
The Apple iPhone went on sale yesterday at 6PM, to thousands of people who lined up with anticipation. I've been wanting an Apple-made mobile phone for a loooooong time, since syncing my devices with my Macintosh computers has been sketchy at best. Yesterday morning Mike D. and our superstar intern Rob made their way to Southcenter Mall at around 10AM to stand in line. There were already 100 people in front of them. Hearing this, I gave up on the idea that I could go plop myself into line sometime around 4-5 and not have to wait several hours. Eventually, a friend and I hatched a plan to get our hands on the hot little iPhone.
Around 11AM, while sitting at breakfast, we called a friend and asked if their son would sit in line for us for $100. Their kid was busy but he had 2 friends that were chomping at the bit to make a quick Benjamin on an otherwise unprofitable Friday during summer vacation. So, the two 14 year olds headed to the mall and started waiting in line. Around 5:50PM I showed up at the mall and relieved the boys. They were thrilled and went off to buy their skate shoes with the money. 10 minutes later they started letting us into the store. The guy in front of me only wanted one iPhone, so he let me buy his other one - for a total of 3 (typically, 2 per customer). So, at about 6:20 I walked out of the Apple Store with 3 iPhones. Not even 5 feet out of the store I saw a guy I know and he offered to buy one off of me for $100 more than they cost. I said sure, and this essentially paid for the kid standing in line for 6 hours :)
Getting home, I couldn't have been more eager to play with a new toy. The box was very small and simple, not unlike the packaging for the latest iPod Nanos. Not much documentation inside, just the iPhone, dock, cable, wall charger and headset. Plugging the iPhone in automatically opened iTunes. Activating the iPhone was a breeze, it took 15 minutes tops to activate and initiate transfer of my telephone number. I have to admit, the AT&T rate plans are very expensive compared to T-Mobile, my previous carrier - my monthly bill has essentially doubled as a result of going from the Blackberry Pearl to the iPhone.
The finish and feel of the iPhone is amazing, the size is quite a bit bigger than my BB, but it fits well in the pocket. It's a little heavier than I'd like, but with all of those features you have to compromise somewhere. The touchscreen interface is Awesome. Processing is very fast, even with my iPhone completely full (30mb of free space remaining). The camera seems serviceable, but doesn't handle low light conditions very well (no flash). Locking and unlocking the iPhone is a snap. I love the touchscreen interface for everything except typing so far. Even though I know I'll get better/faster at using the iPhone to type, it'll never be as easy to use as physical buttons, which was one of the things I really liked about the Pearl.
Syncing up my music, mail settings, contacts and address book couldn't have been easier! A breath of fresh air after using Missing Sync, PocketMac and the rest - which has always been frustrating. You can select playlists, contact lists, photo rolls, and more - or wipe clean whatever you already have on your iPhone with just a few simple clicks. This is how a smart device should work.
The automatic wi-fi switching is MONEY. I had the Nokia E60 and it was a bit of a pain to switch between networks. Like all Apple products, the iPhone does its work pretty seamlessly and painlessly. Having wi-fi speed is very important and allows you to surf the web, watch YouTube videos and do everything else at a speed that the iPhone deserves to be used at. The AT&T Edge network is a different story. I had connectivity problems a few times and it was serviceable, though the iPhone really needs wi-fi to shine.
Using the iPhone last night to make calls in a loud club was as good as any other phone I've ever used. Drunken text messages came out legibly. After using it quite a bit last night and leaving it in standby mode overnight, I'm left with about 40% battery life remaining, which isn't spectacular.
I have noticed a few small problems. Using the iPod functionality today, I got to a part of an Aerosmith song that paused on its own and then started 'skipping'. It rectified itself once I woke the iPhone from sleep (instead of freezing till the battery runs out, as has happened with my iPods a couple times), so no biggie. There's also a bit of plastic still wedged in-between the two sides of the case, like you see on brand new car seats before they're prepped for delivery. One thing that is pretty annoying is that my Bose headphones can't plug into the iPhone without an adaptor, since the headphone jack is recessed.
These minor gripes are just that, very minor. I'm still thrilled to have what I consider to be the best handheld device I've ever used. The Apple Store still has some at this point, so grab one if you can!
Cross-posed from CalvinTang.com
Great review Calvin.
I want one so badly, but will wait until later versions and I have the money... :)
Enjoy!!!!
Good review -- I'm syncing mine now, so haven't even played with it.
But -- I got one.
:)
Congrats Brian!
You lucky devils... I am soooo jealous!
You decided to get one??? But maybe if you had waited, you could have gotten something better ;-)
My parents bought one for me as a surprise. I can't wait for it to show up next week!
My goodness JG...
Aren't you spoiled... :)
Congrats!!!
