MobileBurn.com General iPhone Discussion

[Michael]

Here are the live photos and my initial impressions:

http://www.mobileburn.com/gallery.jsp?Page=1&Id=3519

The short version: UI is amazing, text entry is annoying, call audio quality is horrible.

[difenbaker]

Cool! That means we can expect a more comprehensive review soon? Way cool!


cheers!

[carcomptoy]

Michael--do you see yourself at all coming to terms with the text input?

[problematic]

Hi Michael,
Could I request to have a side-by-side picture of the iPhone and the N95? I want to find out exactly how big it is. On Apple.com's videos - they used models with large hands - making the iPhone look small, but on some sites they say it's big and wide. Could you post a pic with an N95, or an N70 or N73? Thanks.

[Jose_R.A.M]

As always, the first place I check when going to forums is new post...but my eye dd catch that there was 61 people viewing site discussion. I just disregarded it as poor hazy morning eyesight and resolved it as just being one person and 6 a phantom number.

Extremely surprised to see on the list of threads: MobileBurn.com has an iPhone...!!

I didn't expect it after Brad mentioned the difficulty in getting one. Too bad you couldn't get the 8GB version but any version is better than nothing. I also didn't expect stores to stock so few after all the hype and waiting lines, I was expecting at least a couple of hundred for each version.

But congrats on getting one! Agreed with problematic, might be nice to see comparison shots with many different phones as the iPhone will be the phone everyone will be comparing theirs too.

Also, I'd like to request a video review if possible.

Reading the quick initial impressions, it seems that apple has done everything they do right except the Phone part! All the 'i'ness is there, but if you wanted a phone, well......

Text entry....that bad huh? Lol, no wonder apple was saying "start off with one finger" and then after/within a week you can type with two (hands). Hahaha! I guess, the only thing going to save it is practice. Good thing it's going to be difficult to return, as users will be stuck with it long enough to get used to it.

[mweb6161onMB]

Well we dont have an iphone, i cant really see Eldar or Playdead hanging around a NY shop for several hours even for an iphone:) , Respect to Michael however, we have linked to his review and await his respected impressions in due course.

[difenbaker]

Hi Michael,
Could I request to have a side-by-side picture of the iPhone and the N95? I want to find out exactly how big it is. On Apple.com's videos - they used models with large hands - making the iPhone look small, but on some sites they say it's big and wide. Could you post a pic with an N95, or an N70 or N73? Thanks.

I found this pic, maybe it'll give you an idea how big or small the iPhone is?
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1111/668756812_bba38a5480.jpg

I agree it'd be nice if it were side-by-side with an n95.


cheers!

[carcomptoy]

Of course they're both disgustingly dirty with finger oils...people wipe your electronics!:p

[Michael]

Yes, I will post a full review this week.

I shot some video footage for the current Gallery story this morning. Brad will encode it and add it to the story within the next day or so.

I've also updated that story a number of times as I've come across other problems, and other solutions. The voice quality, for example, seems to have sorted itself out after a restart. WiFi, on the other hand, is still a problem.

[JoN]

So Michael, does this mean you wont be able to review other handsets seriously?

[Michael]

So Michael, does this mean you wont be able to review other handsets seriously?I don't understand what you mean.

[JoN]

I don't understand what you mean.

I mean Scrolling through lists of messages, settings, or albums is so smooth and intuitive, you will never look at another phone the same way again.

Will you be able to shake that feeling off and review the less fortunate phones?

The finger based UI on this device makes that of the LG Prada phone look downright archaic.

[MikeUK]

I think he made a fair point, the UI on the iPhone is like nothing else before, the iPhone certainly does lack many features but it bring's something almost completly new, unlike the N95 which is a great device because it simply put the best things everyone had used before into one device, but nothing drastically new about the way you interact with the phone. I don't think the iPhone will have as big an influence as the iPod and the click wheel but it will bring I think (hope) it may do enough to make other phone manafuctures start being more intuitive with UI which is just as important as the features.

[JoN]

Hey, i agree its a good, fair point. No disputes there.

I just want to know if this ihype will tarnish what has been a good record so far. the idisease has a way of spreading and clogging senses.

Frankly, i'm afraid of this thing totally messing up many reviews allover the internet. No recourse for the non-ibuyer.

It will even take a few months before one can see a totally unbiased review of this new phone.

Just asking as a long time faithful reader.

[carcomptoy]

Good point. I hope that other reviewers (because I know we here at MobileBurn will still be unbiased) won't be comparing EVERY new phone to the iPhone.

[brad]

@Jose - I said it might be a little while before we get an iPhone because Apple PR is a little hard to get on with, Michael actually went out and bought one though.

I've added the videos to the story now.

[Jose_R.A.M]

@Jose - I said it might be a little while before we get an iPhone because Apple PR is a little hard to get on with, Michael actually went out and bought one though.
.

Sorry, I meant to add that I didn't reakky expect Michael to go wait in the iLine...but then again, with all the hype about it, it makes sense.


I've added the videos to the story now

Menu's looking as slick as ever.

The screen looks really bright when Michael pushed it to full. (How bright is it?)

Web browsing - I haven't seen the (if there is one) official apple video for that, but it's the first time I've seen the multiple page browsing in action.

Good point. I hope that other reviewers (because I know we here at MobileBurn will still be unbiased) won't be comparing EVERY new phone to the iPhone.

There's something different though about the iPhone that means it deserves a little bias in terms of attention. I'm certain there won't be bias in terms of Michael's criticisms, but for something that has got the attention of much of the masses and even BBC news, it deserves comparisons to a few models more than most to see what all the fuss all about. Probably not to the degree of every phone, but to those it's more or less competing against.

A little bit like how AAS did a mammoth feature on the N95 (in an extreme feature by feature individual review). Not saying that there should be a review to that degree (lol, like you can't go into that much detail over its camera), just that some phones garner more attention than most.

BTW, has anyone else here has a go at the iPhone?

[Michael]

The iPhone isn't going to change the way I review 95% of the phones on the market. Normal phones with non-touch displays and regular keypads are still going to be the bread and butter for the industry, and will be exactly what most people want.

The iPhone will have an impact on smartphone reviews, though, especially those like the HTC Touch and LG Prada.

But with that said, the iPhone is not a great phone. It is a half-decent phone. It is, however, a great handheld mobile computer. If you tend to make a lot of calls and send a receive a lot of text messages, there will be plenty of devices out there that will serve you better.

But, if you like to keep your home computer in your pocket, then the iPhone might do the trick. It is great for toting along music, photos, and video. The mapping is useful, and the web browser is fantastic.

