Apple iPhone Cell Phone
 Maybe it's because I've only ever owned Apple computers, and because I've been following and writing about the company for over a decade now, that I judged them so harshly when they first entered the mobile phone market. I might have held them up to a higher standard, given my longtime fondness and admiration for their products and the resultant sky-high expectations I had for the first Apple mobile phone.
Or I might just have been reacting to the spec sheet and price points - $499/599 plus a two-year contract for a phone that lacked 3G data, GPS, stereo Bluetooth, 3rd party application support, and a camera flash and video recording capabilities sounded awful steep. Still does. In the many months between iPhone's public debut at MacWorld in January 2007 and it's overhyped hit the streets date that June, iPhone was scrutinized by every angle except the one that matters most: we were all writing about the device, but nobody had gotten their hands on the thing.
So when iPhone finally went on sale, I waited. I tried to get one from Apple's PR department but all I got was strung along via email. I wasn't about to plunk down $500 and also sign up for two years of AT&T service since I was still under contract with T-Mobile. So I waited. And then two events occurring within a short time of one another changed everything: Apple cut iPhone's price by a third, and; clever programmers figured out how to unlock the handset for use on other GSM networks.
And so here I am writing my review of Apple's iPhone - a sort of hybrid review combining the "as Apple sells it" iPhone with the "unlocked, running on T-Mobile, chock full of third party apps" iPhone. However you slice it, Apple's maiden cell phone is a game changer that lives up to the hype. Apple has made a fortune combining hardware design, software design, and firmly controlled vision into some of the best top-to-bottom user experiences to be found anywhere in the consumer electronics industry. iPhone is no different. Yes, it lacks certain features folks have come to expect on high-end cell phones. No, it's not for everyone. Yes, the game of cat and mouse between Apple and "the hackers" that rages on as I write this threatens to hang a black cloud over the company for some time to come.
Doesn't matter. Apple's iPhone is a brilliant piece of consumer electronics with perhaps the most useable interface to ever grace the screen of a device that can do so much. Using the word "brilliant" to describe a phone that, as a phone, is average at best takes some doing. But given the state of cell phones today and where the industry is heading, Apple has really launched a landmark product with the iPhone.
Too bad they haven't found a way to let the hacker/developer community continue to make the thing even better.
iPhone is thin, sleek, and dominated by a large 3.5" touchscreen display bracketed by a cut-out speaker and hidden light sensors (top) and a single physical button (bottom) on the front of the device. At 115 x 61 x 11.6 mm and weighing 135 grams, the device is small enough to tuck away in a pants pocket, large enough to make for easy use of the display, and rather heavy but still pleasant in hand. When the display is darkened in sleep mode, the entire front of the handset is black, flanked by a chromed border and rounded edges all around, and looks like a Star Trek Communicator passed through a minimalist design lab.
Most of the side and back panels of the phone are finished in a textured silver metal designed to be comfortable to grip. The lower portion of the panels is done up in black, as are the phone's controls. Along with that lone front-panel button, iPhone houses a rocker switch for volume control and silent/ringer button on its left side, while the right side is completely button-free. The top panel is home to a power/sleep/wake button, the SIM card tray, and a recessed 3.5mm headphone jack (the source of much head-scratching for me ... more on that in a bit). The bottom panel houses a dock connector similar to those found on iPods, and it's flanked by speaker and microphone grills. The back of the phone features a sensor for the camera set in the upper left corner, and while the black part of the back panel is in fact a battery cover, the battery is not user removable.
WIthout delving into the pros and cons of a phone that lacks buttons but compensates with the best touchscreen display on any handset ever, Apple's near-buttonless design is nothing short of stunning. While the black and silver look that screams "Look at me, I'm an Apple!" is honestly a bit ostentatious for my tastes, it's ostentatious in a really cool, mysterious sort of way. iPhone is a good looking gadget that looks like it came from the future, especially when lined up next to something like a Treo.
After a few weeks of using one, I can definitely say Apple did a (typically) fantastic job on iPhone's industrial design. The phone feels good in use during voice calls and screen-intensive tasks, and its size and shape is a great balance between large enough for Web and media player use but small enough to tuck away in a pocket. The phone's 11.6mm profile and extremely durable optical glass front have a lot to do with the whole "easy to tuck away" thing. After several weeks living mainly in my pants pockets without any sort of case to protect it, iPhone's screen is scratch free and the chrome trim is just a little scuffed up.
