My o2 contract runs out soon and i am more than eligible to qualify for an i phone, just wondered what people think of them, looked at blackberry storm and something just aint doing it for me !

I've lived with an iPhone, it's gone now, I feel much better. I'll spare you the iPod bashing but generally speaking the low points of the Pod are the same on the Phone.

Add about 8 hour battery life (if you're lucky, about 1 hour battery in use [music, phone call, video viewing]), firmware updates galore, so little options other phones have enjoyed for the past ten years.
Can't send picture messaging, can only send images through email, cannot forward a text, can't send a text to multiple users, text messages are stuck in conversations not in an 'all messages' list (which I hated till the end), predictive text cannot be turned off, styluses cannot be used (only fingers, despite the small virtual keyboard keys), cannot have more than one language enabled for predictive text at a time (have to change as type), symbols are a pain to reach (if I remember correctly it is shift, then symbol).
Cannot remove applications (can only hide icons on another desktop page), there is no application management (apps do not close, they continue running in the background).

No buttons, inverted scrolling, need iTunes upon first use even if you can carry on phoning without afterwards. You need to use the iStore and register and have to part with banking details even to install free apps, WinPwn (to crack the phone and make work a little more like normal phones) is risky, includes all the usually rubbish Apple apps (Safari, Quicktime).

The camera is naf, picture managing is again Apple style, music is by the Tunes software.

The vibrator button is badly placed and sensitive and keeps on turn on and off.

That'll be a no for me.

I just got a Nokia E71 on three (free upgrade).

Really very impressive.

http://www.trustedreviews.com/mobile-devices/review/2008/07/08/Nokia-E71/p1

I've got an iPhone and I love it. Unfortunately you're going to get people slagging them and people loving them. No middle ground really.

I find it very simple and easy to use, but you can do highly complex stuff on it, of which most other phones would struggle. Some of the apps available make it a real treat to use, especially some of the free ones like eBay, Google Earth, YouTube, Facebook and Wordpress. Not to mention the unlimited internet, that is the major bonus of this phone. And it's no lame manufacturer's own version of the internet, it's a full on web browser with everything involved using Apple's Safari browser.

It's all about compromise. I don't have a problem not being able to send picture messages. The way I view taking pictures on a phone is that it's a fun part of having a phone, being able to capture something and share with friends. Most people have Facebook so with the handy photograph feature on the Facebook app you can upload a picture from you camera almost instantly, just tell your friend to have a look there. I wouldn't use a phone to take pictures i'd like to print and keep anyway. You need a proper digital camera with a decent lense for that.

You can delete the apps, when you hold your finger on an app for a couple of secs they begin to wiggle and a cross appears in the top left hand corner which once tapped deletes the app.

You can also send multiple messages, simply press the plus sign in the recipients field.

Now i've got this phone I will not be reverting back to the old style phone. This phone is great and would highly recommend it. Ideal for somebody running a business who isn't infront of their computer 24/7.

I've got an iPhone and I love it. Unfortunately you're going to get people slagging them and people loving them. No middle ground really.

I find it very simple and easy to use, but you can do highly complex stuff on it, of which most other phones would struggle. Some of the apps available make it a real treat to use, especially some of the free ones like eBay, Google Earth, YouTube, Facebook and Wordpress. Not to mention the unlimited internet, that is the major bonus of this phone. And it's no lame manufacturer's own version of the internet, it's a full on web browser with everything involved using Apple's Safari browser.

It's all about compromise. I don't have a problem not being able to send picture messages. The way I view taking pictures on a phone is that it's a fun part of having a phone, being able to capture something and share with friends. Most people have Facebook so with the handy photograph feature on the Facebook app you can upload a picture from you camera almost instantly, just tell your friend to have a look there. I wouldn't use a phone to take pictures i'd like to print and keep anyway. You need a proper digital camera with a decent lense for that.

You can delete the apps, when you hold your finger on an app for a couple of secs they begin to wiggle and a cross appears in the top left hand corner which once tapped deletes the app.

You can also send multiple messages, simply press the plus sign in the recipients field.

