Truth be told, I hated the touchscreen keyboard at first, and it took awhile to get used to, but now I can't even imagine myself using the tiny little specs they call keys on devices like the Blackberry handhelds and the Dash. If you have fat fingers, you'll like the iPhone much more. The spacing is much more defined and the auto-correct as you type is pretty solid.
The trick with the iPhone is not following your natural urge to correct every single entry. Just type. Speed on. Most of the time, the iPhone is good at gauging what you meant to type.
That's the hardest adjustment to make with the iPhone, and once you do, things start getting really easy.
Instead, IMO, we didn't get a smartphone as much as a "Savantphone"- the "Rainman" of smartphones that did a few things very well, but replaced other phones' deficiencies with brand new ones of its own.
Savantphone - I love it! v1 truly was a Savantphone- yet even so, I vastly preferred using it to WinMo devices. I guess my needs were relatively simple: Contacts, Calendar, mail, web browsing, photos, music, and video (and phone of course).
But (apart from jailbreaking), the original iPhone didn't become a true smartphone IMO until the v2 firmware. I was happy with my old iPhone on v1 firmware, but the Exchange support, MobileMe OTA Contacts\Calendar sync (and 5 month free trial with the extensions they granted by way of apologies for the rocky start!), and addition of 3rd party apps really just made everything that much better.
The only 3rd party app I really depend on is ReaddleDocs (which is overpriced), which I use to read ebooks offline (on planes). I probably have about 20 apps installed, but the remainder aren't essential- just curiosities and fun time-wasters. (BTW, anyone used Ocarina yet? Turn your iPhone into a wind instrument- simply brilliant! Try that on your WinMo or Blackberry device! Well worth $1 to me.)
Edit: BTW, I agree that the iPhone was initially overpriced, but after the $200 price cut down to $400, it suddenly became much more compelling (got first my wife and then myself to switch).
__________________ 64 GB iPad 2 WiFi, Apple TV 2, 32 GB iPhone 4
Early 2011 MacBook Pro 13" (dual boot with Windows 7), Early 2009 Mac Mini
BTW, anyone used Ocarina yet? Turn your iPhone into a wind instrument- simply brilliant! Try that on your WinMo or Blackberry device! Well worth $1 to me.
Yeah, multitouch stuf flike this is brilliant - did you see the piano app?
Yeah, multitouch stuf flike this is brilliant - did you see the piano app?
I've seen some of the piano apps (I bought "Band" shortly after the App Store launched), but what separates Ocarina is that it truly is a wind instrument- it registers your blowing across the microphone to make the sounds, so it's not just tapping the screen like piano. And it adds vibrato depending on the angle you hold the iPhone at. So to duplicate this on another device you would need multi-touch, a microphone, and an accelerometer. In theory the Blackberry Bold could do it, but that's the only one I can think of off the top off my head and anyway I highly doubt anyone would write such an app for the Blackberry (although anything is possible).
But what makes it great is the $1 price tag. For a buck it's good fun and educational. It even has a social feature with a 3D spinning globe showing other Ocarina users around the world and lets you listen to and rate their playing.
__________________ 64 GB iPad 2 WiFi, Apple TV 2, 32 GB iPhone 4
Early 2011 MacBook Pro 13" (dual boot with Windows 7), Early 2009 Mac Mini
Last edited by Dyvim; 11-13-2008 at 05:27 PM..
Reason: add link to Ocarina in iTunes App Store
Well, I have to tell you: I was taking my daughters to the mall to buy some useless junk that they realized they could not live without, and as a concession to Dad, we took a side trip to the AT&T store...
I played with the iPhone for about a half hour - I was very impressed! Luckily for me, AT&T had the voice/data plans right next to the phone and that allowed me to grab my wallet and go running from the store - At least for now...
I told the girls when we win the lottery it's "iPhones foreveryone (and a pony for my youngest)"! I may just have to break down and get us one of these though!
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"My eyes are rolling back in my head so far I can see my grey matter bubbling and frothing from reading this thread....bleh." JD
Well, I have to tell you: I was taking my daughters to the mall to buy some useless junk that they realized they could not live without, and as a concession to Dad, we took a side trip to the AT&T store...
I played with the iPhone for about a half hour - I was very impressed! Luckily for me, AT&T had the voice/data plans right next to the phone and that allowed me to grab my wallet and go running from the store - At least for now...
Don't check out the iPod touch then. Same platform, same storage, no required data plan.
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