Top 5 reasons I could never take back my iPhone

[spazzman90]

Hi there,

I really enjoy using my iPhone almost constantly. And while the iPhone is not a perfect device, what it does do is extremely easy and fast. I believe this is everything Steve promised (except for maybe Flash) and of course will only get better (and more complicated). On to the countdown!

5. I can do my banking just about anywhere. I love being able to pay bills, check and transfer funds anywhere. No more doing a big purchase and then biting my nails all the way home to find out whether I had enough funds in the account. I can transfer before the purchase! Love it!

4. Ipod and phone are one in the same. Easy access to music and movies. Finally in one device. Also, thanks to myorb, access to music on my pc remotely is just a couple taps away.

3. Weather widget. Yup simple, but I travel a bit and it is super nice to look down at a glance for current conditions on a number of cities and be able to prepare for the weather.

2. Visual Voicemail. Ok, so 3, 4, 5 you may be able to do on other phones, but this could almost justify the price here. So nice being able to random access voicemail and playback on your terms. Huge timesaver.

1. Google maps. This is way too underplayed in my opinion, yet extremely powerful. This will let you put almost anything in the search box. Zip code, city, abbreviated state name, any heading (ice cream, pizza, auto parts, casino), oh and addresses. You can mix a city and heading, state and heading, and so on. Its all fair game. You can find any place in a matter of seconds. Calling or directions is just a couple more taps. Forget the phonebook, forget a map, forget the navigation in your car (this is faster and more up to date). You will never need to use those devices again.


The thing I appreciate about all of these is they are fast, fast, fast. No hunting through menus or waiting on the UI. Within only a couple days, you are accomplishing any of these tasks in seconds with a minimal number of taps and a low amount of waiting. Congrats Apple and all other companies involved. That's my 2 cents.

-Jeff

[lilo]

Originally Posted by spazzman90

I believe this is everything Steve promised (except for maybe Flash)

Steve, Bill - what's the difference?

You are right that 3, 4 and 5 are available on every smartphone. One should probably weight 2 against many other things that smart phones do better than i phones: outlook integration, MMS, real blue tooth, video camera etc.

Smart phones with GPS will beat i phones in Google maps usability any time. And they can also work as car navigation systems - with maps, auto routing and voice commands.

I guess you need to work on your list. There are some additional strengths to i phones.

[spazzman90]

Originally Posted by lilo

Steve, Bill - what's the difference?

You are right that 3, 4 and 5 are available on every smartphone. One should probably weight 2 against many other things that smart phones do better than i phones: outlook integration, MMS, real blue tooth, video camera etc.

Smart phones with GPS will beat i phones in Google maps usability any time. And they can also work as car navigation systems - with maps, auto routing and voice commands.

I guess you need to work on your list. There are some additional strengths to i phones.

Oh I did weigh that stuff in. I guess I don't need anymore Outlook integration than all my contact info. Don't use MMS. Real blue tooth? It works with my car and motorola earpiece.... Video camera.. Let's see I use voicemail multiple times a day. How often would i use video camera?

As far as smartphones with GPS, don't really need it. Something else to drain the battery. I bet I could look up and navigate 5 locations before you find one on any smartphone.

-Jeff

[jimwarden]

Jeff, I agree completely with your Google Maps being number one on your list. Just got back from Destin, FL, and I used GM continuously to find stores, restaurants, shortcuts around traffic, etc. Loved it! Even searched for a Krystal restaurant along I-65 coming home, found it, called it to be sure it had frozen Coke, before getting off the interstate. I travel a lot, so this is going to be a real plus for me.

Also accessed national weather radar maps on Safari with Edge to assess the severe thunderstorms we encountered around Greenville, AL yesterday.

Great device. It is creating a new smart phone market segment, that is different than the blackberry segment that is more specialized for corporate e-mail.

Jim