Why get an iPhone?
I like Apple. I have used PC’s, UNIX workstations and Mac’s for decades, but I choose to use a Mac at home because they are reliable, stable, require little maintenance, and have true plug-and-play hardware. Apple builds quality products that just work-no muss, no fuss. Yes, people complain that Apple is a closed environment so you can not add any junk software you want. On the flip side, iPhones work out of the box and do not crash (not that I have heard of or experienced anyway.) iPhones are easy to understand and quick to use and Apple programs compliment each other’s capabilities.
The iPhone 4S has an 8MP camera and video camera with a decent software package that makes really good photos and movies possible. I always have my iPhone with me so I can take photos any time I want to. Yes, my Canon point-and-shoot camera can take better photos and has a 10x zoom that will be sorely missed, but overall, the iPhone camera is great and meets most of my needs.
The iPhone has a 3.5” display that is still the sharpest and clearest in the business. There are larger screens out there-- forestmaster’s Epic Touch is a monster 4.5” display. The larger screen is nicer to view web pages and movies with, but it comes at a cost in that the phone is too large to put in a pocket comfortably and the larger screen sucks battery life faster. The iPhone is comfortable to hold in my hand and talk into and I can easily manipulate it with one hand (not nearly as easy to do with the larger phone screens.)
The iPhone has only one button on the front face of the phone-it does everything for controlling the phone that is not part of the touch screen display with the exception of the volume control buttons and the sleep/power button on the sides of the phone. Navigation is very simple in this regard and the buttons are logically located so I do not push them accidentally. My mother was able to navigate on my iPhone within a minute after showing it to her the first time-it is that easy.
There has been a lot of talk in the press about Siri, the voice control on the iPhone 4S. I am still learning to use it, but of what I have used so far, it has been pretty useful. It is just like the scene out of Star Trek where Scotty talks to the computer-I can ask the phone to call dad or text my wife saying that I am running late, and it makes it happen. It is still a beta program so it isn’t perfect, but it is surprisingly useful so far. I tried to get the score for the Monday night NFL football game and Siri ended up opening up a Google search window with the terms Monday night NFL game, so some progress is yet to be made, but I think even Scotty would be impressed.
I really like how well integrated the email/phone/text apps are-it is simple to contact people in a variety of ways using one interface that can switch from one app to another seamlessly.
It is kind of a refreshing change to see Apple as the 800 pound gorilla in the smart phone market. Android is growing by leaps and bounds, but apps are made for the iPhone first. Unlike Android phones, iPhones are expected to be updated to the latest OS software as it becomes available and security patches are routinely updated to keep iPhones virus and spyware free. Apple does a pretty good job of keeping the iPhone secure with frequent software updates, the ability to lock the screen and a separate passcode to unlock the SIM card as well as being able to track and/or remotely wipe the phone if it is lost or stolen.
The iPhone is not perfect, and that is the subject of the next post…
The iPhone 4S has an 8MP camera and video camera with a decent software package that makes really good photos and movies possible. I always have my iPhone with me so I can take photos any time I want to. Yes, my Canon point-and-shoot camera can take better photos and has a 10x zoom that will be sorely missed, but overall, the iPhone camera is great and meets most of my needs.
The iPhone has a 3.5” display that is still the sharpest and clearest in the business. There are larger screens out there-- forestmaster’s Epic Touch is a monster 4.5” display. The larger screen is nicer to view web pages and movies with, but it comes at a cost in that the phone is too large to put in a pocket comfortably and the larger screen sucks battery life faster. The iPhone is comfortable to hold in my hand and talk into and I can easily manipulate it with one hand (not nearly as easy to do with the larger phone screens.)
The iPhone has only one button on the front face of the phone-it does everything for controlling the phone that is not part of the touch screen display with the exception of the volume control buttons and the sleep/power button on the sides of the phone. Navigation is very simple in this regard and the buttons are logically located so I do not push them accidentally. My mother was able to navigate on my iPhone within a minute after showing it to her the first time-it is that easy.
There has been a lot of talk in the press about Siri, the voice control on the iPhone 4S. I am still learning to use it, but of what I have used so far, it has been pretty useful. It is just like the scene out of Star Trek where Scotty talks to the computer-I can ask the phone to call dad or text my wife saying that I am running late, and it makes it happen. It is still a beta program so it isn’t perfect, but it is surprisingly useful so far. I tried to get the score for the Monday night NFL football game and Siri ended up opening up a Google search window with the terms Monday night NFL game, so some progress is yet to be made, but I think even Scotty would be impressed.
I really like how well integrated the email/phone/text apps are-it is simple to contact people in a variety of ways using one interface that can switch from one app to another seamlessly.
It is kind of a refreshing change to see Apple as the 800 pound gorilla in the smart phone market. Android is growing by leaps and bounds, but apps are made for the iPhone first. Unlike Android phones, iPhones are expected to be updated to the latest OS software as it becomes available and security patches are routinely updated to keep iPhones virus and spyware free. Apple does a pretty good job of keeping the iPhone secure with frequent software updates, the ability to lock the screen and a separate passcode to unlock the SIM card as well as being able to track and/or remotely wipe the phone if it is lost or stolen.
The iPhone is not perfect, and that is the subject of the next post…