They’re out! The first iPhone 3G reviews

i have had countless smart phones such as blackjack, pantech duo, and sidekick, etc. nothing compares to the iphone its hands down the best phone in the world, nothing can be compared to it the touch screen is amazing and so are all the features not to mention super easy to use unlike those window based pda’s. (blackjack I, II) anyhow if you are going to pour the money into having a data plan, might as well get an i phone i used to think the iphones were LAME and trendy but once i really played with one i was sold, not to mention the labryinth game that you tilt the phone to move the ball i mean c’mon what other phone does cool stuff like that???????? GET IT!

Nice phone, but terrible drop outs and I always get complaints about hearing an echo when talking on it, it gets worse when you place the call on speaker. No MMS capabilities, very disappointing :( and also the alarm clock won’t activate when the phone is switched off. Every other mobile phone on the market including the el cheapo ones have this feature!

Not really worth the trouble.

Are iPhones also locked in Europe? I’m going to be in Iceland, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria in August. If I can buy an unlocked iPhone over there, how do I activate once I’m back home? I currently have a Nokia with ATT. Thanks.

Yes, iPhone 2.0 software permits multiple calendars, but I cannot comment on deleting info on a sync because I would not be caught naked or dead with MS Exchange.

I just bought the new iPhone 3G and in general, everything is working except that I CAN NO LONGER ACCESS MY BUSINESS VOICEMAIL FROM THE PHONE. THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS WITH MY 2G iPHONE. I HAVE A BACKDOOR ACCESS NUMBER THAT SHOULD CONNECT DIRECTLY TO MY VOICEMAIL. TO ACCESS IT I DIAL THE OFFICE NUMBER AND THEN WHEN YOU ARE CONNECTED YOU HIT ** MY EXTENSION AND PASSWORD AND #. THIS SHOULD GET ME DIRECTLY INTO MY VOICEMAIL. I HAVE TRIED IT 100 TIMES AND ONLY COULD ACCESS IT 2 TIMES. ANYONE ELSE HAVING THIS PROBLEM? GREAT GUY FROM APPLE TECH SUPPORT (CHRIS) TRIED TO SOLVE THE ISSUE FOR OVER 2 HOURS TO NO AVAIL. HELP…I NEED TO GET INTO MY OFFICE VOICEMAIL.

The bottom line is everyone wants something different out of a product. I love my iphone and have had no problems with AT&T. It’s very user friendly and I love all the features it has to offer. The things others say it’s missing I don’t miss because I don’t use them anyway. That’s why it’s a good thing there are many products out there so everyone can have exactly what they want in the phone they prefer to use. No, I’m not brainwashed or an Apple only junkie, but I do LOVE my IPHONE!

Check out this phone. It’s alot like the iPhone and cheaper. http://www.instinctthephone.com/

if you like the iPhone, then GREAT….if you dont, then shut up about it and let the ones thats happy enjoy it!!!!!!

Just traded in my 2G for 3G today, wow.

Good job Apple for the best phone in the world.

I’ve waited 4 hours for it, it amazing and i love this 2g iphone better then the first!!

ATT(or cingular or ATT?? whoever they are now)

I purchased a unlimted data plan with this company on my treo and the first 3 bill came and where paid …no problem. then I get a 1 month bill for $9850.00
YES NINE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS!!!! after calling them, they said that whoever imput my data did not impit the unlimited data plan??? yet they charged me for unlimited data??,basically they said I did not have unlimited data though my contract reciept says thats what i paid for, and that I owe them the balance in full..I am not bashing the iphone its a real nice phone, just wanted to let all those with att to beware

Nice toy … Blackberry for the real world kiddies!

Apple and AT&T, are amazing. I feel the two entities have created a very slim but yet powerful mobile device that fits the needs of American people. I left T-Mobile to join AT&T just to get the iPhone. I plan to get one over the weekend if still available. Thank You Apple and AT&T for making the iPhone more affordable!

Warning!!! If you have an ATT account and it is linked to a corporate account discount that doesn’t allow for users to upgrade to an iPhone, then you have to request ATT to remove the corporate account before they can activate your phone. ATT stores can see this change immediately.

I own a 2G iPhone, a Treo 700p and a Blackberry 8830. I am writing this comment with experience across all platforms.

My most recent phone is a Palm Centro on Verizon. While I believe the iPhone wins against all in “status” and “wow” factor it is terribly disappointing in many ways.

I’m not an Apple hater, I’ve given them more opportunities that I would have given other tech companies. But after owning an iPod 5G and the iPhone 2G, I am ready to give up. The hype behind the products are unbelievable while the user experience leaves so much to be desired.

Rather than spend $200 to upgrade my iPhone, I will be using that money to pay for my early termination fee to “downgrade” to a Palm Centro.

Unless I can use the iPhone to control my Sonos system, it is being eBay’d or blended.

Here’s my experience of purchasing the white 3G iphone this morning..

**Business customers with corporate discounts BEWARE!
you will not be able to purchase the iphone at an Apple store.

here’s my recap:

http://offtopics.com/off-topics/1219-houston-galleria-store-purchasing-3g-iphone.html

To those who complain of no video recording, voice dial, picture messaging, ringtones, search/filter for contacts list etc. It’s all available to download if you want it. My 2G iPhone now has the above plus 6 pages of nifty applications I downloaded. Bet you never expected to use your phone as a spirit level, flashlight, personal alarm, metronome, guitar tuner, keyboard, compass, voice recorder…. It downloads (keeps) the YouTube stuff I want. I got me a PDF viewer, books, puzzles, reference tools…
just google ‘iPhone applications’

Now I just found one for VOIP!