It's not for me, personally, though. It is way too simple. Apple has gone to great lengths to "protect" the user from the workings of the phone. For somebody like me, that is frustrating. For example, I am having a problem with WiFi. The iPhone connects to WiFi, but then switches to EDGE when I try to do anything. What is happening, exactly? I have no idea. There are no settings, no status screens, no way to disable EDGE, etc, etc, etc. It handles everything "automatically" and I can't do anything about it.

All settings are centralized in a control panel like area. That, too, is annoying. It reminds me of Mac OS X applications in the way that menus for an application are located at the top left corner of the screen even when the application window itself might be at the bottom right. I just don't find it covenient. I want the settings where I need them. I see the value of moving the iPhone application settings out of the way for novice users, but I am not a novice user.

There are a few other things that the UI could stand to change or add. I like long-tapping for getting context sensitive menus. Let me hold my finger on a contact to get some options for things to be done with it. On top of that, the iPhone UI *needs* a back key of some sort. On the iPhone it is very much an eyes forward kind of experience. For example, if I look at my contact record in the phone and tap on my address, the Google maps application is loaded with my address pin pointed. Fantastic. But there is no way back. To get back to where I was, I have to hit the home key, the phone key, then tap on my contact record again (contacts would still be the active screen in the Phone app). There are worse examples that require more taps to get back to where you were, though.

But this is still a game changing device. The 3D visual effects, the two-finger control methods, the swipe gestures, all of that is stuff that other would-be manufacturers of finger based phones are going to have to adopt if they wish for any chance at success.

[JoN]

Its a shame other reviewers wont speak as much sense as you Michael.

I await the LG Prada smart-phone that is said to run windows mobile, and the Samsung Ultra Smart.

Anyone can make a very good purpose built UI, it just takes vision to and good hardware to pull it off. So i hope the other manufacturers will move towards making their powerful phones more pretty and user friendly to navigate.

[stephanie]

This is like the best news I've seen this week! I have browsed the first 4 reviews - like the one by walt mossberg, david pogue, the 2 guys from USA Today... they're making it out to be the "best phone" ever! Like how obvious is it that these people are apple fanboys! No wonder Apple gave them one before everyone else. ;) Let's hope Michael gives us everythig - the positives AND the negatives, not just the positives.

[Jose_R.A.M]

This is like the best news I've seen this week! I have browsed the first 4 reviews - like the one by walt mossberg, david pogue, the 2 guys from america today... they're making it out to be the "best phone" ever! Like how obvious is it that these people are apple fanboys! No wonder Apple gave them one before everyone else. Let's hope Michael gives us everythig - the positives AND the negatives - not just the positives like these other people.


Yup, I watched the review by Walt Mossberg, but some idiot decided to transcribe it into his own BS by adding things like,
"iPhone has the largest /highest screen resolutioned smartphone"

Maybe he just went on what other popular reviewers have said in:

"iPhone has twice the resolution of computer screen"

Don't recall which one said that...

BTW, I'm getting confused, does the iPhone have a glass screen or a plastic one?

[Michael]

Glass. It seems quite tough.

In any event, I've shot a couple of hundred (literally) screen shots for the review, and have written almost half of the text of the actual review. I think we'll get it out by Wednesday.

[difenbaker]

hi michael... um, I've some questions, maybe you can answer them?

- does it have a flight mode, can you turn off the phone and just listen to music?

- is there a way to turn off the predictive text? Can you delete words from the predictive text dictionary?

- how good is it as a PMP? In watching videos, can it play mpg, 3gp, wmv and avi files?

- when someone's calling you, and the phone's already ringing, can you put it on silent? Mute the ringing? Or do you have to put it on silent beforehand?

- say that you've already activated the phone and it's runnin ok. You then take out the sim and insert another sim (an inactive one)... will you still be able to use the iPhone's WiFi? To connect to hotspots and surf? (since that doesn't require a phone connection right?)




thanks. cheers!

[jayesh]

hey guys sounds good... that was actually really quick getting your hands on it that fast.

Looking forward to your review

[Michael]

The review is up:

http://www.mobileburn.com/review.jsp?Id=3526&source=FORUMS

Yes, the iPhone has a flight mode. Flipping the mute switch will stop the ringing immediately. There is no real predictive text, just Auto-Correct. You can tap on the auto-correct bubble to make it go away so it won't replace what you've typed. I have not swapped SIM cards - a friend that runs an Apple store told me not to try it, as there are reports of problems. But in theory, once activated it can be used with WiFi and everything - just no EDGE or phone calls.

As to how it compares as a media player, I can't really say. I have no interest in such things. It seems fine to me. I don't know off-hand what formats it plays, I'm sure the apple tech sheet (or maybe even our own snapshot specs) state that.

[problematic]

Hats off to you, Michael, that was a very nice review.

But I'm curious as to why you listed in the 'pros' section that it has the "best browser?" When it wont even read other sites that has java or other sites that's Flash based. I agree that the way it operates is cool, being finger driven, touchscreen UI, tapping zoom, and all that - but that's phone related and not browser related, correct?

If we ignore the UI for a second, which is clearly fun to use, and concentrate on just the merits of the browser - I wouldn't call it the "best" at all. In my opinion - the "best" is usually the most complete and compatible browser in a mobile device. Clearly, since this lacks some things - calling it that is kind of misleading.

When the time comes that apple upgrades it and makes it complete (with flash, etc) - maybe then we can call it the best.

Just mho.

Thanks again for the review.

[TheZodiac]

I picked up the iphone for the first time last weekend, and I was doing 25 words a minute (yes, I was timed) very quickly. I think it has to do with your perception on how the kb is responsive, and how it feels. In my opinion (yes, its an opinion) those who have aproblem with the text entry have a sort of psudeo-phobia about the screen itself, and therefore cannot, or, will not convert. Pretty simply psychosis. :-P

[mweb6161onMB]

Great review, nice to see one from a reviewer who comes at the topic fresh and unbiased.:thumbsup:

[difenbaker]

Nice review Michael. :occasion14:

There is no real predictive text, just Auto-Correct. You can tap on the auto-correct bubble to make it go away so it won't replace what you've typed.

Thanks. I had thought that it had some sort of dictionary, or at the very least, a collection of words.... I guess there's none. Is there is a way to change the word it suggests?


thanks. cheers!

[Michael]

If we ignore the UI for a second, which is clearly fun to use, and concentrate on just the merits of the browser - I wouldn't call it the "best" at all. In my opinion - the "best" is usually the most complete and compatible browser in a mobile device. Clearly, since this lacks some things - calling it that is kind of misleading. There is no doubt in my mind that it is the best mobile browser out there, even though it has no support for Java or Flash (which is a common limitation among mobile phones).

No browser makes reading a full sized website as easy as Safari. S60's browser doesn't even come remotely close. Flash and Java would be nice, but for 99% of the websites out there, they are not needed to get to the meat of the content.

