iPhone - My Review

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Hmmm, I think I've forwarded a text about twice this year so far, and I only send multi texts on two days, Xmas day and New Years Eve...

I wouldn't even know how to send a multi text

 

[dogmatique]

Oh come on - it's a basic function: Do you want to go to the pub; send to half a dozen people.

 

[paolo]

Kid... same here really... but I thought it was worth pointing out.

dogmatique... I'm not so sure. There'll be a 16gig version as soon as the Samsung chips start flowing, and then the 3G version, so text message functionality won't really be the driver for upgrades. Basically - I think - it's something they cocked up.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

I wouldn't even know how to send a multi text

I wouldn't worry about it really, millions of normal people every day manage to survive, shock horror, without real qwerty keyboards on their phones or the ability to cut and paste...it's only us geeks that obsess over it!

 

[dogmatique]

So why hasn't it been fixed in the 10 months since they've had the final version ready?

 

[paolo]

Oh come on - it's a basic function: Do you want to go to the pub; send to half a dozen people.

Yep. I've not needed to do it for ages (maybe I have no friends ) but that's a good example.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Oh come on - it's a basic function: Do you want to go to the pub; send to half a dozen people.

No, I want to go to the pub to drink. Most people that I want there with me I've seen throughout the day or facebooked so it's becoming less an issue than it already was.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I wouldn't worry about it really, millions of normal people every day manage to survive, shock horror, without real qwerty keyboards on their phones or the ability to cut and paste...it's only us geeks that obsess over it!

yeah, but it would be handy Christmas and New Year. My b/f has five sisters and two brothers

 

[dogmatique]

No, I want to go to the pub to drink. Most people that I want there with me I've seen throughout the day or facebooked so it's becoming less an issue than it already was.

This is a common defensive response to a critisim of an expensive device, "oh well, I don't really need it anyway" when it should just be there. It really should.

Bearing in mind that I'm getting my own iPhone on Monday, and really looking forward to it, especially the web browsing, I'm just disappointed that simple things aren't sorted.

 

[editor]

Being able to send a text out to more than one person really is a very basic function. I use it all the time.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

This is a common defensive response to a critisim of an expensive device, "oh well, I don't really need it anyway" when it should just be there. It really should.

Really? I only said it because it's true not because I'm some kind of Apple fanboy! I really don't use forwarding and multi texting that ofter, never have so not going to really miss it if it's not there.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Being able to send a text out to more than one person really is a very basic function. I use it all the time.

Basic for those that need it, horses for courses innit. Thinking about it I don't know anyone that sends out multiple texts that often (more than once a month).

 

[paolo]

So why hasn't it been fixed in the 10 months since they've had the final version ready?

There's been very very little in the way of functional improvements since launch (that was the end of June).

One can only speculate, but one line of thinking is that they are head down doing a serious rewrite.

The little reported but very credible inside line is that the existing code is a rush job. All the application run as root... this means (sorry if you already understand this) that, fundamentally, it's not in the right shape for any 3rd party apps at all. I suspect that there is no clear line between app and OS code. Creating proper seperation takes a disciplined engineering effort and alot of refinement as you - bit by bit - work out exactly what you are trying to achieve functionally. And that discipline takes time, so I think they skipped the due process. Hence no SDK, and the original line by Jobs about apps being web only, was just spin.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Being able to send a text out to more than one person really is a very basic function. I use it all the time.

maybe because I didn't even know the feature existed, I never bothered looking into it.

Maybe I should dig my manual out

 

[dogmatique]

There's been very very little in the way of functional improvements since launch (that was the end of June).

The iPhone was released to manufacture in January, and there were beta test devices around before then. They've had nearly a year to sort these things out, which makes me think they're being held back for a reason.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

The iPhone was released to manufacture in January, and there were beta test devices around before then. They've had nearly a year to sort these things out, which makes me think they're being held back for a reason.

So more mugs can get in queue for the next model and spend another couple of hundred quid

 

[Wookey]

I really should get a mobile phone - I suppose it's safe to say that they're here to stay??

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I really should get a mobile phone - I suppose it's safe to say that they're here to stay??

Why not. You could be like my sister. Owns one but never uses it.

I bought her an emergency charger just in case on the rare occasion she has it on her and it's not charged

 

[paolo]

The iPhone was released to manufacture in January, and there were beta test devices around before then.

Hardware maybe, but I'd expect the software will have been frozen quite late. But five months or ten months, either way yes they have indeed had plenty of time to sort things out.

Personally I don't buy the intentional omission theory - but all we can do is speculate.

 

[paolo]

Why not. You could be like my sister. Owns one but never uses it.

I bought her an emergency charger just in case on the rare occasion she has it on her and it's not charged

Many years ago I had a weird flatmate, who would insist on ringing me all the time asking where I was, what was I doing, etc etc... so, after a phone loss, I opted out of the mobile world, and it was - at that time, for me - bliss.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Many years ago I had a weird flatmate, who would insist on ringing me all the time asking where I was, what was I doing, etc etc... so, after a phone loss, I opted out of the mobile world, and it was - at that time, for me - bliss.

That's why they have off switches

 

[Wookey]

Why not. You could be like my sister. Owns one but never uses it.

But if I had one, people would expect to be able to call me on it, and I wouldn't want that. The anxiety that being on 24-hour-call for people causes me isn't worth it - and if I had one and turned it off, people would worry. So I just don't bother, and I don't think I miss out.

(I think people talk too much anyway.)

 

[paolo]

That's why they have off switches

Indeed... but then I used to get an aggressive "WHY WAS YOUR PHONE TURNED OFF?" quizzing when I got home.

 

[Wookey]

Indeed... but then I used to get an aggressive "WHY WAS YOUR PHONE TURNED OFF?" quizzing when I got home.

My favourite is: BUT I LEFT YOU SIX MESSAGES!!!

Well, you're a carrot then, aren't you??

 

[paolo]

Blimey. So you've met her aswell then?

 

[UnderOpenSky]

cheers for the review, even if i dont end up getting one, then will make the other phone manufactors think about their offerings. There are quite a few features id like on my nokia e61.

think the biggest show stopper for me would be lack of 3g, if u struggle in london, what hope would i have in the lakes, scotland, n yorkshire etc. I use my phone for web browsing a lot (more time then making calls) and on urban i run with the images turned of and press back a lot.

 

[Xanadu]

I've never had a phone with cut and paste.

 

[editor]

I've never had a phone with cut and paste.

It's something I use just about every day: get email, cut and paste details into my calendar. I use it when I'm writing articles and imputing passwords, serial numbers, info off websites etc etc. Think about how much you use it on your PC...

 

[Xanadu]

I can imagine it being very useful. I was playing with an iphone yesterday morning. I was very very impressed with the interface. But not impressed enough to buy it. I saw plenty of folk using iphones out and about london today.

 

[High Voltage]

My name is High Voltage and I am a Mac user . . . there I've said it.

I've lusted after the iPhone for longer than enough.

BUT

I've got a company phone with Orange . . . my own phone with Virgin and I'll be damned if I'm going to sign up to yet another network just to get the latest gadget.

Can I get one of these things and put one of my Sims into it and NOT lose any of the functionality??