[Dyvim]

I can second Vincent's advice. I'm on my 4th iPhone (I upgraded to the 16 GB original iPhone mid-product cycle) and I've never used a screen protector and never had a scratch on the screen. My WinMo devices needed screen protectors because they had soft plastic screens which you spent all your time poking at with a hard plastic (or sometimes even metal) stylus, so protecting the screen was a necessity IMO.

I love the feel of the iPhone's screen and would hate to put a piece of plastic on it. I've been using the same Sena UltraSlim pouch since my first iPhone as it protects almost the entire phone (including the screen) when it's in my pocket or bag but I get to slip it out and hold the device naked when I'm using it- sort of the best of both worlds IMO although it makes whipping out your phone to take a quick pic or answer a call a bit of a hassle.

Caveat: you don't want to get a grain of sand (however fine) on your finger and then swipe on your iPhone's screen- that probably will scratch your screen.

[Dyvim]

I can second Vincent's advice. I'm on my 4th iPhone (I upgraded to the 16 GB original iPhone mid-product cycle) and I've never used a screen protector and never had a scratch on the screen. My WinMo devices needed screen protectors because they had soft plastic screens which you spent all your time poking at with a hard plastic (or sometimes even metal) stylus, so protecting the screen was a necessity IMO.

I love the feel of the iPhone's screen and would hate to put a piece of plastic on it. I've been using the same Sena UltraSlim pouch since my first iPhone as it protects almost the entire phone (including the screen) when it's in my pocket or bag but I get to slip it out and hold the device naked when I'm using it- sort of the best of both worlds IMO although it makes whipping out your phone to take a quick pic or answer a call a bit of a hassle.

Caveat: you don't want to get a grain of sand (however fine) on your finger and then swipe on your iPhone's screen- that probably will scratch your screen.

[Brad Adrian]

This is a VERY helpful review. Thanks for producing the reliable kind of reporting that Thoughts has become known for.

I have a confession...

I've been a WinMob guy ever since the first PPCs came out in 2000 and I swore I would never get an iPhone (or an iPod, for that matter). But, here I am: I've had an iPod for over a year and upgraded my WinMob phone to a plain 'ol iPhone 3G just a few days ago. I realize now that there are a few things I'll miss out on by not paying the extra bucks for a 3Gs, but...

WOW!!!

Moving from an AT&T Tilt to an iPhone 3G was amazing enough for me! It's thinner, works great with an on-screen keyboard, has wonderful intelligence when it comes to correcting my poor typing, has MUCH better battery life, etc. etc. etc.

About the only shortfall I've seen so far is that, even though there are a gazillion iPhone apps out there (and some are truly cool), there aren't nearly as many really powerful, complex apps as I have found for my WinMob devices over the years. When I stopped to think about it, though, 99% of the apps I need/use are very basic, anyway.

Anyway, I guess I need to know how many "Hail Bills" I need to say as I confess my wandering from all ways Microsoft. I haven't forsaken Microsoft, of course, and I still face Seattle each morning as I boot my Vista-enabled notebook PC, but part of me feels guilty for already loving my iPhone as much as I do.

[Vincent Ferrari]

Originally Posted by Brad Adrian

This is a VERY helpful review. Thanks for producing the reliable kind of reporting that Thoughts has become known for.

I have a confession...

I've been a WinMob guy ever since the first PPCs came out in 2000 and I swore I would never get an iPhone (or an iPod, for that matter). But, here I am: I've had an iPod for over a year and upgraded my WinMob phone to a plain 'ol iPhone 3G just a few days ago. I realize now that there are a few things I'll miss out on by not paying the extra bucks for a 3Gs, but...

WOW!!!

When I start seeing the legends from PocketPC Thoughts showing up here, I know Apple is doing something right!

Welcome aboard, Brad!! Glad you like it.

The App Store does favor simple one off apps, but I think that'll change as it evolves. I'm so glad you're happy with your iPhone. It's a fun and powerful device and for the last few years, it's been a constant companion.

[Doug Raeburn]

Originally Posted by Brad Adrian

This is a VERY helpful review. Thanks for producing the reliable kind of reporting that Thoughts has become known for.

I have a confession...

I've been a WinMob guy ever since the first PPCs came out in 2000 and I swore I would never get an iPhone (or an iPod, for that matter). But, here I am: I've had an iPod for over a year and upgraded my WinMob phone to a plain 'ol iPhone 3G just a few days ago. I realize now that there are a few things I'll miss out on by not paying the extra bucks for a 3Gs, but...

WOW!!!

Yeah, as you may have guessed from my question uptopic, I'm on the verge of doing the same thing. I'm eligible for an upgrade in a week. I"ve been a WinMob guy as long as you have... my first PPC was a Cassiopeia E115, which replaced my first and only Palm-Sized PC, a Cassiopeia E15. I was going to wait for the AT&T version of the Touch Diamond2, but the WinMob market seems stuck in neutral these days while waiting for the OS upgrades. So I've gotten the itch lately to try something different. A good friend of mine who's a long time WinMob user recently got an iPhone 3G and he's really happy with it. I played with it for a while and found lots of things to like. So next week I'll be retiring my Touch Diamond and picking up an iPhone 3Gs.

While I agree that the iPhone has some catching up to do in the area of industrial strength apps, there's enough out there for me to get up and running. QuickOffice for my office apps, Pocket Informant for my "power user PIM" and HandBase for a few simple database apps that I created. And the latter two are a mere fraction of the price of their WinMob counterparts. I still have to figure out my Lotus Notes access for work (blech, but that's what we use), but there are a few options there as well.

This doesn't mean that I'll never go back to WinMob. It'll be interesting to see what comes with V7... it may present a compelling case to return to the fold. But at least for now, the iPhone appeals to me more than the current premium WinMob phones.

[crystalB]

great also to see that apple has streamlined payments for app developers to get paid from follow-on purchases -- encouraging a further incentive to innovate with more energy than ever to create even more apps. The more apps encourages more purchases along with a price slash of the phone itself. More than a billion app downloads since it launched last july!