IPhone

[Scotty]

I just saw Jared on Columbus TV waiting in his lawn chair to get his IPhone. He said he closed his business so he could be in line to get the new phone. I guess he is like the rest of us "Gadget Guy".

[Sal]

Nora and I are Apple GEEKS to the max (we even made the pilgrimage to Apple HQ when we were on the west coast) ... between us we have plenty of Apple's fruit (ipods, powermacs, mini, isights, AE expresses, and extremes, etc)... BUT... we're going to wait a year or two to see what Apple has up its sleeve, as well as wait for the Rev2 of the iPhone.

El Jobs, also made his Apple-wide speech yesterday proclaiming very exciting new prodicts in the way of advancements to AppleTV, as well as hopefully more capabilites for the iPhone.

We'll wait for the bugs to be fixed.

In the meantime, we'll enjoy Leopard in September, as well as (wishful thinking) OS X on the iPOD, which Jobs hinted at, what could that be? Maybe iPhone without the Phone? Hope so!

-Sal

http://dream2005.nfshost.com/salapple.jpg

[quade]

Staying away from the bleeding edge of technology right now. Can't wait to see it when it comes out of beta testing. :) I'll probably only be able to resist until my current phone dies (6 to 9 months).

The first few months of this are going to be "interesting".

[JaredHT]

I just saw Jared on Columbus TV waiting in his lawn chair to get his IPhone. He said he closed his business so he could be in line to get the new phone. I guess he is like the rest of us "Gadget Guy".

Scotty,

Yeah, I've been in and out of the office...in fact, in and out of town, for a few weeks now....just running my head off. In fact, I'm heading back out of town tonight....but, I figured I'd stop for a little bit to get in line for a phone. LOL, the sad part is I've been so busy lately, I hired a buddy of mine to hold my spot until Jen gets off work. LOL, I'm out of line now, doing some busy work, LMAO.

[RatPk]

Here I sit in line at the Woodfield Mall Apple store in Schaumburg. I am about 110th in line, do you guys think I will get one? I should have brought my Segway with to create a stir and trade a ride for a phone from the Apple guys!!! :)

[SegWayne]

don't buy anything that ends in .0

[SegwayDan]

Staying away from the bleeding edge of technology right now. Can't wait to see it when it comes out of beta testing. :) I'll probably only be able to resist until my current phone dies (6 to 9 months).

The first few months of this are going to be "interesting".

It's only right, isn't it, that I should answer this by posting from my new iPhone.

This thing is fan-frikkin-tastic!!

[Dwarf84396]

So, I got one, activated it ... but now I'm stuck waiting on my number port to finish! It's the most painful time I've had because it's in my hands but I can't do anything with it!

[SegwayDan]

I was 14th in line at the Largo, FL ATT. I'm typing this on my iPhone!

[quade]

It's only right, isn't it, that I should answer this by posting from my new iPhone.

This thing is fan-frikkin-tastic!!

Awesome!

I have SOOOooo... many questions that the videos on the web site didn't address. I'll let ya play with it over the weekend and I'll ask them after you've played with it a bit.

[SegwayDan]

Wow. There's soooo much to play with.

I like the way it's constantly looking for WiFi signals, but the Edge network isn't bad for e-mail.

Its tiny speakers on the bottom aren't half bad for speaker phone and even music.

The syncing on my Mac is so seamless and easy. It's basically an iPod for that type of thing.

There were about fifty people in line waiting for the 6pm opening at the ATT store. The manager came out around 3:30 and briefed us and asked us to stand clear of adjacent store fronts so as not to obscure them. The people were very calm and cooperative.

When 6pm came the doors opened and there were a about a dozen staff to handle a dozen or so customers at a time. There were reasonable measures in place to prevent spec buying. And my particular transaction was painless, me being an existing customer. I just basically got my 8Gig phone, swiped my card, and I was out of there.

The activation at home was very easy once I downloaded the latest iTunes software. It was like installing OS X. Just a few "wizard" screens, one of which was to opt for the $20/mo data package.

So far the ATT aspect of it is invisible. You just do what you want with the phone and it connects for calls and data and e-mail, etc. And it's always looking for WiFi service.