I'm not talking about fun and UI issues, I'm talking about straight functionality. I can read any website I need to with the iPhone, and I most certainly can not do that with the S60 browser - even on a N80 with a better than QVGA display.

[Michael]

I picked up the iphone for the first time last weekend, and I was doing 25 words a minute (yes, I was timed) very quickly. I think it has to do with your perception on how the kb is responsive, and how it feels. In my opinion (yes, its an opinion) those who have aproblem with the text entry have a sort of psudeo-phobia about the screen itself, and therefore cannot, or, will not convert. Pretty simply psychosis. :-PI am certainly not afraid of it. I tried to just bang out the messages and let the auto-correct do its thing, but I just hit too many incorrect buttons. Maybe my fingers are too big, but using two thumbs at this point still requires more time spent correcting the text than if I had just used a single index finger in the first place.

Some people will always adapt better to such things that the rest, so that is probably your case. But this is not a good text input system, though it may be the best they could manage with what they had to work with.

[waytaminit]

I dont know what to say exactly, I dont want to offend anyone, but I feel like I should be frank and tell the truth. You see, I (and a family member), had just gone through this process recently of thinking whether we'd buy an iPhone or not - that's why I feel I should say something.

I appreciate the fact that Michael gave us his review - but somehow Im not convinced that it deserved that "recommended" rating. If it was me I'd probably give it an "average" rating at best. Let me explain.

The review tells us how nice the UI is, and how it is operated, (Michael is very detailed about that, which is nice) but... it doesn't somehow come across as being objective. Like it's lack of features - all that seemed to be put aside, and praises for the UI kept the phone alive. I dont think I'd agree with that. Lack of features should, in my opinion, count for more - and not be overshadowed by how nice the UI is, or how nice things are done.

The iPhone is a combination of a camera, ipod, phone, internet communicator....it fails miserably in doing all those, yet it somehow (at the start of the review) "meets all the hype" it got? Camera: lacks autofocus, flash, shooting modes, zoom, and so many other things. Ipod: lacks a disk mode, is only 7.3GB or less that's available, has a non-standard plug, has a mono speaker. Phone: Has only edge, locked to its carrier, no MMS, has crippled bluetooth, no 3G, no 3rd party apps support. Internet communicator: has no Java, has no Flash, can only play youtube online videos, no support for other video formats. Sure it has a nice zoom and fast speed but in the end - it's still not complete as a full browser should be.

Then the review calls it a pocket computer? I think it's more similar to a PDA than a computer. And it does have a great UI/menu system - that flick and tap method very unique among phones out there. I'd give Apple credit for that, and it might actually change the way we work with cellphones. And like the review said, this could be the start of a trend, specially if other brands follow this 'touchscreen' style of operation. But I keep asking myself... does a nice menu a great phone make?

It's like having a PC or a Mac - with Vista or OS X, the menu or User Interface is great... but at the end of the day, it's just a UI, and not the core function of the PC or Mac itself. It still needs programs and apps to give it substance. To give it functionality. The lack of this sunstance and functionality, imho, doesn't deserve it a 'recommended' rating. The lack of 3rd party support, or OTA downloads, or the inability to use mp3's as ringtones - where's the substance in those? How does missing those make it worth that 600$ pricetag?

Sincerely, thanks for this opportunity to voice out my opinion, overall it's a very nice review indeed - I just dont agree with some points.

- Will.

[thioson]

lol, for us ,its really a big news ! iv got my iPhone yesterday ,its really awesome.Line for along time i got iPhone .Apple is perfect.

[brad]

@waytaminit - I don't have the time right now to respond to everything you said, though I do agree with a lot of it, but I would like you to read the explanation of our ratings system here http://mobileburn.com/review.jsp?Id=2088 before beating on the rating. I think you have the wrong concept of what we mean by 'Recommended.'

[SeaFox]

Are there any sample photos taken by the camera available? I didn't see the gallery of them we usually get at the end of the review. I'm not expecting many since there aren't any settings for the camera, but I would like to see how good an iPhone's camera actually is.

[brad]

Are there any sample photos taken by the camera available? I didn't see the gallery of them we usually get at the end of the review. I'm not expecting many since there aren't any settings for the camera, but I would like to see how good an iPhone's camera actually is.
There should be, Michael must of forgotten them. I'll remind him when he wakes up, thanks.

[ikdo]

Michael, I am wondering if you have the chance to pair and us a Bluetooth GPS receiver to the iPhone? Does the Google map on the iPhone support tracking?
Thanks,
ikdo

[Michael]

Michael, I am wondering if you have the chance to pair and us a Bluetooth GPS receiver to the iPhone? Does the Google map on the iPhone support tracking?I don't have access to one, but my gut says it would not work. There appears to be no support for it that I can see.


I appreciate the fact that Michael gave us his review - but somehow Im not convinced that it deserved that "recommended" rating. If it was me I'd probably give it an "average" rating at best. Let me explain.Have you used the device, or are you playing Monday morning quarterback here?

The review tells us how nice the UI is, and how it is operated, (Michael is very detailed about that, which is nice) but... it doesn't somehow come across as being objective. Like it's lack of features - all that seemed to be put aside, and praises for the UI kept the phone alive. I dont think I'd agree with that. Lack of features should, in my opinion, count for more - and not be overshadowed by how nice the UI is, or how nice things are done.

Put aside? All of the problems are rather clearly pointed out.

"Sadly, there is no voice dialing at all in the iPhone, which I would have liked even more since I am an avid Bluetooth headset user."

"The only thing missing is MMS support, which seems extremely odd for a multimedia centric device like the iPhone. Also missing is an instant messaging client of any sort."

"There is no support for Flash or Java applications, though it does support JavaScript and JavaScript based menus, such as those used in our own menu above. Like the lack of MMS messaging support, it strikes me as insane for a multimedia focused device to lack Flash and Java in its browser."

"I will never forgive Apple for not including Bluetooth A2DP stereo support. For what should be the ultimate music phone, this type of omission is beyond unimaginable. The fact that the deep set 3.5mm headphone jack won't allow many third party headphones to be used without an adapter is just rubbing salt into an already aggravated wound."

The iPhone is a combination of a camera, ipod, phone, internet communicator....it fails miserably in doing all those, yet it somehow (at the start of the review) "meets all the hype" it got? Camera: lacks autofocus, flash, shooting modes, zoom, and so many other things. Ipod: lacks a disk mode, is only 7.3GB or less that's available, has a non-standard plug, has a mono speaker. Phone: Has only edge, locked to its carrier, no MMS, has crippled bluetooth, no 3G, no 3rd party apps support. Internet communicator: has no Java, has no Flash, can only play youtube online videos, no support for other video formats. Sure it has a nice zoom and fast speed but in the end - it's still not complete as a full browser should be.Fails miserably? Again, I'll suppose that, at best, your experience with the device involves standing at an Apple or AT&T store for 3 minutes playing with a demo unit.

