Should i buy an iPhone

towel401

alright I never liked the iPhone much but it seems like i'm the only one. everyone else says its so great for everything and that what i consider faults are really not faults at all (its a feature not a bug). i been using S60 since '04 but recent nokia e-series phones have been messing around with new security stuff and sending all emails through nokias servers, so maybe its time to start using something else

if i got an iphone it would have to be unlocked and jail broken. i'm not into this restrictive stuff one bit, want to use apps that Steve Jobs doesn't necessarily approve of, like a python interpeter and SIP client.

I dont care for the iphone's touch screen interface either. i find it oversimplified and childish looking. and having used the on-screen keyboard i can honestly say it sucks. i might get used to it but i said the same about the nokia 3650 back in the day. i never had to get used to the E63/E71 keyboard even though the buttons seem smaller.

other things i don't like about the iphone would be
-'permanent' battery (though i could replace it myself if it went bad)
-hard to add songs using linux
-animated 'eye candy' effects. can you turn them off?
-cant use as a modem (yet?)
-apparent disposable-grade poor build quality of the phone

good things would be the email client and that there are tons of apps available for it especially if it's jail broken. but is the iphone just not for me or are there people who used to think the same as me and now love using their iphone?

Stephen

You can tether it for data now, since the 3.0 software update. I think there are jailbroken apps you can use to turn it into a wifi access point too.

I don't know where you're getting the poor build quality stuff from. My iPhone seems to be well put together? I don't know how you'd use it on Linux unless you're running iTunes through WINE or something.
I wasn't sure how i'd be with the touch interface at first, but I love it now. 2 of my family members hate it, but they are nokiatards - i.e. people who can't use any phone that doesn't have the standard Nokia UI :pac:

I think the best way to find out if you could live with it is to get hold of an iPod Touch and play with that for a few days. Its essentially the same as the iPhone only for the lack of phone/cellular data features.

blaz

I'd say if you really like Nokia S60, then the iPhone is not for you. I absolutely hate Nokia S60, it is slow, unintuitive, buggy, bloated, ugly piece of c**p. Nokia S40 is fine though. Recently bought a used iPhone 3G and love it.

To your points:

• I've been using mobile phones since 1997 and never had to replace the battery, so I don't see the non-replacable iPhone battery as an issue. The battery life indeed can be an issue if you're a heavy user, though.
• If you type a lot then yes, the keyboard is a problem. But then I wouldn't use a keyboard in this case, I'd use a notebook (or a netbook).
• If you want to use it with Linux - don't. Either buy a Mac or stay with Windows, otherwise you'll be fiddling with it whole day long and still won't get it to work properly.
• Build quality of phone is excellent in my opinion.

My suggestion would be to borrow one from a friend for a day and see how you like it.

Hagar

I hate Macs, well hate is a bit strong but I almost bought one today just to have, based on my positive experiences with my iPhone.

mad muffin

I was like you. I would proclaim from the highest mountain that I hated the iPhone and would never get it. Stupid iPhone this and dumb iPhone that.

Well I succumbed last month and I love it. It is now my precious.:pac:

The build quality I think is great (although I did have a problem with mine but Apple are replacing it).

I find what it lacks I never used anyway, like camera and video call camera.

replaceable battery? I never ever replaced a battery on any of my other phones and you can buy battery packs for the iPhone if you are out and about.

dealing with Apple is a dream. You have a problem with the phone? As long as you didn't damage it and its in warranty they will replace it with a like new or new one for you. None of this sending off to repair, only for your phone to come back beaten up and in worse condition than when you sent it off ( Sony Ericsson I'm looking at you).

I love the keyboard, its super fast and the auto spell correction is great.

Love the UI and all the Apps you can get.

Games on it are great.

Sure it has its down sides but to me they are negligible and don't really annoy me at all.

Oh I forgot to mention Safari is a dream to use. Best web experience on a phone ever.

And I love the iPod on it too.

nice1franko

I'd get one. You sound like a practical-minded software developer (like myself, I dare say).

When my old phone broke I was reluctant to get one but there wasn't anything else that came near it, functionality-wise.

Anyway, I have to say, it's the best gadget I've ever had.

i'm stuck on whether to get one lately.. since jailbreaking my itouch, i just want to do the same to an iphone.

hmm... decisions decisions. 32gig itouch nd a 5 megapixel sony ericsson really should be enough for one person.

w@ll3gurl

I have my first iPhone about a week now, was a Mac user for years but never really thought i 'needed' an iPhone so hadn't bothered with it till now. I really love it!! It honestly is the only phone i've ever bought (and i had a *lot* - bit of a gadget freak) that i have not regretted buying, even for a second. Usually my first week with a new mobile phone, by day 2 i'm going 'ah why did i bother, this or that annoys me about it' - and it takes me about a week to warm to them. but this one i am just going 'how did i last so long without one???' :eek:
I know I'm biased being a mac user and a big fan of them. I would never ever *ever* consider buying anything other than apple for lap/desk top.