I'm going out to Clearwater Beach tomorrow morning and will be passing numerous free hotspots at resorts and hotels along the way, but the really intriguing thing to see is if a particular hotspot has enough power to reach across Clearwater Pass to where I'm shooting. That would be so sweet if it did.

[SegwayDan]

This is like the Rolex of cell phones. Good quality, good looks, and a pleasure to use.

I'm sure I'll get the hang of typing soon, but it's quite sensitive. What's very nice, too, is the high-res screen. Type is crystal clear.

I love the large screen and the fact that applications can use the whole screen area. The keyboard only comes up when you need it, and then it's just a "sheet" which comes up over whatever is underneath.

[macgeek]

Ok, I'm teasing the keyboards isnt THAT bad!

Well what kind of MACGEEK would I be if I didn't have the Toy in my grubby lil ol hands, and of Course I brought my segway (me, shy?)
I was like the 350th person person on line, it was a great time!

And what better seat then a SEGseat!
http://bandster.us/iphone/1.jpg


http://bandster.us/iphone/2.jpg


So you think they will have any LEFT?
http://bandster.us/iphone/3.jpg


The MASS of people!
http://bandster.us/iphone/4.jpg

Old photo
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/47/149581205_004e7e16a2.jpg

AND I was in GOOD Company!!!

Even Steve Wozniak, the ex-partner of Jobs, showed up at a Silicon Valley mall at 4 a.m. aboard his Segway scooter. He helped keep order in the line outside the Apple store.

The other customers awarded the honorary first spot in line to Wozniak, who planned to buy two iPhones on Friday even though he remains an Apple employee and will get a free one from the company next month. He said the device would redefine cell phone design and use.

[RAG1247]

I really didn't need another phone, but the line at Apple in fT Lauderdale was a non-issue and the phone is really great - some features missing but those will appear in iphone2

[Sal]

This thread for first hand reviews of the phone after a week or so.

-Sal

[macgeek]

well... first complaint

The iPhone bluetooth does NOT link with a mac, no services available.
WTF???


Setting up the iPhone on a exchange server is a PIA. (i have set up dozens of phones with IMAP but the iPhone is giving me grief.

no acces to the OS
yup - locked tight, cant look at the OS no matter what util i tried.

Things to come..

there IS a EXCHANGE tab (deactivated0
hopefuly that will save me from porting all my calenders / contacts
etc into ical / address book

(BTW this review was written from my CARputer)

:)


Jonathan

[SegwayDan]

Bluetooth is for periphals, not services.

I joined our local WiFi net (Airport) with no config at all.

I like how it is always searching for WiFi. A window comes up and you tap on the one you want to join.

[Sal]

I really respect John Gruber at Daring Fireball (http://daringfireball.net).

Here's his take (http://daringfireball.net/2007/06/iphone_first_impressions).


Again far more positives than negatives, which I have been noticing in the reviews online.

But, guys, please do keep your observations coming. It's one thing to read reviews from "professional" blogger-types, but it's another to get the lo down from the family here. :)
-Sal

[SegwayDan]

Yeah, well as a family member, my positives are 99+%!

One biggie for me, and all-too-obvious, is that I now have one less "thing" in my pocket, but it's BOTH an iPod and a phone! And the phone is nice and slim, and not like those tiny silly-looking phones. And it doesn't flip--what a silly thing THAT is to have to do for every call!

In one respect it seems a tad on the heavy side, but then again it feels substantial and "worth something" like a bar of precious metal (no, not THAT heavy!).

[macgeek]

the iPhone is definetly SWEET, and you won't hear me curmudgeoning about it, It is a very very NICE phone!!!

its a 98% winner!

Jonathan

[safety1st]

Got in line at the Apple store at 6:30 pm walk out with 2 iPhones at 6:50 pm.
No Flash.

David

[Cube128]

I camped out for the phone, it was totally worth it :D.

[macgeek]

It's a piece of sh*t.

Uses piece of sh*t AT&T service only (and over priced service on top of that).