Congrats, Calvin and Brian. I am officially extremely jealous of you two. I am getting mine tomorrow evening provided adequate stock at the Brea, CA Apple store.
Good review Calvin. Most of what I have been hearing is that it takes some time, but you will get used to the keyboard. Hopefully you get used to yours.
I will post my own review as soon as I can.
I am sincerely jealous!
Yay! Sounds great Calvin! I can't wait to see one in person!
So far, i don't know anyone that is getting one or that wants to afford it! The Apple 'store' here doesn't have them because this Apple store is more like an Apple kiosk that sells MacBooks to college students.
One thing I don't like so far:
You can't "drag" a playlist onto the iPhone in iTunes. (Or, individual songs, either.)
Nor is it possible to create an empty playlist on the iPhone and then drag individual songs into it. I don't always want to make an new playlist "in iTunes" everytime I want a mixed playlist on my iPhone.
My Nano allowed both of the above.
Yeah it seems like an odd omission, given that that's standard iPod functionality (that all iPods have had for a long while, years…)
However, that's all just software though. A new version of iTunes will likely support it :)
That is odd.
That would seem to be "basic" functionality...
Brian, is it just me or does the battery not last very long at all, and takes quite a while to fully charge?
Granted, I use the mobile phone quite a bit since I don't have a landline, but I don't see this thing lasting more than 24 hours per charge for me, even on lighter usage days.
Yeah -- I noticed the charge thing. I had it plugged into my computer, and it wasn't really charging much, or so it seemed. (Crawling along.)
I think it sped up a bit when I used the AC adapter for the USB cord, though.
I read somewhere that it definitely doesn't come with a full charge, so I wonder if that plays into it.
I'm not going to jump to conclusions until I know I've experienced it on a full charge. So, after charging overnight tonight, I'll give it another go tomorrow and see. Today's activity definitely felt as though it didn't live up to the advertised battery life but again, I did play with a lot of the video an internet, etc. I also imagine having the wi-fi on all day didn't help.
I also noticed that I stopped using it with half a battery indicated -- and it went to sleep and I picked it up and brought it out of sleep about 2 hours later -- and it was at like 1/4 battery life. That seemed odd, as Apple advertises a ridiculously long standby battery life.
The charge did much better today. Under more normalized usage, it seemed to hold a charge pretty well. I didn't notice it leaking battery life until I started playing around online and with youtube.
It's still at about 3/4 after a pretty normal day of use.
I did get a chance to browse with the edge network, though -- which was (as has been mentioned) pretty awful.
So -- just to clarify: If I browse with Safari on the edge network -- that doesn't come off my minutes, right?
If I browse with Safari on the edge network -- that doesn't come off my minutes, right?
Not as far as I understand; its part of your unlimited data.
Played around with one at the Apple Store today. I went there not with the intention of buying one, but now I'm really leaning towards it, so all this real life experience is rather helpful.
Yes, Brian, you are right. Browsing the Internet is covered under your data plan, which is unlimited, so browse to your heart's content.
I just got mine... what an ordeal that was. It has been absolutely amazing so far. I will post my own review soon.
The battery life has been nothing short of terrible for me, though I admit that tonight will be the first overnight charge. We'll see how she does tomorrow.
One thing that sucks for me is that the coverage at my house is spotty at best. I have to hang out in the corner of my TV room to talk on the phone :(
One thing that sucks for me is that the coverage at my house is spotty at best. I have to hang out in the corner of my TV room to talk on the phone :(
Do you not have wifi at home?
Calvin,
Give it a few full charges and let us know how the battery life is. If it is still significantly under Apple's estimates you might want to give them a call.
I will be using mine today for the first full day, and I am expecting it to be pretty good. Based upon minimal charging last night, it should be decent, since I was playing with it all night. :)
I do have wi-fi at home, but that doesn't help when trying to make and receive calls, or when sending sms.
I do have wi-fi at home, but that doesn't help when trying to make and receive calls,
It should, though. The phone companies may be hanging on to "call minutes" as a cash cow, but iPhone and similar spell the end of this, in reality. That phone could, if AT&T were to allow Apple to implement it, switch seamlessly between WiFi and EDGE for voice calls, charging Skype-like rates for the WiFi mediated voice.
My guess is that how soon this happens depends a lot on how much RIAA-style craziness the telecos engage in, if you see what I mean.
The lack of documentation surprises me - even for an Apple product.
Well, I guess why break with tradition now?
Doesn't come with the iPhone, but it's a good reference to have.
Loved you review, Calvin! I expect an update in a few days, after you've had more time to play. :)
Congratulations, Calvin!
Seems like a lot of fun :)
Nice review. Hopefully Santa with have one of those bad boys in his bag for me :)
Well this obviously is a hoax article. There was no mention about still waiting to get it activated.