It is a very good ipod. The camera is quite nice. If I were reviewing the vast majority of phones being sold on the market, I'd be happy to report that they had 2 megapixel cameras. The same goes here.

As to the iPod lacking a disk mode, I don't know what that is. USB mass storage? If so, that hardly seems like a core requirement for a music player. Mono speaker bad? It is the first iPod with ANY speaker at all.

As to 3rd party application support, this is not meant to be a smartphone. It is a feature phone. The most advanced of them, perhaps, but Apple never called it a smartphone that I am aware of, and it seems quite obvious to me that such is not the target market. This is meant for the average consumer, not for guys walking around with an HTC Kaiser or Nokia E90. With what it can do, I can see how it would be easy to try to force it into that mold, but that would be unfare.

No 3G? Yup, annoying. But they never promised it, and considering that most of the handsets on the market are non-3G, that's hardly reason to give a phone a "Not Recommended" rating.

"Only" 7.3GB? There are only a small handfull of devices that can match that. What are you trying to compare this thing to? You can't call a device a failure because every aspect of it can't best the most capable device on the market for each particular point. Ie. You can't compare it against a SE K850 for the camera, then compare it against the N95 for the GPS, then against the HTC Advantage for screen resolution. Every single one of those devices would fail that comparison.

Safari can't view the YouTube site, it can only view higher quality YouTube videos directly. Ah, OK? I don't care much for YouTube at all, but I do care that for the first time on a mobile phone I can read pretty much ANY website on the net. I can't do that with my N80, that's for sure. Java and Flash support would have been nice to have, but I can still do far more on the web with the iPhone than any Windows Mobile, Palm, or Symbian device.

Then the review calls it a pocket computer? I think it's more similar to a PDA than a computer. And it does have a great UI/menu system - that flick and tap method very unique among phones out there. I'd give Apple credit for that, and it might actually change the way we work with cellphones. And like the review said, this could be the start of a trend, specially if other brands follow this 'touchscreen' style of operation. But I keep asking myself... does a nice menu a great phone make?It certainly does not. But I never called it a great phone. I called it an average phone, at least as far as regular call type functions are concerned. It has a lot of other bonus stuff that makes it overall more useful.

It's like having a PC or a Mac - with Vista or OS X, the menu or User Interface is great... but at the end of the day, it's just a UI, and not the core function of the PC or Mac itself. It still needs programs and apps to give it substance. To give it functionality. The lack of this sunstance and functionality, imho, doesn't deserve it a 'recommended' rating. The lack of 3rd party support, or OTA downloads, or the inability to use mp3's as ringtones - where's the substance in those? How does missing those make it worth that 600$ pricetag?It is just the UI that determines how a user does everything on the phone. A phone with great technical abilities but is unusable because of the UI will never get anywhere. You and I might be able to force our ways through a stupid system, but that product will fail with the rest of the world. I am not reviewing phones for the cutting edge guys out there. This is a site with reviews for consumers. My mother could easily use the iPhone. That makes it a success on many levels.

As to price - I never review based on price. It is between you and your banker to determine whether or not the price of any device is worth it. My job is to tell you, as the reader, what the device can and can't do, and what my overall feelings about the device are. I did that. Considering over a half million of these things were sold opening weekend, I'd say Apple priced it appropriately.

I'm no Apple fanboy, either. My Wife's iMac is running Vista right now. I don't own, and never have owned, an iPod. I'll be quite straight here - On many levels, I wanted the iPhone to fail. I was very happy when I spotted the flaws listed in the first reviews. But the fact of the matter is that the iPhone is a good all around phone. Not great. But good. It certainly misses on a number of points, but it scores additionaly points in other areas.

[Michael]

Are there any sample photos taken by the camera available? I didn't see the gallery of them we usually get at the end of the review. I'm not expecting many since there aren't any settings for the camera, but I would like to see how good an iPhone's camera actually is.I will add them today. I needed more time to take some sample photos that I could actually use (ie. not of my wife and other personal stuff).

[waytaminit]

Put aside?

Well, that's the impression that I got.

All of the problems are rather clearly pointed out.

Exactly. That's why, with all these problems pointed out, I found it questionable to have a 'recommended' rating.

Fails miserably? Again, I'll suppose that, at best, your experience with the device involves standing at an Apple or AT&T store for 3 minutes playing with a demo unit.

Well you're correct that I dont own one. But aside from those few minutes in the Apple store, I did get to play with one for a couple of hours, the day after. (My unc's friend got one).

It is a very good ipod. The camera is quite nice. If I were reviewing the vast majority of phones being sold on the market, I'd be happy to report that they had 2 megapixel cameras. The same goes here.

My opinion on this is.. the Nano and the Shuffle makes better iPods. Why, because they're small and light, very portable, and packs 20GB or more.

The camera, well I think is still lousy, it feels like Apple did put one just so it cant be said that the iPhone didn't have one. No Flash, no white balance, no exposure control, no rapid bracketing shots, no photo editor, and no zoom. There's no lens cover too (to protect it), and no VIDEO capability. The N70 camera, has all of the above, yet is 2 years older than the iPhone. I dont know why you'd call it nice.

It's like while the rest of the world was racing to bring out better, higher mp cameras, with loads and loads of features and photo options - Apple went the other way, and made a simple (albeit crude) camera implementation. Yet people finds it cool? I dont get it. (maybe I never will, haha:D )

As to the iPod lacking a disk mode, I don't know what that is. USB mass storage? If so, that hardly seems like a core requirement for a music player.

Yes exactly, USB mass storage. I said that it fails miserably because as an iPod it cannot do what other iPods can do. 7.3GB? When other iPods can have 40GB and more. No disk mode? If those iPods can do this - why cant the iPhone? In fact, why is there no file system in the iPhone in the first place, when 99 percent of smartphones out there has this.

As to 3rd party application support, this is not meant to be a smartphone. It is a feature phone. The most advanced of them, perhaps, but Apple never called it a smartphone that I am aware of, and it seems quite obvious to me that such is not the target market. This is meant for the average consumer, not for guys walking around with an HTC Kaiser or Nokia E90. With what it can do, I can see how it would be easy to try to force it into that mold, but that would be unfare.

I agree it is a feature phone. But Steve Jobs called it "a smartphone that's 5 years more advanced" than the other smartphones in the market. But I see now that that's just pure hype.

