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![[F]](/Images/i7/site.gif) TidBITS  TidBITS TidBITS Talk
Initial iPhone impressions![[McCabe, Steve]](/webx/?30@@1) Steve McCabe (apparently) - 01:48pm Jul 2, 2007 PSTvia emailWell, they're out at last. And what an impression they've made. I was on my
way home from Tampa on Friday afternoon at around half past two, and I
thought I'd stop in at the Apple Store, where I used to work. Already there
was a queue outside the shop of around a couple of dozen, and then as many
more outside the mall. I went home.
The next afternoon, I dragged my wife over to the mall so we could have a
look. We barely got into the shop ‹ I remember working in the Apple Store on
Black Friday and Christmas Eve of 2005, shortly after the video iPods were
released, but I don't ever remember seeing the place that busy. But we
managed to get some quality minutes with the iPhones, and we were duly
impressed. We went home.
And at home, we rehashed what we'd seen. And what we'd liked ‹ which was
plenty. Out came the trusty MacBook Pro, and on the MBP I whipped out a
spreadsheet which spelled out quite clearly to my wife how we could, after
all, afford an iPhone each, even with the rather usurious cancellation fees
we'd have to pay T-Mobile. She bit. And so I went back to Tampa.
I got there at around twenty to nine on Saturday evening; the crowds had
barely abated. The staff appeared to be in constant motion, bringing box
after box of what seemed to be an endless supply of iPhones. The shop was as
busy as it had been shortly after lunch. I snagged my two iPhones and a
hot-pink case for the wife (the black leather holster I'd seen earlier had
sold out). I went home.
Our phones came in rather spanking black bags made of stout card, with
colour printing and silver gilting, this in stark contrast to the naff
plastic shopping bags that AT&T were handing out their (allegedly) very
limited supply in. The packaging, as can be seen across the interweb, is
really quite well done, as one would expect from Apple.
The setup was trivially easy. My wife went first; we connected the phone to
her Power Mac, and iTunes duly launched. We were walked through the steps
for transferring her phone number from T-Mobile, and the process went off
without a hitch. Then we did mine, and by the time we'd finished setting my
new toy up, my wife had received a text message on her phone telling her
that the transfer was complete. Within about a quarter of an hour, we could
both make and receive calls.
Since then, we've both synched our iPhones with our Macs, putting our
contacts on ‹ the contacts viewer is *so* far ahead of any other phone we've
ever seen, including the RAZRs we've just migrated from, that this alone
might just make it worth the price. Our home Airport network (802.11n) works
a treat, with both phones finding it without any problems. We've since
discovered that the EDGE connection is adequate, but far from brilliant, at
least here in Clearwater, but I don't know that we'll rely on it that much.
Sound quality through headphones is exactly what you'd expect an iPod to be,
and while you'd never actually want to listen for terribly long this way,
the built-in speaker (for speakerphone purposes, really) actually plays
music.
Phone sound quality is similarly fine, either through the phone itself or
via the headphones (although hearing my wife's voice in *both* ears on the
phone was a tiny bit odd). The speakerphone is a touch weak, but it's
usable, I suppose.
The YouTube feature has to be the biggest gimmick of all. I've pushed the
button once, just to see what it does, but I doubt that I'll be pushing it
very often ‹ but then, I've never been the hugest YouTube fan anyway.
The keyboard is OK ‹ I'm typing this on my MBP, because I don't know I'd
want to write this much on the 'phone, but I believe that I could write
reasonably long emails and notes if I had to.
The screen, of course, is gorgeous. Photos from my computer are brilliant
and sharp, although the built-in camera (the second biggest gimmick) is,
well, a phone camera.
I've read criticisms about such things as no voice dialling, but I don't
really miss that (although that *really* is a personal preference ‹ I know a
lot of people wanted it). I do wish that Apple had built GPS into the iPhone
‹ and yes, I know that it's my own fault for being an early adopter, that
it'll have it by Christmas ‹ but, again, I can live without it, and I dare
say it would have bumped the price up considerably.
