Well I joined the hype and lined up in the new slick Mac store in Sydney's George Street to nab me one of the new iPhones. No I wasn't there on launch day. I actually tried to get one at Miranda on launch but no luck thanks to Apples really lame distribution of the much wanted must have gadget. But one hour in the extensive Optus contract line up (the Telstra line had many tumbleweeds and Vodafone's line up had two stooges in it) and an hour of getting the contract sorted out, I walked away with a very pretty bag with an apple logo on it containing something that will be the topic of many blogs to come from me... the 3G iPhone.
First up... yes I am having a ball with this phone. It has changed my outlook on what a phone should be. Is it perfect? No. In fact far from it. This is the beauty of this new phone. It's like cake. You know it's not good for you... but you find yourself really wanting it. Now before I go on I must confess. I'm a creature of habit. When it comes to PC and Pocket PC's I have developed many habits that I feel I must do to make use of these gadgets. Not everyone is going to find the hang ups I have with the iPhone. In fact, most people will read my complaints on the new phone and think to themselves "oh man... get over it!". And they are probably right.
But for now I'll just write down my favourite aspects of the iPhone:
- The user interface. This just plain rocks. Everything about how you interact with the unit is just so intuitive. In fact... when you pull out the phone from the box you'll notice something lacking. The instuction manual! You won't need one. It just all comes to you and it makes sense! Want to zoom in on a photo? Squeeze the screen with your fingers. Need to move to another screen? Slide the screen with the finger. Want to change the screen from vertical to horizontal? Then just twist the phone in your hand! It will change by itself!
- Cool Gadgets. Try downloading the lightsaber app. Just think Nintendo Wii controller meets Star Wars. Then hook it up to your loudest stereo for full effect! This is just the beginning of many great downloads to come!
- Change Your Internet Experience. I've read already some comments from people reviewing the Facebook app. One guy wrote "Facebook on the net is just plain weird. But on the iPhone it makes sense!". It really does simplify everything when using the iPhone for the net thanks to Safari's easy to use navigation options.
I could go one but not today. I'll come back later to update on things that I have had to deal with that make the iPhone a not so enjoyable experience. But for now... if you are hesitant to get one... don't be! It's a really slick phone that will make you wish there were more products out there that made life more fun!
