So if you haven’t been living under a rock this summer, you know about the release of the iPhone 3G. Made faster and more universal, the new iPhone covets that special place in your pocket or belt-clip that your Blackberry and Treo occupy. But before you jump on the iPhone bandwagon, let’s take a quick look at the pros and cons.
The Pros:
-The new 3G technology allows the iPhone to tap into AT&T’s network, making internet usage slightly faster in places without a wireless connection.
-The price. Instead of paying $599 for the original iPhone, you can feel like you are spending less by paying a low $199 and have Apple slowly take your money with a higher service package from AT&T.
-Exchange full support. Perhaps the biggest problem with the old iPhones was their lack of support for Microsoft Exchange. Finally, iPhone graduated from toy to business tool.
-Touch Screen – its so pretty…and the on-screen keyboard is surprisingly easy to use. It is also a pleasure to watch video with a widescreen view by simply tilting your phone sideways.
-Applications – Apple opened up the iPhone to 3rd party developers, allowing for creative applications that make your phone great. One app allows your iPhone to function as a GPS (though without voice instructions), another gives you the location of all the ATMs in your area. Probably the coolest app allows your iPhone to listen to a song and search iTunes for the title by simply placing your iPhone near the music. Ever wonder what song you are listening to on the radio? Your iPhone will tell you. Applications are constantly being developed and present an arsenal of tools for your phone, constantly updating and making your phone smarter and smarter.
Applications are available for specific business use: iSpend keeps track of your finances,
Stage Hand allows you to see index card-like notes on your phone for presentations, and a whole host of applications are available allowing you to password protect and encrypt your data. But the most popular apps are games. With amazing graphics, Texas hold em’ and sodoku never looked so good!
The Cons:
-AT&T. AT&T is really not the best network. It’s good, like everyone else, in the city and other densely populated areas, but it’s not pleasant in some other situations. Also, you are tied to a two-year contract with AT&T, at higher rates than before, and without text messaging included.
-The Battery. The new 3G network saps battery life. Under heavy usage, the iPhone will not last a full day and you will need to recharge.
-Lack of Support – The iPhone still does not support a host of features. No flash, window’s media, or Java.
-Applications? Sometimes the applications allow for Apple to be lazy. For instance, there is no cut and paste, but there can be if you download a cut and paste application. No voice dialing, unless you download the voice dialing application. Don’t get me wrong, the thrill of looking for more and more applications to buff up your phone can be really great, but at a certain point, you get frustrated when you have to download applications to make your phone operate basically.
Conclusion:
It’s great, but wait. Unless you got really excited by this review, or you have a physical attraction to the iPhone (a disease that is spreading rapidly), you’d best wait till the end of the year for Apple to release significant software and, perhaps, firmware updates. If you’re still excited, you could try it out as a second phone while you make the transition. There is no question that the iPhone has the most potential, but wait it needs to mature a bit. It’s like younger girls/guys – they sure are pretty, but they need to grow up.
Check out this MAD tv spoof on the iPhone’s many capabilities and the over-adoring fans:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgZKjJt-TkU]
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