Overall, I'm glad I got my iPhone. I'm still not *entirely* sure that it's
really worth the money I paid for them, but right now I'm enjoying it. It's
an exceptionally well-designed and functional piece of kit, and it's
certainly set the new standard for personal electronics.
Anyone else got one?
Steve
shemoves (apparently)
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Jul 3, 2007 6:53 am
(#1 Total: 17)
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Re: Initial iPhone impressions
On 7/2/07 2:48 PM, "Big Steve" <bigstevemac  tampabay.rr.com> wrote:
> Anyone else got one?
I did, the 8GB model.
I get great coverage in an 12" walled adobe house from the main network ATT
provides in a remote, mountainous area 5 miles from a small town of 15,000
in New Mexico. When I researched online at ATT, my zip code fell outside
the main network in the crosshatched partner area.
Like you, I switched from a Motorola razr (supported by Alltel). I have
over a year left on the contract, but hubby can use it up until he gets an
iPhone later when the contract with Alltel expires).
I showed him how to use the Motorola; creating his phone book and showing
him how to use the camera, speaker phone, and voice activated calling, etc.
Then I showed him how it worked with the iPhone. He's a laid back retired
sociology professor - his jaw dropped, really.
Time is money no matter your age but as folks age it seems they have less
patience and get frustrated easily.........the iPhone's ease of use is
priceless to me. The hourly cost of frustration while fumbling with badly
written manuals, like the motorola razr (Alltel version).......
My experience with ATT on the phone ( I attempted to lock the sim with a
password and managed to use up all my tries and needed a PUK number to
unlock. One minute wait today, Monday, with a knowledgeable rep I was back
in business) and in the brick and mortar Friday picking up the phone was
fantastic. Maybe I got lucky, or did the research and knew what questions to
ask. My experience with Alltel was a nightmare except for one helpful rep in
7 years.
I could go on about ease of use with all the features, but Steve Jobs
already did that and it works just like that; you're listening to music or a
podcast and you get a call, the sound abates, you answer your call.
Simplicity is really quiet but packs a punch when you remember how it used
to be dealing with previous cell phone technology.
I appreciate the airplane mode feature which allowed me to dock the iPhone
in the HiFi and Bose Soundock, just because I could.
I'm not using the Belkin acrylic case after the first day. I like the feel
of the iPhone in my hand. The back isn't like an iPod, it has a matte finish
that doesn't show handling.
As a frugal person, the iPhone is worth every dollar. Even better it was a
birthday present from hubby, another frugal person.
Karen
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John C. Welch (apparently)
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Jul 4, 2007 3:33 am
(#2 Total: 17)
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Re: Initial iPhone impressions
On 7/3/07 08:53 AM, "karen spitzer" <shemoves mac.com> wrote:
> I showed him how to use the Motorola; creating his phone book and showing
> him how to use the camera, speaker phone, and voice activated calling, etc.
>
> Then I showed him how it worked with the iPhone. He's a laid back retired
> sociology professor - his jaw dropped, really.
The iPhone is the first phone I've had that seemed to be designed with the
philosophy of "No, using a cell phone does not have to suck".
I'll pay for that, with a smile.
--
John C. Welch Writer/Analyst
Bynkii.com Mac and other opinions
jwelch bynkii.com
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Tomoharu Nishino (apparently)
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Jul 4, 2007 3:33 am
(#3 Total: 17)
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Re: Initial iPhone impressions
Got my iPhone on Saturday morning. Went to Short Hills Apple Store
expecting to stand in line for a while, was in and out in 10
minutes. So I had to kill 45 minutes before the rest of the mall
opened. Sat in Starbucks with my MBP, and had the number from my
Nokia E62 transferred and iPhone activated in 10 minutes. The out of
box experience (including the phone activation) was typically well
thought out Apple experience.
A positive things other than those already mentioned:
- Incredibly impressed that all the built in apps seem to support
multiple languages (Japanese is the important one for me)---something
that involves third party software hacks and a lot of head aches to
realize on other smart phones.
