iPhone reviews start rolling in

Thanks to loup garou of the Anandtech forums for these links:

Mossberg from the Wallstreet Journal (includes video review)

Pogue from the New York Times (includes video review)

USA Today

Newsweek

General conclusion: Pretty much lives up to the hype. Not perfect, but still awesome. Huge leap for phones!

Notable points:
Mossberg - thinner than Blackjack
Mossberg - keyboard took him 5 days to get used to, can now type as fast on it as he can on his Treo; says keyboard is NOT a problem!
Mossberg - call quality is good but not spectacular, has heard better. calls it "okay"
Mossberg - best web browser he's ever seen on a phone, period
Mossberg - Email is very PC/Computer-like (shows preview, shows images in-line instead of clicking separately, etc.)
Mossberg - EDGE is slow (duh) - if you are relying on it for Internet access, keep in mind that it is SLOW
Mossberg - photo auto-switches to any available wifi network for Internet access, which is very fast on the phone

Pogue - No Java on the Internet
Pogue - Fake GPS - turn by turn directions, but you have to tell it when you've turned
Pogue - Battery is sealed inside; you have to send it into Apple every few years to get it replaced
Pogue - No memory card slot; you can't expand it
Pogue - Read document files but not edit them (PDF, Word, and Excel)

USA Today - No Flash support, no Windows Media support on the Internet (Quicktime only)
USA Today - iPod games don't work on the iPhone
USA Today - Can't buy songs on the phone
USA Today - Can't use custom ringtones (at least at launch)

More review notes:
iPhone software uses 700 megs of space
No way to cut, copy, or paste text
No A2DP support
On a PC, the iPhone syncs with Outlook for calendars AND addresses
Supports Exchange in some capacity (unclear exactly how)
Takes photos but not video

From Engadget review summary:

It also can be a rather multi-step affair to even make a call, since there's no home screen speed dial or voice recognition, and the phonebook can't be searched, only scrolled through.

Click to expand...

Ouch!! What a PITA to just make a simple call! If you have a huge contact list, you may have to revert to remembering numbers and using the "ancient" number pad method to call faster. (remember the days when you knew the number you were calling)

Honestly, if you're going to make a revolutionary new phone that blows everything else away, you have to make it AT LEAST as easy to make a simple call as the rest of them!

fleurya said:

From Engadget review summary:


Ouch!! What a PITA to just make a simple call! If you have a huge contact list, you may have to revert to remembering numbers and using the "ancient" number pad method to call faster. (remember the days when you knew the number you were calling)

Honestly, if you're going to make a revolutionary new phone that blows everything else away, you have to make it AT LEAST as easy to make a simple call as the rest of them!

Click to expand...

That's one of the things I like about my Q. If I'm at the home screen and start dialing a number, it automatically goes into phone mode. I'm sure they'll improve the interface so that it's more usable, maybe some kind of keyboard "jump" feature to go to the first letter of the contact name.

fleurya said:

From Engadget review summary:


Ouch!! What a PITA to just make a simple call! If you have a huge contact list, you may have to revert to remembering numbers and using the "ancient" number pad method to call faster. (remember the days when you knew the number you were calling)

Honestly, if you're going to make a revolutionary new phone that blows everything else away, you have to make it AT LEAST as easy to make a simple call as the rest of them!

Click to expand...

If I remember the demo video correctly, wasn't there a favorites feature where you could "bookmark" numbers you call most often, allowing you to make a call in 2 touches? IMO that's just as good as using a speed dial on a normal phone.

Fromasta Flex said:

If I remember the demo video correctly, wasn't there a favorites feature where you could "bookmark" numbers you call most often, allowing you to make a call in 2 touches? IMO that's just as good as using a speed dial on a normal phone.

Click to expand...

Yes, you can. It's exactly 4 minutes into the iPhone welcome movie. Looks like it takes three clicks (Phonebook, Favorites, John Appleseed).

Not to mention you can pull up your recent calls as well.

I don't care about EDGE! I WANT A TOUCHSCREEN.

