Apple iPhone (8 GB) Smartphone
- Screen Size (Diagonal): 3.5 inch
- Installed Memory: 8 GB
- Operating System: iPhone OS (iOS)
- Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB, WLAN, WiFi
- Design: Mobile
- Style: Smartphone, Touch Screen
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1151
The Regular Chick and The Apple iPhone.
Pros
easy to use, does the job of 3 different devices
Cons
expensive, internet and typing could use some improvement, must use AT&T
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
The iPhone didn't disappoint. I love it!
I am no technophile. I can use my laptop to surf the net and send emails, I can take decent pictures on my digital camera, and I am proficient enough on cell phones to make calls and send text messages. Don't ask me how many gigs the hard drive is, though, and definitely don't ask me about megapixels on the camera because I have no idea what they are. I don't drool over HD televisions or fancy stereo systems and I never felt a burning need to own an iPod. So how the heck did I wind up with an Apple 8 GB iPhone?
The answer is simple: I played with it for about 5 minutes in an Apple store one day and lusted after it from that point on. I tried to convince my fiance to buy me one but he steadfastly refused month after month. When Christmas rolled around, my parents offered to buy it for me. They were buying my sister a Bose Wave something-or-other and they try to spend the same amount on both of us. As luck would have it, the Apple iPhone was about the same as the Bose thingamajig which is why they even considered it as a Christmas present. I've been using the iPhone daily for over a month now and I am very happy with it. Could I live without it? Sure. Do I want to? No way!
The Apple 8 GB iPhone
This device is much more than just a fancy cell phone. It functions as a phone, an iPod, an internet browser, a camera, an email inbox, a navigator, a calendar, a movie viewer, etc. I saw a commercial for the iPhone which said that it was the perfect piece of technology for those who try to cram their phone, PalmPilot, and iPod into their pockets or briefcases. That seemed like a compelling argument to me.
The iPhone comes with ear buds, a USB cable, and a docking station. Cases and screen protectors are accessories that you have to purchase in Apple stores, AT&T stores, or online. The whole thing has been easy enough for someone like me to use without ever having to consult the owner's manual. If I can figure out the iPhone, anyone can! At the bottom of this device is the "home" button. When you press that, you are taken to the main screen which has 17 different buttons, including: Text, Camera, YouTube, Weather, iTunes, Phone, Mail, Safari, and iPod. Pressing on the buttons will activate whatever function you select. You use the "home" button to navigate between functions.
The battery life on this device is decent. I can check my email, listen to music, and surf the net fairly regularly throughout the day without totally draining the battery. I don't think I'd be able to use it to entertain myself by watching movies during a trans-atlantic flight, though. I have to charge my iPhone every night in order to have it ready for use the next day.
The Phone
Using this product as a phone is different from what I had been used to. There are no buttons to press, rather you use the touch screen to enter numbers. You also can select numbers from your list of contacts, recent calls (dialed and received), and a list of favorites. The voicemail is, again, different but very cool! The caller names (or numbers if they are from people not in your contacts) are listed in the order that they were received and you can actually pick the order in which you want to listen to them. No more plowing through 5 long and boring messages in order to get to the one that you are eagerly awaiting! Sound quality is very good whether you use it as a handheld, with the earbuds, or on speakerphone.
The iPod
I had never owned an iPod before so this whole "bring your music with you" thing was a new experience for me. As luck would have it, my laptop and Motorola RAZR had some kind of suicide pact and both died the weekend before Christmas. I quickly bought a new laptop but had lost 3+ years worth of music on my old computer. I only had a measly 17 songs to upload to the iPhone when I received it. Still, it was fun for me to be able to grocery shop or grade tests at work while listening to some of my favorite songs. I've spent the past four years as a high school teacher trying to understand why the students are always listening to their iPods during the 4 minute walk to the next class. I'm finally starting to get it!