Man, forget the iphone…i had one…traded it a month later…i rather just stick to my blackberry…more reliable and better….the iphone is just a waste of money…

Waited in line this morning and while I was lucky enough to get an iphone (as others behind me waited almost as long and didn’t even get one), I can’t use it because ITunes is down!! So once I can actually ACTIVATE my phone I’m sure I’ll like it just fine… But yes, I definitely agree with C.Corder, the rate plans are SO expensive and the texting is extra - expect to pay about 120 or more for a decent plan (taxes & fees included…)

In the review it states that the iphone is cheaper, which is true. The catch is the rate plan, the phone it’s self is not worth that expensive rate plan. Not to mention that txting is an extra cost

If you have an original iPhone DO NOT UPGRADE TO THE 2.0 SOFTWARE. ERRORS ERRORS ERROS (as others have mentioned below). Have received the following two errors:
“We could not complete your iTunes Store request. An unknown error occurred (-4). There was an error in the iTunes Store. Please try again later. ”

–and–

“We could not complete your iTunes Store request. An unknown error occurred (-9868). There was an error in the iTunes Store. Please try again later. ”

I held the line for over an hour with Apple, only to ring like I was out of the queue and being transferred to a person, WRONG. The line just rang for five minutes. Now, iPhone is useless!!
Nothing factions, it’s at the factory default state, illustrating that I need to plug it into iTunes. Apple BOMBED on this upgrade!

WARNING, YOUR IPHONE IS BEING TAPPED
I refuse to get an iPhone because AT&T is the only carrier. AT&T believes that it owns customers’ confidential info and can use it however they want.
AT&T was one of several telecom providers that allowed the National Security Agency warrantless access to its voice and data networks as part of the Bush administration’s so-called “war on terror.”
And I read that AT&T is being sued by San Francisco’s Electronic Frontier Foundation for allegedly allowing the NSA to tap into the company’s data network, providing warrantless access to customers’ e-mails and Web browsing.
AT&T is also alleged to have participated in Bush’s domestic spying program, in which the NSA was given warrantless access to U.S. citizens’ phone calls.

Apple should get rid of AT&T and offer carriers that have some respect for the Constitution and the privacy of Apple’s customers.

9:00 a.m. in Chicago: people are already selling unlocked 3g iphones on the streets. Amazing

I downloaded the new Iphone 2.0 version, and now the system just shows a disk icon and USB connector, for 30 minutes it cannot finish the upgrade process as a consequence without phone. Called Apple support and on hold for 22 minutes and counting.

Error: -4 was displayed and hanging on: Accessing ITunes Store

When iphone 2G was out, i knew something better was coming, so i decided to wait…and now i know it was worth the waiting as i can’t wait to finally have the latest technology in my pocket. I’m so thrilled!

The Iphone is the worst mobile device I had used. Worst voice quality, low voice volume, terrible battery backup and pathetic signal capturing capacity. Who cares, if the IPod features are good, when a phone lacks the basic features. Waste of money. I repent taking the 2 yr plan from ATT for this device.

I read Mossberg’s column in the Journal on Wednesday and was shocked that this AMAZING 3G product has a max download speed of ~500kbps? Are you kidding? Using a Treo 755 and PDANet software I get my Sprint service to feed me 2.4Mbps using the phone as a modem.

This allows me to use all the functionality of my actual computer and still have the phone for email and quick information. Oh and my Sprint service is $99/month for all you can eat calls and data. The 755 even has an IM application that works great, text messaging, picture mail, video-capable camera, etc.

I really wanted an iPhone but when I found out what it really was, I’m happy with the Treo. I’m not as cool, but i am more productive.

I’ll trade the weak web browser for all the other features.

A couple of months ago I imported several Iphone’s for friends back to the Netherlands, and I am sorry to say that only one of those 5 phones is still in use today. A vivid Mac user myself I am sorry to say that the Iphone is slow in performing the basic tasks I exspect a phone to do. Those are:
1. Looking up a contact in my adress book
2. Sending text messages takes to long
3. Photo messaging is impossible
4. Ringtone services do not work except Itunes
5. Mobile Java apps do not work correctly
6. Still no video

And yes the web browsing is great and the user interface really cool. But in general the slowness of the device is the biggest problem for me and all my friends besides all those features that I listed have been a standard on nokia or sony ericson phones for years now.

And all fanboy’s just remember that in Europe the only way that O2 and Tmobile were able to sell out the first generation Iphone was because they gave it away with cheaper monthly bundles than you need to get a free nokia n95.

Just for reference though a plan to get the Iphone from tmobile netherlands will cost the following:
8Gb Iphone , 150 minutes , 150 text messages , unlimited data 2mbit down/512Kb up. 150 dollars for the phone including activation and 45 dollars a month for 2 years the 16Gb version is only 90 dollars more.

I love the iphone but had to go back to verizon.. ATT service just is not the same.. The most important thing a phone can do is work well as a phone and in the Washington DC area the ATT network is not even close to as good as Verizon. About half the time calls would go to voice mail and the phone never rang and that is just not good enough. If apple was smart they would make and sell the phones to work on any network. Then they would gain market share.

Hahaha - Apple did it again and thx. After all if we don’t like the product… why do we spend so much time talking about it. Time to move on and enjoy what Apple is doing with the iPhone. As I write, the fact is that they shaped in less than 12 months a new generation of mobile “utility” device that is superior in design and in technology for a computing experience - yes it needs to improve but like everything you need to start somewhere!!Me I just did ….
I got my first Mac 8 months ago after 25 years of waiting for my pc to start and run some third party apps when I needed to. In simple term the Mac is the utility tools that work when you want and need it. Even my 7 years old learn faster using a mac than a PC.

No stereo BT, (gotta have those trademark white headphones on everyone) no video, no pics in txt messages, no battery, no chip slot, NO sale Jobs, my FOUR YEAR OLD Treo does that (sans SBT), going Blackberry…Only Gates could fail this grand.

@Chris in NY.

Nailed it.

I don’t dislike Apples, more accurately I dislike their slack jawed idiot fans. I’ve heard time and time again that Apple (Bootcamp setups) runs Windows better than a PC does… Not the case. Apple doesn’t make the hardware, Intel does. If you want to be accurate, you’d say Intel chipsets and CPUs run Leopard and Vista very nicely. Guess what until a few years ago, Apple used the Motorola chipsets and CPUs. I’ve used OS/X and I will say it’s pretty but rather useless and limited for ANYTHING other than creating movies, basic websurfing, editing pictures and playing music. Wow, I can pay about 1K less and have twice the computer that does everything I’d like it to.

So you like your toy computers, That’s great!! Now please STFU already and enjoy them quietly.