- The keyboard. Compared to the hardware keyboard on the E62 the on
screen keyboard gets a little getting used to. Especially when the
iPhone is kept in a play through case, the keys at the edges of the
screen are more difficult to press accurately. The built-in error
checking that puts up suggestions for miss-touched words work but
takes some getting used to.
- iTunes makes pulling albums from Aperture (and I assume iPhoto) a
breeze, down sizing them for the iPhone screen on the fly to reduce
memory usage. The photos look very good on that screen.
- The camera is surprisingly good for a phone cam. Obviously there
are some limitations but some of that can be overcome with judicious
use of photoshop.
- Real, fully functional email and web. No more compromises (though
the emailer in the E62 was pretty good). Email set up is a breeze,
since enabling email syncing will transfer all the account details
from mail to the iPhone.
- The list view on the calendar is very useful. Wish iCal had this
feature.
A few missing things:
- No To-Dos.
- No disk mode. So any app (e.g. Soho Notes, Delicious Library) that
used disk mode to put notes into the iPod will not work anymore.
- As a matter of fact, there is no way to get text notes onto the
iPhone. (And no way to get notes out other than emailing them to
yourself.) Full syncing of notes would have been great, but barring
that, at least some facility to get notes in and out would have made
the notes app much more useful. (This would also allow third party
apps to place notes on the iPhone.)
- No Bluetooth services. So, no way to send files via Bluetooth to
the iPhone. No way to sync via BT either. (Both things that most BT
equipped cellphones support.) And no way to use the iPhone as a modem.
- Not sure what criteria the Photo Album is using to sort pictures.
They appear pretty random---a minor annoyance.
- No manual management of music and videos. The iPhone is locked to
one iTunes at a time. Since I have most of my PIM info on my MBP
(which is set up to sync with the iPhone), and most of my media on a
Mac Mini, getting music and video to the iPhone is a bit of a chore.
One gotcha:
- The "silence" switch on the left side of the iPhone does not kill
all sounds. It does kill incoming call rings, and other message
related sounds. It does not kill the alarm clock if you have an
alarm set. This is starting to get me wondering about what other
sounds the switch fails to kill.
And a few things that would be nice eventually:
- Voice memo and call recording.
- Syncing of keychains to an encrypted password app.
- Better calculator (at least at the level of functionality of the
Mac calculator).
- I'm sure I can come up with a few more if I think about it.
Overall, a very slick phone that goes significantly beyond
competitive smartphones with all the "it just works" usability we
would expect from Apple. But decidedly a version one product with a
few rough edges and missing pieces.
Tomoharu
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Jul 4, 2007 3:33 am
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Re: Initial iPhone impressions
On Tuesday, July 03, 2007, at 09:44AM, "karen spitzer" <shemoves mac.com> wrote:
>I'm not using the Belkin acrylic case after the first day. I like the feel
>of the iPhone in my hand. The back isn't like an iPod, it has a matte finish
>that doesn't show handling.
I bought the 8 Gb version. I use it with a hard plastic case (Contour). Without it. it seems to small for my hand, with it, it feels just right.
There are defiantly some shortcoming with this version, but the best thing about the iPhone (that most people skip over) is that features can be added and fixed because it is a software phone. I'm not talking about a firmware upgrade (which could happen), but with the previous cell phones I've had, if it didn't do something correctly, you were stuck. The version 1.0 of the iPhone is only for the form factor, Gb and EDGE. Most everything else can be changed (and surely will be) in software.
I can't wait.
Ray
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Christian Smith
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Jul 5, 2007 7:52 am
(#5 Total: 17)
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Re: Initial iPhone impressions
I got my first cell phone in 1996 when I was living in Virginia. When
I moved to NH in '97, the provider couldn't manage to move my service
from VA to NH, despite the fact that they provided the service in
both areas (I don't even recall who it was at the time). Ended up
getting rid of the cell phone and never got a new one until last year.