"Only" 7.3GB? There are only a small handfull of devices that can match that. What are you trying to compare this thing to? You can't call a device a failure because every aspect of it can't best the most capable device on the market for each particular point. Ie. You can't compare it against a SE K850 for the camera, then compare it against the N95 for the GPS, then against the HTC Advantage for screen resolution. Every single one of those devices would fail that comparison.

I guess I was comparing it an iPod. As far as iPods go - 7.3GB is rather small, dont you think? Another thing, if that 7.3GB gets filled up, one has no choice but to delete some files. With other phones - one only needs to replace a card with a fresh new one.

It is just the UI that determines how a user does everything on the phone. A phone with great technical abilities but is unusable because of the UI will never get anywhere. You and I might be able to force our ways through a stupid system, but that product will fail with the rest of the world. I am not reviewing phones for the cutting edge guys out there. This is a site with reviews for consumers. My mother could easily use the iPhone. That makes it a success on many levels.

I agree that iPhone should score points for having a nice user-friendly UI. But on the other hand, a phone with a great UI but without any technical ability or substance will never get anywhere too. It could be so user-friendly that a 10-year old can use it - but what and where would he use it in? Aside from the basics of calling and texting?

I see it as having a high definition TV with all the "bells and whistles" -having the best menu ever, but without any TV shows to watch, or maybe only 2 to 3, one would get easily bored with that TV in no time flat.

But the fact of the matter is that the iPhone is a good all around phone. Not great. But good. It certainly misses on a number of points, but it scores additionaly points in other areas.

Yes, it's a good phone indeed, not great but good.

Thanks again for the review, and in answering my post.

- will

[MikeUK]

My opinion on this is.. the Nano and the Shuffle makes better iPods. Why, because they're small and light, very portable, and packs 20GB or more.

No, they don't the max is 8GB.

Yes exactly, USB mass storage. I said that it fails miserably because as an iPod it cannot do what other iPods can do. 7.3GB? When other iPods can have 40GB and more. No disk mode? If those iPods can do this - why cant the iPhone? In fact, why is there no file system in the iPhone in the first place, when 99 percent of smartphones out there has this.


Yes a good feature missed but it does not make is fail miserably as an iPod. It means it isn't as good as an iPod in that particular aspect, and it fails miserably as a portable drive but not as an iPod. And phones don't have 40GB for a reason, they're not the size of a phone AND an iPod, without making very expensive handsets storage that big in a reasonable size phone is still a little while to come.


I agree it is a feature phone. But Steve Jobs called it "a smartphone that's 5 years more advanced" than the other smartphones in the market. But I see now that that's just pure hype.

I'm not 100% sure but as far as I'm aware he called it a revolutionary phone 5 years more advanced, not a smartphone. However I agree that it is most certainly NOT 5 years more advanced.


I guess I was comparing it an iPod. As far as iPods go - 7.3GB is rather small, dont you think? Another thing, if that 7.3GB gets filled up, one has no choice but to delete some files. With other phones - one only needs to replace a card with a fresh new one.


For the target market I think 8GB is enough. To be honest I think hardly anoyone carrys more than one memory card around with them or 8GB worth, speaking of the majority, and this is trying to be a majority device.

I agree that iPhone should score points for having a nice user-friendly UI. But on the other hand, a phone with a great UI but without any technical ability or substance will never get anywhere too. It could be so user-friendly that a 10-year old can use it - but what and where would he use it in? Aside from the basics of calling and texting?


It has more than the basics of calling and texting though, that is an overstatement. It lacks big in some areas like the camera is only similar to that of an entry level phone (similar to a few HTC devices, although I'm not saying that's an excuse). And it has a decent media player almost equivelant to having a nano, it has (according to most reviewers) one of the best web mobile browesers there is. It may not have 'great' technical abilty and a slight lack of 'substance' due to the inabillity to add software but it out performs many other handsets it terms of a media player and internet browsing. 'without any' is an exaguration, it certainly does not live up to the hype and isn't the ultimate convergence device, but is definitely an 'ok' device and good for a lot of people.

[difenbaker]

@waytaminit - I don't have the time right now to respond to everything you said, though I do agree with a lot of it, but I would like you to read the explanation of our ratings system here http://mobileburn.com/review.jsp?Id=2088 before beating on the rating. I think you have the wrong concept of what we mean by 'Recommended.'

Recommended - the device in question adequately covers all of the basics required for a mobile phone, and can be expected by a purchaser to be of sufficient quality to be able to meet their general needs. It might still have one or more shortcomings, but none of them are considered by us to be a "deal breaker".

mmmm... I keep wishing that there's something between "not-recommended" and "recommended."

While I do agree that it covers all the basics and generally meets the needs of most - I dont agree that there's no shortcomings big enough to be a dealbreaker.

Reading probably hundreds of 'opinions' of the iPhone, for myself, I could cite several dealbreakers already.

Anyway, I agree on the rating posted by Michael..... although if I were to make one - mine would probably be a little lower than that. :)


cheers!

[difenbaker]

For the target market I think 8GB is enough. To be honest I think hardly anoyone carrys more than one memory card around with them or 8GB worth, speaking of the majority, and this is trying to be a majority device.

Yup, but 8GB micro-SD's are on their way nowadays... so swapping isn't really that big of a problem.

Remember those times, a few years back, when some models of smartphones were constantly criticized because they had no "hot-swappable" memory card slots? How people hated them? How people were constantly clammoring for hot swapping and exchanging cards on-the-go? Strange that they've all gone silent now. :D

In any case, with other phones, at least there is an ability to add more if needed, which is not allowed on the iPhone.



cheers!

[difenbaker]

It's like while the rest of the world was racing to bring out better, higher mp cameras, with loads and loads of features and photo options - Apple went the other way, and made a simple (albeit crude) camera implementation. Yet people finds it cool? I dont get it. (maybe I never will, haha:D )

well... this is afterall, version 1 of the iPhone.

already, there's rumors saying that the 3G iPhone that will be sold in europe, will have a flash and photo modes added.

so let's all wait and see...

cheers!

[JoN]

Michael i would like you to compare the web browsing experience against other mobile web browsers available. The Nokia N800, Archos 605, Nokia E90, HTC TyTn or later Windows Mobile 6 Pro handset, and any other device you can lay your hand on.
You made quite bold claims there that cuts a swathe through the entire industry and i really want you to make a specific comparison on this feature alone.

Please perform this task. See it as a "shootout" article.

[Viipottaja]

Once again, Mobileburn and Michael deliver. By far the best review of the iPhone I've read so far, as it actually spends a lot of time explaining the UI and its logic, and, the shortcomings in its logic.

I must say after having played with one for 2 minutes, I already had similar feelings of confusion and lack of logic in the UI sometimes.