My 15yr old son and 13yr old daughter both got the original iphones when they were released in Britain. I have never used it as I have a Nokia N95 also i don’t like touch screen phones, so i can only comment on what my kids have said. But both have been bitterly disappointed with theirs.
After 3 weeks my sons phone went in a drawer, and he went back to using his sony erricson, as he claims what’s the point in having a smart phone that ain’t very smart as he can’t send picture messages or record video to put on his facebook and bebo site. he also complained about the battery life of the phone being garbage. I have also noticed a lot of his friends who had iphones have been using their old phones. maybe not a phone for teens.
my daughter’s phone has been back for repair 3 times, each time with a different complaint. she has also moaned about the battery life, and the touch screen having a mind of its own.
I think the problem with this type of phone, is the different demographics groups who use it want different things from it, and apple just can’t cater for everyone.
Also in britain there has been little in the way of advertising by Apple so its been unclear with their marketing strategy as to who they are aiming for, are they marketing the product as a phone with in built ipod or as a ipod with built in phone or at the middle aged exec who wants to appear up to date, as blackberry is old hat. Or do they know that idiots like my ex husband will just buy it to shut the kids up.
What ever the answer as long as they control the download market in music they will always shift their phones, no matter how limited the functions or expensive the add on apps are.

I have an iPhone, and by far it has been the most reliable phone that I have owned. I have gone through Nokia, Motorola, and Treo before I got this one. I have only experienced problems, reboot, unexplained call-drops, and various other problems. In the 8 months I have used the iPhone - no complaints.

I LOVE my iPhone… bought it about a year ago and have never been happier. Everyone in our company now has an iPhone, it keeps us well-connected, and on-schedule with our client’s needs. Also, I hadn’t used AT&T before but they have provided excellent service thus far - much better than our old carrier T-Mobile.

Waste of money…

Cry me a river people, and get your facts straight. The fact AT&T is crap in the US is a pity, but it doesn’t make the iphone a bad piece of equipment. lets not believe for 3 seconds that iPhone is forcing you to sign up with them as they think that AT&T is great - rather they can make more money that way. Go and complain to your legislators and get the issue around blocked phones sorted out - in other regions it is illegal to do that.

In terms of the iPhone - its a fantastic piece of equipment. It really is the first music player and phone bundled into one which works like they both should - everyone else has tried and failed.

The proof really is in the market share, watch how quickly apple is snapping up share of smartphones. At its high point, O2 in the UK were getting 13000 hits a second, this “toy” means business! I’m pretty sure the Big boys of Blackberry are working mighty hard to come up with a new phone, their near monopoly as a e-mail phone has officially come to end.

In my opinion, all of you people writing negative comments about AT&T and Apple iPhone, you don’t know what you are talking about. I think the real reason you are posting negative comments about the phone is because you are too stingy or poor to own one. Until you try service with AT&T, then you can badmouth them. To me, AT&T has been the best carrier in the United States. Have you not noticed: AT&T offers Home Phone, Cell Phone, Internet, AND is Partnering with Dish Network for TV? AT&T is by far, better than Sprint, T-Mobile, and Alltel. iPhone has been the best phone I have ever purchased in my life. Also, the Apple computer company isn’t that bad anymore. Used to you wouldn’t dare buy an Apple computer if you didn’t want trouble. Now with OSX Leopard, Macs are great computer. They can even run Windows. In fact, they run Windows Vista better than a PC can. I have a PC with Vista on it at work and an Apple iMac with both OSX Leopard and Vista at home. Guess which is better… Anyways, give AT&T and Apple a chance. Untill you have REAL experience with them, you have no right to badmouth the two companies and their products.

i was behind a 12 year old ordering lunch today playing on her iphone. that is the audience. lets the kids play on the iphone and the grown ups will stick to their blackberrys.

Well first off I’m really surprised with all the negativity against both Apple and AT&T, I’ve read here that Apple’s are worthless, there is some government conspiricy going on..yadda yadda yadda!

C’mon you negative Nancy’s give us a break! Now the Corp. I work for uses AT&T as our company cell phone carrier..we have had no complaints over dropped calls and etc. Personally I’ve used Verizon (can barely get one bar) Sprint, call drops one after the other and my personal phone account is with T-Mobile…really bad! So hey you may not like AT&T so what NOT MY PROBLEM!

Next..Apples have their place in our society, how many of you bashers own an iPod huh? I do and love it (first gen iPod). The Mac..I am a web designer, I came from a Mac, never crashes, no software conflicts and etc. Now where I work were PC based..can you say Unstable? I bet ya can, although I do prefer to play MMPOG’s on PC my heart still belongs to Apple.

And further more I’m sure some of you negative posters out there are not even interested in the iPhone but just want to cause trouble and ruin it for everyone else….so plain and simple..don’t like it don’t buy it, its your choice!

Personally I am picking one up tomorrow :)

cynik:

“So far I have seen the N95 in action. What a piece of kit. Every time you want to run a program, be prepared for a reboot. And it sucks to use when it does work.”

See I actually own an N95 and it works fine. Go back to your Apple fantasy land, liar.

Would love to get the newset iPhone, but with AT&T as the sole provider, NO-WAY. Got the iTouch, it’s ok. My BlackBerry Pearl works just fine. Between my Sony PSP and iTouch I take my PSP. On my PSP, I can play games, watch videos, listen to music, surf the web, listen to internet radio, and SKYPE.

I’m somewhat confused by the people referring to the iPhone as some kind of unreliable toy. The iPhone has been the most reliable phone I’ve ever had. It’s not only much more reliable than the treo 700p it replaced (which isn’t saying much) but it’s also been more reliable than the basic flip-phones I’ve had before that. In the past year since I got my iPhone, 14 of my co-workers have purchased them, even (previously smug) treo, blackberry, and sidekick users. Every single one of them has been beyond thrilled with their purchase. The iPhone really is an awesome device. So awesome, in fact, that people are still happy even after giving up features they had in their previous phones. You’re welcome to your opinions, but I don’t believe they’re based in fact or experience. Also, to the one who reported a 40% error rate typing on the iPhone’s keyboard,your experience is so different from mine and those around me that I find it really difficult to believe you have actually ever typed on an iPhone.

For those of you who bash Apple and the Iphone, I challenge you to own and operate an iPhone for 1 month and you will see how amazing this little device is. It is hands down the best phone or gadget I have ever purchased. It has made life so much easier and has been reliable most of the time. Stop trying to make yourselves feel better about owning a clunky Blackberry. There is absolutely no comparison!

