Macworld: My weekend with the iPhone ...

montgomery_burns

829 posts since
Aug 31, 2004

19. Jul 2, 2007 1:54 PM

in response to: MW Forums

Re: My weekend with the iPhone

Is it possible to beam contacts or other items from one phone to another using Bluetooth?

When you create notes on the iPhone and then sync with a computer, are the notes synced with any application on the Mac or PC?

leofish

23 posts since
Oct 24, 2005

20. Jul 2, 2007 1:56 PM

in response to: MW Forums

Typing Issues: My Thoughts for iPhone 2

Typing is ALOT easier holding the phone horizontally versus vertically. The only app where the keyboard is horizontal is SAFARI. However, SMS and EMAIL do not rotate with accelerometer. It would be FAR better is those apps behaved like SAFARI. As a blackberry user, I find holding and thumb typing better experience with less mistakes with horizontal placement. Apple could easily fix this and am AMAZED they did not do this for the two major apps that require input. I find the iPhone still lacking as an imput device and it is crippled with a proprietary system locking out third parties. Sorry, doing AJAX for browser only apps is a KLUDGE and a mistake. Seems like Apple has CONTROL issues.

WiFi is crippled for certain apps as well. I think not having a $5 GPS chip in the phone was also a big mistake given maps like google maps are crucial. With the high cost, phones the Blackberry curve will find a big market until iPhone 2 comes out. I would also have a physical keyboard version as well if people's experiences with typing persists. The online type demos are faked as the phone is magically suspended while demo shows people using index fingers versus thumbs. i may not always want predictive typing as for SMS i use short SMS english to keep message count lower like "c u l8r".

A $600 device and a 2 yr contract at $1400 a buying decision is $2k. TMO has cheaper data and overall plans. No battery, no way to unlock the phone for international travel to slip in SIM cards, this phone is going to be obsolete within 9 months. iPhone 2 will most likely be announced at MWSF2008 and shipped in SPRING.

Regarding 3G, it is a power hog. I am in the mobile industry and I know the power issues surrounding 3G so they batter have a better battery, lower power consumption and replaceable batter if they do releases GPS 3G iPhone 2 next time.

Its a good product but VERY costly for a version 1.0.

I'll wait and use my BB in the meantime

montgomery_burns

829 posts since
Aug 31, 2004

22. Jul 2, 2007 2:35 PM

in response to: MW Forums

Re: My weekend with the iPhone

is user data stored in volatile or nonvolatile memory? If the iPhone battery is completely drained, do you lose all your data?

d00d

12,136 posts since
Apr 24, 2001

23. Jul 2, 2007 2:52 PM

in response to: Blake_Sobiloff

Re: My weekend with the iPhone

Quote:<hr />
As best as I can determine there are only two IMAP providers: .Mac and AOL.

<hr />

Hardly. There are a lot of IMAP providers.

Quote:<hr />
Neither implement Yahoo's push-mail functionality, but unfortunately Yahoo doesn't provide IMAP access to desktop clients--only the iPhone.

<hr />

Actually, based upon some informal testing with Dan Moren's iPhone and an IMAP account with IDLE support (Dreamhost), the "push" email support is simply the support of the IDLE command. While .Mac still doesn't support it (which is bizarre and poor form on Apple's part), AOL does and you should get "push" email with it.

moo083

29 posts since
May 17, 2005

24. Jul 2, 2007 3:49 PM

in response to: chiny

Re: My weekend with the iPhone

Just so you know, almost every Wireless Provider has an email system so that you email a phonenumber@mms.wirelessprovider.com or something like that and it will send an mms message.

sigma8

575 posts since
Aug 30, 2004

25. Jul 2, 2007 4:43 PM

in response to: montgomery_burns

Re: My weekend with the iPhone

Quote:<hr />
Is it true that you don't need to enter a password to access voicemail? Are the voicemails downloaded to the iPhone's memory or do they stay on the network?

<hr />

I don't need to enter a password to access it, no. Although I was required to set one. So, it clearly remembers the password. As far as where the messages are, I'm pretty sure it's on the network, but I don't know for sure. There's no file system browser. I would vote "on the network" because when I see the list, and I click a voicemail, it will only play if I have AT&T reception (aka not most of my apartment).

Quote:<hr />
Does the iPhone always keep a local copy of all messages and attachments from all your IMAP folders? Is it constantly synchronizing in the background? If so, this could be a problem for people with large multi gigabyte mailboxes on their email server.

