Apple iPhone (AT&T)

This review is for the 1st generation iPhone. For a review of the iPhone 3G see my other reviews.

Advantages iPhone 1.0 vs iPhone 3G:

- at present is its ability to be unlocked for use on other cell carriers. If using AT&T, no advantage

- EDGE data plan is $10 cheaper

I've owned a cell phone since 1992. I've always had a "top of the line cell phone" (I've always had AT&T = formerly Cingular = formerly BellSouth Mobility). I've had some really good phones: Motorola v60 "Vader", Nokia 6102i, and a Sony Ericsson T610. Then I've had some REALLY bad ones: Motorola RAZR, SLVR, Sony Ericsson s710a, Sony Ericsson Walkman W400, & most recently an HP iPaq 6515. In my 16 years of having cellphones, I've had over 100 (yes 100+) different models & makes.

I haven't had signal issues w/ many phones, it's always been asthetics that bothered me or the clumsy interfaces.

With every phone I've ever had, no matter how long I've had it; I always had a problem placing a call on hold & answering another call or joining a call into a 3-way call. With the iPhone interface being so well designed & the features so clearly labeled; I don't have that problem any more.

As for the design, the Sony Ericsson s710a was a beautiful phone, but the way it flipped open was awkward. When you opened it, it flipped upside down. You had to open it, then rotate the phone to use it.

With the HP iPaq 6515, I hated the keyboard. It was hard to see, crowded w/ characters & difficult to use w/ my large fingers. This is the problem I face w/ almost all phones w/ physical keyboards except the HTC 8525; which has the best phone keyboard of any phone. iPhone users should try the pogo stylus.

The iPhone keyboard is clear, easy to use, & once you get use to it - allows for very fast typing. I used it more in the first 10 days of owning my iPhone than I ever used ANY keyboard on ALL phones I've ever owned.

The camera on my Nokia 6201i was great, but it was difficult to use & to get pictures off of.The camera on the iPhone is terriffic - the viewfinder & capture buttons are crystal clear. It's easy to get the photos from iPhone to computer for editing.

Unlike most smartphones - that have Windows Mobile - the iPhone has an intuitive interface that's easy to understand & navigate. There's no need to read a manual - it's just simple to understand.

Before the iPhone I hated text messaging ... I texted more in the 1st 10 days than I have in the last 10 years!

Because an iPhone uses standard iPod sync & charge cables, accessories are easy to find.

Battery life is very good - even when utilizing power draining features like Wifi & Bluetooth.

I can actually use the calculator on an iPhone, unlike on other cell phones where you have to figure out what key corresponds to an add/multiply/divide.

The Google Maps feature is amazing w/ the ability to use satellite data. The GPS integration w/ LocateMe is awesome (upgrade to 1.1.

The weather forecast widget is nice to have - especially in the summer so you can plan your outdoor week or weekend spontaneously.

Only complaints:

- Edge data network is acceptable, but I wish was faster
- I'd really like to see bluetooth data exchange so I could sync an iPhone via bluetooth.
- FM transmitters don't work well due to interference

Invaild complaints:

- the keyboard is hard to use - at 1st it is ... it definitely takes getting used to. Once you start letting an iPhone correct your mistakes & just hitting the space bar, it becomes pretty fast

This product is on its way to become a major best-seller. It totally changes the way we are used to look at a mobile phone. The web browsing and e-mail experience is very close to that of laptops. This is enhanced via the integrated WiFi (Airport) Card that seeks connects automatically to high-speed internet service. If WiFi is not available, the connection is still on, at all times, via the AT&T Edge network. Substantially slower, but still decent enough to be superior to T-Mobile's Internet service (I was T-Mobile customer before). The Safari browser has the capability to rotate the screen from vertical to horizontal mode in both directions, and to zoom into photos and text for easier reading. Instead of the traditional voice-mail (having to dial a number and listen to the messages consecutively), the iPhone's visual voice mail feature allows you to click on the voice mail that you want to hear directly & listen selectively. The iPhone synchronizes contacts, calendar and e-mail with your computer seamlessly- I have used both Nokia and Samsung phones before, and I never experienced a better convergence before. I have the 8GB version- a decent amount of space for movies, music and podcasts. The huge screen is far superior to the best previous iPods- the brightness, resolution and definition are unbelievable. It is worth mentioning the 2MP Digital Camera: it takes very decent photos that are, afterwards, transferred easily to the Mac or PC (if there are photos in the memory, the computer recognizes iPhone as a digital camera). The iPhoto application allows you to download and errase photos from iPhone simultaneously- very fast and easy. Last but not least, the Google Maps module works fast and comes handy to those of us who don't have a GPS navigation system in our cars. It shows both street and satellite maps, and step by step directions are easy to obtain from the server. The only things I regret are: iPhone cannot take video and the camera has no digital zoom. There is no chat/messenger software. There are no games, although rumors state that Apple is preparing a software update that will contain some basic games.