I love my iPhone, but don’t plan to upgrade just yet. Apparently, current iPhone owners are going to have to pay the high price for the new one, if we get it before our current AT&T contracts run out–a bit of news I don’t see published anywhere.

Yes, the iPhone is a fantastic iPod. I still use it mostly as an iPod, then as a phone, then as an internet device. All those other “smart phones” and recent touch-screen iPhone lookalikes can’t play music as well as the iPhone. Thus, for me, there is no comparison. On my commutes home, I often see “crackberry” users put away their devices after checking email and pick up a separate mp3 player if they want to listen to music.

All the top tier employees at my company (CEO,CFO, and CIO) moved to iPhones around Christmas and love them. These people tried every smart phone on the market available to us(Q, Treo 650, 700p/w, Blackberry Curve/Pearl) and now have a phone they don’t complain about. Not saying it is great since I don’t use one, but they haven’t complained which makes it great in my book. Oh, we got around the email by creating a gmail account and forwarding the exchange email to gmail.

New iPhone… joy. Forgive me if I don’t get up and scream with excitement.
My problems with the iPhone, as it exists today - I can’t say these apply to the new one, since I haven’t seen, used, or heard anything about it other than the pseudo-propaganda reviews (sorry, but any reviews made by people specifically chosen because they will at worst be only moderately kind to you, if they’re not worshiping you counts as propaganda to me):
1)The entire front is a screen. A touch screen. And the only way of controlling the phone. My dilema is that on one hand, I want to protect it, but on the other hand, I must have access to it to use the phone.
2) Expense - How much more is this new version going to be, just for the phone? I’m a college student. I don’t have that much cash to throw away on a phone, never mind how much my monthly bill would go up, which brings us to 3)It’s ONLY on AT&T/Cingular. a)Their coverage is horrible where I live. (my version of their slogan when applied to my area - “Fewer dropped calls than any other carrier - because you never GET any!”.(point in case: For 2 years, I lived in Atlanta, going to college there. Number of dropped calls I’ve had with Verizon: 0. Number of places I’ve been where I had no coverage while my roommates (who used Cingular) did: 0. Total (it happened more than one time) number of DAYS they went without cell coverage because the network wasn’t working: 3, if memory serves correct).
b) They’ll be charging you through the nose for the honor of using their network, data network, and any other system they can think of that the iPhone doesn’t work without.
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reply to poster “Me, NOT in cupertino” Why do I say I don’t like Apple every time they release something “new”? Let me count the ways:
1)Their secrecy. I got money an ipod video for my birthday last year. After copious research, I finally decided to buy the latest version, the ipod Video(30gb). Because, hey. It just came out, so it’s not like they’ll release another one any time now, right? About a month and a half later, hey, guess what? For what I spent, I could have gotten twice the storage space, if only I’d waited. So, I’m now higly reluctant to consider buying anything from them, since, ya know, they might announce tomorrow that there’s a new version that makes the old one obsolete. Joy.
2)For the iPods: The iPod’s lack of any sort of control over settings (that doesn’t void your warranty) outside a very small number of options revolving around the music playback. That, and the limitations of the built-in programs themselves. For Example: One reason I chose the Video when I bought it was that it would support text files. “Cool, I can use it as an e-book reader too!” I thought. Unfortunately, it is only after digging deep into the manual, instructions, etc. that I find that for some reason, the system that has a 30gb hard drive is limited to displaying 4096 characters; anything after that is cut off. That, and there’s the fact that if I want to explore the system’s functionality outside the music/video playback, I have to basically search the message boards, because Apple sure doesn’t tell me how to do ANYTHING other than play music with their manuals. Sorry Apple, but I DO have a higher capacity for reading (and maybe even following) instructions than a chimpanzee. Some in-depth instructions and specifications on things like, you know Notes (control over max file size would be awesome, too), Photo Viewer (How big should the picture be, aspect ratio, that kinda thing), etc. That, and it’d be wonderful if I could find out that you can link those notes files together with little html-wannabe snippets. But no, I have to find that out from some blog.
3)For macs in general, the lack of outside options for any sort of hardware modification beyond cosmetics, and the lack of control over the operation of the system vexes me greatly.
4)Video games. Yes, I could do Boot Camp. But why would I? It annoys me every time someone points that out as why Macs are better… Since in my opinion, they’re basically telling me I should get a mac… So I can run Windows on it… So I can play Video games. Why shouldn’t I just take the extra money I’d spend on a Mac (since they’re about 2 times the cost of a decent PC) and a copy of Windows, and just spend it on a PC that would have a better video card, etc. anyways? As for gaming on the Mac without Windows, I point to this comic that explains the concept of a Mac gamer quite well: Comic
(www[dot]ctrlaltdel-online[dot]com/comic[[dot]php?d=20040703 - link in case the hyperlink above doesn’t process correctly. Replace each [dot] with a period for the actual link.)
5)Lack of functionality outside of graphics design. Yes, I have heard that they’re good for graphics design. Who knows, it might even be true. But what else can they do well that a PC can’t, and for those things, how many choices do you have for what program you use? Note To whoever says that Macs don’t get viruses in a rebuttal to this point: Please move your keyboard, then rapidly accelerate your head towards the spot where it was. Follow this with a rapid deceleration of your head as it applies force to the surface of your desk. Repeat as necessary. Viruses today do not generally seem to be written by bored High school/college students to prove that they can. Instead, the ones that people are most concerned about are the ones that hijack your computer and adds it to a Botnet, or adds some sort of software to your computer that will either try and steal your personal information, or bombard you with advertising/spam that someone is getting paid for. Now, consider the possible target sets for a virus:
-Set A, comprised of computers running some version of windows, includes about 85%-90% of all computers.
-Set B, comprised of people running something put out by Apple, includes somewhere between 5%-10% of all computers.
-Set C, Everything else, (generally linux) which varies from system to system, and so while overall this set includes somewhere between 2% and 5% of all computers, the actual grouping of computers that have the exact same Operating system would be much smaller.
Which would you target if you’re trying to make a profit? Face it, one of the main reasons Mac does not face as many problems with viruses is that the people making the viruses just don’t care. Oh and one other thing… if Macs have no security problems… why does Norton (among others) make and market an antivirus program for macs?
6)Finally, I feel the need to post my negative thoughts on apple in order to balance out all the people that will be posting glowing reviews of the iPhone 3.0 (before they’ve ever seen, touched, or used one) because in their mind Apple can do no wrong. Overall, it should average out to neutral. Which is what a review should be (which is another pet peeve of mine about these iPhone releases - if it’s so awesome and wonderful, why are they so careful about who gets to officially comment on it?)

