The iPhone A Month Later

Now that the iPhone has been out for a little over a month we can finally view the device’s true potential as a phone, an iPod and an Internet Navigator. Even a month later I am still impressed with the iPhone but I do have some gripes that most can probably relate to.

June 29th I eagerly awaited the iPhone only having enough for the 8GB model and pocket change. I’ve never waited in line for an Apple Product or anything for that matter that was over an hour. I anticipated a day where hour after hour would painstakingly go by and being trapped in an endless line with no escape. Luckily I was overly dramatizing the event.

While the anticipation was at its all time high a month ago it wore off. No longer was I so excited to pull out the iPhone and activate it right in front of the Apple Store but now I am learning to fully appreciate it and adapt to it.

My intentions for buying an iPhone wasn’t for the phone aspects, that was a bonus. I was more interested in the Internet aspect of the device. I’ll find myself at times where I could’ve finished that Blog post or did research on a topic but I didn’t have a computer with me or later I would be busy yet have access to a computer.

For me, being able to get on the Internet from a device I could fit in my pocket (and the pocket in my pocket) was just amazing for me but not so much for others already carrying smart phones.

Originally I didn’t want anything to do with the iPod part of the iPhone, I had my trusty Video iPod wherever I went. But the appeal of carrying 3 devices in one soon overtook me and I had now desired an 8GB iPhone knowing full well it wouldn’t hold my entire video library. But then again why would I need it to? I’d probably be listening to Podcasts and music more while I surf the Internet, if I’m worried about fitting 70+ GBs of videos on my iPhone I should probably rethink my purchase and wait for the long rumored 6th generation iPod.

I have since learned to adapt to its minimal storage size, operating at a tenth of my previous iPod. One thing I am very displeased with when it comes to multi media management is that iTunes does not allow Smart Folders containing videos of any kind to be synced over. I had set up quite a few playlists to manage movies and small video clips but the only option iTunes allows is the most basic available.

You must manually select which Videos will be synced over. I decided to get over it even though I can only see 5 videos at a time when I decide which content I would like synced over.

However while I am satisfied about a few things such as multi media playback, the phone capabilities and the seamless integration there have been some things either wrong with the iPhone beyond my control or something I cannot adapt to.

The first one is a defect with the iPhone but it is somewhat odd. Jovan at iPhone Matters reported last month some users were experiencing a grid of white dots appear on the LCD and is noticeable on the black parts of the screen. Unfortunately my iPhone has demonstrated the same defect but some more research revealed that these dots are in fact the touch sensors that populate the region above the LCD. What wasn’t normal was that this grid of dots were appearing.

I further elaborated on the problem and found that when I took it to the Apple Store they refused to do anything in regards to the problem. Some of our readers echoed the same thing so I decided to try Apple Care. Luckily I was able to have my iPhone fixed and that the support rep has assured me I wasn’t going insane because no one else could see the dots.

However when I received my iPhone it still demonstrated the defect I had sent it in for. I could tell they at least tampered with my iPhone due to the glass cover dipping in on the upper left hand corner. It seems Apple is aware of the issue but does not know how to fix it.

The remainder of my problems stem from the iPhone not supporting certain things such as To Do’s in iCal, you have to resort to the bastardization of your refrigerator’s sticky note to jot down what you need done on the phone.

My other gripes are the fact that Apple doesn’t allow syncing of notes or that a better Word processor is included. Or the fact that when an application (mostly the iPod) crashes it won’t be noticeable until after the crash, most times your data is lost or in the case of the iPod, you lose your bookmark in whatever you were listening to.

Should you still get an iPhone? I am not here to persuade you but it all depends on your needs but if you need a overview of one, check out my 6 part review at iPhone Matters.

Part 1: Video & Music
Part 2: Calling
Part 3: Widgets
Part 4: Safari
Part 5: Mail
Part 6: The Final Word