I was in the middle of job interviews last year when my wife's uncle
passed away and I had to go back to Virginia to deal with the
aftermath. Since I couldn't afford to be out of touch with a number
of people I decided to once again get a cell phone. Since I was
convinced at that point that Apple was going to be releasing a cell
phone, I shopped around and got a month-to-month service from Virgin
Mobile. It served it's purpose in Virginia but was next to useless
where I live in NH, but that was OK.
June 29th rolled around and 4pm saw me in line outside the Apple
Store in Salem, NH. By 6pm I was about #150 out of 300 in line when
they started letting us into the store. They let 50 people in to
start, with instructions "If you want an iPhone, go to the genius bar
in the back and buy just the phone. If you want anything else, get
that afterwards". Then they let people into the store 10 at a time as
the line at the genius bar filtered down. Excellent crowd control by
the folks at the store.
By 7pm I had my iPhone and a case and had left the Apple Store.
Walked over to Bertucci's and got on the waiting list. By the time
they called me, 20 minutes later, I had
* Sat down on a bench in the mall
* Connected to an open wifi hotspot in the mall with my MacBook
* Unboxed the iPhone, plugged it into the MacBook
* Fired up iTunes (had already downloaded the update while waiting
in line)
* Activated the iPhone and my new AT&T service
* Started the process of porting my phone number over from Virgin
Mobile
By the time I was done with dinner, I had made my first phone call
(to my wife), setup a separate email account just for the iPhone,
checked my regular IMAP email account, and even logged into the
webmail interface for my work Exchange email. The exchange server is
behind a Cisco VPN so I can't access it directly from the iPhone
(Apple, get a Cisco VPN client on the iPhone please in addition to
the current offerings).
I had also sent myself email with an attached PDF file of a Zelazny
book I wanted to reread so that I could try out the PDF capability
(it's good, but needs some fine tuning like jump to page and internal
link support).
By the way, if you want to create a PDF file that reads comfortably
on the iPhone, a page size of 4x6 or 4x5.5 works nicely along with
Helvetica 12 point works very nicely, and the resulting file can be
read on a laptop in two page display as well.
By the time I woke up on Saturday, my number had been ported and I'd
added the iPhone to my wifi network at home.
Over all, the experience was everything I would expect from an Apple
device. Easy, seamless, smooth, almost trivial.
I've got lots of videos on my computer in .avi format which I've
never bothered to convert to mpeg and put into iTunes. That's
changing now after I got a taste of watching one of them on the
iPhone. Once I've taken that step, I'll probably buy an Apple TV,
more cross pollination for Apple :-)
Chris
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Thomas Perrier
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Jul 6, 2007 6:33 am
(#6 Total: 17)
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Re: Initial iPhone impressions
On 5/07/07 16:52, "Christian Smith" <christian smith-family.com> wrote:
> webmail interface for my work Exchange email. The exchange server is
> behind a Cisco VPN so I can't access it directly from the iPhone
> (Apple, get a Cisco VPN client on the iPhone please in addition to
> the current offerings).
That's something you'll need to ask Cisco, not Apple. Of course there's no
third-party development for now, and the Cisco VPN Client isn't something
which could be developed in AJAX... Also it currently exists for Mac OS X,
Windows 98/NT/2000/XP/Vista, Linux and Solaris. Note that there are no
mobile platforms (Palm OS, Windows Mobile, Symbian), and I doubt the iPhone
would be a priority.
WebVPN/SSL VPN could be the solution. Ask the IT department to implement
this! ;)
-Thomas
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jeffreym205 (apparently)
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Jul 16, 2007 9:35 am
(#7 Total: 17)
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Re: Initial iPhone impressions
On Jul 2, 2007, at 3:48 PM, Big Steve wrote:
> I've read criticisms about such things as no voice dialling, but I
> don't
> really miss that (although that *really* is a personal preference —
> I know a
> lot of people wanted it).