My wife and I both have the original iPhones and love them. Mine replaced my Treo 650 and provided a much simpler and elegant interface. We’re not upgrading to the 3G now - but I’m sure we will some day. I can’t wait to see what the 2.0 software and new apps will bring. I believe that’s where the iPhone will leave the competition in the dust!

@Neil in OH

Dude SwirlyMMS

http://amarinalameda.com/swirlymms-100-review/

Once you unlock the I-phone, its capabilities are endless. There is a major difference once you unlock it with regards to the features and applications. It’s like carrying around a mini-computer. Many free and paid for applications have been developed for this phone that can rival any smartphone out there. BTW, I am a PC and a MAC person.

My current (old iPhone) is a great addition to my business. Although the email is currently operating slow, it keeps my pockets light and my day organized.

I look forward to continued software upgrades, but dont think I will upgrade my hardware just yet.

Brian Ramsay
Portland, Oregon

I had AT&T Tilt for about 6 months, and loved it, but then I got the iphone and is has been the best phone that I have ever owned thus far. My wife has the Blackjack 2 and still uses my iphone for surfing the net. Great job Apple on making a great product…

Would like to get one, look forward to getting one. but not on ATT network. Until I can get one with another carrier as my service provider iPhone is a no go for me

I own an iPhone and love it, but…

Why in the world in what is supposed to be the most advanced “smart phone” not do MMS?!??!?!?!?!?!

This is unbelievable and an embarassment when my friends MMS me and I have to reply that I can’t read it because I am on an iPhone.

C’mon Apple!!!!!

I did all sorts of Research and came to the conclusion that the Motorola Q global is the phone to get. I have a problem with touch screen cell phone’s or any touch screen device they ALL seem to have input flaws. EVERYONE that I have talked to says the Iphone is an Ipod with a secondary phone feature. Don’t want to knock it but it certainly didn’t seem to fit the bill.

Hello Americans,

Don’t complain about your new iPhone, in Belgium (and most probably in many other parts of Europe) the cheapest of the two new iPhones sells for…..drums… 525 Euros, which is…approx 800 (yes, eight hundred) dollars.
This is highway robbery. I fail to see how S. Jobs can tolerate this. I love Apple but I do hope NOBODY buys the new iPhone in Belgium.
Roger from Belgium

I want Cut/Paste functionality implemented before I even consider buying an iPhone. I can’t understand why this hasn’t been added yet!

ex ped: It’s not an easy problem to solve. Think about it; what gesture would you use to cut? what gesture to paste?

Seems to me that the only people who should get the iPhone are people who don’t need a smartphone and don’t mind having to tolerate AT&T and who don’t need a dedicated, reliable business workhorse-type phone.

The iPhone is neat, but it’s a toy.

I would buy an iPhone if it isn’t just limited to one carrier. Also, I think Apple products are way too expensive for what it is. I really think Apple is more like a religion than a product. Apple fans should keep an open mind that if the majority people (around the globe) who use PC’s and don’t have a problem with it, give it a try. Please stop spreading this century old stereotype about PC crashing….

This was a letter I wrote on April 24, 19-days after receiving my 8gig iPhone as a gift. I posted it at Apple.com, where it was promptly removed and then I sent it directly to Steve Jobs, and also posted it to several other blogs. Well, the letter to Steve got an instant reaction and Apple authorized the return of the phone and the credit of over $560.00 in AT&T Charges that were generated in only the first month. One of the biggest issues with the iPhone is that AT&T is a terrible partner company, the worst in the world. I could rant in one of the worst diatribes as to just how bad AT&T really, is but if you really want an iPhone, you’re going to find out how bad AT&T is really quickly.

Since dumping the iPhone, I got a Centro with Sprint service at only $99 per month unlimited service and could not happier. Great customer care, one simple charge per month, no dropped calls, no interference from the phone on all audio devices, etc.

So, here’s my rant.

Steve Jobs
Apple Computer Company
#1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino CA 95014

April 24, 2008

Good Morning Steve,

It seems the truth hurts. I am incredibly disappointed in the Apple iPhone and the lack of support and development that went into this incredibly expensive product.

Attached is the ‘non-constructive rant’ I posted to the Apple iPhone forums, only to have it deleted as fast as it was posted. I believe this is constructive criticism from a very frustrated customer that took the time to vent about ongoing issues with your product. Since Apple is prone to ignoring real and true issues with its products, possibly by addressing this directly to your attention this policy might change in the future.

Apple support has become so anemic in the past few years, I do not expect a reply from your office or anyone at Apple regarding my ongoing issues with my iPhone.

Sincerely,

Christopher
President

First off, I really want to love the iPhone, but I can’t. I received it on April 5, and today is April 24, and I hate it more than the Treo 650 and 700’s I’ve dealt with over the past three years.

The iPhone is a poorly designed, incredibly buggy device that technologically is a major failure on many fronts. The hardware and software DO NOT LIVE up to the hype. I always wait at least a year or more to purchase new products from Apple, but with the iPhone I should have waited three or more years.

From the lack of tactile keys that is supposed to be the best interface ever designed for a smart phone, yet results in 40% keystroke entry mistakes to the distortion that the iPhone feeds out to every audio and video device on the planet, it’s the worst communications device I have ever experienced.

The iPhone distorts my computer screen, the car audio system to all loudspeakers, either active or passive, including high-end shielded near-field studio monitors, from my Apple iSticks on my computer, high-end surround sound stereo system in my living room to the frigging clock radio.

The static this iPhone kicks out to loudspeakers in my home is HOUSE WIDE, and I am in a 1400 square foot home. If the iPhone is on my kitchen table 15 feet away from my livingroom stereo system, I will still have iPhone distortion come out through the loudspeakers HOUSE WIDE. This is supposed to be an audiophile device and all it does is dump static onto every loudspeaker I stand next to, in every environment.