Works on piece of sh*t apple software and only works with piece of sh*t Apple itunes.

Ya know this post reminded me of the attitude people have about segway's
they think they are f*ck*ng sh*t and people who use em are dorks.

Well I hate to say this, but thats just stupid ignorance and jealousy and its distasteful.

Have an opinion, but have one based on some knowledge and not a
"its cool to be cruel" attitude.

[Just from another site I am on, and I thought I would share this with my segway brothers and sisters]

Jonathan

[Desert_Seg]

[Just from another site I am on, and I thought I would share this with my segway brothers and sisters]

Jonathan

Until I read that last comment I was looking for the "missing" post.

Way to get me scratching my head!

Steven

[CovRob]

Until I read that last comment I was looking for the "missing" post.

Way to get me scratching my head!

Steven

:confused: Me too...I thought I had missed something :rolleyes:

[macgeek]

NO ONE on this site (well, maybe one) :)
is *THAT* Pig Headed!

Jonathan

[wwhopper]

Posting their negative oppinion on a website makes them important, because they then have something to say. And everyone should listen to them, because of it.

I loved the interviews on the DC newstations last night that folks were buying them to put on the web to sell, but none of the stores had run out of stock as of 11 pm last night, and there were still lines. Then the newscaster said the stores had plenty of stock and would be open all weekend selling them. Then they went back to the studio and the anchor was online quoting the prices on ebay and Craig's List that were two and three times the MSRP.

Recently I bought a B&O Earset 2. It is no where near worth the price of admission, my cheap Jabra worked better. But hey the B&O is cool, and now I do not get the comments about having a roach on my ear.

Some stuff is right for some folks, but not everyone. Imagine if these tech pieces were a combination or religon and political type things. The negative comments would be off the charts.

[Sal]

P...Recently I bought a B&O Earset 2. It is no where near worth the price of admission, my cheap Jabra worked better. But hey the B&O is cool, and now I do not get the comments about having a roach on my ear. ...

Bill saved me some $$$ when he gave me reviews of the Earset 2. I am afraid, though, that even with it's shortcomings, I'm going to spend $$$ on the iPhone sometime in the future. Hopefully bby the time Rev 2 or 3 come by.

-Sal

[hellphish]

Commonly when I am texting or AIM'ing on my phone, someone will ask me for a phone number of another friend. I can switch over to my contacts list, find the number, copy to the clipboard, then switch back over to the converstation/text and paste it back to the requester. How do you do this on an iphone?

[macgeek]

Jonathan Gleich surveys the crowd from atop his Segway as he takes a break from waiting in line to be among the first to purchase the iPhone at the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue in New York

REUTERS / Jeff Zelevansky

http://cdn.channel.aol.com/aolnews_photos/0b/01/20070629171209990018

Jonathan

[Dwarf84396]

I have to agree with most of the reviews on here already. This really is a great piece of technology, (and as I'm noticing right now, the keyboard is freaking sweet!) The only problem that I've had was with the activation of the phone, but I was able to resolve that fairly quickly with a few calls to apple/at&t to get them to cancel my previous activation (I was one of the many with number porting problems.) But, overall, this little thing is sweet!

[SegwayDan]

I'm on the beach now. Tapped the weather app and it's 87F. Just checked wifi and found one--probably a condo across the pass.

Listening to music all the while. The sound quality is MUCH better than my 5G 60 Gb. Enable caps lock in settings and you set them with a double tap on the shift key.

Typo correction works great!

[SegwayDan]

Wifis are weak. Edge is actually better and not too bad for SegChat visits.

The wife called as I was typing and said wind noise was bad with stock earbuds.

I bought a Jawbone headset with noise cancelling, which works well and is very comfortable. It also doesn't look too much like a cockroach. (I mistyped cockroach and it offered the correct version! Haha!)

[hellphish]

Somebody please comment about copy-n-pasting on the iphone.

[quade]

Questions, questions, questions . . .

When I look at a manufacturer's specs and marketing it's often the things they don't mention that draws my attention.