<hr />

From what I can tell, it downloads around 25 emails per account, and you can choose to download more if you want (in 25-email chunks) as you need to. This probably is a big hit on searching, but in terms of keeping the device relatively clean, it's effective. It seems to sync when you go into the mail app, so it doesn't lose a lot of cycles doing it in the background. And in the foreground, it only does 25 at a time.

Quote:<hr />
Is it possible to beam contacts or other items from one phone to another using Bluetooth?

<hr />

Not as far as I can tell.

Quote:<hr />
When you create notes on the iPhone and then sync with a computer, are the notes synced with any application on the Mac or PC?

<hr />

Good question. I just made some notes, but haven't sync'ed yet. I'll look when I get home.

sigma8

575 posts since
Aug 30, 2004

26. Jul 2, 2007 4:51 PM

in response to: leofish

Re: Typing Issues: My Thoughts for iPhone 2

Quote:<hr />

snip

A $600 device and a 2 yr contract at $1400 a buying decision is $2k. TMO has cheaper data and overall plans. No battery, no way to unlock the phone for international travel to slip in SIM cards, this phone is going to be obsolete within 9 months. iPhone 2 will most likely be announced at MWSF2008 and shipped in SPRING.

snip

Its a good product but VERY costly for a version 1.0.

<hr />

$2000? Nearly every phone purchase these days comes burdened with a contractual obligation. Why is it you are singling out the iPhone for it, and blatantly adding that to its "real" purchase cost? Even a $50 phone (with data) will cost you $1400 with the 2 year contract. Did your blackberry come without a contract?

iPhone 2 may ship in spring 2008, but it will still be locked to AT&T, as Apple has granted AT&T total and absolute US exclusivity for at LEAST 2 years. I've seen rumors it's actually 5 years. I'd love an unlocked version too, but I don't see it as a "coming soon" item.

That's why I went ahead and bought out. I figure by the time I want to upgrade, my contract will be complete, and I will be free to evaluate my options fully.

Also, I disagree with the typing being easier when horizontal. I actually like typing with a single finger, holding it in portrait. The sensor is surprisingly good at picking out where you are pointing, and the more smushed keyboard means less distance to traverse.

I normally would like using my thumbs, but with this kind of screen, even with more spacing between buttons, my thumbs feel really imprecise compared to my index finger.

JoeC

44 posts since
Apr 5, 2007

27. Jul 2, 2007 5:36 PM

in response to: sigma8

Re: Typing Issues: My Thoughts for iPhone 2

I agree that horizontal typing is actually more difficult for me. The letters are too far apart at that point. But it would probably be good for the Notes, SMS, and Mail programs to "go horizontal" for the sake of other users who would prefer that.

With two thumbs vertically, I was faster with iPhone than on my Treo in less than 10 minutes. Learn to trust the auto correct, instead of fixing every single mistake you make. And watch the letters enlarge as you type them. If you're fast enough, you can slide over to a different letter before letting go, in cases where you hit the wrong spot accidentally. The letters get registered as you let go of the screen, not as you push down on it.

chiny

5 posts since
Apr 26, 2006

28. Jul 2, 2007 7:52 PM

in response to: MW Forums

Re: My weekend with the iPhone

Thank you graxspoo & sigma8.

I don't think of myself as a power user or anything but those are the features that I often use. I've used quite a few phones and there's never really a perfect phone but they have all those functionalities. I understand iPhone is well built to integrate with apps properly and it's version 1.0 but that's no reason to leave out those features when most phones since 2-3 years ago would've included them.

Other things I find odd from early reviews are bluetooth can't be used to send files to/from iPhone? And using iTunes to sync everything (contacts, appointments, etc etc) is abit weird when there's iSync especially when iTunes do not have anything to do with contacts/appointments. Sort of blow context out of proportion (like clicking start button on windows xp to shutdown). Correct me if I'm wrong.

Dan Frakes

3,249 posts since
Apr 14, 2003

29. Jul 3, 2007 1:40 AM

in response to: daveedvdv

Re: My weekend with the iPhone

Quote:<hr />
That's an OS crash actually. A log gets written, and next time you sync with iTunes that log is sent to Apple (if you allow it).

<hr />

For the record, it's actually an application crash, not an OS crash...

Dan Frakes | Senior Editor, Macworld

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