Fromasta Flex said:

If I remember the demo video correctly, wasn't there a favorites feature where you could "bookmark" numbers you call most often, allowing you to make a call in 2 touches? IMO that's just as good as using a speed dial on a normal phone.

Click to expand...

That's good to know. I couldn't believe the only way to Dial would be manual dial or digging through your contacts list. Even so, now that I'm so used to my voice dial on my SLVR, I don't know if I want to be without it, especially while driving!

iRye said:

I don't care about EDGE! I WANT A TOUCHSCREEN.

Click to expand...

I have a touchscreen

Review comparison matrix via Gizmodo:

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/wisdom-o...y+side-in-our-iphone-review-matrix-272727.php

A great list via Gizmodo of everything iPhone related:

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/apple/everything-we-know-about-the-iphone-272827.php

kaidomac said:

Pogue - No Java on the Internet

Pogue - Read document files but not edit them (PDF, Word, and Excel)

USA Today - No Flash support, no Windows Media support on the Internet (Quicktime only)
USA Today - iPod games don't work on the iPhone
USA Today - Can't buy songs on the phone
USA Today - Can't use custom ringtones (at least at launch)

Click to expand...

Would I be correct in assuming the "problems" listed above are merely software in nature, and can be remedied in the future? (Adobe makes an iPhone PDF editor, Apple makes an iPhone version of iTunes, etc.)

PixelP 2.o said:

Would I be correct in assuming the "problems" listed above are merely software in nature, and can be remedied in the future? (Adobe makes an iPhone PDF editor, Apple makes an iPhone version of iTunes, etc.)

Click to expand...

I'm sure they will be. If not, hackers will implement them. I'm sure Apple wants to stay in the news, so they'll create buzz by releasing new features periodically. If it was perfect out the door, then what would they have left to do?

kaidomac said:

I'm sure they will be. If not, hackers will implement them. I'm sure Apple wants to stay in the news, so they'll create buzz by releasing new features periodically. If it was perfect out the door, then what would they have left to do?

Click to expand...

Yea right? I mean, Apple doesn't want to look different from all the other money-hungry companies that like to hold back and keep that carrot dangling in order to string along the masses (read: Microsoft)

What's going to be really funny is if they take the iPhone to Europe. Because they'll almost have to make it 3G in order to get any sales over there. And 3G over there before where will make people lose it!

I know the iPhone mutes music/video when a call comes in. Does anyone know if that is still the case if its connected to a FM transmitter or iPod interface on a car stereo?

DogPoop said:

I know the iPhone mutes music/video when a call comes in. Does anyone know if that is still the case if its connected to a FM transmitter or iPod interface on a car stereo?

Click to expand...

I would imagine yes due to the fact that the mute is software activated rather than hardware. When a call comes in, it triggers the music player to mute which stops the flow of audio to the output port (headphone jack, onboard speakers, etc.). Guess we'll find out shortly

Surely most of these problems can just be fixed with firmware updates anyway. I am really hoping they add full GPS into future generations and link it into Google Maps. That would be awesome.

DogPoop said:

I know the iPhone mutes music/video when a call comes in. Does anyone know if that is still the case if its connected to a FM transmitter or iPod interface on a car stereo?

Click to expand...

I was just reading through the new iPhone Accessories page over at Apple:

http://www.apple.com/iphone/accessories/

And I came across this blurb:

Many iPod accessories that use the 30-pin connector — such as chargers and speakers — may also be compatible with iPhone, even though they haven’t been certified as “Works with iPhone.”

When you connect an uncertified accessory, your iPhone will notify you and present you with the option to go into Airplane Mode, which turns off the communication capability of the iPhone while it’s connected to that accessory. This means that you’ll avoid potential audio interference, but you’ll be unable to make or receive calls. If you choose not to enter Airplane Mode, you can make and receive calls, but you may experience some audio interference.

So it looks like it's hit or miss depending on how the accessory interacts with the iPhone. If your FM transmitter is just using the headphone jack you should be all set, but if you're using an iPod car adapter you might want to wait for some reviews to see if there's any interference.