You can scroll through your music via artist, song title, or playlists. As a song plays, the album cover often appears on the screen for you to view. You also can view your music or use other phone functions (internet, weather, text messaging, email) as songs are playing which I think is pretty neat. As far as sound goes, you can either use ear buds to listen to your music privately or you can play it out loud on the phone. You definitely can damage your hearing listening to your tunes with ear buds at the highest volume setting, but trying to play it on the phone's speakers at full volume isn't even loud enough for someone in the next room to really hear.
I certainly can't compare the iPhone's iPod function to that of the Shuffle or Nano. All I can really say is that it is more than enough for a thirty-year old who never got into the whole iPod craze.
The Internet
I must admit that one of the main reasons I was so taken with the Apple 8 GB iPhone is the fact that I could access the internet anywhere anytime. You could say that I am a bit addicted to the internet and I loved the idea of checking up on my favorite web sites while waiting in the doctor's office or on my lunch break.
You can access the net easily with this device. A site may look absolutely miniscule and beyond human eyesight when you first get to it, but all you have to do is spread your fingers (thumb and pointer) outward in a diagonal direction to zoom into the site. Clicking on links is a challenge until you increase the font size. Entering text on a message board is somewhat difficult as the "keyboard" takes up pretty much the entire screen which makes it impossible to see what you are typing. The spell check has a nasty habit of replacing what you type unless you actually click each suggested word to stop the replacement. Because you can't see what you are typing, you certainly can't disable the spell check which means that your message may contain some words that are totally different from what you meant.
Before I received my Apple iPhone, I was a bit nervous about the internet connection speed because I had read so many complaints about the EDGE network. I'm not really sure what the EDGE network is or how it works, but I know that it is the internet connection that this device uses when there are no wireless networks available in the area. Honestly, I was expecting a page to take minutes to load a la 1995. EDGE really isn't that slow, at least compared to the speed that my laptop loads pages on our wireless network. Yes, it may take 10+ seconds for a page with loads of graphics, but my laptop has the same issues.
One complaint that I have about the internet feature on this product is the fact that you can't view videos that require Flash Player. Apparently Apple has some kind of exclusive agreement with YouTube so it is pretty much impossible to watch video clips embedded on message boards, blogs, etc.
The Camera
I've taken a few pictures with the iPhone but overall I am unimpressed with the camera. Yes, you can take crystal clear pictures, but there is no zoom feature so you need to get up close and personal with your subject. Another gripe that I have is that you can't send pictures along in a text message. I was able to do that with my RAZR and totally took that for granted. You can upload pictures to your computer and you can attach them to emails, but there is no way to embed them in text messages. .. or if there is, I haven't figured it out yet.
Other Features
This device can give you driving directions, play movies, and update you on the stock market. I own a GPS, watch very few movies, and don't own stocks so I have no interest in those functions. There are several others which are somewhat useful and that I use occasionally: weather, calendar, and notes. If they suddenly dropped off of the home screen, I probably wouldn't even notice. Others like my fiance would probably flip out, though.
Service Plan
Apple has a two or three year exclusivity contract with AT&T/Cingular. If you own an Apple 8 GB iPhone and want it to work, you need to sign up with AT&T. This presented a bit of a problem because I was part of a T-Mobile Family Plan. We had three lines with T-Mobile and had extended the contract for a new phone within the past year. My fiance was unwilling to cancel the contract for the $200 termination fee… so sneaky me decided to buy him his very own iPhone as a combination Christmas/birthday present. I figured he couldn't possibly refuse to switch to AT&T then! Ha ha T-Mobile has had the last laugh on that one. They want to charge us $200 per line to terminate the contract for a grand total of $600. Ouch. There are ways to hack and "unlock" these phones but I have neither the knowledge nor inclination to do so. Some people can get them to work on T-Mobile or other services, but you can't use the voicemail feature and it probably voids the warranty.
We are paying $110/month for two iPhones with 700 shared minutes, unlimited in-network calls, unlimited internet, and rollover minutes. That's about what we were paying for the T-Mobile Family Plan without rollover or internet so it seems reasonable to us.
