iCaved For The Apple iPhone
With people ranting and raving about the release of the Apple iPhone 3G to Canada through Rogers and Fido I had my ideas about why I would not see an Apple iPhone in my future. The stylish, ultra sexy 3G capable cell phone has seen its share of lust and ridicule and it has come to the point where a previous post of mine is now invalid. That is right, I have obtained an Apple 3G iPhone.
Why Did I Cave?
I have been using my Blackberry 7250 a lot on the web and it just does not have the web browsing capabilities I am looking for, I also cannot check my email away from a computer if I need to get in touch with people and clients. Have you ever used Mini Opera? The newest version is horrible and if the Blackberry 7250 remotely finds the EDGE network browsing speeds are marginal and extremely slow, I think I could get faster speeds on my old 9600 baud modem.
The Apple 3G iPhone offers me the web browsing features I need to check up on websites and keep in touch with the online world, after all being a web developer my life usually involves the internet and being able to remotely access various items.
The Plan
Sure Rogers does not have the nicest plan out there for the Apple 3G iPhone but your only other choice is Fido and they are a subsidiary of Rogers so their plans are similar if not the exact same.
Paying $249 for the iPhone, minus the $50 rebate (which comes off my 1st or 2nd bill) is not a horrible price though the 3 year contract does make some people cringe, including myself. Monthly I’ll be paying anywhere between $70-$100 for my cellular service but with my Sony Ericsson W580i it was roughly the same so I’m not too worried about that. Yes I did get the 6GB data plan, we’ll see how much of that I actually use though, I can always change it later (or so I hope).
The 3 year contract with Rogers is typical of their phones; they lock you into a contract that lasts longer than most cell phones do so they force you into upgrading the phone and renewing your contract over and over and over again. Sure you can buy an unlocked phone from something like Craigslist but do you have the $400+ to drop on a phone in case yours breaks? I guess they hope you do not.
The Phone
The phone so far it great and I am enjoying it ever bit. The screen is bright, the user interface is easy to use and even though the keyboard is a bit small, I have been able to make do with it within the past day or so.
I have also recently set up my email which uses IMAP and Gmail which was relatively easy one I configured the IMAP settings and MX Records properly.
Text messaging (or SMS) is really cool and it shows you your text messages in the form of conversations which makes following multiple people via text messages a lot easier. Though I do hope that one day I’ll be able to send text messages in a landscape mode so that the keyboard is slightly larger and easier to type with, large fingers do not always cooperate.
I have tinkered with the various connectivity features the 3G iPhone has to offer, primarily the 3G, WiFi and as well as a bit of a dabbling in the VPN. WiFi around my area is in abundance and I definitely like to ensure I’m near a hotspot I can access. The 3G network was fun to play with; being able to watch YouTube videos while waiting for a ferry is pretty cool. After just a little over 24 hours I have used roughly 15Mb of data which is a combination of 3G and WiFi traffic. Is there a way to check my data usage via each connection? I’d like to see what I use individually; perhaps someone will make an app to do this?
App Store
I have not really played much with the App Store since there is not an option to ‘Try Before You Buy’ which I believe would be a great asset for people who wish not to waste money on crap applications, sure those Free or $0.99 apps are not much but am I willing to pay $14.99 for an application that a) is ugly b) is hard to use and c) does not quite do what I want? Perhaps seeing screenshots of the apps would be better?
Mini Conclusion
Overall I have really enjoyed the brief time with my new Apple 3G iPhone and hope it does not make me regret the amount of money I will be shelling out to own and use such a sleek, geeky device. Does this also mean I am turning into an Apple FanBoy? Did I also increase my GeekPoints by owning an Apple 3G iPhone?
Does anyone have recommendations for Apps I should look at to add to my 3G iPhone? The only one I have loaded so far has been Twitteriffic which means I can keep with Twitter! If you want to follow me on Twitter then by all means please do so!
This also means I can review iPhone accessories now too, which is what a lot of people out there are looking for right? Perhaps someone can also suggest a cool, easy-to-apply clear skin for my iPhone since finger prints easily show up.
I heard something about a great app called “I am Rich” .. have you checked that one out? :):)
Why would I spend $1000 for an app that does nothing? (think that is the one you are referring to)
That has to be the funniest title for a post
Thats nothing new i am not giving a cent for this pos.
Consider me entered! Good post on the iPhone too!
I think the iPhone “usage” only counts the cell network usage, as I’ve only used 44mb in the month that I’ve had my phone. I use it mainly on wifi at home.