SOCIAL: "smart phones?"

[Joel Young]

Being on Deep's list, you'll probably get a lot of recommendations for  
an iPhone. Allow me to second (or third, or fourth...) this  
recommendation! Full disclosure here -- I also work for Apple. But I  
don't just like it for that reason, I like it because it's a great  
phone. Here are some of the pros and cons:

- It has a *great* web browsing experience. Really. Look around at  
some reviews, and pretty much everyone says that it's unparalleled,  
because of the fact that it uses a desktop browser engine (instead of  
the crappy mobile browsers that used to be all the rage), and also  
because they really sweat the details. You can scroll around by  
dragging the page with your finger, and zoom in by double-tapping on a  
column of text.

- Email also works well. Yahoo supports push email on the iPhone, so  
you get immediately notified of new emails (this can be a good or bad  
thing). My main quibble with the email experience is that navigation  
is a pain when you have multiple accounts.

- It's got a 3G data connection, which is about the speed of a slower  
DSL line. It has GPS, but you won't get turn-by-turn directions the  
way you do in a car. Be warned, though -- if you want a phone that  
does have turn by turn, I hear that it's an extra monthly fee. I find  
that the iPhone's GPS works well enough with the (also well designed)  
google maps app.

- It syncs with iTunes like an iPod, so you can use it on a Mac or on  
Windows. And if you have a well maintained address book, the phone  
functions on the iPhone are a breeze to use.

- Some people dislike the on-screen keyboard, but I have no problems  
with it. Certainly if you're coming from an older phone, it'll be a  
huge improvement. I think that virtual keyboards are the future. I can  
type about 30-40wpm on mine -- the learning curve was a few hours  
before I could type reasonably well, and about a week before I was  
going really fast.

- The quality of the third party apps is really high. You'll have to  
pay for some of them, but it's generally under $10, and many of them  
are well worth it. If you'll excuse the corny name, this website is a  
good overview of what you can do:

http://www.apple.com/iphone/iphone-your-life/

I know this list is light on cons vs pros, and that's because I really  
don't find a lot of drawbacks in day to day use. The main complaints  
that people have are about the keyboard (generally because they  
haven't gotten used to it), and the fact that Apple is the gatekeeper  
for all of the third party apps (which means that you won't be seeing  
any third party email apps or web browsers anytime soon).

Oh, and the carrier. Your only choice is AT&T. And you'll pay $30/ 
month for the data plan, on top of the phone plan, which is comparable  
to what you pay for a blackberry. I haven't had any problems with them  
so far, but it's only been a year and a half.

Joel

On Dec 4, 2008, at 9:15 AM, Karen Nemsick wrote:

> Hi All,
>
> It seems time for me to get a new phone.  My current, very very old  
> phone, that doesn't even text or have call waiting, is dying a slow  
> death.  So, I'm looking for new technology.  A phone that lets me  
> check email, and maybe even internet, and maybe even GPS!  Is that  
> too much for a gal to ask?  I am an admitted Luddite when it comes  
> to cell phone technology, so I'm looking to the list for help.  Any  
> recommendations?
>
> Karen
>
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