I have a CRT monitor and I know I am going to get an SMS, email or phone call to the iPhone, because several seconds before the message is received, the entire 17-inch computer screen distorts for as long as 5 seconds, throwing it completely out of focus.

Why the heck does this iPhone not have a pop-up keyboard find function in the database? I have 6300 names in my contact database and it can take 90-seconds or more to find a name through scrolling!

Why doesn’t the iPhone have the same pop-up keyboard feature as in the SMS or Safari function so I can start typing a name and have the contact app bring up the name as I type the letters, as similar to the contact find feature on the Treo? C’mon - how the heck do you not have that common-sense feature? What about a voice find feature OR VOICE ACTIVATED DIALING for the contact database?

Now this really makes me nuts - Safari goes buggy every five days, it crashes more and more frequently and then I need to reset the phone and then I loose all my presets! This is the worst part of the phone. Additionally, regardless web searching is PAINFULLY SLOW! Five minutes to bring up http://www.huffingtonpost.com or http://www.rawstory.com, only to have it crash when I try to enlarge an article… argh.

Why on earth does it take SMS up to 10 or more seconds to start and present my message string? Ten seconds for this app to start - gimme a break!

No video function? I can’t capture video? Not even a few seconds? Argh.

I can’t send a picture through SMS? Good lord.

What the heck is the deal with the recessed headphone plug that makes it impossible to use a standard 3.5mm stereo plug? Now I have to purchase a third-part adapter to use other head phones on a plane or the cassette car adapter? C’mon.

Clearly, the iPhone is the Emperor’s New Clothes. It’s a perfect example if you throw enough advertising, PR and marketing dollars at something, millions of people will eat dirt and call it fillet mignon.

Christopher B.

HTC Phones are still more modifiable, have HAD 3G and have HAD GPS and CAN be used as a modem while flying down the highway (even as a wifi router port so multiple users can use it!)…

The iPhone is prettier… I’ll give it that, but feature for feature… it’s still trailing with this ‘brand new’ product.

The AT&T Tilt is a far better phone.

I’ll with my HP Ipaq; waiting on the Business Messenger to hit the shelves. I can’t imagine iPhone can beat the functionality of it. But I’m a nobody…

Nice phone, I’d be standing in line - except… AT&T charges $30/$45 for 3G speed but you can’t tether to the laptop to use the phone as a modem.

Guess I will stick with Sprint and my Windows Mobile phone.

The iPhone is the best product I’ve ever bought. Hands down.

I just got a Sprint Instinct and it was by far cheaper than the iPhone. My data plan comes with and it’s unlimited and I have the texting included. I had a Treo and was about to drop Sprint for an iPhone and then I saw the Instinct. Definitely worth a try.

I don’t think people should post their opinion about the functionality of the iPhone unless they have really used one. It makes your statement irrelevant. I’m looking forward to getting mine tomorrow.

A lot of folks don’t know about Apple software development. If they did, they’d understand the buzz around the iPhone from tech circles. The iphone is essentially a mac you can put in your pocket. With the new software, it is a mac that you can write programs for that you can put in your pocket.

That is so far ahead of the competition, it defies belief.

Imagine, for a moment, that you had a perfectly functioning PC running Vista (ha ha i know), and then imagine that it is the size of a phone.

So far I have seen the N95 in action. What a piece of kit. Every time you want to run a program, be prepared for a reboot. And it sucks to use when it does work.

Microfarce and competing mobile platforms are the soviet union of the software world. Monolithic and efficient in theory, they continue to lurch around impress with their sheer size. But they are not for the people in practice, only in theory.

The market will break them down.

I am telling you, the cult of Apple is not just religion. It is a political philosophy and economic belief structure all of its own.

If I’m in the market for a new iPod and a new phone, is the iPhone a smart choice for me?

I very much like my iPhone 1.0 and seriously considered upgrading to 2.0. However, I agree that the ATT package is a ripoff, and that alone will keep me from buying. It has nothing to do with “principal,” but rather: “It’s the money, stupid.” When ATT gets to the point when they become more interested in service than in scamming the customer, then… and only then… would I go ahead with it. Yes, getting the biggest profit is capitalism at work, but not falling for it… is also.

The simple truth is that different tools, a phone is a tool, have different applications. My BB is great for work and serves my work needs much better than the iPhone would, as far as development, most developers use tool kits they are familiar with rather than what’s new and fun. I have an iPhone v1, and my problems were the same as most, however I fully plan to get v2 as I really want 3G speeds when I’m out with friends and what not. The truth with this phone and any other product is that most of us won’t use more than 80% of the functionality, so while the bells and whistles are great, focus on what you actually need and use, and you will find the best product

and STILL no Multimedia texting… even the cheapest (FREE!) phones do THAT!.

I’d buy one if it weren’t tied to AT&T.

I’d have thought that by now Apple had learned not to tie users to obscure single options.

I love the iphone, but AT&T is a HUGE rip off. I will take the plunge as soon as they sell them unlocked. Or just buy a Touch and keep your existing phone and service provider. It will save you thousands!

Why in the world people want to bash on Apple every time they release a product is beyond me. Don’t like apple? Don’t buy. Don’t like the iPhone? Don’t buy one. But why do people try to demonstrate their indifference by showing they care so much? It makes no sense. Something about hating on success for some people that really makes me wonder how we progress at all.

Using a BlackBerry Curve on the Verizon network, and it MORE than meets my needs. A good combination of productivity and entertainment; I will never use another smartphone.

Some of these comments are quite funny. For example “simple enough, don’t buy apple products They are unreliable and worthless.” Seriously, these kinds of comments are just a waste of space. I can’t believe Fortune even approved them.

*Obvoiusly*, Apple products are not unreliable and worthless or millions of people wouldn’t use them. When was the last time anyone lined up to by anything from a PC vendor, much less Microsoft??? Show me a seven year old off-the-shelf PC (like my G4 tower) that, without a single hardware upgrade, can run Vista with no issues…just as my G4 runs Leopard. When I see that, I might take a little of the Apple hating seriously…

In the meantime, the 2.0 software turns the iPhone into a full-blown mobile platform. This is very exciting. We’re just at the beginning. Within a few months (weeks?), there will be a flood of third party titles available. And, from an enterprise standpoint, being able to rapidly develop custom apps for the iPhone using Apple’s very slick Xcode environment will only bolster its appeal. If I were Blackberry, I’d be worried.