Q1 -- The iPhone has a 2 mega pixel camera and supposedly takes nice photos for a camera phone. However, even my 2 year old Razr also takes video. No where in the iPhone lit is there any mention of video. Can the iPhone take video?

Q2 -- The iPhone seems to make great use of OS X and a few of the "applications" look like they're actually widgets. Is it possible to add in "normal" OS X widgets to expand the capabilities of the phone?

Q3 -- Pretty much all cell phones today have a mandated GPS chip in them for emergency services and 911 location (known as e911). Can/does the iPhone pass any of that information to the operating system? For instance, can it track itself with Google maps?

I have other questions, but these are the biggies.

[RAG1247]

Questions, questions, questions . . .

When I look at a manufacturer's specs and marketing it's often the things they don't mention that draws my attention.

Q1 -- The iPhone has a 2 mega pixel camera and supposedly takes nice photos for a camera phone. However, even my 2 year old Razr also takes video. No where in the iPhone lit is there any mention of video. Can the iPhone take video?

the phone cannot take video

Q2 -- The iPhone seems to make great use of OS X and a few of the "applications" look like they're actually widgets. Is it possible to add in "normal" OS X widgets to expand the capabilities of the phone?

future additions are in the future??

Q3 -- Pretty much all cell phones today have a mandated GPS chip in them for emergency services and 911 location (known as e911). Can/does the iPhone pass any of that information to the operating system? For instance, can it track itself with Google maps?

no gps function

I have other questions, but these are the biggies.

biggest surprise is that there is no mms so one cant send a picture to another phone or in email

[macgeek]

biggest surprise is that there is no mms so one cant send a picture to another phone or in email

You can send pics via email

click on picture, then click on [->] button

Email photo

BTW if you plug your iPhone into your dock and run iPhoto the phone shows up as a camera

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Quade; There may be a GPS chip embedded, but no software using it (yet)

hellphish; there IS NO copy and paste on the iPhone, its weird not having it


Jonathan

[hellphish]

Waiting for Rev2 then. How does the google maps application work without gps? In the demos I thought I saw that they searched for seafood, and it came up with seafood near the user. I didn't think they entered "seafood in SF" or anything like that.

[RAG1247]

thank you Jonathan - pictures can be sent via email

[quade]

Q2 -- The iPhone seems to make great use of OS X and a few of the "applications" look like they're actually widgets. Is it possible to add in "normal" OS X widgets to expand the capabilities of the phone?

future additions are in the future??


I think maybe you misunderstood what I was asking.

OS X, today, allows a person to add in small applications called "Widgets". These applications have the same look and feel of the applications already on the iPhone. A common widget application is a simple and specific RSS reader such as YouTube, Weather and Maps.

One would have hoped that the iPhone would have the ability to simply install Widgets so that the user could customize its functionality to his needs.

See; http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/

[Sal]

...there IS NO copy and paste on the iPhone, its weird not having it

Jonathan

I think the Newton implementation of the clipboard was the epitome of elegance:

- double-tap and/or drag to select an item / text
- drag the above selection to any corner of the screen, and it "Sticks" there, as the clipboard.
- Simply redrag that selection into the body of another piece of text, or a field

The iPhone gestures could easily be modified / updated to enable this sort of clipboard.

-Sal

[hellphish]

I think maybe you misunderstood what I was asking.

OS X, today, allows a person to add in small applications called "Widgets". These applications have the same look and feel of the applications already on the iPhone. A common widget application is a simple and specific RSS reader such as YouTube, Weather and Maps.

One would have hoped that the iPhone would have the ability to simply install Widgets so that the user could customize its functionality to his needs.

See; http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/


It is nice to hope, but Apple wants nothing to do with that. With all the marketing talk "OS X in your hand!" (yeah right) they have no plans to make the iPhone a computing platform, and there isn't even an SDK for it. It is a closed platform, locked down and not open to developers.

[fredkap]

I really like most aspects of my iPhone but I am puzzled that they made them only Edge and wifi compatable but that they are not 3g (AT&T calls it BroadbandConnect) compatable. The iPhone guy said that they didn't include 3G to conserve battery consumption.

