Sunday, April 19, 2009

Iphone 3G review

I'm a HUGE fan of product reviews. I spend a lot of time (or not so much in the case of the impulse buy) researching products before I buy them. I do this because, well, I'm not rich y'all.

But the problem I have with a lot of product reviews, especially those that are written about electronics, just simply don't make any damn sense. No sense at all. See, I'm not really interested in how many gigapods or megapans are in it. Really, when it comes to storage space just answer me this question, "about how many pictures can I fit on this thing?" If the answer is "more than you'll need to" then I'm pretty much good.

I also love gadgets. So the Iphone was right up my alley. A combination of a PDA, a phone, an ipod, and a picture viewer sent me straight into busy mommy bliss.

But the price sent me into convulsions.

So I waited until I saw a sign stating that the Iphone 3G was $199 with a 2 year contract. And I jumped on it.

Now this was for the 8g phone and a second of panic washed over me. Would I be able to put a couple thousand pictures on it? The guy assured me that unless I was downloading poster size pictures I wouldn't have any trouble. So that decided it.

Now, I've had my Iphone for about 6 weeks. And I tell you, i L-O-V-E it. I love that it's pretty much geared toward the tech stupid in that everything has a picture. Just touch the picture and it takes you where you need to go. I also love that it has the REAL internet. If you are still using a phone with WAP internet you are most definitely not getting much out of it. Being able to type in a url and go to a web page that I can identify and meneuver around is priceless.

Another plus is having the ability to check my email with the push of a button. My phone Pushes (which apparently means it goes and gets my emails when I get a new one) and tells me when I have a new one. I find checking and deleting my overly abundant junkmail so simple on the Iphone I rarely use my actual computer for this purpose anymore. just tap the message and tap delete. It creatively shows the email being squished and dumped into a trash can even, which is oddly rewarding.

And then there's the apps. There are many free and inexpensive apps to choose from. Apps that turn your phone into a flashlight, a dog whistle (which I promptly required my husband delete from his phone..... apparently I have dog hearing), even a light saber so you can re-enact your favorite Star Wars episode with your friends.

Can't get through the day without knowing your horoscope? There's an app for that. Need to blog, facebook, twitter, or Yahoo messenger? There are apps for that. Need to diagnose your latest medical problem or find alternative treatments for ingrown toenails? Yep, an app for that.
The possibilities are endless and with just a tap, the app appears on your main screen for anytime access.

Itunes has come a long way too. I remember years ago when my son got his first Ipod shuffle, Itunes made me loathe everything MP3. But the newest version of Itunes is much more user friendly.

Wi-fi. Although withe the Iphone plan you'll get unlimited web time. The Iphone will also search for Wi-fi spots and alert you when you are able to steal someone else's signal. When connected to wi-fi your internet will run faster, so I encourage you to make use of it.

The bad? MMS messaging, or lack thereof. I cannot understand for the life of me why, in the age of the forward spam text, a sophisticated peice of techonology like the Iphone doesn't have the ability to send and receive picture messages. If you send me a picture message not only will I not get it, but I won't even know I didn't get it. So if you sent me a picture of your adorable kid, dog, or toenail polish and I didn't respond? Blame the Iphone. Fortunately? Yep, that's right.... There's an App for that! I have not downloaded it but have heard that it puts the picture on a url that you can click on to receive it. Me? I'd just rather you email it to me, where I can access it right from my phone.

Something else the incurable multi-tasker like myself will hate? Only one app can be running at a time. This is frustrating for me, since when I'm on the computer there are no less than 6 minimized pages going at all times. On the Iphone it's one at a time baby. Facebooking and get a text message? Sorry, you'll have to choose which to continue.

Oh, and another thing. Don't let the 3G thing fool ya. 3G isn't available everywhere (as a matter of fact, in Wisconsin you'll only access it in about the lower 1/8th of the state.

There are definitely things that the next Iphone version can improve upon. But my Iphone has become a huge asset to my busy life and I wouldn't trade it for a Blackberry if you paid me.

4 comments:

From FAT to FAB said...

grant bought an app for his iphone that will allow picture texts on the iphone, he hasnt gotten it going yet.. cause we been on holiday.

grant had a black berry and bought and iphone and gave me his black berry.

i only accepted it cause i could yahoo chat on it, but once i put my sim in, it no longer worked.

man was i ever glad when that sucker died.

i have a cheap little phone right now, i had it before i had to use the blackberry... but i dont know what i will get next.

Anonymous said...

I have recently purchased the IPHONE and quite honestly, not sure how I ever lived without it. You are way ahead of me in light years with your knowledge of aps..I thought I was the only one who was in love with the phone...Thanks..

PBandJ said...

I adore my iPhone, too! It is a permanent appendage on my body and my husband makes fun of me for it, but I would probably go through severe withdrawals requiring hospitalization if I did not have it for a day!

Lisa said...

Thanks for the layperson's review of your iPhone. I'm a techy gal (even teach technology) but the price and that I lived in VT (where there is no AT&T) have held me back. I've recently relocated, so I'm reconsidering. Your review has helped a lot.