As for the comments on AT&T…Sigh…Is there a single *decent* cell carrier in this country? I don’t know. I’ve had mediocre experiences with all of them. Bottom line is, Apple tried to engage other mobile phone companies (Verizon, anyone?) and were turned down. AT&T agreed to the deal…and we have the iPhone. It’s not perfect, but it’s reality. So, if you’re going to deny yourself the iPhone user experience because of some principled stand against AT&T, that’s your choice. But, given how lousy customer service is across the board in the cell industry, the only person who loses is you.

I’m not planning to upgrade to the new hardware. I don’t use EDGE that much. I’m most excited about the 2.0 software and, with it, the true emergence of the MacMicro (ie: iPhone), running OS X, full of third party apps, great UI, etc. I’m eagerly awaiting a few of the promised apps, including the graphical AppleTV/iTunes remote. I’m also looking forward to OmniFocus. And I’m sure quite a few more will catch my eye.

Neither Blackberry nor Palm has nearly as sophisticated an operating system running under the hood as the iPhone. And, neither Blackberry nor Palm has a developer environment that can even touch the iPhone. Not even close. So, for those of you considering an iPhone or a Blackberry, both are great products, but I’d go with an iPhone. Six months to a year from now, when there are literally thousands of third party apps available (500 on launch day!), you’ll be glad you did.

While the iPhone is slick and finally catching up. But i’m sticking with my Tilt. It already runs 3G & HSDPA, and doesn’t cost as much

For business functionality the blackberry will still blow the iPhone out of the water. I’m an iPhone user, and I do like it, but there is no comparison between the iPhone and BB when it comes to everyday email, conferencing, calendar. I do think the intro of the exchange server will help, but either way iphone is playing catch up from this perspective. Business users stick with the BB while the kids can have 2.0 for the internet, video and shock and awe factor.

Cheaper? Old phone $399 + $20 per month. New Phone $199 + $30/$45 per month. Do the math $299 plus the difference in data plan of $10 for the personal plan and $25 for the enterprise plan (That as I understand it, you’ll need for active-synch). One year of ownership of the new phone with the enterprise data plan = $739. One year of the existing iPhone and data plan = $639. Monthly service difference in following years is $300 per year greater on the new phone. Maybe I missed something but sounds like ATT is being greedy. Think I’ll wait for the big sucker punch price drop in a few months… until then I’ll be Old Phone-2.0 bound. Sorry son you won’t be getting the hand-me-down iPhone just yet.

What I am most glad about is the great improvement in call/audio quality in the new iPhone, as that was a complaint in the first iPhone. Of course the improvement in download speed helps too.
Congrats Apple on making a great phone even better!

right now i am working with both the Blackberry and an iphone. Appearance wise, i like the iphone, working wise Blackberry-hands down!! you can not fwd text messages, receive video texts, or picture text without logging onto a website with the iphone!! that sucks!

My blackberry has been great for business, until the trackball gets stuck. I have the 8830 world edition and it’s the least reliable of any blackberry I’ve used. The trackball worked fine for 6 months, now it’s always sticking. Give me a phone with fewer mechanical parts.

I’ve been a blackberry user for 4 years. I am switching due the trackball problem that I and many, many users are having. After a year of use, the trackballs are sticks an inopportune times, rendering the device useless until I disassemble the tracking device and clean in. Google for this problem and you will see it affects many, many users.

I like that apple has created the “creative design” bug among manufacturers. My 8525 has had 3G and more features than an iphone long before the iphone. Want to impress me cell mfg’s? Give me a built in mini projector and better controls.

A tech gadget for a teenage nerd. That’s all this is, no other useful functions. People that rely on phones for business will still go after Blackberry or even HTC Mogul.
And if you’re wondering, save yourself some $$$ and wait a couple of months before it goes down in price, just in case you really want to get it.

I think it’s hilarious how people are so “zOMG 3G!!” this and that, and apple rulz blah blah blah.

I’ve had a Helio Ocean for almost 2 years now, 3G, all sorts of features, Opera Browser, Youtube, tons of apps etc. not as sexy looking as the iphone, but much more useful and way cheaper.

I love apple, but I can’t help but chuckle at the demented fanboys that still insist the iPhone revolutionized cell phones :)

Keeping my Blackberry! Apple products are too expensive and the quality is so-so. It’s all hype of which Jobs is a master! Cult of Jobs!

Wait a second–some people are actually thanking Apple for “giving away for free” the 2.0 software update to existing iPhone users? Are we really that much in servitude of corporations? Please. I paid $600 for this device, and I fully expect software updates, bug fixes, and new features to be added regularly for free indefinitely. That is what was implied. And the feature-set of the existing software is woefully lacking–you can’t even copy & paste. I’ve been waiting patiently for updates for a while and very few have come through the pipe. They’re too busy catering to their enterprise dogs. Hurry up, Apple. You screwed over the early adopters enough as it is. The stupid headphone adapter, the 600-dollar price tag, etc.

Sticking with my Blackberry Pearl thank you very much!!!!

Blackberry’s connection is 4x faster (about 5 sec compared to about 20 sec) than Apple’s. All you folks stick with your Blackberry, especially witht the Bold and Thunder commming out soon.

You still have to use AT&T’s service. That makes a huge differance and not really worth it.

I guess someone forgot that Apple slashed the price of the first-gen iPhone by 33% after just 2 months…..

Seriously, I paid $600 for this iPhone, so there is no way I am about to dish out more coin. I’ll take my software update, use wi-fi, and let other zealous consumers spend their weak iraq-recession dollars on the “fast” iPhone.

AT&T, the company that cooperated illegally with Bush to spy on you and me, is ripping us all off so badly — my bills are regularly $150/month (I signed up for the $60 plan) and I barely use the damn device. I should just unlock it like others I know out of principle. But what do you expect from a data company, especially one whose logo resembles the Death Star.

No Complaints on my Blackberry curve 8330 from sprint

If Apple wants to be in the communications business, they could start by managing their e-mail and web hosting service. It’s been down for hours this morning. My guess is, they’ve hit some major bumps in the transition to “mobileme” … whatever that is.

simple enough, dont buy apple products. They’re unreliable and worthless. Althought their costumer service is good…..

