electro^plankton

Camera and Photos
The iPhone is equipped with a decent 2 megapixel camera but has no flash or auto focus. It truly is a very bare bones system. Snapping a picture couldn't be easier, just tap the camera icon and you're greeted with a cool shutter animation. The large screen makes it easy to compose your shot but keep a steady hand otherwise photos come out blurry. You'll also need A LOT of light to take a good picture. Natural sunlight is best. Indoor and night pictures leave your photos over layed with noise. As soon as you take your picture, it's saved into a photo album from where you can assign to a contact, delete, or email. That's it - you can't rename, adjust, modify, Bluetooth or send over Wi-Fi. It seems the camera and photo app. were last in priority on Apple's to-do list which is understandable since the company has no experience in camera optics other than the iSight web cam.

However what little it does do isn't executed well enough for me to say its a passable experience. For one, not being able to send photos to other devices via Bluetooth of Wi-Fi is idiotic. Being forced to use the email program is just a middle man experience and you're not even allowed to attach more than one photo at a time. The photo app. also resizes your pictures before attaching it to an email which is a BIG NO NO in my book. If a content based action isn't user initiated, don't do it for me. I hope the photo app. receives a huge overhaul soon because simple improvements like adding special effects, basic editing options, and creating custom albums would have saved the experience. Unfortunately I'm reluctant to believe if Apple will ever integrate those features because it's clear to me, they want you to use iPhoto. That's right, the only way to get photos in and out of your phone is to use iPhoto. The only way to edit and organize your pictures is thru iPhoto. If the phone were able to do this all locally, there would be no need to use iPhoto.

I want Apple to recognize people are not stupid and feigning iPhoto is better for the non-tech savvy is a poor excuse. I can only imagine the kind of experience windows users are having since there isn't a windows version of iPhoto.

Photo example taken outside in bright light
Photo example taken outside at night

Calendaring
I'm afraid iCal on iPhone is just a baby version of its desktop brother. Yes syncing appointments is easy enough but here again Apple falters by forcing you to use the desktop version of iCal to do most of your composing and editing. I believe windows users resolve to using the built in calendar in Outlook.

Composing appointments is far too complicated on the iPhone. I will even venture and say doing it on Palm is so much easier. To compose a new appointment, you choose from a list, day, or month view. It's missing a week view which is odd. After choosing the date to your appointment, you input information via alternating screens, one for the title, one for the time, one to set an alarm, and one to set if it's a repeating event. On Palm, you handle all that on one screen. which means less tapping and more productivity.

The iPhone won't recognize multiple calendars so if you have one set for work and personal, it will just group them all together. When you sync back up to your computer, any new appointments created on the iPhone will create a new calendar in iCal called "@inbox". Umm. . . What the f*@K we're they thinking??? You know what? iCal on iPhone sucks, point blank period. Apple needs to improve this ASAP. Having a poor photo app. is one thing but crippled calendaring is unacceptable if you're calling it a smartphone. If the dated Palm OS can do it so well, Apple has no excuse.

YouTube and Videos
I'm not a person that watches videos on portable devices but having YouTube on the go is pretty cool. It's by far the best implementation of YouTube on any mobile platform. The only one that comes close is Helio's implementation but it lacks Apple's polish. You can browse the most popular videos, search for something specific, bookmark them and email a link to a friend. You can not however log into your YouTube account or upload videos. In fact the iPhone doesn't record video at all. The search results are also restrained for some reason. I searched Britney Spears on my desktop and found thousands of results. On the iPhone, the same search query only returned 25 results. I'm not sure how that works but it makes it seem as if content is limited. The only way to find something is to really know what it is you're looking for.

Video quality is dependent on the original source. Some videos are meh and some are really beautiful. That is of course over Wi-Fi. Switch to AT&T's EDGE connection and you automatically get lower quality video and in about 50% of my experience, most were too pixelated to watch. I will say however loading videos over Wi-FI and EDGE are fast since it's streaming. It only takes about 5 to 10 seconds to preload before playback starts.

Watching movies synced from iTunes is a different story. They play beautifully. I own A LOT of phones and it wasn't until I watched an HD podcast on the iPhone did I actually mutter "wow" aloud. The pixel response seems fast so you don't get none of the blurry stuff during fast paced action scenes. Color is good with the only detriment being in the blacks which look more like grey due to the screen's backlighting. I'm just being picky here tho. Most people won't even notice those things. The screen is large enough to watch a full length movie comfortably and accessing controls all happen with a series of simple taps. All movies play in landscape mode and before you ask, you can not send a movie to somebody else, even if it's non DRM'd. The built in speaker is too weak even at its loudest so make sure you have headphones plugged in.

iPod
Can the iPhone replace your iPod? For the most part yes. It does everything the iPod does and in some cases does it better. Getting music on and off your iPhone happens just like on your iPod. Playback is also similar with the addition of Coverflow. Some people love Coverflow and some people think its superfluous. I'm with the latter since I prefer searching by artist name or by preset playlists I've carefully organized on iTunes. The only thing it seems to be missing is playlists on the go. On the iPod, you can dynamically create new playlists simple by holding down the select button over a song for a few seconds.