And as you are into software development and more technical knowledge than a general user like me, i would say you will probably get an awful lot more out of it. And most users get enough as it is.

JoeA3

I'm also a recent iPhone convert, got a 3GS on launch day. I've had Nokia's and Sony Ericsson's for years, and I'd never go back to them!

I had a Nokia N95 prior to this, and despite it having most of the same features (and more) than the iPhone, I never used a lot of those features - cos the UI and general usability absolutely sucked! For example, while it had WiFi, the web browser was hopeless for anything other than plain-text web-pages, and navigating around web-pages using traditional phone keys is a pain. So I barely bothered using it for the web. It also had GPS... but took an age to lock onto a GPS signal... whereas I find the iPhone takes mere seconds.

The texting interface was also poor on the N95, it actually seemed worse than older Nokia's oddly enough - e.g. no smileys. And I never bothered putting any music on the N95, cos again I thought the user interface was the pits - instead I used to carry around an iPod if I needed music!

The iPhone on the other hand is a truely usable mobile internet device. Nothing else I've used comes close. I now have everything in one device - phone, internet, mail, iPod, Sat Nav....

I've also been pleasantly surprised by battery life... I'm getting about 1.5 days from a full charge, and that's with using it quiet a lot (with it still being in "novelty" stage). The camera isn't too bad either, obviously the one on the N95 was better - it had a flash for starters - but a camera is probably the least important thing on a phone as far as I'm concerned.

The only thing that worries me with it is fragility... I'm totally paranoid about dropping it. Stupidly I did drop it in a pub over the weekend (with no case on it!), I was certain I'd be picking it up in pieces, but no... not even a scratch! I couldn't believe it. So, I've ordered a decent leather wallet-style case, so I won't be taking it in and out the whole time, that should ease my fears!

OREGATO

I've been a Nokia man for years (since my first phone)

This is my second venture outside the Nokia brand, first was a HTC touch which was a load of balls, running windows mobile 6, it was slow, buggy and typing on the damn thing was a nightmare (plus the fact that you needed the stylus for absolutely everything)

I've had the iPhone 3G 8 gig three weeks now and I have to say its a great device, the only thing I'll moan about is the battery life, but get a car charger off ebay and carry a spare sync cable and you're laughing.

The wifi is brilliant and the 3g is not bad either. Intuitative to use and definitely worth the money.

The app's are brilliant again, but definiately get it jail broken, its well worth it!

mika27

I was another iPhone skeptic at the start but I borrowed a friends iTouch a few weeks ago and was so impressed with it I went and bought a 3GS on launch day. It's the best gadget I've ever bought.

Build quality is excellent, I haven't come across better in a phone.
I'm using Amarok to add music to my iPod on linux, but I haven't tried it with the iPhone yet so I can't say how it works. Its a doddle compared to iTunes.
It's possible to use as a modem now link
The keyboard is great if you're using both hands in landscape mode but it is a bit of an effort if you only have one hand free (like when your in the pub with pint in other hand), this is probably my only gripe with the phone.

JoeA3

mika27 wrote: »

The keyboard is great if you're using both hands in landscape mode but it is a bit of an effort if you only have one hand free (like when your in the pub with pint in other hand), this is probably my only gripe with the phone.

+1.
It doesn't lend itself so well to "one-handed typing"... but maybe in time you'd get used to it. At first I found I was always hitting the wrong key too (fingers too big?!), but I've improved on that, and there's very good auto-correction / spell-checking anyway.

WillieCocker

w@ll3gurl wrote: »

I have my first iPhone about a week now, was a Mac user for years but never really thought i 'needed' an iPhone so hadn't bothered with it till now. I really love it!! It honestly is the only phone i've ever bought (and i had a *lot* - bit of a gadget freak) that i have not regretted buying, even for a second. Usually my first week with a new mobile phone, by day 2 i'm going 'ah why did i bother, this or that annoys me about it' - and it takes me about a week to warm to them. but this one i am just going 'how did i last so long without one???' :eek:
I know I'm biased being a mac user and a big fan of them. I would never ever *ever* consider buying anything other than apple for lap/desk top.

And as you are into software development and more technical knowledge than a general user like me, i would say you will probably get an awful lot more out of it. And most users get enough as it is.

Agree totally.
Although i never ever used a mac before and the 3GS is my first Apple product.;)

PhoenixRising

A new iPhone user as well, have it about a week now. The positives do outweigh the negatives but there are plenty of negatives IMO.