Granted my house and office have wireless internet and I can subscibe to Boingo or some other way to hook up to most public wifi sites, but I am real surprised that 3G wasn't included.

-Fred

[polo_pro]

Granted my house and office have wireless internet and I can subscibe to Boingo or some other way to hook up to most public wifi sites, but I am real surprised that 3G wasn't included.

If you have SBC Yahoo DSL, I strongly recommend the $2.99/month add on that gets you WiFi access at thousands of locations (mainly UPS Stores and McDonalds). If they had a locator app that I could load onto my PDA for use when offline then I'd be quite satisfied.

[SegwayDan]

It is nice to hope, but Apple wants nothing to do with that. With all the marketing talk "OS X in your hand!" (yeah right) they have no plans to make the iPhone a computing platform, and there isn't even an SDK for it. It is a closed platform, locked down and not open to developers.
Totally not true. They're starting with Web 2.0-type apps. This is at least an opening and a hedge against allowing more openness to developers once they resolve security requirements, and, most likely, once they get a better feel for what's needed and wanted from more and more iPhone owners.

[hellphish]

So if I'm in a tunnel and I need to use the scientific calculator web app that somebody built, I'll be SOL because the app isn't on the phone itself. There's no way to install these web apps on the phone because that would require a host of other services to support the app (web server, sql, php, etc.)

Access to web apps is a poor substitute for a proper SDK.

[SegwayDan]

No it isn't. It's a start. It's something that can be done now. Improvements will come.

[hellphish]

Apple-flavored koolaid must be delicious.

[quade]

Apple-flavored koolaid must be delicious.

To be honest . . . it doesn't taste much different than the stuff we're used to on this web site. :)

If a person likes Apple juice, they'll buy Apple juice. If a person doesn't, they won't even try it. Pity for them since the cup could still be half full of great stuff.

[hellphish]

I love Apple juice, but it is twice as expensive as my normal juice and not twice as filling.

[Cube128]

Man, Apple and Segway are so much alike. Both have very passionate users, and both have large groups of people that hate them for no real reason.

[quade]

Man, Apple and Segway are so much alike. Both have very passionate users, and both have large groups of people that hate them for no real reason.

Which is the irony I find in some people's comments in this very thread.

[hellphish]

The only problem is when brand loyalty blinds you to the shortcommings of their individual products. It reminds me of the i2 parking stand. Ya it doesn't have one yet, but just wait guys! It's coming! I just know it! :P

[citivolus]

So if I'm in a tunnel and I need to use the scientific calculator web app that somebody built... Access to web apps is a poor substitute for a proper SDK.

IIRC, Web two dot Oh, can use little more than javascript and xml to deliver web apps. This places the all the work onto browser and thus the app should work from a static page even without a server. The downside is that the javascript standard, isn't much of a standard, because everybody implements it differently... to the point where you often have to code differently for Safari, Firefox and IE. It drives me nuts every time I want to do something trivial so I figure I'll code it in javascript only to learn that I've found yet another discontinuity in implementation of the ECMA standard and just use something else like I should have in the beginning.

#killall -m whine
#/usr/bin/fortune

What happens when Google and Apple finally merge and become... Gappoogle, Agoppogle, Gapopogle, Apgo...whatever?

[polo_pro]

What happens when Google and Apple finally merge and become... Gappoogle, Agoppogle, Gapopogle, Apgo...whatever?

Microsoft sh*ts a brick! 8^) 8^) 8^)

[byped]

the keyboard and browser concepts for the iPhone are mildly similar to browsing on a nintendo wii! This post brought to you from my living room... so much for a mac mini!:D

[macgeek]

I got my old star trek 'bosun whistle' on the iPhone as my ringtone

(the internet is swell!)

JOnathan

[Sal]

I take it, most of you who bought yourselves an iPhone also paid whatever cancellation fees your cell provider charged. (Except for those who already had Cingular / ATT).

Nora had a chance to play with an iPhone (I still haven't), and she said it's as everyone else things: SWEET.

I think I'm going to steer clear of it, because if I hold one, I'd want one...

-Sal

[SegwayDan]

Soooo? How 'bout a link or something to how you did it?

