I'm retiring my iPhone and going back to my Blackberry.

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

I thought upgrading to the iPhone would be a nice treat--enhanced interface, superior web browser, MP3 player, bells and whistles galore. Instead, it's been an inconvenience. Here are some of my complaints:

1. Slow texting - I'm a big fan of text messaging. Not to sound cold, but I really don't like all the niceties of phone conversations, especially when I'm looking for a simple quick answer. Texting is a streamlined means of communication, especially in a business environment. But texting on the iPhone is clumsy and time consuming. And while I've gotten more practiced at texting on the iPhone, I still can't crank them out like I could on my Blackberry. On the other hand, upgrading to the iPhone has brought a swift end to texting while driving. It's just too damned hard! I'm sure this has made me a safer driver, but that's not why I bought the iPhone.

2. Address book - Flawed. I swear I've added contacts to my database that never got saved. Two and three times. Nothing. No where to be found. How hard it this? Maybe they'll upgrade the software but since this is a phone first and foremost, shouldn't they have gotten this right the first time?

3. Bluetooth woes - iPhone doesn't automatically connect with my Bluetooth headset. Every morning I spend about 5 minutes turning on and off my phone's Bluetooth connection and my headset, trying to time it just right so that one connects with the other. Once that task has been completed, there's the business of telling the iPhone to use access the headset every time I accept and incoming call and every time I check a voicemail. Boring! I've heard Apple is releasing a compatible headset, so I can look forward to replacing mine (which works just fine with other phones) and buying theirs for $150. Sweet.

4. Emails - I haven't spent sufficient time sussing out why I can't send outgoing emails on my iPhone but that's not my primary bitch. My main complaint is that I can't do a "batch delete" of my incoming emails. I use my iPhone and Blackberry when I travel so I can stay on top of my emails. When I'm not traveling, my phone still collects all my emails. Occasionally, I like to have an email handy for reference or maybe I'll glimpse at one or two so I know what to expect when I roll into the office, but for the most part when I'm home I don't need the phone to collect emails. On the Blackberry, I could highlight the entire contents of my email inbox and delete them all at once. With the iPhone, I have to delete each email individually. This alone can be time consuming but what extends to delay is the iPhone getting bogged down with the content of each email, so I have to wait for it to finish processing the last delete before I can delete the next email. I get about 40-50 emails a day. I'm over it.

5. MP3 player - I'm sure this function works fine but because the audio out jack is recessed, I can't plug it into my car. Easily solved with an adapter, I'm sure. Maybe Apple sells one for $50.

Ciao, iPhone. It's been real.

[seemunkee]

1. Does this mean your going to start texting while driving again?

Thats wonderful

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

2. Only if I've been drinking.

[huskerlaw]

3. How does the browser compare?

I am debating between an iPhone and a Blackberry and my only real hangup with the Blackberry is the inferior internet browsing. Thoughts?

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

4. Well...

The browser IS superior. iPhone offers a nice "mini Safari." Looks and acts very similarly and it's pretty easy to use. On the other hand, you're still dealing with the same connection speed. So, it's handy in a pinch, like if you're on your way to the movies and looking up show times, but it's no substitute for the real thing. Dial up connection speed is a bummer, regardless of the browser.

[asthmaticeog]

5. Can I have your iPhone?

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

9. Can I have $500?

I kid.

It's a company phone. I think it goes to one of the other employees if I give it back. Sorry, mang.

You want my Commodore 64 instead?

[asthmaticeog]

14. A commodore 64 actually does less than an iPhone and takes up much more space!

But its graphics were very advanced for the time, the mid 1980's, the decade during which I had a torrid transcontinental fling with none other than Edward Asner.

Commodore 64s revolutionized computing by selling in retail stores instead of just computer stores! Some say that it's the 64, along with the more expensive Apple IIe, that helped drive video game consoles out of the market at the time!

Here's a picture of a young man "break" dancing on the ceiling of a commuter train!

[redqueen]

6. You are not Mr Big Hot Pastrami

You are Mr Pickypants!

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

11. Pickypants is my maiden name.

I gave it up when Mrs. Big Hot Pastrami and I were wed.

[crispini]

7. Yeah, it sounds like you've run up against some bugs in iPhone v.1

Both bug-bugs, and design bugs ... and I think that's pretty expected for the first version of any product. I got my iPhone to replace my *phone* as I never had a Blackberry -- and I'm pretty thrilled with it.... but it sounds like you use yours in a significantly different way than I do.

Oh... the adapters... are all aftermarket, and will run about $10. ;)

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

15. Yeah, I could probably pick up a cheapy at Radio Shack.

But hey, I'm in rant mode. :)

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

8. I should also mention battery life/charge time

If I hook up my iPhone to my computer, it takes about 4-6 hours to fully charge, depending on whether I use the phone while it's charging. The wall charger that came with the phone stopped working two weeks ago so this is my primary means of charing the phone.

I bought a car charger too. It's a spring-loaded deal and constantly pops out of the lighter jack. I've figured out that if I insert the charger and then pin it in place by closing the ashtray drawer, it stays in place. If you get lucky, this may succeed in charing your phone though it may take all night. Pray you have a strong car battery.

I'm not sure the exact battery life, but unlike previous phones I've owned, if you forget to charge the iPhone at night, you don't get an extra day of grace time. By 10 AM, your phone is dead. You get about 10 warnings before this happens however. Those can be fun too.

[redqueen]

13. Good grief...

amazing how much a company can make if they sufficiently build up the hype around a product that's essentially shite.

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

16. Well, I wouldn't say it's shite.

As mentioned upthread, it IS the first version. I'm sure it will improve. I'm a bit disappointed, I guess. My Blackberry as literally the best mobile phone I'd ever owned. I really thought I'd be taking thing up a notch with the iPhone. It's just not in synch with my lifestyle....or something.

[swag]

10. Good review.

I miss my old RIM 850



and 857



Now I've got one of these fucking things:



Okay, I like the browser, and all the MS Outlook functions and synchronization, but I hate the phone. Really, I just hate having a cell phone.

[cboy4]

12. Wow, what a devastating non-endoresement! I was thinking about

getting one, but . . .

Thanks for such an impartial review!


on edit....I saw your comments further down about battery life. That's what I was always wondering about!

[smtpgirl]

17. Would take a RIM 8700 over an iPhone anyday