Philip Berne waited on line with the faithful for an iPhone, then headed for the hills to give it a proper test. Read his initial impressions in the first installment of this ongoing feature.
Waiting
I waited in line at the Apple Store at the Short Hills Mall in New Jersey for twelve hours to buy the iPhone, and not once did I discuss the device with my line-neighbors. It was a refreshing change from the blitz of the days and months prior. By June 29th, seeing the iPhone television commercials, or even reading its name referenced in my RSS feeds, was nauseating. At 6:00, the Apple Store doors opened, and we first 20 in line proceeded through a gauntlet of screaming, clapping and high-fiving Apple retail employees, like football players running onto the field before the Super Bowl. It was too much, and by the next day, when I returned to the store for a necessary accessory (more on that later), the storm had passed, and the iPhones were still standing behind the registers. Over the next few weeks, I'll be recovering from, and living with, the iPhone, and we'll be featuring opinions, explorations and developments. For my first week with the iPhone, I've taken it on vacation to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Here are my impressions so far.
Surprise
First, since I had never gotten my hands on one, I was actually surprised by its design. The back is not chrome, it's a brushed metal, broken by a black band of plastic at the bottom. The "Home" button is a real button, but not the only one on the iPhone. There is also a button that wakes it from sleeping and silences an errant ring, a volume rocker switch, and a switch that silences the iPhone, like the mute switch on the Palm Treo. The iPhone is not light, I'd estimate it's close in weight to our 80GB iPod video. Compared to the large iPod, the iPhone is a bit thinner, a bit more narrow, but also taller.
Beyond that, the biggest surprise about the iPhone is that there is no surprise. Though rumors hinted at a hidden feature or two, there is really nothing that hadn't already been reported. I honestly expected something new, and I was hoping for a GPS sensor. I knew it wouldn't be 3G, as Steve Jobs defense of the iPhone's power management over speed seemed genuine. Still, perhaps a heretofore unknown app, or Flash support in the browser, would have been the cherry on the sundae. I wasn't disappointed, just surprised.
Disappointment
Happily, the aspects that need fixing are mostly software-based, with one glaring error. Except for the Apple iPhone earbuds, no other 3.5mm plug I have fit the iPhone's headphone jack. Neither my Bang & Olufsen headset, nor my Shure E3c headphones. Not even the tape adapter I use in my car. On the day after I bought the iPhone, I had to buy the bulky headphone adapter featured prominently on Apple's accessory rack. I didn't buy a case, as the screen has proven so far unscratchable, but I did buy the adapter. This is an inexcusable design error, and shows a lack of testing or care on Apple's part.
Google Maps is also a disappointment. Visually, it looks much better than the version available for other smartphones, with little pins that fly in from off screen and smooth panning between turns on directions, nearly reminiscent of Google Earth. But the software is buggy, and occasionally doesn't work at all. Once you have directions loaded, you can't simply stop mid-trip and start a new route, you have to advance to the end of the directions list to find the "edit" button. Pinching zooms nicely, and finger-panning is very responsive, but auto-correct doesn't seem to work in the maps app, even on words that are not proper nouns, though this might be when we need it most. Google Maps was always a sub-par choice for driving directions, even when paired with GPS, as Helio has been doing for a while. On the iPhone, it's all style, and little substance.
Finally, iTunes has been buggy, at least on my Macintosh. Often, the iPhone won't automatically appear in the iTunes window, and I'm forced to dance between restarting iTunes, reattaching the iPhone, and even restarting my system. Also, why does iPhoto have to come up every time I plug in the iPhone? Just because there is a camera on board? Even when I have no photos on the iPhone, iPhoto feels the need to tell me all about it. A petty annoyance.
Delight
The slight visual flourishes that you may have seen, like the lists that spring back when scrolled too far, are only the tip of the iceberg. Every action, every detail, is polished smooth. From the words that light up in a wave on the activation screen, to the drop shadows and textured drop-down menus on the browser, the iPhone is the most polished interface I've ever seen, on a phone or otherwise. And it looks exactly like the commercial, seen on a high-def television. Icons are sharp and brightly colored. The touch screen responds instantaneously, for the most part. Scrolling, pinching, flicking through lists, these all work exactly as promised, and add a very fun, tactile aspect to the interface.
I was also delighted that many aspects of the iPhone that are getting the most consistent complaints are really not that bad. In fact, some are quite good. The slower EDGE networking has been the victim of continual attack, but I was impressed at how quickly Google Maps filled in blank spots over EDGE. YouTube videos on the EDGE network in northern New Jersey were absolutely flawless, with no hiccups or stuttering playback. Truly an accomplishment. Also, I initially had trouble with the keyboard, but getting better didn't require practice, so much as recalibration. I was aiming too far to the right. Once my aim improved, within a day I was typing much faster on the virtual keyboard than I have ever pecked out notes on my Treo. Auto correction isn't perfect, and it doesn't work in every application, but for notes and e-mails, I found myself buzzing along in no time.
What now?
For this week during my trip here in the Grand Tetons, I'll be testing the reception and call quality of the phone in some remote areas. I'll also be working more with the camera, and spending quality time with the video iPod features on my flight back. I have found the full screen video to be more enticing than the phone features, so I'm excited to test battery life while watching a few movies on my trip home.
|
Archive