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July 13, 2008iPhone 3G obsoletes my Windows Mobile smartphoneI have been a BIG fan of smartphones. For a few years now it has been so nice to have it sync with our Exchange server on our SBS box, and give me the flexibility to do the kind work I do on a day to day basis. People have tried to convert me to Blackberry. No thanks. Just doesn't work the way I like it. And I have no interest in a BES server. And it adds no EXTRA value to make me want to change devices. Until this weekend, I didn't think anything would dethrone my smartphone. iPhone changed that thinking for me. A LOT. I don't think I can express how much, other than the fact my smartphone is in a drawer, and I doubt I will ever turn it on again. I have the first white 16GB iPhone 3G in my area, and I won't be giving this thing up any time soon. Apple did it right. They made a phone FUN, yet business capable. They licensed ActiveSync from Microsoft, so it synced with our Exchange server right out of the box. Yet it is still an eligent device. It is sexy. And it is USABLE. My wife could never get the hang of my Windows smartphone to do simple things like search contacts, make three way calls or add items to my calendar. She did all three on the iPhone this weekend, WITHOUT me having to say anything. That says a lot to me. She was VERY comfortable with the device, which is great to see. There were a LOT of interesting experiences this weekend that just proved to me that I made a great decision on waiting in line and buying this thing:
I could go on and on... but you can see I am quite happy with this thing. I do see SOME things I think could be improved:
In 2 days, I have so far used 37.9 MB of data, which includes downloading a handful of apps and uploading a handful of photos. Seems the 6GB limit Rogers gave us will be more than enough. Interestingly enough, I found out that the AT&T "umlimited" plan in the US only includes 5GB. So we get MORE service in Canada than in the US. So easy to criticize Rogers for poor data plans; for me... I am SAVING money moving to the iPhone from my smartphone. I'm in love with this thing. Apple did it right. Microsoft could learn from them.... cuz their smartphones are WAY behind Apple in the usability front. Just like their personal music players. I think Apple is going to own a good portion of the business AND consumer cell market in the coming 12 to 24 months. And that says alot for a single device. 5 out of 5 stars. Posted by SilverStr at July 13, 2008 01:08 AM | TrackBackComments
Great write-up showing every reason why the iPhone wipes the floor on a Windows Mobile device. Does the ActiveSync have synchronization schemes like Windows Mobiles? I don't want the phone to sync during night time. Posted by: Janne at July 13, 2008 05:02 AMMy favourite plus for the iPhone is that the service providers truly only supply the connectivity-- firmware, software, etc, are all upgraded from Apple. There's nothing like getting a cell phone with all manner of disabled features because Rogers, Virgin, etc, decided to put in their custom firmware. (Bluetooth file transfer, for example, on Razrs) As well, just like with the iPod, with so many people getting exactly the same product, it means there will be no end of tools, apps, add-ons, hacks, etc. Linux on iPhone may be a distinct possibility, you certainly couldn't say that for any random Samsung or Nokia phone (of which there are way too many slightly different models). I've upgraded a handful of gen 1 iPhones to 2.0 and noticed that push email notification only works when the phone is on. If it's locked, or in "suspend" mode, pushing still takes place, but I don't receive an audible notification until a wake and unlock the phone. Have you noticed this with your 3G phone? Posted by: Bill Curnow at July 13, 2008 12:14 PMThanks for the review Dana, the fact you got one was a contributing factor to me getting one :) A few comments though... I agree with mostly everything you say but have a few things of my own. The biggest turn off of the full experience (I was 5th in line at the rogers store on saturday) was the rogers experience and the arbitrary extra charges added on and their attitude of "you wanted an expensive chic toy, you got it and you'll pay for it" and the apparent lack of caring (or even willingness to give a guy a break and maybe cut off one of the random charges). *sigh* As long as I ignore my bank account for the next couple of months though I'll be fine :) Posted by: Arcterex at July 13, 2008 02:24 PMOh, and the app store is neat but man there's a lot of crap there! I'm looking forward to 3 months from now where things have filtered the good apps to the top and the crap is gone.... I do wish I could upload images to facebook from the phone without taking pictures with the facebook app too! Posted by: Arcterex at July 13, 2008 02:26 PMHey Bill, I have had my phone locked and heard my mail come in a number of times. But I have seen that this morning when I unlocked my phone it showed no email ( ie: no red circle indicator) and then a second later there was 18 messages and a notification came in. Not sure what to make of that. Posted by: Dana Epp at July 13, 2008 02:27 PMAlan, Yes... the headphones ROCK. I love skipping to the next song with a double click on the headphone without having to even touch the iPhone. Sorry to hear Rogers isn't playing nice with you. I guess because I am already bent over, I am used to the experience and appreciate it when I SAVE money. I know you are on the more entry level plans, so don't have 3 digit bills each month anyways. That is probably part of the problem. Glad to hear you got one. We can geek out at the LAN party and compare. Might need to throw an iPhone dev hack party one of these days... make our own apps ;-) Posted by: Dana Epp at July 13, 2008 02:33 PMHi Dana, It's the 3G connection that's chewing your battery. I get the fun of recharging my Nokia N95 once a day with lots of 3G use. Go WiFi where possible, it uses less power. Both the iPhone 3G and Sony-Ericsson Xperia X1 look interesting. I'll be comparing them against my Nokia N95, especially in terms of 3G coverage. Our largest carrier (Telstra) has a Blue Tick scheme which enables regional and rural users to determine the best coverage handsets. It will be interesting to see if the iPhone 3G gets this Tick. I still think both Microsoft and Apple have a way to go to match the ease and openness of development on the Nokia platform. "So we get MORE service in Canada than in the US." Actually, I think the Canadian GB's are a little smaller. |
 
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