iPhone 3G
Sprite's Review
So I've got an iPhone 3G, I've had it for about two weeks and here are my impresions.
Part 1 - O2 Store
Let me start by explaining the buying process and experience I had with O2. I have been going into my local O2 store for the past few months since the release of the iPhone 3G, I kept going in and playing around with the demo models, this was a good Idea as it let me get used to the touch keyboard to see if I would like it, the only downside to this little trip of mine was the fact that the phones they have on display are in need of a good clean and a restart as they are laggy and very very dirty, also the touch screens seemed to be faulty, but this could be just to do with the fact they haven't been restarted since turning on. Now some of you might say "but its a phone, they are meant to be on all the time" well while this statement rings true for most phones, it Isn't for the iPhone. This phone is basically a pocket PC and does get laggy after long periods of use and been on. I tend to just restart mine every few days or so, this clears the cache and other things and seems to speed things back up again.
The staff in the store were helpful to a point, but to be honest the IQ of the staff was severely low, even for single celled organisms. But with that aside they were polite and did everything ok (apart for one thing that really scared the c**p out of me,
more on this in a second). I did have to enquire about the activation process as they didn't voluntary give this to me (I already knew what had to be done before I even walked in the store), plus they never even gave me any other information with regards to the specs or operation of the phone, they just went into the back grabbed an iPhone and sim card and proceeded to take my details. New the scary bit, After I have given all my bank details and address details and other personal information like e-mail addresses and such, the staff member processing the sale left his computer unlocked and took me to the counter, only for me to turn around and find an old women sitting at my vacated seat reading my information, I soon put a stop to it tho and Ctrl + Alt + Del and locked the pc and thus stopping the nosey old bat from perusing my particulars, i then reprimanded the staff member in front of his manager, where the manager apologized, and took over the sale, sending the other guy into the back of the shop. Data Protection is a serious worry in this day and age and i was very naffed off.
Everything else went smoothly and after a whole 20 minutes or so in the store i walked out with a brand new iPhone 3G.
Part 2 - Getting Home & Setting Up
After a long bus ride home, I finally sat down and un-boxed my phone, I quickly looked over the contents and the proceeded to install the sim card and plug the phone into my iMac. I stated up iTunes and activated the phone. Then I updated the phones firmware and set all my Sync options to my taste. This experience was a pleasure and only took about 20 minutes at most, i was then using the phone and trying all the cool stuff.
E-mail
I set up my google mail account up and this was easy as pie, and works like a charm. Incoming messages make the same ring tone as SMS messages and is quick and easy to use.
Wi-Fi
Again this was very easy and proved to be a good experience when logging onto Cloud, private and other free networks, and it even remembers which ones I've used and connects to them as soon as Im within range.
Apps
The other apps that needed a bit of configuring like Contacts (obviously make sure all the data was in), weather and clock all needing some tweaking to my local area. but everything else was ready to rock and roll.
Part 3 - Physical Aesthetics
The phone itself is nice, it feels solid and sturdy, the plastic back feels nice and not at all plasticky (if that can be done), but its doesn't feel alien in your hand, its a nice weight too, and I guess this adds to the feel of quality. Im sure there are people who don't like the look of the iPhone but I personally realy like the plain un-assuming look with its touches of class. The only thing I have against the phones exterior is the fingerprints and smudges, this thing is a grease magnet and after just 30 seconds of use its filthy, and without a case protecting the back of the phone I can imagine the nice plastic at the back will also collect allot of scratches. The glass how ever I feel pretty comfortable that it will stand the test of time.
Part 4 - OS & Usage
Lets get to the juicy bits, how well does the iPhone work as a phone? Well IMO pretty well, no worse than any other phone I have ever had. The voice of the called or call-e are good, however this can sometimes but quite flat and in a noisy place E.G. when walking back from work in the city of Leeds, it can become quite hard to hear the other person at the end of the line. However this isn't a major problem and can be overcome by finding a nice quiet spot.
Texting is so nice with the touch QWERTY keyboard and It's self spelling ability that texting becomes a breeze and I find myself not using text speak and actually articulating my point allot more acing to sending an E-Mail. I also love the way in which all my texts fall into a conversation with the same person, the means lengthy conversations are easier to follow and also allow for quick reference to other things been said.
Also to fit in with the two parts above the contacts bit works quite nicely and it's easy to add extra information to them and also it's nicely integrated into the other apps like, Mail, Safari, Maps & photos/camera.
Then we have all the other apps on the phone, I wont go into each one because I will be here all night, the standout apps tho are Maps, with its built in GPS, this work flawlessly and has pinpointed me flying down the M1 and got me spot on. Also a shout out has to go to Safari, this little version flies along and a speedy pace and has allowed me to view all my sites, the only let down is lack of Flash and Java, but TBH it hasn't made a huge impact on my web experience. Switching between tabs is easy and fast and loading a new page of GTP loads in about 2 to 3 seconds.
I have only downloaded a few apps from the app store and they were free ones too. I got hold of Remote, which TBH hasn't worked as well as I hoped, and Solitaire and Mahjong (or tiles version anyway). These two have been superb. the app store is easy to use and provide good information and screenshot of each app, along with user reviews.
everything else on the phone work just as nice as the other apps but they are so dull and unless you are a corporate user wouldn't use too often.
One thing I have found to be a bit of a pain, is the battery life, I've had to charge it every day since I've got it. But I must admit, I have had Wi-Fi turned on and I have been constantly playing around and surfing the net and watching videos through it so its to be expected really.
Part 5 - Final thoughts
Is the iPhone worth the money Im going to be paying for my contract? YES. Its a fantastic phone and really does what I expected and even had some surprises left for me. I've really enjoyed using the phone but the service I've had from O2 isn't as good.
Would I recommend the iPhone? Yes. I've already shown it off to quite a few friends and my cousin even went and got one the day after he saw mine, and another friend from work wants one but is getting some Samsung instead!!
I cant think of many things I would change on the iPhone apart from Flash been added, and easier data integration so just a drag and drop principle via a desktop icon instead of syncing with iTunes. Also a better battery and larger storage, if they did an 80GB or 120GB version with twice the battery life it would be heaven. But as it is I'm still using my 80GB iPod classic.
I hope you enjoyed the review.
The EDGE network does its job though. I usually have plenty of time to kill if I'm away from home and surfing the net. Automatically switching to Wifi when in range is nice, but not so much when its barely in range and not really usable. Luckily it is simple to disable the Wifi when that is the case.
WHY?