Although the iPhone sports the same dock connector as the iPod, most iPod accessories will not work with full functionality. Take my radio transmitter. It works but the phone prompts me about my mobile signal being affected and vice versa. I tested it out and sure enough, with my transmitter plugged in, my calls were going straight to voicemail. I also noticed a strange intermittent static or hiss that was very faint. I assume it all has to do with the cellular signal not intermingling well with the FM transmission. Rest assured 3rd party companies will release a slew of new accessories for the iPhone. Just be prepared to spend more money.

Google Maps
I can't tell you how awesome Google Maps is on the iPhone. They really outdid themselves. iPhone's version is much prettier and works well over Wi-Fi and EDGE. It's neatly tied in with contacts and the phoning system itself. Just like the commercial, I searched for Seafood. Almost instantly Google Maps found all relevant locations and tapping on any one of them gave me their contact info. From there I could call, save them as a contact or visit their website. I also tried getting driving directions from my house to work. Sure enough it works flawlessly. I just wish the instructions would utilize the entire screen since the small text is a little hard to read. It's not GPS based but for basic purposes, it's more than enough. One of my favorite features is the traffic checker. It color codes major roads and freeways so I know what areas to avoid and trust me, living in L.A., this feature is almost a God send. So is there any room for improvement?

Yes, but I wouldn't call it improvements. They're more like additional features. It would be nice if my iPhone could speak the driving directions aloud. I would also like the ability to send directions to other phones in the form of an email or better yet, text messages. Sometimes my friends call me for directions and instead of having them try and remember everything, a text message with included instructions from my iPhone would be nice.

Web Browsing
Ah Safari, probably one of the best things on the iPhone and it works just as advertised. It really is a real web browser, not some baby version. Surfing the web over Wi-Fi is wonderful. Tapping and pinching to zoom in and out of areas is so damn intuitive. Flicking to scroll is faster than a mouse. There are even tabs and a built in RSS reader. Turning the iPhone sideways automatically rotates the screen. The sensor is smart enough to know if you've turn the unit to the right or left. It makes viewing wide sites a lot easier and the iPhone becomes more comfortable to hold in your hand. Up until now, the best mobile browser was Opera but Safari really takes the cake in terms of usability and features.

Safari is only as good as its connection and over EDGE, it becomes a turtle. Cute and cool but oh so slow. It has no option to optimize pages for slower connections like Opera does so you just have to sit and wait thru the load times. It also has no flash support so using the real YouTube or other flash based video sharing sites are a no go.

One neat feature in Safari has to do with the keyboard. It's the only time the keyboard switches to landscape mode if you turn the iPhone on its side. With more space, the keys are larger and spaced out. If this were the default size of the keyboard, typing would really be a non issue. The compromise is you can only see about 2 lines of text at one time which isn't a big deal since most things you type are one liners anyways. This landscape keyboard mode is something I wish were available in texting and emailing.

Connectivity
The iPhone has 3 ways to wirelessly connect to external sources; EDGE, Wi-FI, and Bluetooth. EDGE works invisibly and is the default connection. I'm seeing download speeds of around 100 kbps to 220 kbps. That's incredibly slow compared to 3G which fluctuates between 1 mbps to 3.6 mbps. The slow speed affects every part of the phone from emailing to browsing the net. but if you've never had 3G before, it may not bother you as much. Unfortunately it doesn't allow you to share it's connection with a computer which is odd.

The iPhone's saving grace is Wi-Fi which works better than any other similarly equipped phone. I'm going to compare it to the Nokia N95 which was the last Wi-Fi equipped phone I got my paws on. The iPhone always wants to be on Wi-Fi and thus keeps an eye out on open signals. When it detects one it asks you if you want to connect to it. Tap yes and it'll remember that setting incase you ever wander into the same area again. So far, my iPhone knows my home, work, and the local Burbank library. Each time I enter into one of those areas, it automatically switches from EDGE to Wi-Fi. On the Nokia N95, you have to search out and switch to available signals manually. It's just one example where Apple's rhetoric of simplification benefits the end user.