Voice dialing, by and large, is poorly implemented and for Apple to
add it to the iPhone, and meet their high expectations, AT&T would
need to revamp their entire system, which would also impact all
existing users of other types of phones. It may come in time, as we
have all used intelligent automated answering systems that seemed to
be able to give decent feedback, but currently, the voice dialing
methodology, as implemented by AT&T, is not good enough for iPhone's
standards. Those few that have come to depend on it will raise a loud
cry, but that should be heard within the context of the big picture;
most users won't even know it's not there, as most users don't use
voice dialing, mainly because it sucks in practice for the majority
of those who have attempted to make it work consistently. Nothing is
more annoying than speaking a name and the phone dials the wrong the
person which you have to quickly disconnect before it makes the
connection, but sometimes you aren't fast enough and so the mistaken
identity sees an 'ended' call from you and they call you to see what
you wanted, but you are already connected to the intended person
because after canceling the voice-dialed call, you manage to make the
call manually.
The carrier needs a more intelligent system, especially for the
iPhone users, that could confirm the name you spoke, or fine tune it
with sending a pre-recorded message or text message, etc. There are
many possible features in a well implemented, automated voice system,
that would be very handy for iPhone users. Voice dialing is the tip
of the ice-berg.
Jeffrey
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jwbaxter (apparently)
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Jul 16, 2007 12:43 pm
(#8 Total: 17)
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Re: Initial iPhone impressions
On Jul 16, 2007, at 9:35 AM, Jeffrey McPheeters wrote:
> Voice dialing, by and large, is poorly implemented and for Apple to
> add it to the iPhone, and meet their high expectations, AT&T would
> need to revamp their entire system, which would also impact all
> existing users of other types of phones.
Voice dialing comes in two forms, one implemented by the phone, the
other implemented by AT&T for a "small additional monthly fee." A
problem with the provider-implemented form is yet another address
book (phone number list) to deal with. Of course, they sell that as
a benefit--no need to move the list to a new phone. ;-)
My last two phones before iPhone (AT&T-->Cingular and then Verizon)
had the on-phone implementation which worked with frustrations; I've
never used the provider-based version. I only used it for occasional
from-car calls or for testing new headsets. And I don't plan to make
from-car calls while moving any more (all the reported studies say
that the distraction from the process of talking on the phone is as
dangerous as the distraction from dialing the phone and holding it).
It's not clear that there is anything about iPhone that prevents the
AT&T-provided voice dialing, where the call is initiated by dialing
*8 (or, if you like zeros, *08).
From the wireless.att.com web site: "Dial *8 and say "VoiceDial" to
sign up today and get your first month of VoiceDial free!". Cute.
(Dialing *8 from iPhone isn't blocked--for an account without the
service, it reaches a perky young lady (recorded, of course) trying
to sell the service.)
--John
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Alexander Hoffman (apparently)
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Jul 16, 2007 12:43 pm
(#9 Total: 17)
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Re: Initial iPhone impressions
There are a few software issues that need to be fixed, and I have no
doubt that Apple will do so.
For example, the problem with Safari windows not keeping their
contents for very long, to say nothing of its general lack of
stability.
There is one issue that I haven't seen written about elsewhere,
though sure someone must have done so.
That is, the difference between the two-fingered trackpad on macbooks
and macbook pros, compared to the screen on iPhones.
When you use the trackpad, to scroll with two finger, you move down.
This is the normal Mac/Windows/Xerox-Parc paradigm, in which you
scroll the window down a larger canvas. We've all been used to this
for a long time.
The iPhone's interface, however, turns this on its head. Rather than
viewing a document or list through a window and moving that windows
through the document, the iPhone's paradigm is that you are touching
the document itself. So, to move your view down, you flick the list
up. To move your view to the right, you flick the image to the left.
This is not to point out a problem with either interface/paradigm,
just to point out that they are the opposite of each other. In either
case, I use my fingers to scroll around, but I have to move them in
opposite directions. My brain has not yet adjusted to the fact that
they are not variants of the same interface.