Don't get me wrong: the UI is gorgeous and for the most part quite intuitive. It does set a new standard for touch screen devices without a doubt, and phones with a regular keypad can certainly learn a thing or two too.

[I would say that Mobileburn ranking system is a bit crude. My gut feeling (gut feeling ONLY!) is that about 80% of the phones reviewed get "Recommended" and only a very few "Not recommended". It might be good to use a more precise scale, e.g. 1 to 10, and that could be combined with the current system.']

[brad]

Exactly. That's why, with all these problems pointed out, I found it questionable to have a 'recommended' rating.
Again, did you read the ratings guide?

My opinion on this is.. the Nano and the Shuffle makes better iPods. Why, because they're small and light, very portable, and packs 20GB or more.

iPod nanos top out at 8GB, the Shuffle at 1GB, how does the iPhone not live up the expectations of the nano and shuffle's target market? Get your facts straight before you make claims like that.

Yes exactly, USB mass storage. I said that it fails miserably because as an iPod it cannot do what other iPods can do. 7.3GB? When other iPods can have 40GB and more. No disk mode? If those iPods can do this - why cant the iPhone? In fact, why is there no file system in the iPhone in the first place, when 99 percent of smartphones out there has this.

You just keep comparing it to a smartphone, don't you? There is no requirement for the device to have a disk mode. Sure, it would be nice, but the only reason you connect it to a PC is to transfer music or sync it, which it does perfectly. It is handy that iPods can be used as a removable hard disk, but it is not deal breaking that the iPhone can't.

[I would say that Mobileburn ranking system is a bit crude. My gut feeling (gut feeling ONLY!) is that about 80% of the phones reviewed get "Recommended" and only a very few "Not recommended". It might be good to use a more precise scale, e.g. 1 to 10, and that could be combined with the current system.']
Michael and I have discussed this before, as I had the same concerns as you, but he's reasoning turned me around. We use the ratings just to show people what is good, great, or to be avoided.

I would also like to clarify that in my previous post I agreed with some of waytaminit's criticisms, such of the lack of MMS and that, but not with his complete view of the review or the iPhone. I agree with Michael's opinions, not just because he is my boss, but because in my opinion he is right.

[ishaanranderia]

I agree on the fact that there are a lot of users i know that are more concerned with the looks and hype surrounding the phone (snob value) while making a purchase decision and if the basic phone functions are covered, then it is recommended for them, and for the rest they need to read the review to see if the features they want, perform well or not. But then again there are too many grey areas with only a three grade rating system. For example the N95 with one drawback gets the same rating as the Iphone with several drawbacks. I know its foolish to compare to such very different devices but I know a lot of people here are contemplating on whether to buy a N95 or an Iphone(i get this question from my friends all the time when they see my N95), cause both have tremendous hype surrounding them. The point i am trying to make is if we stick by our current rating system, we could have a sub rating say of features common to most phones which are numerically rated before giving the final verdict, so as to have a objective conclusion. Cause for some reason people tend to remember the final words more than the entire matter before it.

[waytaminit]

Again, did you read the ratings guide?

Yes, I did. Maybe Im like dif, Im looking for something in between the 'recommended' and 'not recommended'.

iPod nanos top out at 8GB, the Shuffle at 1GB, how does the iPhone not live up the expectations of the nano and shuffle's target market? Get your facts straight before you make claims like that.

Sorry I must've mixed things up.

What I wanted to say was...some iPods (the regular size one) can go as high as 30, 60 and 80GB. Compare that to the 7.3GB of the iPhone?

http://www.apple.com/ipod/ipod.html

About the Nano and Shuffle - the thing I was comparing them with in the iPhone, is their SIZE. As iPods - they're better because they're smaller, lighter, and more portable.

Im sorry if it came out like I was mixing the two - clearly thats wrong.

Thanks.

[waytaminit]

Once again, Mobileburn and Michael deliver. By far the best review of the iPhone I've read so far, as it actually spends a lot of time explaining the UI and its logic, and, the shortcomings in its logic.

That's why I got the impression that the discussion of the UI is putting aside all the other shortcomings of the iPhone.

I must say after having played with one for 2 minutes, I already had similar feelings of confusion and lack of logic in the UI sometimes.

I played with one for a few hours. Im not saying that I got the hang of it right away, of course not. (in fact, some people takes days to do that.) All Im saying is - after you've played with it, after you've mastered the UI, after the initial "wow factor" had died down and subsided... what do you do with the phone now? There's just very little 'substance' in the iPhone to keep me interested. Comparing it to other smartphones, like what Steve Jobs did in his speech, the iPhone's lack of features is just too big to be ignored.

Don't get me wrong: the UI is gorgeous and for the most part quite intuitive. It does set a new standard for touch screen devices without a doubt, and phones with a regular keypad can certainly learn a thing or two too. [I would say that Mobileburn ranking system is a bit crude. My gut feeling (gut feeling ONLY!) is that about 80% of the phones reviewed get "Recommended" and only a very few "Not recommended". It might be good to use a more precise scale, e.g. 1 to 10, and that could be combined with the current system.']

Exactly. Totally agree with that. Like what Dif posted, there should be something in between the 2 ratings.

mmmm... I keep wishing that there's something between "not-recommended" and "recommended."

I agree on the fact that there are a lot of users i know that are more concerned with the looks and hype surrounding the phone (snob value) while making a purchase decision and if the basic phone functions are covered, then it is recommended for them, and for the rest they need to read the review to see if the features they want, perform well or not. But then again there are too many grey areas with only a three grade rating system.

Again, that point about the rating. Totally agree.

For example the N95 with one drawback gets the same rating as the Iphone with several drawbacks. I know its foolish to compare to such very different devices but I know a lot of people here are contemplating on whether to buy a N95 or an Iphone(i get this question from my friends all the time when they see my N95), cause both have tremendous hype surrounding them. The point i am trying to make is if we stick by our current rating system, we could have a sub rating say of features common to most phones which are numerically rated before giving the final verdict, so as to have a objective conclusion. Cause for some reason people tend to remember the final words more than the entire matter before it.

Exactly.

[problematic]

I'm not 100% sure but as far as I'm aware he called it a revolutionary phone 5 years more advanced, not a smartphone. However I agree that it is most certainly NOT 5 years more advanced.

Well, it was compared to a Treo, E61, Moto Q, and another phone (cant remember what it was right now) - all of those are smartphones, so all along everyone had the impression that it IS a smartphone.

Thats why, when viewed as a smartphone, its lack of 3rd party apps (and no SDK too) is a serious serious shortcoming. It's a dealbreaker.

[Shun]

IMHO, it's not wise for people to choose "superior" phones instead of "suitable" phones. Scoring or comparsion rating tends to make superior phones shine, users basing on these reading can end up with technology that they don't need.

