jgrnt1
07-20-2008, 03:13 PM
I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it yet, but I got sick of waiting for a "killer" WM phone and a WM version without a bunch of problems, so I upgraded my AT&T 8525 to an iPhone 3G. I've been a WM user since I dropped my Palm IIIxe for an iPAQ 3650. I've owned five WM devices since then, including my last switch from an iPAQ 4700 to my first converged device, the 8525. I've been a member here since 2002 and swore I would never use an Apple product (I build my own PCs). Some thoughts about my switch and my initial impressions of the iPhone, with the understanding that I'm not a techie -- I just enjoy and make use of technology:
I'm going to have to get used to not having an actual keyboard, but so far, it hasn't been much of an issue. It is very usable in landscape mode and workable in portrait mode. Email only seems to work in portrait mode, so we'll see if I can manage with the onscreen keyboard only.
The Bluetooth stack seems much more reliable and, for lack of a better term, efficient than the Microsoft BT stack. I use the handsfree system in my car radio (Camry Hybrid w/nav). Until WM6, the 8525 wouldn't connect to the radio reliably at all and would not transmit any info other than the call -- no battery or signal info. The radio would occasionally drop the microphone from the BT connection, which would require resetting the 8525. The iPhone connects in less than half the time, every time. It makes calls quicker when using the steering wheel and radio controls -- there is no lag when touching a number on the screen. It hangs up much quicker, too. I hate to sound like an Apple commericial, but it just works.
Though I only set it up yesterday, the email app seems to work well. It was a breeze to set it up with my company's Exchange Server. I don't remember it being as easy to set up with the 8525. I've opened several attachments with no issues.
The Safari browser is pretty slick, though I was using Opera Mini on the 8525, which was nice, too. The variable zoom in Safari works well, but it doesn't seem to reflow the text. Opera Mini did this very well in zoom mode and kept the text in the window as you scrolled down the page. With Safari, if you drag your finger at too much of an angle, the page moves at a diagonal, not just vertically, which means you have to scroll sideways to see the text again.
NO REPEATING ALARMS!! -- What an omission, and possibly a deal killer. I have calendar appointments which I "snooze" all the time. For example, I might have a 2:00PM conference call. The reminder goes off at 1:45PM and I tell it to remind me again five minutes before the start. Or I'll get a reminder about my mother's birthday two weeks ahead of time and will "snooze" it a day at a time until I do my shopping. :o There are no repeating reminders for missed calls, SMS or emails either. For some people, SMS is a huge part of their business. It's not for me, but if I had to rely on SMS, I couldn't use the phone, because I'd have to keep turning it on and looking at it to make sure I didn't miss anything. There are no external LED indicators. I used these all the time with my 8525. I could look at the flashing light and if it was yellow, instead of green, I knew I missed a call, calendar reminder, etc.
The calendar is OK. I don't think it's any better or worse than the native WM calendar, but I've been a Pocket Informant user for many years. It will take some getting used to, though Alex is working on PI for the iPhone.
Look and feel -- The interface is easy to learn, very intuitive and very smooth. Again, it just works. I've been adding Today Screen plug-ins to my WM devices forever, just to make them usable -- Wisbar Advance and PocketBreeze come to mind. The touch system works very well and seems to make sense no matter what program is running. Much of this is due to Apple's control over what goes on the device, which is one of the reasons I said I'd never move to Apple, but it does make all the programs function in a similar fashion, which would be huge for novice or casual users. Visually, the iPhone OS is stunning. It seems fast and stable so far. Programs take advantage of this and look great.
The screen is phenominal, though I don't think it is any better than the screen which was on my iPAQ 4700.
It set up and sync'ed instantly with Outlook without any issues. Do you hear that Microsoft? ActiveSync has deleted my partnership on many occasions, with all calendar events and contacts disappearing from my 8525. Ed, I know you've ranted about this.
The device itself -- slim, fits great in my hand and feels very solidly built. Sound seems good in phone calls and the reception is on par with my 8525, which I would say is good.
