The scene from the movie [Minority Report] in which Tom Cruise navigated through the electronic data by running his fingers to and fro in mid air amazed me. Now, I can perform the same trick as Tom on iPhone - the latest baby from the Apple's family. However, I have to wait till 2008 for iPhone to arrive in Asia. I am not crazy about gadgets but iPhone is too cool not to write about.
iPhone was launched on 29 June, 2007 in the US with much excitement, disapointment and frustration. Let me take you on the emotional transition in that order.
In January 2007, Apple announced its new invention - a mobile phone tagged with the superbrand prefix 'i' after iPod. To fans of Mac and iPod, the introduction of iPhone will be another of their pround possession: "I have a MacBook, an iPod and an AppleTV, now look what I've got - an iPhone!" To Apple, it is an extension of brand royalty. When iPhone was finally launched, thousands of iFollowers camped outside Apple and AT&T stores waiting eagerly for the shutters to open. iPhones are sold @ 164 Apple stores nationwide. Each customer is entitled to purchase up to 2 iPhones on a 1st-come-1st-served basis. News reported that all iPhones at AT&T stores were sold out when it debuted on Friday; Apple stores would not disclose if they had run out of stock by Saturday. However, not everyone in the US is excited about iPhone.If you stay in eastern Wisconsin and the Madison area in the southern part of the state, sorry baby, there is no network for iPhone to work. Cingular, the largest wirless carrier in the US, solely owned by AT&T Inc, and Apple's exclusive US carrier partner for iPhone is still working on expanding it network coverage in the US. Until the problem is fixed, 30 million US residents will watch with envy while 270 million others are already talking on their iPhones. But those who have bought the iPhones and have a network in their cities had their share of frustration too.
Although activation of the mobile phone service can be done at the comfort of your home at any time you want in front of your computer, many iPhones' owners encountered delays when doing so. AT&T spokeman attributed the delay on Saturday to "high volume of activation requests" that were taxing the company's computer servers. One iPhone's owner waited 18 hours in vain staring at a cool phone not acting cool at all. "It looks cool, but I can't do anything with it," he said. "I'm angry and frustrated and feel like I wasted my time standing in line." AT&T would neither disclose how many customers were affected nor how long they would have to wait further. The company assured customers that they are working to reslove the problem the soonest.
Appealing Product Features
The demonstration on Apple's website is enough to make you go 'WOW' without even seeing the actual iPhone. The instructions were clear and simple. I give iPhone 3 S - Sleek, Sophisticated and Stylish. The iPhone is branded as a revoluntionary mobile phone that rides on a 3-in-1 product mix: a quad-band GSM phone with EDGE and Wi-Fi wireless technologies, a 3.5-inch widescreen iPod and a forbidable Internet communications device (too many features to name them here that I suggest you visit apple.com). The best part of iPhone is its multi-touch interface technology which uses our fingers to navigate around the spectrum of features on a small phone. Flip, glide and tap are all the actions you need to do on the iPhone's screen - just like the way Tom Cruise did suavely in [Minority Report]. Here are the major features I like about iPhones:
Intelligent touchscreen keyboard
Touchscreen is refreshing to me compared with the conventional keypads found in other mobile devices. The QWERTY keyboard appears only when your application requires. Thus, you have a bigger viewing area.
Visual voicemail
I always find it vexing to listen to prior voice messages before getting to the one I am interested in. With iPhone's visual voicemail, I can scan a list of my voicemails, decide which messages to listen to, then go directly to those messages without listening to prior messages. Bravo!
Cover flow
This is just a fun feature when browsing the albums that I want to listen to. Instead of scrolling down for a particular album, I flip the album covers on the screen just like the way I flip my CD album.
Built-in sensor
I hate to rotate photos in my mobile phone because I never get my clockwise or anti-clockwise direction right. Ok, call me dumb if you want to but iPhone's built in sensor works for me! My photos will appear landscape or portrait in the way I rotate the phone. That really improves my viewing experience.The sensor also helps to preserve the iPhone's battery life. It will adjust its brightness accordingly to the envrionment and when you answer a call, the display is automatically turned off to save power.
Google Mapping
I don't drive but this feature is useful for the passenger too. Supposingly, I drive and I am looking for a Thai restaurant in NYC. I search 'Thai restaurant' and few locations pop up on the map. I can check the traffic condition in these areas before deciding which one to go to. Once I select a restaurant, I click on its telephone number to make my reservation. Then, I key in my starting location and destination and hit enter. The estimated traveling time with traffic and distance appear. Thereafter, it provides me a turn-by-turn instruction to get that. Isn't it wonderful?
Headset
Although this is just an accessory, it is as cool as the iPhone itself. When I press the headset button, the music I am listening to fades away and I am alerted of an incoming call.
Having delighted myself in iPhone, this phone has its flaws too. Afterall, it is a smart phone but not a perfect phone. For iPod's users like myself, these flaws are not deterrants to pay USD499 for a 4GB model or USD599 for a 8GB model. We are so used to the iCulture that the continuity of function in a different gadget is enticing enough for an impulsive purchase. But again, I am not a gadget geek. A phone is good when it performs its basic function best: make and receive calls. When I want to take pictures, I get a digital camera. When I want to read and reply emails on the go, I get a palmtop. When I want to listen to music and watch videos, I get a portable device.
I already have a Sony Cybershot, an IBM Thinkpad and a (RED)iPod. I guess I can give iPhone a miss next year.
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Watch a slideshow of 9 iPhone alternatives and you decide if you still prefer the iPhone.
This article is listed on jaiku.com under iPhone Grouped Entries. Jaiku is a way to connect with friends by sharing short messages called Jaikus on the web and mobile. Jaiku is based in Helsinki, the capital of Finland.
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