vernongarza.blogspot: September 2007

Three and a half months into the debut of the iPhone (and three weeks of owning one) I can say I am ready to write the review nobody cared or dared to write.

I am picky to say the least when it comes to gadgets, particularly, "cell phones."

I am the owner of an unlocked 8gb Apple iPhone. I purchased the phone brand new and utilized the DevTeam's software unlock.

But before all that, right out of the box, I was impressed with the solidity and fine craftsmanship of the iPhone. Never before have I seen such quality, fit and finish in a cell phone. Kudos, Apple.

So after numerous days of waiting for the unlock (see previous blog entry) I managed to unlock my phone and insert my T-Mobile simcard. One of my happiest moments of this year.

I will rate the following aspects of the iPhone on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 being Osama bin Laden's reputation in America and 10 being OJ's happiness in the courtroom after finding out he just got away with killing two white people.

Quality, Fit & Finish: 9.5

As mentioned above, I believe this is probably the best phone in terms of quality. Not a squeak or odd movement comes from this phone. Perhaps due to the fact that it contains almost no moving parts with the exception of the home button. I would give it a perfect 10 except the glass overlay on the front of the phone fits perfectly flush on the left side, while leaving a slight (barely noticeable) gap on the right side--barely enough to slide a business card in. Not bad given this is a mass-produced electronic device.

Feel/Aesthetics: 7

Given its impeccable fit, finish, and build quality--this tends to make the phone feel slippery and non-intuitive. Every surface on this phone is slippery (with the exception of the camera lens glass)--I don't think anybody will be gripping their iPhones by the camera lens glass. I have almost dropped this phone several times and its a nerve-racking experience. Perhaps Apple could of manufactured the backplate out of a shinier, more grippier material such as chrome-plated alloy or polished aluminum. I'm just glad they took it easy with the plastic.

Call & Sound Quality: 7

Many of the reviews of the iPhone which have surfaced, complained about the "tinny" sound quality of the iPhone. I admit that the sound coming from the speaker while on a call is a bit dry and flat sounding but not enough to subtract major points from the score of this aspect. What does subtract major points is the ringtone system. There are two defaults: On or Off. This is absolutely rediculous in a $600 device. Even when the ringtones are "full on" they are quiet and muffled and are easily blocked if your finger or any other object is covering the tiny speaker hole on the bottom of the phone. This is a rather poor design and can use some refinement. I had to modify the iPhone file system internally for it to accept personalized ringtones. They still weren't loud enough so I used Audacity audio software to turn up the gain on the actual ringtones. Lots of work for what otherwise should be standard.

iPod: 9

The phone works great as an iPod. It works great docked, supplying audio to externally powered speakers via the line-out on the dock's rear. However, if a call should interrupt your music session and the phone be re-docked, you'll be in for a loud, nasty surprise. This wouldn't be an issue unless you're in a quiet environment like an office. The sound will come blasting through the speaker port on the bottom of the phone for a split second, resuming normal playback afterwards. I don't know if my dock is defective and is shorting the music through the speakerphone momentarily or just a poor design on Apple's part. Otherwise, sound quality through a car's audio system or the Apple-supplied earbuds is excellent. Coverflow works flawlessly and the phone responds brilliantly to user-inputs (i.e., selecting the next track, reversing the cover to see a tracklist, etc.)

Graphical User Interface/Systems: 7.5

Now onto the meat and bread of this review; so how does the phone actually work? Well it does take some getting used to--namely the touchscreen keyboard. It took me one night to get used to it. A normal pushbutton full QWERTY keyboard still does the job better--there's no two ways about it. But this phone is all about image, style, and evolution. The OS does not lag at all, however it will occasionally hiccup when bringing it out of sleep mode. An annoyance Apple hopefully fixes in their anticipated v1.1.1 update. Instant Messaging and e-mail on the iPhone are "meh" at best. Instant Messaging can be accomplished by loading third-party instant messaging applications onto the iPhone utilizing third-party software called: Installer. The IM programs are great, but only for short chat sessions. Anything beyond that will pain you. The software tends to kick itself offline, interrupting any conversations which you were in the middle of. E-mail is unreliable and iffy at best. I use GMail with my iPhone's built-in e-mail client and it suffers in the worst ways. The iPhone's browser, Safari, is indeed the gem of this phone. It's not perfect, but it is the best mobile browser money can buy, especially teamed with a Wi-Fi connection. If the iPhone has a main weapon to destroy other phones: it's their Safari browser.

Cool Factor: 10

Sure it's just an iPhone but many people are still in awe about it. I get a lot of excited people wanting to touch one for the first time. Given it's the most anticipated cellphone in history, I can see why.

Final Score: 8.3

Will I keep it?

That's debatable. I am thinking of switching back to a Blackberry 8800. I do love the iPhone, but as a communication device: it stinks. I hope Apple's reiteration of the iPhone improves this aspect of the phone.