I was able to spend about five minutes with Apple’s iPhone today. It was my first time with the actual device in my hand—I was in the Apple store picking up something else—although I’ve heard so much about it I feel like I own one.
Have to say that despite the worries from naysayers that typing on the screen would be imprecise and difficult, with just my first five minutes I was doing pretty good. After a half hour, I think even my fat fingers would be doing a good approximation of accurate typing, certainly no worse than my current rate of misspellings on my full-size computer keyboard.
My desire for the iPhone has not abated, although I’m still put off by (a) the $600 price tag for a 4 Gb model and (c) the lack of advanced features. I’m waiting to see what an eventual version 2.0 will offer or even whether the next generation of iPod gives me enough of what I want in the iPhone. I think I might be happy with a phoneless iPhone, i.e. the iPod and Internet device elements.
Also took a gander at the new iMacs, looking all sleek and brushed aluminum and glass. Very fancy. The glossy screens are very large, very bright, and very fingerprint-prone. (Not unlike my MacBook Pro’s screen.) It’s a good thing they come with a chamois. Owners of the iMac will need it.
The new keyboard is pretty sweet too, coming in both Bluetooth and wired versions. It’s incredibly thin and now has a bunch of keys for controlling iTunes and Expose and more. If I was still working on a regular desktop machine, I’d buy one in a second. Frankly, if I hadn’t just bought a new keyboard for my Windows machine at work, I’d buy the Apple one. It’s even less expensive than the Microsoft keyboard I did get. Shucks!
The purpose of the trip, however, was to pick up new version of iWork, which I use for various simple page design projects, and iLife, which a co-worker mainly uses for its photo book capabilities. I’ve only used the software for a short time so far, but I’m liking the upgraded features. Maybe I’ll do a short review later.
For now, I’m going back to imagining all the cool stuff I could be doing with an iPhone. Hmmm.
If you don’t really care about the phone function, have you considered the Nokia n800?
It does have to be an iPod. And sync flawlessly with my Mac. That rules out anything not made by Apple.
Wait for 2.0—the 1.0 only makes scrambled eggs, no matter how many times you ask for over-easy.
I have to admit that the flawless toast and English muffins probably are worth $600 and the AT&T;factor.
For all those who are not interest in things Apple, I want to highly recommend the Windows alternative to the IPhone, the HTC Touch, which came out a few weeks before the IPhone. It has a touch screen interface similar to the IPhones—an easy to use program selection cube, an excellent phone, an ok intergrated 2mp camera, MP3 player, and operates on Windows Pocket PC 6, you can use your fingures or the supplied stylus when needed. I have had mine since June when they came out in Europe and they are great!! You can buy them online and unlocked for about $550, and use them with any service you please.
PLUS it is about the size of a Motorola Razar, much smaller than the Iphone.
Have you seen an iPhone in person? They’re pretty small. Not sure I’d want a smartphone to be smaller because the screen would be that much tinier.