Unfortunately Bluetooth is crippled. Technically the phone supports Bluetooth 2.0 therefor it supports fast file transfers, and stereo headphones but the iPhone offers neither. You can only use Bluetooth to pair headsets. I'm not sure why Apple chose to do this but one can assume it has to do with furthering securing the way the OS handles files. After all, having free open Bluetooth means I can send other people files, songs, pictures, and even movies. Even if those files are DRM'd, it's the only reason why I see Apple crippling Bluetooth functionality. Fortunately a simple software update can open it up and I hope we see one soon.

Customization
I'll keep this short and simple. Wallpapers are the only customizable content. Ringtones, changing icons, placement of icons, changing shortcuts, - all the things smartphone users are accustomed to are not available on the iPhone. For why you ask? Because Apple is controlling. Allowing you to change too much on the phone could potentially break it. It's a system that requires the utmost rigidity in order to seamlessly function within the Apple ecosystem. The included ringtones are good, but not good enough. You can't choose a song as a ringtone and you certainly can't make your own. I suspect we'll see additional ringtones for sale in iTunes someday. Until then, we're stuck with what we've got.

Battery Life
All these battery tests separating how many hours for video and how many for phone have always been alien to me. A real user never separates core functions like that. In real world usage, I find I get about a day and a half of battery life with a little web browsing, lots of video and music, lots of phone calls and texting, and lots of showing it off to people curious to touch one. I did watch a full length 1.5 hour movie and from a full charge, still had about half left. Charging it is quite fast and will accept power via the A/C adapter, USB cable, and dock connector.

The battery itself isn't user replaceable but Apple will replace it free within the limits of the 1 year warranty. After that, it'll cost you $79. An Apple iPhone extended warranty plan is in the works which will probably detail other parts of the phone such as the body and screen.

My only complaint would be heat. The aluminum conducts enough heat from the battery to make the phone uncomfortable to hold. However most people will probably buy some sort of case like I did, which keeps the heat from reaching your hand and ear.

AT&T service
I have never been an AT&T or Cingular customer. My experience is with Verizon and T-Mobile so switching did give me second thoughts. Since the iPhone works exclusively with AT&T, I had no choice and made the jump. Activation is all done via iTunes. After passing AT&T's credit check, you're to choose a plan. They're all reasonable and provide unlimited data which is key. If you fail the credit check, you can choose a go-as-you-pay plan. They cost about $15-20 more a month but give you all the same features and keeps you out of the otherwise required 2-year contract.

Initially it seemed anyone could opt for the pay-as-you-go plan but I think AT&T caught on and now only allows people with poor credit to sign up. Everyone else is required to start a new 2-year contract. HA! That's the first time I think having bad credit was a good thing. I managed to try the iPhone both on contract and go-as-you-pay. The only difference are the annoying alert messages indicating your balance if you're on the go-as-you-pay plan. They come up everytime the iPhone accesses AT&T's network. Since the iPhone is on an unlimited data plan, it's ALWAYS accessing the network, thus you get those alerts about 20 times a day. There's no way to turn them off but AT&T is aware of the problem. They're supposedly working on a solve but for now, it's a low priority.

I live in the Los Angeles area and so far, coverage is on par with my T-Mobile service. I did have a weird glitch with my voicemail which had me on hold for a total of 11 hours with AT&T. Not all at once of course. I was told 3 times to call back later and was hung up on twice. I'm not sure if AT&T was just inundated with too many new users or if this is a norm from them. I've heard stories but I'll reserve judgement for a later time. Sufficed to say, I got my voicemail straightened out and have been happy with AT&T's service thus far.

Conclusion
Apple really has a great product on hands. It truly revolutionizes how we interact with out phones and I'm not just talking about the multi-touchscreen. I'm talking about the rock solid OS. Other companies need to listen, look, and learn. Although the phone is missing many features, most if not all can be fixed with simple software updates. Apple is a company that tends to release more powerful features little by little so I'm sure in no time, the iPhone will have and do what everyone wants it to do.

The real question is would I buy the iPhone again if I knew what I know now. Yes, yes I would. Despite the fact that is has no picture messaging and can't receive them, despite being hampered by AT&T's slow EDGE network, despite not being able to send attachments from mail, despite not showing up as an external hard drive like my iPod does, despite having crippled Bluetooth, it has its wins. The iPhone is easy to use, it has the best mobile web browser, it can easily replace your iPod, it has real desktop emailing, it has an extraordinary screen, it has the best voicemail system out there, and for Mac users, it's the first time their mobile needs look and feel familiar - comparable to their desktop experience. Most importantly because of its OS X roots, it has some real potential. I'm sure we'll see some really amazing things later this year. Is it the Jesus phone people talked about? No, but it is the best smartphone out there for casual users. Business users should stay with their Treos and Blackberries for now.