- The restrictions they've placed on Bluetooth, i.e file transfers and contact sending and such, is really annoying and unforgivable for a 'high end' device.

- Not being able to save email attachments is another major annoyance. You can't bluetooth a file to your phone so you decide to email it only to find that you are not able to save a copy of the file on the phone. You have to keep going into your email, find the required email, and open the attachment from there every time you need to see it.

- Battery life is poor, but is to be expected I suppose.

- Few other minor gripes, not major issues, but again for a 'high end' device commanding the price it does, it should have them. Things like no text message delivery reports, no profiles, no radio etc..

- Camera about 3-4 years behind the competition. I was using a Sony Ericsson with a 3Mp camera about 4 years ago which also had video recording which the iPhone 3GS has only just got.

All that said though, it does do a lot of things really well, especially wi-fi, internet browsing and email. Also having your entire iTunes library on your phone is great too, but due to the poor battery life could you listen to your music on a 10 hour flight without the battery dying?

cojomo2

PhoenixRising wrote: »

A new iPhone user as well, have it about a week now. The positives do outweigh the negatives but there are plenty of negatives IMO.

- The restrictions they've placed on Bluetooth, i.e file transfers and contact sending and such, is really annoying and unforgivable for a 'high end' device.

- Not being able to save email attachments is another major annoyance. You can't bluetooth a file to your phone so you decide to email it only to find that you are not able to save a copy of the file on the phone. You have to keep going into your email, find the required email, and open the attachment from there every time you need to see it.

- Battery life is poor, but is to be expected I suppose.

- Few other minor gripes, not major issues, but again for a 'high end' device commanding the price it does, it should have them. Things like no text message delivery reports, no profiles, no radio etc..

- Camera about 3-4 years behind the competition. I was using a Sony Ericsson with a 3Mp camera about 4 years ago which also had video recording which the iPhone 3GS has only just got.

All that said though, it does do a lot of things really well, especially wi-fi, internet browsing and email. Also having your entire iTunes library on your phone is great too, but due to the poor battery life could you listen to your music on a 10 hour flight without the battery dying?

Yes. Im my experience, using the ipod function for listening to music is very very light on the battery. Its long calls over 3g, playing video and surfing the net that eats battery life.

Fiesta

PhoenixRising wrote: »

- Not being able to save email attachments is another major annoyance. You can't bluetooth a file to your phone so you decide to email it only to find that you are not able to save a copy of the file on the phone. You have to keep going into your email, find the required email, and open the attachment from there every time you need to see it.

1st time iPhone user myself and i agree with whats being said. As you cant save email attachments, it may be a help to press the top and the bottom button at the same time to save a screenshot to the Camera Roll, so you can refer to them later without using wi-fi / 3G.

PhoenixRising

Fiesta wrote: »

1st time iPhone user myself and i agree with whats being said. As you cant save email attachments, it may be a help to press the top and the bottom button at the same time to save a screenshot to the Camera Roll, so you can refer to them later without using wi-fi / 3G.

Thanks for the tip!

towel401

alright i bought an ol 2G on ebay just waiting for it to arrive 175 pound, 3.0 firmware and unlocked. if i don't like i'll sell it on and buy a Nokia E63

Kashkai

My wife bought me my iPhone 3G for my birthday and I hated it as I thought it was just a gimmick so I left it in its box for a month and continued using my 5 year old Samsung (built like a tank and never let me down). However, I was bored one day and took the iPhone out for a play around and started to realise all the things it could do -

safari browser is superb,

iPod for my music so don't have to search round for my cds any more as they are all now stored on the phone

standard mapping app and the motion x app that I downloaded means that I don't need to buy a sat nav now

fantastic games (some even free) that wouldn't look out of place on a PSP or a DSi

weather data and related apps

etc etc

Its a brilliant gadget and it never leaves my side now. The only gripe I have with it is the battery life but I suppose with all the different functions/apps that I run on it and the usage I get out of it, the power will drain fairly quickly anyways.

Oh and finally, for build quality, I've dropped mine a few times and my kids have gotten their mucky fingers on it and its completely scratch and defect free.

Now I'm only wondering is the 3GS worth the money to upgrade - although I'm thinking not, at least for now.

nice1franko

Yeah battery life isnt great but when you consider the size of it and the screen plus the 3g, wifi, bluetooth, (not to mention cpu with all the processing it's doing...) it's not bad.

The apps are great. Developers are falling over themselves to get apps on it. Free ones like the bbc news or sky news are great... when you jailbreak it get xgps (great sat nav app)... actually, too many good apps to mention.

I dropped mine from head height onto porcelain tiles and was sure it was gonner... Nay a bother on it. Have also dropped it several times on concrete and tar mac and scratched the screen but it's still going perfectly.