I'm not the type of person who has to have every new high tech toy they come out with. I don't even have an Ipod, a palmpilot, or bluetooth gadgets for my old phone. But when I broke my Razor phone I figured what the heck. So for my birthday my wife bought me the new Iphone.

This handheld all in one machine is absolutely amazing! The phone has an amazing capacity for information 8gb holds everything I could ever need on a phone with 6gb to spare! I can carry my photo album from a recent vacation by simply loading the pictures right onto my phone. The picture viewing is incredible making sure the picture is always right side up. The screen is so clear the pictures look incredible. Not mention how easy it is to scroll through the pictures by just rubbing on the screen.

The weather feature allows me to see the weather not only for my hometown but for any other cities I select in the US! So if I'm planning a trip my phone can tell me the weather before I get there.

The notepad feature allows me to make notes and lists about all the things I need to do and remember! Now I don't loose the list or forget anything at the grocery store.

The keyboard takes a little getting used to, but is much better than the 3 letters per number on your typical phone.

The internet is still a little slow but with such an easy to use browsers I'm not complaining about the speed too much!

I can access my yahoo mail with the click of a button its so easy to use its ridiculous!

The phone book is cleaner and easier to use than my Razor was, it makes sending emails or making call very simple.

The voice mail feature is great, I can see the number who called and click on it to hear only that voice mail, so I don't have to listen to the ones I know what they are, or are going to be about.

I don't use the Ipod much although it will be nice to use on those occasional jogs. However I do use the ipod to store cute movies of my son stumbling around the yard or all dressed up in his Halloween costume.

The maps feature is nice and easy to use, like everyone else I anxiously await the GPS feature to arrive.

The calendar is easier to use and easier to read than my old phone, with that and the notebook I don't need an appointment book anymore.

The camera is also a nice upgrade over my old phone I don't know what megapixel it is but it takes nice clean photos.

The battery life is very good for having so many power draining features, and being able to charge it while its connected to my computer is a great feature.

The last feature is the calculator, what an improvement over older phones the touch screen is super easy to use. I do with there where more options to use with it, like a mortgage calculator or annuities calculator. But with the internet at my finger tips I guess I can search for one online.

All-in-all this phone is one of the best purchases I've made in a while. This is definately the device of the future.

When this phone was originally released it was sold for a hefty 600 dollars, the reason for the msrp on this device in Steve Job's own words "its 3 devices in one; an internet device, music player, and a cell phone" with this kind of thinking my laptop should be worth a fortune after all its a...

Internet Device
Word Processor (that supports cut and paste...sorry iPhone you didn't get that feature)
Gaming Console
Porn Storage Device
Email and Internet Messenger
Multimedia
CD Copier
etc.......

The Gods honest truth is, there are already phones out that that do EVERYTHING the iPhone does for 2/3rds the CURRENT price of the iPhone (400 Dollars) whats even better is that you don't get Apple's glitchs and problems as well as (here comes the biggy) A NON REPLACEABLE BATTERY, God knows you were really thinking about buying a 600 dollar doorstop when you bought that iPhone did you? Sooner or later people will just have to come to terms with Apples reputation for making bad products that appeal to those with a zeal for trends rather then quality multimedia/communications devices.

Fact: iPhone is only available through ATT (unlocked phones have voided warranties, BAD IDEA)

Fact: In 2002 ATT told its customers how much they really loved them by raising their cell plans Mid-Contract and fine printed a clause to cancel their contract as a reperation for their breach of contract. Basically they said we are rasing your bill EVEN though you have a contract with us and if you don't like it go somewhere else.

Fact: Average time on hold with AT&T for ANYTHING is between 25 minutes to an hour.