Overall Opinion
This obviously isn't a technical review by an electronics or cell phone expert. I'm just a thirty year old chick who took a fancy to a cool gadget. The iPhone works well for my phone call, text messaging, internet, and music purposes. I can do so much more with this device than I could with my RAZR, so I'm happy. There are rumblings about a second generation iPhone being released next month. That may have some people upset, but personally I don't care. The newer and improved product will probably have twenty more features… that I won't ever use. The Apple 8 GB iPhone is perfect for me and possibly THE best Christmas present that I've ever received.
The answer is simple: I played with it for about 5 minutes in an Apple store one day and lusted after it from that point on. I tried to convince my fiance to buy me one but he steadfastly refused month after month. When Christmas rolled around, my parents offered to buy it for me. They were buying my sister a Bose Wave something-or-other and they try to spend the same amount on both of us. As luck would have it, the Apple iPhone was about the same as the Bose thingamajig which is why they even considered it as a Christmas present. I've been using the iPhone daily for over a month now and I am very happy with it. Could I live without it? Sure. Do I want to? No way!
The Apple 8 GB iPhone
This device is much more than just a fancy cell phone. It functions as a phone, an iPod, an internet browser, a camera, an email inbox, a navigator, a calendar, a movie viewer, etc. I saw a commercial for the iPhone which said that it was the perfect piece of technology for those who try to cram their phone, PalmPilot, and iPod into their pockets or briefcases. That seemed like a compelling argument to me.
The iPhone comes with ear buds, a USB cable, and a docking station. Cases and screen protectors are accessories that you have to purchase in Apple stores, AT&T stores, or online. The whole thing has been easy enough for someone like me to use without ever having to consult the owner's manual. If I can figure out the iPhone, anyone can! At the bottom of this device is the "home" button. When you press that, you are taken to the main screen which has 17 different buttons, including: Text, Camera, YouTube, Weather, iTunes, Phone, Mail, Safari, and iPod. Pressing on the buttons will activate whatever function you select. You use the "home" button to navigate between functions.
The battery life on this device is decent. I can check my email, listen to music, and surf the net fairly regularly throughout the day without totally draining the battery. I don't think I'd be able to use it to entertain myself by watching movies during a trans-atlantic flight, though. I have to charge my iPhone every night in order to have it ready for use the next day.
The Phone
Using this product as a phone is different from what I had been used to. There are no buttons to press, rather you use the touch screen to enter numbers. You also can select numbers from your list of contacts, recent calls (dialed and received), and a list of favorites. The voicemail is, again, different but very cool! The caller names (or numbers if they are from people not in your contacts) are listed in the order that they were received and you can actually pick the order in which you want to listen to them. No more plowing through 5 long and boring messages in order to get to the one that you are eagerly awaiting! Sound quality is very good whether you use it as a handheld, with the earbuds, or on speakerphone.
The iPod
I had never owned an iPod before so this whole "bring your music with you" thing was a new experience for me. As luck would have it, my laptop and Motorola RAZR had some kind of suicide pact and both died the weekend before Christmas. I quickly bought a new laptop but had lost 3+ years worth of music on my old computer. I only had a measly 17 songs to upload to the iPhone when I received it. Still, it was fun for me to be able to grocery shop or grade tests at work while listening to some of my favorite songs. I've spent the past four years as a high school teacher trying to understand why the students are always listening to their iPods during the 4 minute walk to the next class. I'm finally starting to get it!
You can scroll through your music via artist, song title, or playlists. As a song plays, the album cover often appears on the screen for you to view. You also can view your music or use other phone functions (internet, weather, text messaging, email) as songs are playing which I think is pretty neat. As far as sound goes, you can either use ear buds to listen to your music privately or you can play it out loud on the phone. You definitely can damage your hearing listening to your tunes with ear buds at the highest volume setting, but trying to play it on the phone's speakers at full volume isn't even loud enough for someone in the next room to really hear.
I certainly can't compare the iPhone's iPod function to that of the Shuffle or Nano. All I can really say is that it is more than enough for a thirty-year old who never got into the whole iPod craze.