Read full review » Every once in while I like to play a game that serves more as an analgesic than a hand-eye coordination challenge. Other days, I want to be on my toes looking for the next virtual threat. Buka provides a bit of both in a cute but numbing package. I mean that in a good way. You'll see what I mean. Take a Palm Pre. Plug it into a Mac or PC. Fire up iTunes. Lookie there! Ron checks out what might be the best iPhone game evar: Tiger Woods PGA Tour from Electronic Games. $9.99 is a lot for an iPhone/iPod game, but Tiger might be worth it. Guest Mobile Gaming Editor Ron takes a look at Metal Gear Solid for iPhone & iPod Touch. How does this shooter translate to the small screen? Check it out. NIN's access iPhone app was approved and released on April 14th. Listen to music, watch videos, interact with fans, and get the latest tour updates. Get the app here (iTunes required), and download the NINJA Tour Sampler here. Lastly, see Digg Dialogg with Kevin Rose and Trent Reznor, here. Noah gets hands-on with Boxee, the free media center app that brings Hulu, YouTube, Netflix, and more to your computer or TV set. Now with iPhone app! Seriously, I thought someone was pulling my leg when I saw this. The most featured new function on the recently released Fotochat iPhone app is something called, “Blow your Love.” Yikes. Okay, well that got my attention. Here’s the scoop: Turns out the app plugs into the Fotochat dating community, allowing users to blow into the microphone end of their iPhones to find nearby Fotochatters — based on age, city and profile — who also just blew into... Man, I love DIY stuff. This one’s no exception. Given the fact that new 3G S owners have proven — in large numbers — to be vid-crazy, the following YouTube clip will be really handy for someone out there who’s trying to figure out how to mount their iPhones for shake-proof captures. Obviously, this isn’t intended to be a permanent case for the device (how would you stick this in your pocket??). But as a camera accessory, as opposed to a phone... According to a new study from Crowd Science, four out of 10 BlackBerry users want to make the iPhone their next smartphone. Actually, the stat is the same for other smartphone users too, which probably pleases the sneaker and jeans–wearing honchos at Apple to no end. The company got some impressive numbers during the 3GS launch, selling more than one million devices its opening weekend, and now they seem to be getting hearts and minds as well.... Given today’s great turnout for the iPhone 3G S, there will be no doubt be plenty of users saddled with their last-gen handsets stashed in an old-tech closet. Instead of letting that old iPhone 3G (or even older model) collect dust, why not trade in the relic for some cash? The following sites are buying up iPhones at decent prices right now. This is not a comprehensive list, so if you have others to share, go ahead and chime in at the bottom.... According to the guys at Engadget Mobile, tips have been pouring in about Apple coordinating with UPS to hold iPhone 3G S packages until a "future delivery date." Like Engadget, we're assuming that the delivery date is June 19th (which would make the most sense). The possibility of going to the local UPS facility is always there, but per UPS policy, the driver must make an attempted delivery at least once before the package can be... The Apple iPhone 3G S is officially launching this week, and many who pre-ordered from Apple or AT&T have started getting online status updates on their purchases via UPS tracking numbers. Apparently Apple orders have started on its long journey from Shezhen, China, while — as of this afternoon — purchases from the carrier didn’t look like they’ve left the warehouse yet. (Orders show up as “In progress.”) Sit tight, iPhone lovers. The... Pros: "S" for speed in the name, certainly hold true! Camera + Autofocus + Video Recording (Better than Jailbroken Video Recorders in my opinion) Compass might be of some very good GPS and navigation use. Cons: No multitasking No Flash with the camera No Flash for web browsing Summary: I was always on the fence on whether to upgrade or not. So I waited, after hearing the never ending praise for the device, I decided to go ahead and get it. First impressions: The Screen is certainly a LESS of a fingerprint-magnet than it's predecessor. It isn't fingerprint-resistant. Camera is somewhat better quality and the finger touch autofocus feature is very helpful. The ability to trim videos is a cool little feature. A flash would have made it perfect. Speed: It is considerably faster than both the V1 and the 3G, a direct result of the increased RAM and the faster processor. Web: Safari usually loads pages faster than before due to the new Java Nitro (i think!) Find my iPhone: It sucks that you have to pay for it, but worthwhile none the less. Was the $200 upgrade worthwhile? ... Ummm... Certainly a better phone but not worth the $200 or the inability to upgrade to the next one as soon as it comes out. Here's to the hoping that the iPhone 2010 is a step ahead like the 3G was and not a mere RAM upgrade! Pros: 1. Safari is better than other phone internet browsers. Very fast. 2. Sensitive touch screen 3. The virtual keyboard helps you type faster with auto correction. 4. 3G speed 5. Many apps. Very useful. 6. A good iPod or music player. 7. Stylish Design 8. Easy to use 9. The screen is scratch-resistance 10, jailbreakable! Sim lock can be unlocked! 11. The mic on the hand-free earphone is slim. 12. push mail sservice Cons: 1. 2.0 mega pixel camera 2. Battery life goes short when used excessively. 