I prefer the currect rating system, it's more practical when comes to choosing a phone. The pros and cons are listed clearly belows the rating, and if it still fit my requirement, is the phone recommended for me?

The objective of the current and suggested rating is fundamentally different. Seeing many friends fall for "superior" phones unnecessarily after reading reviews, I hope MobileBurn will stays with the current approach, maybe with minor adjustment to please the others, :)

Nice review, Micheal. FYI, I dislike the "overly complicated" iTunes too... of course, I never own an iPod :)

[difenbaker]

But then again there are too many grey areas with only a three grade rating system. For example the N95 with one drawback gets the same rating as the Iphone with several drawbacks. I know its foolish to compare to such very different devices but I know a lot of people here are contemplating on whether to buy a N95 or an Iphone(i get this question from my friends all the time when they see my N95), cause both have tremendous hype surrounding them. The point i am trying to make is if we stick by our current rating system, we could have a sub rating say of features common to most phones which are numerically rated before giving the final verdict, so as to have a objective conclusion. Cause for some reason people tend to remember the final words more than the entire matter before it.

Good point there ishaan.

cheers!

[difenbaker]

IMHO, it's not wise for people to choose "superior" phones instead of "suitable" phones. Scoring or comparsion rating tends to make superior phones shine, users basing on these reading can end up with technology that they don't need.

I prefer the currect rating system, it's more practical when comes to choosing a phone. The pros and cons are listed clearly belows the rating, and if it still fit my requirement, is the phone recommended for me?

The objective of the current and suggested rating is fundamentally different. Seeing many friends fall for "superior" phones unnecessarily after reading reviews, I hope MobileBurn will stays with the current approach, maybe with minor adjustment to please the others, :)

..... there's a trick that Phil Askey (of dpreview.com) uses when a camera falls short of the level of rating that it should get. He adds the words "only just" or sometimes "barely just" to the final rating.

here's an example: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canong7/page17.asp

This shows that the camera just makes it to that rating but not so much that it deserves the whole rating itself, in other words, it's just barely recommendable.

maybe michael can do the same? Not really change the rating system... but maybe insert a paragraph at the end of the review explaining how the iPhone barely just got a 'recommended'.

cheers!

[carcomptoy]

I like what PhoneArena has with their different categories of users (i.e. Christian Dior fans, Average Joe, Corporate, and Tech Junkie).

[oneclick]

I've just finished reading the long review, and this thread. First, I'd like to thank michael for doing it, secondly, I'd like to thank the forum for responding to it. It gave me a more complete opinion about the phone.

Here's my take on the subject.

Basics
- calling
- texting
- camera
- music
- internet
- menu/ui
- functionality/ Integration of features
- maintainability

- calling - the iPhone can make and recieve calls. But it has no voice dialling or voice recording.
- texting - the iPhone can send and recieve texts. But it has no MMS. The review didn't say if it has concantenated messaging (the ability to send multiple 160 char texts simultaneously) or if it has group sending (the ability to send 1 text to several contact numbers.)
- camera - the iPhone can take pictures. But it has no self timer, no digital zoom, no white balance, no colour tone adjustment, no exposure control, no flash - therefore no flash compensation and no fill-in flash. It also does not have shooting modes - night mode, close-up mode, sports mode, landscape mode, sunny mode. It also cannot edit any of the photos - no crop, no contrast adjustment, no frames, no sepia, no black n white, no adding of text or special effects.
- music - the iPhone can play 7.3GB of music. (or all the space not occupied by messages, email, and photos). But it cannot use those mp3's and make them into ringtones. It also cannot send them to another phone. It also cannot download music over-the-air. It also does not have a standard headphone plug.
- internet - the iPhone does have email. But it has no 3G or HSDPA - so it's slow. The iPhone can play youtube (because the videos there are converted to Apple's format (h.264 or something like that, I dont remember the exact name). What happens when one visits a site that has wmv? or 3gp? or avi format? What wil happen if you want to play online flash games or online java games? The videos in Newsweek or CNN uses flash. The iPhone does have WiFi.
- menu/UI - the iPhone has a multi-touch touchscreen. But it relies on contact with skin - fingernails will not work, a stylus will not work, if you have gloves it will not work, if you put in a screen protector it will not work. The iPhone has an intuitive menu system - but it lacks customization functions, like changing the color of the keypad, or making wallpaper for the home screen, or changing the icons, or changing the font size - no themes. It also doesn't have a task manager - showing you all the tasks thats open. You also cannot change the text message alert tones.
- functionality/integration - the Iphone can view photos and text messages. But if has no file system, not one where you can manage files with a file manager/file explorer app. What if you want to make new folders, hide them, and put the photos you didn't want to show up in the gallery - in that folder, you cant. Because you have no file explorer to change the file location, and you cant even change the attributes - to make it hidden, read-only, or archive. The iPhone can view contacts - but it's bluetooth is crippled. You cannot use bluetooth to send 'business cards' to another phone. (My very very old 6310 has this). It has no A2DP, and no bluetooth OBEX - which means the iPhone also cannot be used to connect to a bluetooth GPS reciever, or to a bluetooth Camera/Camcorder, or be used as a bluetooth modem.
- maintainability - the iphone does have a replaceable sim. But it does NOT have a replaceable battery. You have to have it serviced by Apple - and pay them for it.

So as far as basics go, (and we haven't even discussed smartphone functions yet) the iPhone covers it. BUT it barely just covers it. Anything more than that - the iPhone fails already.

In my honest opinion - it should not get a 'recommended' score from MB, it should be lower than that, somewhere in between the not-recom and recom.

Tnx-1clk

[ishaanranderia]

..... there's a trick that Phil Askey (of dpreview.com) uses when a camera falls short of the level of rating that it should get. He adds the words "only just" or sometimes "barely just" to the final rating.

here's an example: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canong7/page17.asp

This shows that the camera just makes it to that rating but not so much that it deserves the whole rating itself, in other words, it's just barely recommendable.

maybe michael can do the same? Not really change the rating system... but maybe insert a paragraph at the end of the review explaining how the iPhone barely just got a 'recommended'.

cheers!

Yeah thats what i was talking about the table at the end give good indication of strengths and weakness in a rating format by which readers can figure out the feature they are interested in is a strength of the device (and by how much) or not. I know the benchmarking can be subjective, but Mobileburn with all the reviews it does through the year can develop a decent rating system drawing from its experience with numerous phones. I am sure we all want Mobileburn to be the best mobile site out there with definitive reviews, atleast i would, i have been visiting this site for almost 3-4 years and i have seen it evolve through its various designs to the front page and forums. Its grown bigger and better so maybe we can have better conclusions to reviews for casual readers who will not go through the entire text and are more interested in the final verdict and i feel the number system for common features ( or maybe even the feature which is hyped) before the our 3 point rating will give information in an easily understandable and objective manner.