--
=Alex Hoffman
Leadership, Policy & Politics
Teachers College, Columbia University
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Nigel Stanger (apparently)
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Jul 16, 2007 2:17 pm
(#10 Total: 17)
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via email - Dunedin, New Zealand |
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Re: Initial iPhone impressions
On 17/07/2007 7:43 AM, "Alexander Hoffman" <ahoffman aledev.com> spake thus:
> When you use the trackpad, to scroll with two finger, you move down.
[...]
> The iPhone's interface, however, turns this on its head.
That actually makes a lot of sense. With a "normal" windowed environment,
when you scroll down, you're not moving the window content per se, you're
actually moving the scroll bar, which acts as a proxy for the "real"
document.
With a direct touch environment such as the iPhone or Microsoft's surface
computer, it makes more sense to go to true direct manipulation, where
you're interacting directly with the object rather than by proxy of a scroll
bar or other control. I note that none of the built-in applications appear
to have scroll bars; the closest thing is the progress indicator in the
media player.
--
Nigel Stanger, Dunedin, NEW ZEALAND.
http://xri.net/=nigel.stanger
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David Weintraub (apparently)
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Jul 17, 2007 2:31 am
(#11 Total: 17)
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Re: Initial iPhone impressions
On Jul 16, 2007, at 3:43 PM, John W Baxter wrote:
> My last two phones before iPhone (AT&T-->Cingular and then Verizon)
> had the on-phone implementation which worked with frustrations; I've
> never used the provider-based version. I only used it for occasional
> from-car calls or for testing new headsets. And I don't plan to make
> from-car calls while moving any more (all the reported studies say
> that the distraction from the process of talking on the phone is as
> dangerous as the distraction from dialing the phone and holding it).
Voice dial is difficult to setup and get working. Of all the people I
know, I'm the only one who actually uses it.
I am also one of the few people who've successfully sync their
computer's address book to their phone, and I have over 1000+ plus
addresses. The reason I use voice dial is due to the poor
implementation of my phone's address book. It takes upwards of 15 to
20 key presses to find the number and to actually dial it. There is a
way to store numbers in categories, so I could put the most used
numbers into a smaller category, but switching categories can take
another dozen button presses.
If I had an iPhone with an easy to use address book, I wouldn't
bother with setting up voice dialing.
David Weintraub
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David Weintraub (apparently)
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Jul 17, 2007 2:31 am
(#12 Total: 17)
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Re: Initial iPhone impressions
Thought this one was interesting: < http://machinist.salon.com/blog/
2007/07/13/return_iphone/>
Why I returned my iPhone.
He clearly explains his reasons why the iPhone wasn't for him, but
you can tell he did really like it.
David Weintraub
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Lewis Butler (apparently)
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Jul 17, 2007 2:31 am
(#13 Total: 17)
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Re: Initial iPhone impressions
On 16-Jul-2007, at 10:35, Jeffrey McPheeters wrote:
> Voice dialing, by and large, is poorly implemented and for Apple to
> add it to the iPhone, and meet their high expectations, AT&T would
> need to revamp their entire system, which would also impact all
> existing users of other types of phones.
What?
Voice dialing has nothing to to with the carrier, it's purely a
function of the phone.
My motorola I record my voice saying "Home" and when I activate the
voice dialing and say, "Home" it dials my home number. When I say
"John" it dials "John" and when I say "Moose" it dials my friend George.
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Lewis Butler (apparently)
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Jul 17, 2007 2:31 am
(#14 Total: 17)
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Re: Initial iPhone impressions
On 16-Jul-2007, at 13:43, John W Baxter wrote:
> (all the reported studies say that the distraction from the process
> of talking on the phone is as dangerous as the distraction from
> dialing the phone and holding it).
Are these distractions any more than having a passenger in the car
and talking to them?
I highly doubt it.
How about the distraction of talk-radio?
I bet not.