Now i've got this phone I will not be reverting back to the old style phone. This phone is great and would highly recommend it. Ideal for somebody running a business who isn't infront of their computer 24/7.


I also have the iPhone and would never go back to a 'standard style' phone with a keypad etc.

I love everything about it

Found texting difficult at first, but it has an auto-correct feature - so you could type a word and hit a few wrong keys, but it will put in the word that you wanted anyway, as it will know the word you entered doesnt exist. You can trust it to change the words.

Internet is brilliant - especially in a 3g area

The apps you can get for it (a lot are free and instant download) mean you can customise your phone unlike any other phone.

I have the 8gb one and i have loads of apps and songs on it and its till got loads of memory left

At the end of the day there are always those for and those against, pros and cons etc etc and with everything else there will be bits of it you’ll love and bits that you’ll hate, I’ve had mine since first release and I love it, unlike captain scarlet I love the way it stores texts, I used to hate wading through hundreds of texts to find a particular one but now, I just scroll down to the contact and they are all in there, and also to correct captain scarlet you can send texts to multiple recipients. At the end of the day you need to decide which features are important to you and whether the iPhone has them. It has everything I need and more and I feel that it is a lot easier to use than others in its class. So a big fat yes from me.

The iphone is very good, as a touch screen thats intuitive to use, looks great, and provides a top internet experience. The price is a bit inflated though, and its a bit weak in some other areas, such as pics/video. I went for an LG kc910 renoir. Amazing cam, video, looks nice, interface is easy to use too. And if ya quick you can get it on a 12 monther for no charge on handset.

I forgot about the auto-correct feature when typing text.

The Google Maps app with street view is possibly one of the best web based applications i've seen. Can't wait for it to include the UK.

I have 1 as well, and after having the ipod touch for 9 months i was well used to the feel of it, i got my iphone a month ago, and i love it, its a delight to use, i can get e-mails on the move, you can even use it as a basic sat nav if you are lost as it will show you your exact (down to 5 foot) position
Ok you can't send mms messages, no problem, e-mail them, its free anyway so why pay mms charges??
The only think thats not good is you can't take video, however i still have my old N95 for that :hihi:

Decide what features you use then you can decide.

The iPhone has no MMS (fecking stupid if you ask me), texting takes a while to get used to, it has a short battery life but overall I love mine :)

I use the calendar a lot and it's great for that, texting is easy enough, the contacts system is good, it's a good music player. Being able to receive email using IMAP is great, the web browser is really good....I could go on.

But as people say it seems to be either love it or hate it. Give someone's a try and see what you think.

if i baught a iphone of ebay or hear and put my normal sim card in (could i if not unlocked how much is it 2 get it unlocked) and could i just click on the internet and it would could up . how much does the internet cost ?

I'd probably hate the IPhone, too gimmicky IMO.

My N95 is much better than the Iphone, it has all the features(apart from TS) and more, and its 2 years old!! when I get my upgrade in the next month or 2 i'll be looking for the new smart phones loaded with android, if your wanting TS HTC are a good company to keep an eye on.
________
Chevrolet Lumina APV (http://www.chevy-wiki.com/wiki/Chevrolet_Lumina_APV)

Regarding the first reply to the OP, the pedant in me notes that:

Add about 8 hour battery life (if you're lucky, about 1 hour battery in use [music, phone call, video viewing])

Not generally accepted to be the case - 1st gen iphones will run for 4 or 5 days with occasional use and can play back music through the little speaker for a good 5 or 6 hours, and many more via headphone. Video will get less, a couple of hours maybe but still a lot more than one hour.

The 3G iPhone has less good battery life but still a long way above an hour (http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2008/07/round_up_nine_iphone_3g_battery_life_test_results-2.html). The link relates to v2.0 of the software, v2.1 is generally accepted to improve battery life but I can't find hard stats to back this up.

firmware updates galore

Well, given the choice I'd much rather get new features & bugfixes for FREE every now and then - rather than be left with the original v1 software. Perhaps you'd rather buy a new handset to get the updated software?