[SegwayDan]

Hey, I was *meant* to have one! My AT&T contract for my previous phone was up on the 22nd of July, so my new contract on the 29th when they came out didn't cost me any extra!

So Nora knows it's sweet, Jonathan and I know it's sweet. How can you possibly resist, hmm?

[macgeek]

Soooo? How 'bout a link or something to how you did it?

http://www.hacktheiphone.com/iphone_ringtone_installation.html

Is one of the most comprehensive guides, but there are many others.


Jonathan

[hellphish]

When I played with it, I thought it was sweet. But I didn't once think it was worth the money. 600 dollars for a device with less storage than an ipod (non-expandable to boot), an interface that requires your full attention and allows for no shortcuts bewteen programs (not to mention no cut and paste), a keyboard I can't touch type on (what do I touch?), and no video camera!

Queue the fanbois who say one of the following:
"Video camera isn't really important to me"
"But, its so beautiful!"
"The keyboard reads your mind!"
"So elegant, buttons are a thing of the past."
"Who needs an SDK anyway?"

[hellphish]

John, thanks for posting that great guide! I am sure it will help people get what they deserve out of their phone. Ill be passing this along to the iPhone owners at work.

[macgeek]

When I played with it, I thought it was sweet. But I didn't once think it was worth the money. 600 dollars for a device with less storage than an ipod (non-expandable to boot), an interface that requires your full attention and allows for no shortcuts bewteen programs (not to mention no cut and paste), a keyboard I can't touch type on (what do I touch?), and no video camera!

Queue the fanbois who say one of the following:
"Video camera isn't really important to me"
"But, its so beautiful!"
"The keyboard reads your mind!"
"So elegant, buttons are a thing of the past."
"Who needs an SDK anyway?"

So I read your post and though wow, the segway;

When I rode it, I thought it was sweet. But I didn't once think it was worth the money. 5000 dollars for a device with less mileage than an car (non-expandable), an interface that requires your full attention .

Queue the fanbois who say one of the following:
"a seat isn't really important to me"
"But, its so beautiful!"
"The segway reads your mind!"
"So elegant, cars are a thing of the past."
"Who needs to tweak there software anyway?

Nuff said

Jonathan

[hellphish]

Don't troll me, son. You know you did think it was worth the money, and worth losing weight for. The interface doesn't require hardly any attention at all either. See "disappearing segway" thread.

[macgeek]

I know why I bought the Segway AND why I bought the iPhone, I am just saying to you. that the fanboy comment can go either way.

What you think of my New avatar?

Jonathan

[Sal]

What you think of my New avatar?

Jonathan

F12: Dashboard FlyGuy! Sweet!

-Sal

[Cube128]

Could I get a Segway button for my iPhone too? I wonder what it does...

[BillPaxton]

How much is it really? I am T-mobile & Cingular (personal/work). I need messaging similar to blackberry, calendar, contacts, and would love to not carry two phones and an iPod video...also will it dock in an iStation and plug into my car wia standard headphone connector? Also heard the data service is expensive. What are the facts?

[bentbiker]

How much is it really? I am T-mobile & Cingular (personal/work). I need messaging similar to blackberry, calendar, contacts, and would love to not carry two phones and an iPod video...also will it dock in an iStation and plug into my car wia standard headphone connector? Also heard the data service is expensive. What are the facts?

As little as $60/mo for service w unlimited data. All the answers at:
http://www.apple.com/iphone/

[pam]

OK, I bit the bullet. For those who have my cell number, it remains the same. <G> I spent last night putting the contacts in. It would have drawn over from Outlook or Outlook express, but I run Thunderbird ...
Pam

[SegwayDan]

Hey Pam, congratulations!!

Such a gesture from such as our omniscient and and all-wise administrator-monitor bears yet more incontrovertible testament to this fine product's worthiness and allure ;-)

So I guess this means that you're not the disgruntled iPhone owner who may have inspired this clever marketing stratagem:

http://homepage.mac.com/adobephile/verizonSign.jpg

I stopped in Largo yesterday to take this photo with my iPhone! I thought it was hilarious!