iPhone Watch: Cross-Country with iPhone on T-Mobile
I'm back from three days in DC on business and gearing up for another three days down in San Diego on pleasure - a good friend of my wife and mine is getting married down there. I took my unlocked iPhone with me to DC and am taking it with me to San Diego. Why? It's the perfect traveling companion.
Along the train, two-flights and a layover way to DC, I used iPhone to check Email and surf the Web via EDGE (en route to the airport), watch two tv show episodes (first flight), check EMail and surf the Web via WiFI (at the Phoenix airport), and watch a third tv show and listen to an hour or two of music (second flight). When I got to DC I checked email again via EDGE, sent/received a few text messages, and made a few voice calls. By the end of the night my battery was down below 10% but it hadn't given out on me. Not bad for a full day's work.
Watching videos on iPhone was a joy. The screen is gorgeous - crisp, bright, and a surprisingly good size for viewing in the close confines of coach class. My Etymotic er-6i earphones fit the phone's funny recessed audio jack and are perfect for flying - their canalphone design blocks out noise as well as those noise cancelling Bose jobs, but at a fraction of the size.
While in DC I downloaded another tv show, and on the way home I watched that along with an 80+ minute movie (A documentary about The Police made by the band's drummer, Stewart Copeland). I also listened to music, surfed, and made some calls. Again, no battery issues.
I did run into a few crashes when running Safari and one or two other applications - reports have surfaced regarding occasional Safari crashes, in particular. The nice thing about an iPhone crash is that the application suddenly closes itself and then everything's back to normal at the Home screen. The first time something crashed, I thought I'd hit the Home button by accident, actually. Crashes are never good, but at least iPhone handles them gracefully.
Surfing via T-Mobile's EDGE network generally worked well (if sometimes slowly), though I did find sometimes that I had to manually refresh a page to get it to load. Generally this happened when I first connected to EDGE - it seemed as though the phone was having trouble making that initial connection to the data network. Once I got one page to load, everything else (including Email) worked fine for the rest of that session. And I didn't always have to connect and refresh to initiate a session - just some of the time.
I had the phone in my pocket for most of the trip and didn't use any sort of case or screen protector. The screen is perfect (though I did have to clean fingerprints and smudges off of it regularly) and the body is just about perfect, as well. Not bad at all, especially considering that I dropped the thing once or twice.
Ringtones are definitely a bit quieter than I'd like them to be. And today I experienced an odd five minute period during which I couldn't place any outgoing calls. I don't know if that was the phone or the network or what. If it happens again, I'll have to look into it.
But for now I've got the phone loaded up with a few new tv shows for tomorrow's flight. And I spent all of a buck fifty (plus shipping) on a headphone adapter from monoprice.com so I can try my Ultimate Ears earphones with the handset. The adapters at the Apple Store sell for around ten bucks, which is absurd.
Actually, I think I'm also going to bring a headphone splitter so my wife and I can watch together. Watching Monday's "Weeds" together on Friday morning in coach class - you gotta love it.
Fetch me more...Quickly jump to more information about related topics, cell phones, carriers or phone manufacturers mentioned in this Blog Article by using the links below. 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. Noah examines today's preview of Apple iPhone OS 3.0 Beta. What's new, what's changed, and what does it mean? Otterbox takes protection seriously. Noah checks out the shock absorbing Impact case for iPod Touch 2G and the ultra-serious, three-layer protection of the Defender series case for iPhone 3G. Defender is three cases in one: swivel belt clip, silicon wrap, and polycarbonate hard case with screen protector! Phonedog_Noah is obsessed with twitter, so he checks out two popular iPhone twitter apps: Tweetie ($2.99) and Twitterific (the free, ad-supported version). Check out the hands-on review, and follow Noah at http://twitter.com/phoned... 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... 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. Hi,I got the original iPhone when it came out for $600.Then when the 3G came out I got 2 iPhones. (I couldn't decide between the white and the black so I got both.)And now with having to cell phone lines (one active line on AT&T where I switch between iPhones. & One on T-Mobile where I have a Pearl 8120.)But, now I am kinda getting sick of both of my phones. I don't know what to get.I would like to stick to something like the iPhone on... Okay people I need some help deciding. Basically I have a choice. Either iPhone 1st gen (8GB) or a Google G1. Now I really like the iPhone and have wanted one for a while however now with the G1 out I'm having second thoughts. So if you can help me decide by voicing your opinion it would be greatly appreciated. AndreyI'm on the lookout for a similar device as you - a good smartphone that can work on TMobileA few options you could consider:TMobile G1First-Gen iPhone Unlocked Nokia E71 UnlockedBlackberry CurveBlackberry FlipHTC Touch Diamond or Touch Pro or Touch HD UnlockedAnd a few coming soon you might want to wait for:BlackBerry Javelin (aka Curve II)Nokia E63 UnlockedSony Xperia X1 UnlockedNote that the unlocked phones should work just fine via GSM,... definatly the iPhone...its amazing and its getting even better every single day cuz of new apps and stuff....eventually, the iPhone will be considered a gaming system, and its already a multimedia system....its worth the price n it even has wi-fi on it! I didn't know you had to pay for updates, is there an article about this? That's insane! It's like buying the new 10.x for 150$ when it's a free service pack update in windows. really?dudei need a good phone and now i got the chanceeeeeeeeeshiet Yes, thats a good choice of using such a good product for iPhone scratches.
