I'm talking about. With a few touches I get directions to a friends house or saved location. 3way calling is nice and simple, everything is much easier than any other phone I used.
 
Pardon the novel

Visual voicemail, call merging and the map -> phone or Safari -> phone integration are all great features but there are notable trade offs made in the iPhone UI.

As much a I love the flexibility of the touchscreen for most applications, there are definite caveats; you can't really take your eyes from the screen when navigating the UI or entering phone numbers or text. While this isn't an issue for most usage scenarios, if you are on foot a lot it poses a problem. With my old phone (a very non-smart phone with a standard # pad) I could make calls and send messages while walking. My fingers could feel around enough and the screen was simple enough for me to keep track of what I was entering while maintaining awareness of my surroundings. With the iPhone I need to pull up to the edge of the sidewalk and really focus on the UI to do much more than answer incoming calls. Perhaps this is normal for any phone with a full keyboard: more complicated interfaces require more concentration to use... Anyhow, I don't have the experience to compare the iPhone to models with a tactile keypad.

Again, this is a non-issue in most situations. Otherwise the basics are well covered. Of course I still have my own list of minor phone-related usability peeves, which may or may not hold up to other people's experiences:

- Low volume on the speaker-phone
- Over simplified call log (it only filters by missed calls, not made or received)
- Would be nice to be able to enter the contact list more quickly (it's own Springboard icon, perhaps)
- Would be nice to be able to use the home button instead of the finger swipe to take incoming calls or unlock the phone
 
ShamBone said:
Again, this is a non-issue in most situations. Otherwise the basics are well covered. Of course I still have my own list of minor phone-related usability peeves, which may or may not hold up to other people's experiences:

- Low volume on the speaker-phone
Click to expand...

Odd. I find the speaker-phone volume fine. Are you covering the speaker at the bottom (beside the dock connector) perhaps when holding the iPhone? I know I did that once :D

- Over simplified call log (it only filters by missed calls, not made or received)
Click to expand...

The iPhone is still a work in progress. Let's be brutally honest that Apple did rush it to market and their updates are still patching things. But if there is a feature that you want, I suggest providing Apple with feedback. They have added several features to OS X and iWorks that I (and presumably a lot of other people) asked for.

http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html

I suggest more people ask for cut and paste :D

- Would be nice to be able to enter the contact list more quickly (it's own Springboard icon, perhaps)
Click to expand...

I agree. Interestingly enough the iPhone SDK includes exactly such an app on the simulator. If Apple do not provide it as part of the upcoming update then I'm sure some third part developer will (it is very easy to write such an app as it just encapsulates the contacts API calls).

- Would be nice to be able to use the home button instead of the finger swipe to take incoming calls or unlock the phone
Click to expand...

I would argue not. The swipe was chosen deliberately to make unlocking very very hard to do by accident.
 
bazookafx3 said:
Alright the iphone has so many great apps and uses we sometimes forget it is actually a phone. This summer I'm planning to buy an Iphone (2g) but i just wanna know how does it NOW compare to other phones as an actual phone. I hear such things as 'You get a sweaty face from the glass screen' or 'it just dosen't hold right during a call'
Personally I'm not a heavy caller its usually just the 'wanna hang? yeah ill meet you there' kinda calls other than the occasion long chat with some people. Also how long does it take to get used to the keyboard? Im a blackjack II user so im not sure if i can exactly leave the tactile feedback (sp?)
Thank you
Click to expand...

The complaints you heard about the phone are pretty much nil as far as I know. It holds just as well as my RAZR did, and I seem to recall it being a popular phone for a long while (it's still not bad as just a phone).

I had never used another smartphone before, so I can't tell you about comparing to phones with physical keyboards. But it took no time at all to get used to the iPhone keyboard. The keys seem to be bigger than they would be on some of the smartphones I've seen (there's a BlackBerry with keys that look as small as pinheads). I'm no speed typer on it now, but I don't really try to be. I don't like to use my thumbs like many do. I just use my index finger on my right hand and type fairly quickly. My brain can't contemplate using my thumbs for anything other than the space bar.

Definitely wait until the 2G iPhone comes out. You might save $200 if a rumor is true. If it doesn't launch in June, I'll be shocked.
 
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