[Michael]

The rating system is intentionally coarse. Points scales and similar systems fail for one basic reason: time moves on.

A 9 out of 10 today would likely compare poorly with a 7 out of 10 a year from today, yet the review rating would still be the same.

Our ratings are simple. The deice is junk, it does its job, or it is among the best available today. That's it.

On top of that, each reviewer is going to view different things as being more or less important. For example, Sam is all about ringtone volume. Me? Not so much. There would be no way to even keep scoring consistent between devices reviewed in the same time period, let alone be consistent from one year to the next.

I would say that Mobileburn ranking system is a bit crude. My gut feeling (gut feeling ONLY!) is that about 80% of the phones reviewed get "Recommended" and only a very few "Not recommended". It might be good to use a more precise scale, e.g. 1 to 10, and that could be combined with the current system.'

[robbii]

@Michael - Great job on an objective review and maintaining a website with a good online community.

@everyone else - if you can't go to a local store and see an iphone, I guess you're stuck until you can. This thread was interesting to me until it turned into 'rate the ratings'.

[ishaanranderia]

@Michael - Great job on an objective review and maintaining a website with a good online community.

@everyone else - if you can't go to a local store and see an iphone, I guess you're stuck until you can. This thread was interesting to me until it turned into 'rate the ratings'.

Yeah agreed, wrong thread for the posts can any moderator shift the discussion?)

[difenbaker]

mmmm... since I think everyone's had their say regarding the review, I move that we close this thread, and continue the iPhone discussions in the iPhone forum.

anyone willing to second the motion?

cheers!

[ishaanranderia]

i just had one thing to add before we close it......I completely agree with what Michael says and it makes sense that the ratings always stay but same is the case for most other products from cars to cameras to almost anything that can be rated:p
With phones being released at such small intervals the lifespan has become short for them. I am sure no one is gonna see a review of a 1980's Honda Civic and believe it stands up todays competition with the same strength. i know its stupid to compare cause we have instances of one or two generation older phones being sold along side their successor but i am sure people do get it that the product is two years old and cannot be compared to the latest offering (heck there can be a disclaimer for it). in anycase all this is just feedbacks from us and i am sure Michael knows his job best...we could always have a users rating system so it would be regularly updated by any new person who buys the phone and wants to rate it., plus it wont be official MB ratings so Michael need not worry about the ratings staying for eternity;)

[JoN]

My question still stands? Dont dismiss everyone 'cos a few people went off topic.

[robbii]

My question still stands? Dont dismiss everyone 'cos a few people went off topic.what was your question, I couldn't find it amidst all the hubbub.

[Jose_R.A.M]

My question still stands?

what was your question, I couldn't find it amidst all the hubbub. Here we go, back on topic:D:

Michael i would like you to compare the web browsing experience against other mobile web browsers available. The Nokia N800, Archos 605, Nokia E90, HTC TyTn or later Windows Mobile 6 Pro handset, and any other device you can lay your hand on.
You made quite bold claims there that cuts a swathe through the entire industry and i really want you to make a specific comparison on this feature alone.

Please perform this task. See it as a "shootout" article. I too would like to see this Web Browser shootout...

[repapliart]

Hi,

Ive been reading a lot about the iPhone in other forums as well as this one, and I would like to ask the ff questions.

1. In text messaging, after composing a text message, can you send it out to many recipients?

2. When during writing a text message, can you insert a contact's phone number from the phonebook?

3. Is there a text message counter? Or sent messages folder? To tell you how many messages you have sent and received?

4. When composing an email, and you want to send a photo thru email, can you send more than 1 photo? (On the keynote, Steve Jobs sent one photo, Im curious if its possible to send more.)

5. I've heard that the iPhone doesn't come with games. I just want to ask - how do you install games on the iPhone? And where do you get them?

6. Can it play wmv, 3gp, or avi video formats?

7. Is there a way to replace an icon or all of the icons in the home screen? I've seen photos showing that there's a "stocks" icon - can that be replaced by another icon? (I mean, who wants to know how apple's stock is doing anyway).

8. Is there a way to put a wallpaper on the home screen? (instead of that all black background)

9. How is the iPhone's screen in daylight ligting, outside of the house? Is it readable?

Thanks.

[difenbaker]

I think I can answer some of those... (I hope michael corrects me if Im wrong).

1. No, I dont think the iPhone supports multiple sending.
2. No, since you cant cut and paste stuff in an iPhone
3.
4. No, I think you can only send one photo at a time.
5.
6. No, those formats are not supported... except for avi though. I think some avi can be played on the iPhone.
7.
8.
9. I hear that it's acceptable in daylight conditions. Not great though but acceptable.


cheers!

[carcomptoy]

1. I think you can send to multiple people.

4. That's not true...you can include multiple pictures. I even forwarded one of the default messages to myself :p

[difenbaker]

Nice one cct. Thanks for the corrections.

cheers!

[MikeUK]

8. You can select wallpapers, it's in the official iPhone video how to do it.

[carcomptoy]

What bugs me is that the wallpaper barely shows up in anything...it's all just basically in the phone related backgrounds. It doesn't show on the home screen, it doesn't show in the contacts, etc. Only when you make or receive a call and when you unlock the phone do you see the wallpaper. How utterly pointless.

[Jerry Hsu]

Hello Michael,

What is the charging spec on iPhone? is it 5V/1 amp? If I have a 5V/500mA car charger for iPod, can I charge iPhone?

Thank you
Jerry

[oneclick]

1. I think you can send to multiple people.

According to the review of gizmodo this is not true. You cant send to multiple numbers.

[ishaanranderia]

I guess this is what you guys were looking out for (http://www.atmasphere.net/wp/archives/2007/07/11/browser-comparison-iphone-vs-nokia-n95-and-n800)

[len]

share these guides with all friends .

[jkestila]

1. You can send multiple SMSs, just tap on the '+' - sign
2. No :(
3. No :(
4. Messages are thread-based, which is actually really handy.
5. Appstore has plenty of free games
6. only avi from those
7. There is a possibility to customize the skin, but that requires deep coding. Look for star trek iphone for references on youtube.
8. The same as above.
9. Is very much readable

[jkestila]

as someone said, the iphone is a nice ipod, mobile web-browser and gadget but not that good as a phone. A lot of very handy features that are standard on other phones(vcard/hcard - way of sending contact information etc) have been omitted. I guess its a learning process when a manufacturer enters unknown territory. Thank god these things are upgradeable.

[mazed]

^agreed^ :)

[madison22]

I like my iPhone very much .