iPhone Review

I just got the new iPhone 3G from work. I never had a "smart" phone before, so I wont do much comparison with other smart/pda phones such as the treo or blackberry as I have no experience with them whatsoever.

Pros

• Email/MS Exchange
  I can check all of my email (work and personal) anytime, anywhere. Love the integration/sync of MS Exchange. All of my work contacts and calendar appointments are only a tap away.
  
  
• Touch Screen
  Apple did an excellent job of matching what feels natural to us with its gestures ie. swiping left to right as if Im turning a page of a book or zooming in or enlarging.
  
  
• Browser
  Viewing the Internet on a phone using a "real" browser is great. I dont like phones that use some custom internet viewer and web pages that are slimmed down to support them. I want to view web pages exactly as they are as if I was using my computer.
  
  
• Apps
  I like the wide variety of useful apps that I can download directly to my iPhone ie. Weather, Notes, To do lists, Tip Calculator, Games, etc.
  
  
• Voicemail
  Listening to voicemail with 1 click. No more will I have to dial my own phone number, press #, type in my password, and press 1 to listen to my messages.
  
  
• Camera
  When taking a photo, the entire screen is used making it very easy. I can also turn the iPhone sideways for wider coverage.
  
  
• Graphics
  2 words...Eye Candy. The graphics look so crisp and clear especially on a black background. I just want to eat those little application "pills".
  
  
• Earphone Headset
  Not only can you listen to your music, but you can also answer phone calls with it. The earphones have a small microphone on the wire. Dual purpose. I like it.
  

Cons

• 3G
  What 3G? I dont see it. Where is it? They should rename the phone to 3E (E stands for the slow Edge network) because I never get 3G. I cant even get it in San Francisco of all places. Not sure on where to put the blame, but there are only 2 choices - Apple or AT&T.
  
  
• Battery life
  Your lucky if it lasts a full day without charging. In otherwords, you will need to carry around a charging cable where ever you go. Here are some battery saving tips from Apple.
  
  
• No filesystem
  Cant store any files on an iPhone except for music (mp3s) of course. Yes, that means I cant store any word, excel, or pdf files. I can only view them when they are attachments in my email. I wanted to store a Caltrain pdf schedule on my iPhone, but cant even do that. Yes, I can go directly to Caltrain's website every single time to open the pdf, but then that would take too long especially when I dont get 3G.
  
  
• Keyboard
  Typing on the iPhone takes some getting use to, since the keyboard is on the screen itself. So you definitely wont type as fast as the Blackberry or Treo, but then again, the iPhone looks better. The on screen keyboard does get larger when you turn the iphone sideways, but it doesnt work for emailing or texting. Eh? What's up with that? Also, the iPhone has an auto complete feature where it tries to complete the word that you are typing. It does not work well and is sometimes really annoying. There are times where I want to misspell a word or use an acronym on purpose, but it will obtrusively auto complete it for me no matter what I do.
  
  
• Crashes
  Sometimes, when you are displaying a web page or using an application, the iPhone can all of a sudden crash. Usually, the browser or application just quits. But in some cases, you have to restart the iPhone itself.
  
  
• Pricey Accessories
  For example, the USB charging cable costs $19 and the outlet power adapter which is sold separately costs $29. So that means if I wanted an extra charger, I will have to fork over an extra $48 just to charge my iPhone over a plug outlet? Ridiculous. Talk about Monopoly.
  
  
• No Picture Messages
  You can send text messages, but you cant send picture messages. Weak. Instead, you can only send pictures as email attachments.
  
  
• No Software
  Does not come with or work well with any software except for iTunes. I wish you could use Outlook or something to be able to sync contacts or notes or something. I only use iTunes to sync music or to update the firmware. But I guess that's what MobileMe (paid subscription) is for syncing with the "cloud" vs. a local desktop.
  
  
• No Copy and Paste
  

Conclusion
The iPhone is only halfway there.