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Lewis Butler (apparently)
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Jul 17, 2007 2:31 am
(#15 Total: 17)
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Re: Initial iPhone impressions
On 16-Jul-2007, at 13:43, Alexander Hoffman wrote:
> The iPhone's interface, however, turns this on its head. Rather than
> viewing a document or list through a window and moving that windows
> through the document, the iPhone's paradigm is that you are touching
> the document itself. So, to move your view down, you flick the list
> up. To move your view to the right, you flick the image to the left.
For some reason, it makes sense to me.
On the touch screen, you ARE touching 'the paper' and it makes sense
that a flick 'up' moves the document 'up' which means you see the
'bottom' of the list.
On a trackpad, you aren't touching the (albeit virtual) paper, and so
a move 'up' the pad makes sense that you are moving 'up' the
document, even though it means the document can be seen as moving
'down'.
And yes, I was surprised. The only time I get it wrong is if I try
to 'slide' the slider on the side, then I think it should move down
when I slide my finger down the right edge.
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dr (apparently)
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Jul 18, 2007 2:39 am
(#16 Total: 17)
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Re: Initial iPhone impressions
Google Kreme wrote:
> On 16-Jul-2007, at 10:35, Jeffrey McPheeters wrote:
>> Voice dialing, by and large, is poorly implemented and for Apple to
>> add it to the iPhone, and meet their high expectations, AT&T would
>> need to revamp their entire system, which would also impact all
>> existing users of other types of phones.
>
> What?
>
> Voice dialing has nothing to to with the carrier, it's purely a
> function of the phone.
>
> My motorola I record my voice saying "Home" and when I activate the
> voice dialing and say, "Home" it dials my home number. When I say
> "John" it dials "John" and when I say "Moose" it dials my friend George.
>
The major carriers offer it as a service. Some disable it on (some of?) their phones. As best I can tell Sprint offers it as a fee service but if it's designed into the phone they do not disable it.
My Samsung M500 has it built in. This is a tiny flip phone. You have to read about 130 phrases to it to train it. After that it's fairly good with the middle grade bluetooth I use in the car. I do have to turn the radio down speak clearly and have the windows up if moving. And it has trouble with some of he company names I have in the directory. It usually gets what I say but confirms them back with so odd pronunciations. And I really have to mangle my daughter's nickname for it to know who she is. "Lise" (No it doesn't rhyme with lice but my phone thinks it does.)
As to folks saying the iPhone CPU might not be up to the task, I don't buy it. The iPhone has 10 times the CPU that my phone has.
David Ross
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mmatty (apparently)
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Jul 18, 2007 2:39 am
(#17 Total: 17)
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| Posts: 393 |
Re: Initial iPhone impressions
On Jul 17, 2007, at 5:31 AM, David Weintraub wrote:
> On Jul 16, 2007, at 3:43 PM, John W Baxter wrote:
>> My last two phones before iPhone (AT&T-->Cingular and then Verizon)
>> had the on-phone implementation which worked with frustrations; I've
>> never used the provider-based version. I only used it for occasional
>> from-car calls or for testing new headsets. And I don't plan to make
>> from-car calls while moving any more (all the reported studies say
>> that the distraction from the process of talking on the phone is as
>> dangerous as the distraction from dialing the phone and holding it).
>
> Voice dial is difficult to setup and get working. Of all the people I
> know, I'm the only one who actually uses it.
On the original clunky cell phone I got about 6-7 years ago, voice
mail was simple to set up and use, and I used to use it a lot.
The cell phone I got about a year ago (and LG), as with one I use for
work (Samsung), make it so difficult to configure voice dial. It
doesn't work well even after jumping through burning barrel hoops to
get voice dial working. So I stopped using it.
I also find it a pain to have to do a lot of key pressing to get to
the address book, then to scroll around to locate a number. However,
it is much easier to access the web, download ring tones, and other
activities that incur additional charges. I suspect this has a lot to
do with why features that are free aren't given priority when it
comes to accessibility.
Marilyn
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TidBITS TidBITS TidBITS Talk Initial iPhone impressions
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