Can't send picture messaging

True

can only send images through email

True, but this can also be put as 'you CAN send images through email'. Which is unarguably better than not being able to send them at all.

Cannot forward a text

True

Can't send a text to multiple users

Not true any more, although it was on earlier versions of the iphone software.


Text messages are stuck in conversations not in an 'all messages' list (which I hated till the end)

This was one of the things I most liked when I first used an iphone, it made absolute sense straight away and I (still) can't think why all phones don't work this way.

Predictive text cannot be turned off

Yes it can, as of the v2.2 software. Which is a free update.

styluses cannot be used (only fingers, despite the small virtual keyboard keys), cannot have more than one language enabled for predictive text at a time (have to change as type), symbols are a pain to reach (if I remember correctly it is shift, then symbol).

A matter of personal preference here. Touchscreen keyboards are always going to be a compromise and suit some people better than others. A fold-out BT keyboard with real keys would be my preferred solution! However symbols are not hard to get to - press down on the symbol key and slide over to the reqd symbol, and release.

Cannot remove applications (can only hide icons on another desktop page), there is no application management (apps do not close, they continue running in the background).

Not true. Apps can be deleted properly. They quit when the user goes back to the phone's main screen.

No buttons

except the Home button, volume up/down, hold switch. It's a touchscreen phone! Who needs buttons :)


Inverted scrolling

???

Need iTunes upon first use even if you can carry on phoning without afterwards. You need to use the iStore and register and have to part with banking details even to install free apps

True

WinPwn (to crack the phone and make work a little more like normal phones) is risky, includes all the usually rubbish Apple apps (Safari, Quicktime).

Whatever, subjective. Safari is a fine web browser on the iphone and holds its own against the alternatives. Ever tried browsing on an N95?

The camera is naf, picture managing is again Apple style, music is by the Tunes software.

The camera is crap, true. The next two points are positives though!

The vibrator button is badly placed and sensitive and keeps on turn on and off.

Possibly. Not on those I've used though.

Regarding the first reply to the OP, the pedant in me notes that:


Not generally accepted to be the case - 1st gen iphones will run for 4 or 5 days with occasional use and can play back music through the little speaker for a good 5 or 6 hours, and many more via headphone. Video will get less, a couple of hours maybe but still a lot more than one hour.

The 3G iPhone has less good battery life but still a long way above an hour (http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2008/07/round_up_nine_iphone_3g_battery_life_test_results-2.html). The link relates to v2.0 of the software, v2.1 is generally accepted to improve battery life but I can't find hard stats to back this up.


Well, given the choice I'd much rather get new features & bugfixes for FREE every now and then - rather than be left with the original v1 software. Perhaps you'd rather buy a new handset to get the updated software?


True


True, but this can also be put as 'you CAN send images through email'. Which is unarguably better than not being able to send them at all.


True


Not true any more, although it was on earlier versions of the iphone software.



This was one of the things I most liked when I first used an iphone, it made absolute sense straight away and I (still) can't think why all phones don't work this way.


Yes it can, as of the v2.2 software. Which is a free update.


A matter of personal preference here. Touchscreen keyboards are always going to be a compromise and suit some people better than others. A fold-out BT keyboard with real keys would be my preferred solution! However symbols are not hard to get to - press down on the symbol key and slide over to the reqd symbol, and release.


Not true. Apps can be deleted properly. They quit when the user goes back to the phone's main screen.


except the Home button, volume up/down, hold switch. It's a touchscreen phone! Who needs buttons :)



???


True


Whatever, subjective. Safari is a fine web browser on the iphone and holds its own against the alternatives. Ever tried browsing on an N95?


The camera is crap, true. The next two points are positives though!


Possibly. Not on those I've used though.

I want buttons on my phone, I hate touch screen stuff for the simple reason that I have fat fingers, so touch screens are always annoyingly fiddly and cumbersome to me.

fat fingers The iphone keyboard is remarkably forgiving - I've used it with a surprising degree of success wearing chunky gloves... It seems so long as the centre of contact is over the required letter, that letter is pressed - even when there's overlap with those surrounding.