3. The back cover is easily scratched 4. Apps sometimes close or hang due to the lack of ram. 5. CPU is underclocked from 620MHz to 412 MHz 6. A little complicated when adding ur own ringtones to iphone 7. Jailbreaking and unlocking are a little bit complicated. Summary: iPhone is certainly the best smartphone which keeps you in touch with the internet everywhere with the web browser Safari. Its multiple-touch screen enables a convenient use of the phone. Also, it is supported by lots of apps which bring lots of functions to the phone. Besides, it is an ipod. Finally, since the day I bought the iphone, I started to love using mobile phone. Pros: everything so far Cons: nothing so far Summary: i just got an iphone this phone is a definate upgrade from my lg vu that would freeze on me and take forever to load i havent run into any of the probles other people have mentioned yet so id reccomend it to everyone 1 out of 2 people found this review helpful Pros: it's so great to hold. the touch screen is definetly the best out their. Cons: nothing i know their going to change. Summary: okay, first of all apple is fixing the picture messaging and video messaging anf forwarding on the iphone in june. they are also adding copy past and cut. now that might mean apple is also bringing out a new iphone.. i don't know. but for now when these features come to the iphone it's going to revolustionise the iphone. there are over 100 new updates to it, so if you ask me it's worth the money. 0 out of 1 people found this review helpful Pros: - they have endless anount of APPs that you can put on it - it is more then a phone Cons: -they run out of batter quick depending on how much stuff you have on it. - Summary: Every so often something comes along that revolutionizes the way we do things, a smart product that’s so intelligent, it’s scary. The iphone is such a product. When it was launched, it immediately change our view of what a smart phone was supposed to be. When my mom first got the iPhone, she couldn’t keep her hands off of it. She thought it was the most wonderful thing in the world. It has everything that she could imagine Wifi, ipod, video, phone and much more. Then one day she had to charge it and it wouldn’t charge, she was so mad. She had had other things happen;like it wouldn’t come on, but she just when to my big sister Brittaney and asked for help. She always new what to do, and she always got it to work again, but this time it didn’t. She thought it was the biggest thing that she could rely on in a time of need. So when this happened,she had to call the tech support to see if it was anything that she did(she isn’t really a technical person). There wasn’t anything that they could find, but they where really helpful going though everything that they could possibly be wrong. Once she was done, she then called the cell phone company and they arranged for her to get a new iPhone. She was very happy after that, until she got it. She had spent every waking hour on the computer putting everything on it that she needed and wanted. Then when she had to get the new one she had to put everything that she had on the other one back on her new one, that process right there took her another 2 days of being on the computer forever. Now that she has a new one everything has been going pretty well. Nothing has happened and she is happy. 1 out of 1 people found this review helpful If you are getting an unlocked iPhone, yeah I would go for a first gen iPhone for T-Mobile. However, I would really recommend the G1. If anything, the G1 would have the faster 3G connection, the first gen iPhone, or that of any iPhone on T-Mobile's network, wont have the 3G connection. I would suggest getting the G1. However, you should know that the G1 doesn't have a great battery, but you can buy spares or bigger batteries on Amazon, etc. That's probably the biggest flaw of the G1, everything else about it is satisfactory to great. i have felt like other phone companies are changing to touchscreen so the iphone is no big deal. when the 3g came out it was disapointing. the just upgraded the iphone i wouldnt call it the 2nd generation. nothing changed therefore the same phone is still around while samsung and htc are creating new phones all the time. i would like to see more of a variety in the iphone. like a smaller version, a rugged verison and the simple. this would allow... Hi! So, I have had an iPhone since they came out. I got the original iPhone a week after it came out. And the 3G iPhone the 5th day it was out. I am working at my parents office as a manager, and since I'm only in the office 5 hours a day I need push email and basically full connection to the office all the time. What would you recommend? I would prefer a phone with a touch screen. I don't need a good keyboard because it is mostly just... You could look at the iphone cause your on at&t. the HTC touch hd is a touch phone you could get unlocked. Hi,I got the original iPhone when it came out for $600.Then when the 3G came out I got 2 iPhones. (I couldn't decide between the white and the black so I got both.)And now with having to cell phone lines (one active line on AT&T where I switch between iPhones. & One on T-Mobile where I have a Pearl 8120.)But, now I am kinda getting sick of both of my phones. I don't know what to get.I would like to stick to something like the iPhone on... Okay people I need some help deciding. Basically I have a choice. Either iPhone 1st gen (8GB) or a Google G1. Now I really like the iPhone and have wanted one for a while however now with the G1 out I'm having second thoughts. So if you can help me decide by voicing your opinion it would be greatly appreciated. If you Triple Tap The Shift(Caps) Button Really Fast it Will turn blue and temp. turn on Capitilization.<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i34.tinypic.com/fd... border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a> Hey Cyber PunkI'm glad you like the videos and your new G1. I'm with you ... TOTALLY fun to play around with.I have to say that iPhone still offers the best overall mobile browsing experience. Its' close, though - G1's browser and Opera Mobile 9.5 are right up there, followed by Nokia's S60 browser and the new Skyfire Beta. Skyfire is cool b/c it actually renders Flash content. It's not perfect, but it does work - you can... Buying choicesWith new service  This item is not being sold with a service plan by any online merchant. With pre-paid service This item is not being sold with a pre-paid service service plan by any online merchant. 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