why did i give the phone a 3? remember, this is a cell PHONE first and foremost.

My 7 year old kyocera 6035 had 3 things my the 3G iphone dont:

1. Voice dialing


2. Speed dialing (okay... the FAV screen is close)


3. Voice recording (okay... i know 3rd party apps exist. but come on apple... this shoulda been at least a very small app.




One more: copy and paste. my 6035 had a C&P that i took for granted. when i read reports about the 3G not have it, i overlooked it.





But know... 3 weeks into it... i SOOOO miss it. come on APPLE... stick in ver 2.5!!!!!!!





iPod a 5. i never had an ipod before. sony PSP and a pioneed INNO (which is more of an XM radio than an MP3 player).





Internet a big 5!!!!! come one, this was the selling point for me. granted, i wish the safari could do stuff like XM radio and SIRIUS radio media players...





Bundled s/w a 4. i dont know. maybe a voice recorder would be nice. speed dialing... voice dialing... oh wait... it should be less... lol...





Value a 4. i got the kyocera 6035 back then for free after the rebates. i cringe everytime i think i just paid $300 for a cell phone.





oh well. i hope the 2 years go fast. and that apple include the 4 things i mentioned.

I've had 3 weeks to get used to my first iPhone, The 3G. Now is an appropriate time to give it a proper review of the things that I like, and dislike, about the 3G.

At first, i think we were all a little frustrated with the performance of 3G out of the box. The 3G connection has not been the most consistent since launch, but I have noticed improved overall coverage. The speed that 3G allows iPhone users to have at their fingertips is impressive to say the least. It really makes the iPhone finally more than just a phone, but rather a computer in your hands.

Likes:

• VERY user friendly


• Design is improved over v1 iPhone. I like the sleeker presentation and feel of the 3G in the palm of the hand.


• Email, Internet and App functionality all impressive (speed, form and functionality all intersect with the 3G)


• Glass is very scratch resistant


• Customer Support has been stellar to date.

Dislikes:

• 2.0 software is LAGGY. Awaiting a patch to fix this - I wish I could give the software rating a 3.5, rather than a 4.


• Dropped calls happen in areas where 3G signal is low (i.e. inside buildings, etc).


• Apps have been failing (2.0 software issue I believe).


• Data plan seems a little over-priced....But worth it. ;)

I would suggest it to any person who wants something more than a phone. I am not paying for a phone, IMO. I am paying for a multimedia device, and web browser, a place to share photos with others, a Digital Music Player, and a phone...all in one, perfect package.

The Bad:

Although this is a huge upgrade from my 2005 Motorola ROKR E1, there are a couple bothersome traits to this phone.

The software can be buggy. Safari being the only Apple software that really doesn't like my iPhone. It often shuts down by itself and goes back to the home screen, and I have to wait for the page to load all over again. The system software is also kind of funky. I don't like the way it rearranges my icons on the "desktop" after the apps update. Maybe I am missing a setting somewhere, but that's another maze to go through. I've also just ran into the problem with getting no sound from a ringtone or text message alert, even though the ringer is switched to on. This only required a restart to fix, but still a slight annoyance. A lot of the 3rd party apps seem to just get thrown on the app store, without thorough testing, as some of them have gone as far as crashing my phone. Restarting it is also a difficulty as well sometimes.

No MMS? For being the best invention of 2007, and the "most advanced phone," I find it annoying that I can not receive picture or video messages from friends. The phone has no problem browsing the internet with all the graphics piece of cake, as well as receiving anything in Mail that I can on my desktop computer. I don't mind not being able to video record things, but having my friends, and even mom say "what? you can't receive picture messages on your phone?" is slightly embarrassing. Why can't it do this?

The camera. Great camera quality, if it's bright out. Maybe I am a bit biased as I am used to using my D-SLR, but if I am on the go and want to capture something, the camera can be slightly difficult to use. It has no image stabilizer and takes forever to snap a picture when indoors. The quality of the end result is good, however.

My biggest problem I want to see fixed, is the lag between typing on the "keypad." It strikes more often than not, and can be very annoying when you are a fast typer and realize you have to go back and fix several words. I can deal with the lag opening apps, as I realize it takes time on a normal computer.

The Good:

Great looking phone. When it isn't buggy, it is the best UI for a phone hands down. The case looks great (although I've heard reports of recent "crackings", I have yet to experience this).

No dropped calls. I have yet to experience a dropped call from my end on AT&T. I've been with them since 2005 and I love the service.

The Battery life is not as bad as people make it out to be. You have a kick-ass phone, you are going to want to play with it a lot. If you wear the battery down ALL THE WAY a few times and recharge it fully, you should see an extent in your battery life. I can leave mine on for 2 days straight with moderate usage and "play" time. Not to mention the battery charges quickly.

The touch screen is slightly more on the good side than bad. If you get a nice case (I am still waiting for the updated T2 from ivyskin.com, the T3) you will not have as many smudge problems. The response is fairly accurate and usually immediate. The screen does get smudgy fast however.

The phone sounds great. I can hear everyone loud and clear. People can hear me when I talk on speakerphone at times. The rings are loud and clear (if you choose the correct ones).

The Wifi is another big plus. It remembers your locations if you've already told it to "allow" you to connect. This is helpful for those of us with encrypted WEP routers at home.

All in all, I love the phone. It is a great Apple product, and a lot of these problems I mentioned hopefully get fixed in any kind of software update.

Pros:

• Great rendering of internet sites


• Amazing and fun apps (even good free ones)


• Good for email, videos, and music


• Scratch resistant screen and durable product (even with plastic back)


• 3G is twice the speed of Edge

Cons:

• Battery life is not as good as a crackberry (but only if you text, watch videos, and surf the internet continously for five hours)


• Sometimes the iPhone crashes on apps (but can be fixed by either restore or deleting problem app)


• Takes a long time to sync (minor issue)


• No true turn-by-turn nav (hopefully in 2.1)


• No copy and paste (hopefully in 2.1 also)

Overall, a great product, absolutely love it, and well worth camping out at 4 am on June 11th for. Can't compare it to V1 because it was my first iPhone.

Love the new 3g! I had to change some of the settings for the battery life to be better. Also restored and upgraded the version of the 2.0 and this made a difference for the applications. Overall great device! Beyond any other!

So, almost a week in and I'm quite pleased in my decision to upgrade from my V1 iPhone to the new 3G.

Improvements I've noticed: Speakerphone is much more loud and clear. Signal strength is better. 3G is (obviously) faster than Edge. Calls sound better, and people on the other end say I sound better when talking through my Bluetooth-enabled car stereo (Kenwood DNX-8120). On that note, I've also noticed that the 3G seems to sync up faster with the Kenwood. My V1 would sometimes not pair automatically, and I'd have to go into the Kenwood's setup and reconnect it. So far, the 3G has paired quickly every time I get in the truck.

I also like the SMS screen in the new software with the "Call" and "Contact Info" buttons.

The new curved back does indeed feel great in your hand, and I like the "screen" material over the speakers. I remember wanting one of those black replacement back covers for the original iPhone, so I like the new look. (Although the two exposed screws on bottom don't seem too Apple-like). My screen looks great, and not yellowish.

The App store is awesome, but I do miss my Installer.app! Yesterday I picked up a Dock from the Apple Store, and the new Contour Flick case. The Dock is, well a Dock. The contour case will have to go back though, as it was just too snug to work with the Bodyguardz I already have on my 3G.

Two negative issues. First, cannot delete individual phone calls. Second, Outlook Contacts get duplicated in the event you have the contact listed in Outlook by Name and also by Company.