Dude. What you're missing in your blog is a review about the BlackBerry Curve.
Send me one and I'll write a review straight away :)
That would be really cool: a comparison of the Curve and the iPhone.
Too bad no one has both...
That would be really cool: a comparison of the Curve and the iPhone.
Too bad no one has both...
Who could afford both??? :)
Who would not get rid of their Curve the moment they get an iPhone? ;)
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I seriously think I may return the iPhone if there isn't some way I can get the battery to last an entire day. After a full night's charge, it's at about 1/3 battery power after very light use today and wi-fi off for half of the day. It's 4:25PM. :(
That really stinks. Maybe you just have a lemon. :(
That may well be. I exchanged mine today. I went in -- told them I wasn't happy with the battery life and they gave me a new one. (A new iPhone.) They acted as though it was definitely an issue and seemed to be taking very specific notes about how soon I noticed the problem and most importantly:
Whether I was charging via the computer or the AC plugin...
My guess is that there is an issue with some of the batteries.
In my fast following ways, I am soaking up all your expert opinions before I make the switch.
Brian, they asked you how soon you noticed the battery life problem? Seems you caught it about as fast as a person could possibly. Battery life is pretty important to me with travel that takes me a bit off the beaten path. I would want to have at least two days of active use, so I'm listening intently to what you guys experience.
Thanks for the detailed review Calvin, seems like a great phone otherwise.
and most importantly:
Whether I was charging via the computer or the AC plugin...
Can you elaborate on this? Which is better, or less damaging to the battery? I hope you're right, because I won't be owning an iPhone if the battery is like the one that's in mine. Battery life and AT&T reliability/coverage are the only two significant downsides. Otherwise, I love this thing!
Calvin, sounds like your battery is a flawed one. Engadget got 9hrs of video and 29hr of audio out of their iPhones (i.e. even more than Apple's stated numbers) and that was with Wifi and such on (only Bluetooth off).
Do you have Bluetooth on consistently? If so, try turning it off for a day, first, see if that makes a difference.
If not, take it back to the Apple store and tell them you suspect you have a flawed battery, and just give them the full run-down.
I posted an article about my battery and Apple's response -- you may want to check it out.
My observations from the questions they asked are that they seemed to think using the wall charger would be better. Again, I've been reading a bit (more on this in my article) and people have had some problems with the battery icon never getting higher than a certain percentage of charge when using the dock connector and the USB plugin.
That was my experience -- and now I'm wondering if the battery was somehow only charging to 60% capacity and reporting that as full.
I'm going to try and use my new iPhone identically to the first one today -- see if it performs better or worse or the same. Will report over on my article.
Thanks guys. Yes, it does seem that something is wrong with mine. I've had bluetooth off, and yesterday had wifi off most of the day. It still didn't make it to the end of the day. I'm going to exchange this sucker, because other than that I really like the phone.
Ok, exchanged it. Actually, it was pretty cool. They were out of iPhones for sale, but had some in reserve, just for exchanges. I'll report back once I have a chance to see if this battery is any different. Thanks for the idea Brian.
They were out of iPhones for sale, but had some in reserve, just for exchanges.
How's that for customer service, huh? Don't bother selling the very last few units to make an extra buck, keep some at bay for exchanges.
I'm actually impressed by that, myself. :)
Well, it's a calculated gamble, Faruk.
What's worse: Saving a few (when you've already sold something on the order of 700,000) and making someone happy "if" they have a problem
OR
Selling them all and earning a really pissed off customer when he's suddenly without an iPhone for a week or two while waiting for a replacement.
Honestly, I think it's not so much "impressive" or "commendable" -- it's just worth more than the money they'd earn selling those iPhones. In other words: Smart business.
Smart business.
Aye, exactly. But it never ceases to amaze me to see just how few companies actually do smart business.
I agree with both of you, it's smart (meaning calculated) AND great customer service.
BTW, my second iPhone's battery is quite a bit better than the first. It lasts exactly one day from morning till night, with regular usage, which is the minimum amount for me. Though, this one has had more quirks than the first, I had a crash/freeze and had to hard reset while using G maps, and a few other little bugs, but overall I'm much happier and I'll be keeping it! :)
I'm glad you're happier now, but it sounds like version 2 will be a lot better. 30% more battery life and a few less glitches and the thing would go from good to great...?
I'd say 100 - 200+% more battery life would bring it from good to great. Realistically, having to re-charge every day is not the greatest, just bearable enough to keep an otherwise great device.
I'm really curious to see how my iPhone usage will effect the battery life.
I hardly use my current phone at all, for anything, and it lasts me about 3-4 days between charges. Most I use it for is the occasional text message.
With the iPhone, I reckon I'll be using it more because usage will actually be enjoyable (definitely not the case on my current phone), but we'll see once I get mine…
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