… and the iPhone is STILL tied to just one carrier. Sorry, Jobs, I love Apple, but, umm… no sale.

I’m have a cell phone but not a call phone fan. I use mine little as I can. No I’m not 80 years old or 60. I’m 30. So this new Apple phone I can care less about.

This iPhone is not meant to be target to iPhone 1.0 users. It’s target is the people who did not buy V1.0, it’s the iPhone for the rest of us. This will be the bigger than when Motorola came out with RAZR.

I’ve had a Blackberry and an iPhone - there is no comparison and the iPhone blows the Blackberry out of the water!

IPhone the best nobody can deny the fact

I have to say, Apple 2.0 will be a lot better then the first gen but I will wait until the hype settles down and then maybe look into the HTC Dream which will be the first android mobile phone from Google and will be on the T-Mobile network. Will have to wait and see what happens. Let the battle of 3G begin!!!

The question for thousands (millions?) of us business users is: “How does this phone compare with Blackberry — should I even consider it?”

For those of us who own and love their iPods already, and don’t need/want their music player on their business phone, does this phone stack up in email push and cellular phone quality with the very very good Blackberry products (Curve and Pearl)?

I’ll just stick to my iPod touch and wait for the blackberry thunder. Which will be a verizon exclusive.

Jeff M., considering that South Korea is a little larger than the state of Indiana and 7 or 8 times the population of that state, the mobile phone companies there can more easily upgrade their networks.

Awww Boo Hoo so people get exciting about a product and you call them “followers”, “brainwashed” gimme a break

No copy/paste? No sale. I’ll stick with my blackberry.

Mossberg might have won the “I got my video review in first” race. But I think I’d rather poke sharp objects in my eyes than watch it again. Mossberg is a good writer. He should stick to that as he has the video charisma of a wet noodle.

More importantly, it’s good to see these reviewers more or less call it like it is. Each in the past has been accused of being Job’s lap dog. The iPhone 3G is solid…but it is not the proverbial second coming of the “Jesus phone.” For that we’ll need 32 to 64GB, the ability to view AND edit Office files, video shooting and conferencing, voice dialing, oh and of course the ability to cut and paste. Hopefully some of these will be fixed by software gurus and the 2.0 service pack released in July.

How would waiting 2 months save anyone any (decent amount of) money?

The Samsung sch-w300 3G+ HSDPA I’ve been using over here in Korea since March does 7.2Mbps, which came out in Aug 2007. Couldn’t Apple go a step further? 4G maybe?

Save yourself some $ and wait 2 months.

The 2nd Edition Apple iPhone is set for disaster in New Zealand as Vodafone sells them at sky high prices. An 8Gb iPhone will sell for a mere NZ$199 (US$150) but with a catch. This will come with a 24 month contract costing the consumer NZ$250 (US$180) per month. This equates to a whopping NZ$6199 (US$4600) for the contract period. The public are up in arms about the high price of contracts and to top it off Vodafone have yet to upgrade all of their coverage areas with 3G.

If the great Free Pickers’ priest, Mossberg is cool on the 3G, that is nothing but confirming my point that the new iPhone is just what it is, a smallish improvement of iPhone 1.0 and that Apple’s Media Collaborators and Promoters with the narrative to help Apple dominate the world are desperately trying to whip-up what is a non-event.

Just look at the picture of the Japanese “I-am-not-a-robot” guy in a suit waiting in a seven persons iPhone queue in Tokyo, he is my favourite dumb-head brain-washed Apple worshipper – “My professor sent me happily on the way, because he is Apple lover too”.

I will just sick to my first generation iphone, with that said I would rather get the free software than pay an extra 15.00 for service which iin cludes 200 text which I get free. Maybe if the price goes down I will consider it

I’ll just stick with my Nokia 2610. It doesn’t have the bells and whistles of an iPhone, but I paid ten dollars for it, and I am happy. :-)

Weaker battery life was the reason there wasn’t a 3G iPhone 1.0 wasn’t it?

Everybody complained that the iPhone 1.0 wasn’t 3G, didn’t have third party software and didn’t have corporate friendly email. Apple waited and got 3G battery consumption down to tolerable levels and made it corporate friendly and there will be a slew of new apps in a few days. It sounds like the battery life might have been shortened a little, but for some people that might be an acceptable trade off if they have to have the faster speed.

I am tempted to upgrade my iPhone, but I’m ok with edge. The map locator thing works just fine for me instead of GPS and I am on WiFi a lot. I can manage my space and get most of the new features of the new iPhone for free with the new update.

Thank you Apple for giving the new software away for free to us old iPhone users. I suspect that at one point new software won’t run on all iPhones as more and more newer generations of iPhones come out as it does with computers, but that probably won’t happen for a couple more generations at least.

There are a number of companies and obviously reviewers would have access to the prerelease of the software add-ons too.

Decreased battery life is a turn off for me but I presume it’s because of all the neat features you can likely turn off.

Unlike other technology hardware manufacturers, Apple under Jobs has never pushed planned obsolescence. They use higher than average quality parts and design their computers to last, to create a better user experience and to build brand loyalty, which in turn allows a bit more pricing power. My previous computer was a 17″ Powerbook G4 that lasted 5 years, and that design, the first 17″ notebook computer, is still the one used for the new MacBook Pros. And amazingly, it is still the lightest full-featured 17″ laptop design around.

Reviewing the iPhone without it’s software add-ons is like reviewing a car without it’s engine.

This ain’t a Broadway show, folks, and these “reviewers” weren’t given box seats at the dress rehearsal!

I was all ready to get this thing now these damn reviews have made me question that. This battery problem and erasing of personal calendars seems like a deal killer for me.

Mossberg’s review notes that if a user syncs w/ MS Exchange, the iPhone will erase personal calendars and contacts? Can someone clarify? The images of the new 2.0 software seem to show support for multiple calendars.

500k top download speed measured by WSJ?

My old Sprint Mogul on EVDO (non Rev A) clocked 800 to 1.2mb via mobile speed tests - and I am not in a strong signal area for Sprint.

This 3G speed is much slower than what I was expecting.