I’ve been an iPhone owner for just over a month, after almost a year of constant frustration with the T-Mobile Dash. I have a few gripes (see below), but all in all this thing has revolutionized my life. On the most basic level, finally having a smartphone that actually works is a new and wonderful experience for me. I found Windows Mobile to be essentially nonfunctional, and syncing it with Mac OS was an exercise in stress management. Now, I just get stuff done.
My Favorite Apps
Though the iPhone is exceptionally powerful and useful without any third-party apps - phone, Internet, email, and iPod functionality in one device alone is probably worth the price of admission - the App Store is where you really get the most value out of this gizmo. To be sure, 90% of the many thousands of apps in the App Store are some combination of redundant, poorly implemented, useless, ugly, and juvenile, but the good stuff is very, very good.
In no particular order, here are my favorite apps so far:
- Air Sharing: Since I got this app, I haven’t used a flash drive. It lets me move files around and access them wirelessly, with the security I need to keep people from getting into them. It also acts as a viewer for numerous obscure file types, allowing you to check them out as needed on the phone.
- Mint.com: I don’t exactly have the best track record with my finances, but Mint.com has been an important step in the process of getting a handle on my money (or, as the case might be, lack thereof). This app has been the next step.
- Classics: There are other e-reader apps out there (Stanza comes to mind), but this one takes the cake for sheer beauty of design. If it’s possible to feel like you’re paging through a worn, leather-bound book on a touchscreen, this is it.
- Remote: This is an Apple-designed app, and probably the one I use most around the house. It lets me remotely control the computer in the other room playing music on the house’s main stereo. Simple, functional, and it makes my life a little bit easier.
- Simplify Media: The flip-side of the Remote coin is Simplify, which lets me stream music from my computer to the phone wherever I am. I haven’t had much luck with it over Edge (unfortunately the only network available in my small-market town), but it seems to work fine over 3G and wireless. I wasn’t particularly worried about the limited capacity of the phone to begin with, but this renders the issue moot.
- Rolando: This is the only game I’ve paid for thus far, so I can’t really compare it to the other top-shelf games in the App Store. Still, the quality of this particular game speaks to what is possible on a phone. For a fraction of the price of a game on a standalone portable player like the PSP, I get all the gameplay, functionality, and fun on my existing device. Sweet.
A Few Gripes
Of course, my experience with the iPhone hasn’t been without a few bumps in the road. When thinking about them, though, what strikes me most is how many of my gripes fall into one of two categories: 1) technological/engineering limitations; and 2) trivial quibbles. After going from a series of phones that didn’t reliably function, this is a stunning change. I’m getting spoiled, but that won’t stop me from bitching:
The Battery
I know, I know: the battery life is comparable to other similar devices, and the reason I’m running it down so fast is because I use my iPhone for everything. It’s true, and it’s also valid to say that technological limitations would necessitate a thicker phone for a longer battery life.
I love the slim, elegant design, but the bottom line is that I’d sacrifice a little in thickness for a battery that I didn’t have to nurse through a full day of use. Having to decide when to use the phone and when to go without (and constantly being on the lookout for free outlets) isn’t a dealbreaker, but it is just a bit annoying - and it’s only going to get worse with time as I wear out the battery. Still, at least it charges quickly.
The Camera
The iPhone’s camera isn’t horrible (the picture above was taken with it), but it also isn’t great. I realize this is a phone, but there’s no flash and no zoom, so it doesn’t quite do the job of replacing my camera. If I need to take a really serious picture, I’m still bringing my camera, and if I need to do so unexpectedly, I feel the lack.
No Wide SMS Keyboard
This one is just silly. I can’t think of a single reason why there wouldn’t be an option to flip the phone to landscape mode for text messaging. If Apple doesn’t include this in the next major software update, I’ll be shocked. Then again, they’re already through version 2.0 without doing it, so…
App Icon Reorganization
I hate the fact that I can’t remove any of Apple’s factory-installed apps. What if I want to use more full-featured apps like Bloomberg and Weather.com instead of Apple’s stock and weather options? I can’t remove those icons from my phone’s display, and they take up valuable real estate on a screen of limited size. The best option currently is just to move them to the last screen of app icons, but they still clutter things up.
I understand that Apple’s engineers and designers have spent countless hours crafting what they think will be the optimum user interface based on an established philosophy of simplicity, beauty, and feature-minimalism, but that doesn’t do much for me I’m left digging through several pages of app icons looking for the one I want. If the point is simplicity, trust me to identify the best way to do what I want to do and then get the hell out of my way.
Driver-friendly GPS
For walking, the iPhone 3G’s GPS functionality is fine. But I’d love a GPS implementation that would allow me to mount this bad boy on the dash of my car so I don’t have to carry a separate GPS. There appear to be a few options in the App Store for this, but none look like a satisfactory solution. I don’t know whether the iPhone’s GPS hardware would be able to support this, but… Garmin app, anyone?
Final Thoughts
I love my iPhone. In the last month, my iPhone has gotten me around the public transit systems of major cities on both coasts, found restaurants and retail outlets everywhere I need them, kept me entertained on long drives and train rides, and helped me stay connected while on the road and during a multi-day internet outage at home. I constantly have access to all my files, financial info, communication tools, and favorite online haunts. As long as I have a charge, I’m never lost, I can always find what I’m looking for, and I never have a debate that goes unresolved.
This thing has already saved my ass numerous times, and that’s a trend that seems likely to continue.
Tagged: air sharing, apple, battery life, bloomberg, camera, classics, e reader, garmin, gps, iphone, mac, mint com, remote, rolando, Science and Technology, simplify media, t mobile dash, weather com, windows mobile