Is the iPhone 3G a sure winner for a business user? Without repeating alarms or for someone with big, fat fingers, probably not, but it's as close as any WM device. For an inexperienced user, I think the OS would be much easier to learn than WM. I may add more in a later post, but if I keep the phone, my WM days will be over for a while, though my PPCT's days will not be, since I'll still want to keep up with tech trends.
I'm going to have to get used to not having an actual keyboard, but so far, it hasn't been much of an issue. It is very usable in landscape mode and workable in portrait mode. Email only seems to work in portrait mode, so we'll see if I can manage with the onscreen keyboard only.
The Bluetooth stack seems much more reliable and, for lack of a better term, efficient than the Microsoft BT stack. I use the handsfree system in my car radio (Camry Hybrid w/nav). Until WM6, the 8525 wouldn't connect to the radio reliably at all and would not transmit any info other than the call -- no battery or signal info. The radio would occasionally drop the microphone from the BT connection, which would require resetting the 8525. The iPhone connects in less than half the time, every time. It makes calls quicker when using the steering wheel and radio controls -- there is no lag when touching a number on the screen. It hangs up much quicker, too. I hate to sound like an Apple commericial, but it just works.
Though I only set it up yesterday, the email app seems to work well. It was a breeze to set it up with my company's Exchange Server. I don't remember it being as easy to set up with the 8525. I've opened several attachments with no issues.
The Safari browser is pretty slick, though I was using Opera Mini on the 8525, which was nice, too. The variable zoom in Safari works well, but it doesn't seem to reflow the text. Opera Mini did this very well in zoom mode and kept the text in the window as you scrolled down the page. With Safari, if you drag your finger at too much of an angle, the page moves at a diagonal, not just vertically, which means you have to scroll sideways to see the text again.
NO REPEATING ALARMS!! -- What an omission, and possibly a deal killer. I have calendar appointments which I "snooze" all the time. For example, I might have a 2:00PM conference call. The reminder goes off at 1:45PM and I tell it to remind me again five minutes before the start. Or I'll get a reminder about my mother's birthday two weeks ahead of time and will "snooze" it a day at a time until I do my shopping. :o There are no repeating reminders for missed calls, SMS or emails either. For some people, SMS is a huge part of their business. It's not for me, but if I had to rely on SMS, I couldn't use the phone, because I'd have to keep turning it on and looking at it to make sure I didn't miss anything. There are no external LED indicators. I used these all the time with my 8525. I could look at the flashing light and if it was yellow, instead of green, I knew I missed a call, calendar reminder, etc.
The calendar is OK. I don't think it's any better or worse than the native WM calendar, but I've been a Pocket Informant user for many years. It will take some getting used to, though Alex is working on PI for the iPhone.
Look and feel -- The interface is easy to learn, very intuitive and very smooth. Again, it just works. I've been adding Today Screen plug-ins to my WM devices forever, just to make them usable -- Wisbar Advance and PocketBreeze come to mind. The touch system works very well and seems to make sense no matter what program is running. Much of this is due to Apple's control over what goes on the device, which is one of the reasons I said I'd never move to Apple, but it does make all the programs function in a similar fashion, which would be huge for novice or casual users. Visually, the iPhone OS is stunning. It seems fast and stable so far. Programs take advantage of this and look great.
The screen is phenominal, though I don't think it is any better than the screen which was on my iPAQ 4700.
It set up and sync'ed instantly with Outlook without any issues. Do you hear that Microsoft? ActiveSync has deleted my partnership on many occasions, with all calendar events and contacts disappearing from my 8525. Ed, I know you've ranted about this.
The device itself -- slim, fits great in my hand and feels very solidly built. Sound seems good in phone calls and the reception is on par with my 8525, which I would say is good.
Is the iPhone 3G a sure winner for a business user? Without repeating alarms or for someone with big, fat fingers, probably not, but it's as close as any WM device. For an inexperienced user, I think the OS would be much easier to learn than WM. I may add more in a later post, but if I keep the phone, my WM days will be over for a while, though my PPCT's days will not be, since I'll still want to keep up with tech trends.