iPhone first look

The iPhone is amazing. Like the iPod, the kids learned to use it in three minutes and the most incredible part is that activation is actually wonderful. A reminder that carriers should stick with high quality networks and not try to be consumer companies. I am sure that no one but Apple could have made activation so simple. It was literally three clicks and two minutes to get the phone actually running. The screen is of course magnificent and the eye candy is quite amazing. There are not many applications on it though and here is a list of the annoyances and fixes for them. The net is that I’d say that RIM is safe with its Blackberry for business users, but everyone else had better watch out for the iPhone:

# Despite that fact the phones are being sold unsubsidized, you still have to sign a two year contract with AT&T. This is actually outrageous given that there is no logical reason other than the iPhone’s popularity not to allow SIM unlock. Even the Blackberry on AT&T can be bought unlocked ($349 vs a two year contract and $200). No word from the blogosphere as to how to unlock it and beside making lots of money, no particular rational
# Keyboard. I have to say the input is nice, but ain’t no Blackberry. Main things are that the calibration of the keyboard is hard. My right thumb is always one over. Folks say it automatically corrects, but typing is frustrating. I’d rate the Blackberry Curve in this regard, then this thing because at least there is a full keyboard. Personally I find both SureType and other predictive typing on numeric keyboards to be beyond frustrating.
# Headphone Jack. For some reason they designed the thing with a recessed jack so that a standard headphone doesn’t work. Instead, you have to pay $11 for a “Belkin”:http://iphone.macworld.com/2007/07/review_belkin_headphone_adapte.php adapter just because of this recessing. Arrgh. The Belkin by the way is lousy because it is rigid and so looks really wierd. There is also one from “Shure”:http://www.shure.com/PersonalAudio/Products/Accessories/CasesAdapters/us_pa_MPA_phone_adapter which has a microphone and switchf or pausing but it costs an amazing $50. I need this for a cassette adapter in my car and my fancy Etymotic headphones. Or you can take a knife to the plastic and make it work 🙂 There is even a hack from “LessonPortal.com”:http://www.lessonportal.com/wordpress/?p=15 that shows you how to do it by carving the soft rubber with a knife. Good luck, it might destroy your headphones and you have to do it with everything you own. !>http://www.lessonportal.com/wordpress/1.jpg!

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