Twisted_Firestarter

When I first heard rumors about the iPhone several months ago I wasn't particularly interested. I didn't think yet another product branded with the "i" prefix would be particularly notable. But, I am a fan of good User Interfaces and User Experience and the Mac OS certainly has that (also the reason why I was a huge Amiga fan). I am particularly picky about the UI/UX of my phone because I use it so often for work. And, phone OSs seem very very easy to screw up very very badly. Case in point is the Motorola Razr. People rave about this phone, because of the form factor I guess, but that has one of the worst UIs I've ever used. I used mine for maybe 4 weeks before I couldn't take anymore and switched over to a Nokia N80, which I rate very highly.

In any case, the more I have seen the demos and info on the iPhone the more impressed I have been. The UI/UX looks outstanding, the technical innovations certainly aren't anything to shake a stick at, and since it doubles as an iPod it would allow me to get rid of a device.

If you haven't taken a look at the Apple iPhone website yet, the flash demos are worth watching. The Macworld Demo (or the YouTubed version) Steve Jobs gave at the keynote speech is also pretty good.

What is your opinion of the iPhone?

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Twisted Firestarter
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asch

From what I've heard of the iphone is that it won't allow or 3rd party software to be installed. I'm sure they may eventually allow Apple approved software, but from what I've read that isn't happening right away.

I also went with a phone that had multiple forms of input. I didn't want to have to use the touchscreen all of the time so I opted to pick up a different phone/pda.

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Twisted_Firestarter

I agree. I'm not a big fan of the closed system. This might have been a dealbreaker for me if the main application I use, google maps, wasn't included as part of the OS. And it does seem likely they will allow 3rd party apps at some point as Apple reps at Macworld were actively soliciting iPhone ideas and directing interested parties to its developer relations group.

Also, one niggling issue I have is that there is no 3G support, which seems particularly odd considering how much they are pushing its internet connectivity and the fact that Cingular will be the sole distributor for the first two years. My guess is that a v2 of this phone will come out supporting 3G fairly quickly.

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Twisted Firestarter
a.k.a |TG| Harkonian

Beatnik

The phone should be a decent value and have reasonable features around 2010.

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Twisted_Firestarter

Ooh...I just read Cingular has exclusive distribution for 5 years. So unless you have Cingular you won't be getting one until at least 2012.

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Twisted Firestarter
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Pokerface

I'm not terribly impressed. But then, my phone standards are pretty low.

I can't see this revolutionizing the world the way the iPod did unless there's some kind of monster-level synchronicity going on that I'm not seeing.

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Twisted_Firestarter

I've heard some interesting rumors about soon allowing true 3rd party development.

Also, check out all the new iPhone videos on Apple.com.

Anyone here getting one?

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Twisted Firestarter
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Trooper

Id like to get one, but im not really all that impressed with cingulars service. Ive heard bad stories about their customer support and billing departments. Im sure its gotten better but i haven't heard.

One things this phone does is make the other companies work harder. I am sure we will see blackberry Motorola and Microsoft come out with something in the next few months.

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TheFeniX

It looks cool and has numerous outstanding features that I have no realistic use for.

In short: it's an Apple product.

Don't get me wrong, it's a stepping stone in the right direction, I just don't see it as the revolutionary leap forward that Apple wants me to think it is.

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tatersalad

The iPhone has good features, a great physical design, and will eventually be open to 3rd Pary apps. However, the design tools just aren't there yet for anyone who wants to to put out an app, and apple will watch closely what goes into the iphone, at least at first. I'll maybe pick one up around christmas

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HgMaDHaTTeR

Its cool, but not cool enough to make me switch to cingular and drop $500 (or is it $600?). If I can buy an (grey market) unlocked iPhone for around $250, I might consider doing so. I have a feeling that it will be possible to find unlocked iPhones pretty quick, but it will take about a year before I could get one for 250.

tatersalad

It might be worth mentioning, the OpenMoko Neo1973 will be very much like the iphone, minus the gigs of onboard flash and it runs on linux.

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Icehawk217

PS3 is a better use of 600 big ones. In My Opinion

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Evo<^|SiNz|^>

The interface looks AWESOME, but I couldn't see myself getting one.

First, it does NOT replace our 30GB iPod. Why would I pay $600 bucks to be able to carry around 1/3 of my music collection when the iPod does it already. On the flip side, for iPod owners that absolutely MUST have the iPhone, it is convenient to be able to store at least part of your music collection on your phone. I admit it is a lot more practical than most other standard cellphones that offer an mp3/wma player feature (like my LG VX8300, which is great; but can only hold 1GB of music on a MicroSD card). Plus it allows you to watch feature length movies while you're on the go, which would be helpful for people like me who sometimes spend hours on busses and the subway. You will still be carrying two devices though if you want to have your music collection with you. I guess people will just have to weigh the cost/benefit of all that; to me it's not worth it.

Another big question mark for me is durability. I drop my cell phone a LOT. The iPhone sounds delicate... it has a glass screen? Yikes.

Finally, the network. It is primarily a cell phone, and it's going to bite if you end up living in an area where AT&T gets poor service. Especially for people like me who don't have a land line.

As far as the e-mail capability and the cool internet functions like google maps and YouTube, meh. I already am forced to carry a BlackBerry 24/7 by my employer, and I already know that I can't link up to my email server w/ the iPhone. So now we're looking at three devices, including the iPod. The google maps function would REALLY come in handy for me though, D.C. is about the hardest area to navigate I have ever seen.

I think the people scooping them up right now are the uber-gadget freaks and the Apple fanatics. I'm not sure regular joe-blow consumer like me is going to bite until the price comes down and/or you're not strapped with AT&T. I hate to be a naysayer about it, but I just feel like it isn't going to be the phenomenon it is being hyped as. I think a lot of people are not going to be able to justify spending $600 on a device that does a whole bunch of things only marginally well.

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