|

|
Latest Videos & ReviewsCheck out the latest cell phone videos and in-depth reviews from our editors - HTC Touch CruiseWhat’s good: small and very pocketable, cool form factor, Footprints, 3.2 MP cam with geo-tagging,
- Nokia E75 Silver BlackWhat’s good: 3.5 mm audio/video jack, Internet radio, 3.2 MP camera, video at 30 fps, secondary
- LG enV3 Slate BlueOverview What’s good: Battery warrior, great internal and external keypadsWhat’s bad: Using camera
- Nokia 5800-XpressMusic BlueThe Tube is jam-packed with great features, but you'll have to dig to use them.
- Motorola Rival Tin SilverWhat’s good: Solid build quality, decent battery life,
What’s bad: Spotty reception in areas,
- Samsung Propel ProWhat’s good: Battery life, shape, call quality
What’s bad: Cramped keyboard
- HTC Touch Diamond CDMAWhat’s good: TouchFlo 3D is useful, device resembles unlocked version, addition of microSD card
- Palm PrePros: Fantastic operating system, multitasking capabilities, easy to use
Cons: Battery life, lack
- Sharp Sidekick LX CarbonThey're headed back for the teen set, but the Sidekick LX is still fun for adults.
- Samsung JackWhat’s good: Design, battery life, connectivity options (3G, GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth)
What's
New & coming soon phonesHot off the presses... here's what's available now and expected to come to market soon! - HTC OzoneCarrier: Verizon Wireless
Retail Price: $119.99 Contract Price: $49.99 Hot Features: WiFi, full QWERTY, IM features - Motorola Karma QA1Carrier: AT&T Wireless
Retail Price: $129.99 Contract Price: $79.99 Hot Features: Full QWERTY, great social networking features, Access to your favorite IM - Samsung AxleCarrier: U.S. Cellular
Retail Price: $159.95 Contract Price: $49.95 Hot Features: One-Touch speakerphone, stereo Bluetooth - HTC SnapCarrier: Sprint
Retail Price: $399.99 Contract Price: $149.99 Hot Features: Windows Mobile 6.1, Full QWERTY, WiFi - LG LX370 SilverCarrier: Sprint
Retail Price: $299.99 Contract Price: $99.99 Hot Features: Sprint Social Zone, Facebook Mobile, GPS - Samsung ExclaimCarrier: Sprint
Retail Price: $299.99 Contract Price: $79.99 Hot Features: Dual slider, full QWERTY, Sprint OneClick interface - BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230 Silver Carrier: Verizon Wirless
Retail Price: $149.99 Contract Price: $79.99 Hot Features: Music Player, 2.0MP camera, GPS - Apple iPhone 3G S 16GB BlackCarrier: AT&T
Retail Price: $199.99 Contract Price: $199.99 Hot Features: upgraded 3MP camera, MMS, video capture, faster processor - LG TritanCarrier: Alltel
Retail Price: $449.99 Contract Price: $79.99 Hot Features: GPS, 3MP camera, full QWERTY - LG Neon GreenCarrier: AT&T
Retail Price: $79.99 Contract Price: $29.99 Hot Features: Music player, 2MP camera, AOL Windows Live and Yahoo! IM feature
- BlackBerry TourTechnology: CDMA
Announced Carrier: Verizon Wireless Expected: Pre-Order starting today/July 12th in stores - HTC OzoneTechnology: CDMA
Announced Carrier: Verizon Wireless Expected: June 29th on-line/July 13th in stores - HTC myTouch 3GTechnology: GSM
Announced Carrier: T-Mobile Expected: Late July 2008 T-Mobile customers can begin reserving their HTC myTouch starting July 8th. - BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230Technology: CDMA
Announced Carrier: Verizon Wireless Expected: Friday June 19th, 2009 - LG enV3Technology: CDMA
Announced Carrier: Verizon Wireless Expected: Friday May 29th, 2009 - LG enV TouchTechnology: CDMA
Announced Carrier: Verizon Wireless Expected: Friday June 5th, 2009 - LG GlanceTechnology: CDMA
Announced Carrier: Verizon Wireless Expected: Friday June 5th, 2009 - Samsung SGH-A167Technology: GSM
Likely Carrier: AT&T Expected: Q2 2009 - Samsung JackTechnology: GSM
Likely Carrier: AT&T Expected: May 19th, 2009 - Sony Ericsson W518aTechnology: GSM
Likely Carrier: AT&T Expected: Q2 2009

|