Not only did I snap a line in NYC yesterday, I managed to make it home to DC before 6PM and on my walk home caught a few dozen people (above) lined up outside another AT&T store.
Surprisingly, I encountered the only American unaware of and unimpressed with this historical milestone. The teenager saw my camera and news crew across the street – and our conversation went something like this: “What happened?” “iPhone!” “Oh, that comes out today?” “6PM!” “Oh, hm.”
Later in the evening I headed back out to AT&T. They had sold their stock (a number they wouldn’t reveal) in under an hour and the store was pretty quiet… I only waited about 5 minutes for my turn on the iPhone.
My biggest concern has always been typing, so that was the first thing I played with. Nearly every word I thumb-typed was misspelled — I just couldn’t accurately hit the virtual keys. I assume one would get better with practice and I know the security tether was in my way. However, the iPhone correctly guessed 100% of the words I was trying to type. Interesting factoid: The keyboard won’t rotate into landscape mode when composing an email or note, but it will do landscape when entering a Safari URL.
The interface is pretty slick, and while the basics were pretty easy to figure out, it’s probably necessary to watch Apple’s online videos to maximize efficiency and functionality. (Interesting that they provided a “Reset your iPhone” video.)
I did try a little EDGE web surfing… The speed to download and render wasn’t great, but it wasn’t horrible either. Perfectly sufficient for a mobile device. YouTube video looked good, assuming one could find something worth watching.
Last, but most certainly not least, the hardware is sexy. Super slim and sleek, plus a solid feel. After playing with the iPhone, I wandered over to look at the Blackberry 8800 (which I’ve been eyeing for that built-in GPS) and it just felt plasticky and clunky in comparison.
All this phone playing had me wondering when my Blackjack would be getting its Windows Mobile 6 update. No date has been announced, but I did discover there’s a pre-release leaked version floating around. It’s getting mixed reviews – so I passed. But, in my web travels, I came across Facade. It’s a very nice home screen organizer, displaying upcoming appointments and tasks plus whatever program icons I choose to pin. I’m currently using the free trial, but it seems like a good deal for $15.
Having just installed my first Slingbox last night, I’m waiting to buy an iPhone until there’s a SlingPlayer for it. :-)
It didn’t hit me really until last month, but I’ve been railing against the iPhone for not having Sling on board from Day 1 – but really the EDGE network might not support good slinging, so it could be a moot point.
What’s real interesting about the iPhone and an angle that hasn’t presented itself on any other site is that Apple usually tries to be the best first-time-out… this model, while nice, is functionally below others in the marketplace, so I wonder why they released it all. Just goes to show that preannouncing can really get you into trouble.
I played with it another 30 minutes today. It really is an amazing device, though it does have a few (well documented) shortcomings. If the iTunes store offered movie rentals and the iPhone supported full Exchange sync, I’d probably be on board. Stereo Bluetooth would be nice too, though that’d require a hardware refresh. As would 3G and a higher resolution camera.
The UI looks and feels great. The hardware needs to be updated to current technology.
After using it, I still prefer a real (read hard buttons) keyboard.
And the 3rd party lockout (web apps don’t count) needs to be changed.
John
I will NOT buy the iPhone until I can get on without a camera, due work restrictions otherwise I would have one already. Please sell on with OUT A CAMERA!!