The Internet
I must admit that one of the main reasons I was so taken with the Apple 8 GB iPhone is the fact that I could access the internet anywhere anytime. You could say that I am a bit addicted to the internet and I loved the idea of checking up on my favorite web sites while waiting in the doctor's office or on my lunch break.
You can access the net easily with this device. A site may look absolutely miniscule and beyond human eyesight when you first get to it, but all you have to do is spread your fingers (thumb and pointer) outward in a diagonal direction to zoom into the site. Clicking on links is a challenge until you increase the font size. Entering text on a message board is somewhat difficult as the "keyboard" takes up pretty much the entire screen which makes it impossible to see what you are typing. The spell check has a nasty habit of replacing what you type unless you actually click each suggested word to stop the replacement. Because you can't see what you are typing, you certainly can't disable the spell check which means that your message may contain some words that are totally different from what you meant.
Before I received my Apple iPhone, I was a bit nervous about the internet connection speed because I had read so many complaints about the EDGE network. I'm not really sure what the EDGE network is or how it works, but I know that it is the internet connection that this device uses when there are no wireless networks available in the area. Honestly, I was expecting a page to take minutes to load a la 1995. EDGE really isn't that slow, at least compared to the speed that my laptop loads pages on our wireless network. Yes, it may take 10+ seconds for a page with loads of graphics, but my laptop has the same issues.
One complaint that I have about the internet feature on this product is the fact that you can't view videos that require Flash Player. Apparently Apple has some kind of exclusive agreement with YouTube so it is pretty much impossible to watch video clips embedded on message boards, blogs, etc.
The Camera
I've taken a few pictures with the iPhone but overall I am unimpressed with the camera. Yes, you can take crystal clear pictures, but there is no zoom feature so you need to get up close and personal with your subject. Another gripe that I have is that you can't send pictures along in a text message. I was able to do that with my RAZR and totally took that for granted. You can upload pictures to your computer and you can attach them to emails, but there is no way to embed them in text messages. .. or if there is, I haven't figured it out yet.
Other Features
This device can give you driving directions, play movies, and update you on the stock market. I own a GPS, watch very few movies, and don't own stocks so I have no interest in those functions. There are several others which are somewhat useful and that I use occasionally: weather, calendar, and notes. If they suddenly dropped off of the home screen, I probably wouldn't even notice. Others like my fiance would probably flip out, though.
Service Plan
Apple has a two or three year exclusivity contract with AT&T/Cingular. If you own an Apple 8 GB iPhone and want it to work, you need to sign up with AT&T. This presented a bit of a problem because I was part of a T-Mobile Family Plan. We had three lines with T-Mobile and had extended the contract for a new phone within the past year. My fiance was unwilling to cancel the contract for the $200 termination fee… so sneaky me decided to buy him his very own iPhone as a combination Christmas/birthday present. I figured he couldn't possibly refuse to switch to AT&T then! Ha ha T-Mobile has had the last laugh on that one. They want to charge us $200 per line to terminate the contract for a grand total of $600. Ouch. There are ways to hack and "unlock" these phones but I have neither the knowledge nor inclination to do so. Some people can get them to work on T-Mobile or other services, but you can't use the voicemail feature and it probably voids the warranty.
We are paying $110/month for two iPhones with 700 shared minutes, unlimited in-network calls, unlimited internet, and rollover minutes. That's about what we were paying for the T-Mobile Family Plan without rollover or internet so it seems reasonable to us.
Overall Opinion
This obviously isn't a technical review by an electronics or cell phone expert. I'm just a thirty year old chick who took a fancy to a cool gadget. The iPhone works well for my phone call, text messaging, internet, and music purposes. I can do so much more with this device than I could with my RAZR, so I'm happy. There are rumblings about a second generation iPhone being released next month. That may have some people upset, but personally I don't care. The newer and improved product will probably have twenty more features… that I won't ever use. The Apple 8 GB iPhone is perfect for me and possibly THE best Christmas present that I've ever received.
