Experiencing the iPhone
The iPhone has become a "Lifestyle Machine". With a multitude of functions that are easy to use and easy to learn, the iPhone works well as a communication device and as a life style tracker.
The Innovation of the iPhone
Steve Jobs' iPhone hits the revolutionary mark in bringing technological innovation and style.
Cell phones have come a long way since the first archaic blocks (which could have doubled as a weapon) came out. There’s innovation right there. No longer were people tied to a wire line to get in touch with others. They just had to dial and press the “Send” button and voila! A call was made.
Since then, other features such as a keyboard have been added to the cell phone to enhance usability but nothing to “ooh” and “aah” about. Was there no creativity in the cell phone industry? Nothing new was presented until the iPhone.
The real genius of the iPhone is that there are so many innovative pieces brought together in one device. It’s a phone. It’s a CD player. It’s a television (well, not quite – still have to have my HDTV). It’s a personal organizer, health tracker, note taker, game console and more all rolled into one. It can be tailored according to the user’s desires making it the perfect lifestyle device.
The iPhone Experience
iPhone is amazing and it continues to be the talk of the town even three years after it made its initial debut. iPhone just keeps getting better.
Arriving in stores with an initial price tag of $499 years ago, the newest version of this high tech gadget (iPhone 3GS) is now more accessible to everyone with a price tag of $199 (16 GB) and $299 (32GB). Sporting more features and better connectivity, the iPhone has become a must have even for the regular folk.
Ease of Use
The best type of user interface is one that has the ability to bring advanced features within the easy reach of inexperienced users. The iPhone does just that.
As with many smart phones available, the iPhone has a full QWERTY key layout. Something even the older generation is familiar with. Even other, lesser used features such as call waiting and conferencing have become so simple to use with the iPhone.
The Hardware
The sleek, shiny black and chrome design of the iPhone is nothing short of being a gem. With its light weight, slim, palm fitting size, the iPhone is easy to handle.
The newer version of the iPhone still retains much of the look and external features of its older predecessors. Users can obtain their iPhones in white or black and its display also incorporates a fingerprint resistant oleophobic coating which is supposed to minimize fingerprints and smudges.
The screen size is an amazing 320 x 480 which is equal to the limits of NTSC television. While it’s not HDTV, the resolution is still a great feature for anyone to appreciate.
One of the largest drawbacks to the iPhone is that users are unable to change out their own battery. That’s not really a problem thought because the iPhone’s battery life is still enough for most people to work with.
• Talk time: Up to 12 hours on 2G
Up to 5 hours on 3G
• Standby time: Up to 300 hours
• Internet use: Up to 5 hours on 3G
Up to 9 hours on Wi-Fi
• Video playback: Up to 7 - 10 hours (depending upon the model)
• Audio playback: Up to 24 - 30 hours (depending upon the model)
iPhone Features
iPhone as a Cell Phone
One of the biggest drawbacks of the iPhone is that the call quality and 3G reception still struggles to reach perfection even with the newer version. Service outages and dropped calls still plague AT&T users. Although there have been some improvements to the network, there is still a long way to go.
Calls
iPhone users can easily handle more people on their contact lists than anyone would ever need. The scrolling feature in the contact list also has a friction algorithm which allows for slowing down when nearing the name of the contact. Then, simply tap a name or a number and you’re making your call.
Voice Control
The iPhone 3GS model sports a new feature, Voice Control. As hands-free driving laws are being passed around the country, Voice Control becomes a much needed feature.
Accessible by holding down the home button until Voice Control appears, simply speak the contact's name or phone number into the receiver. You will then be prompted to confirm the name or number and if a contact name has multiple numbers, you will be asked to specify if it’s the home, mobile, or work number you want.
The Voice Control feature also spills over its functionality into the iTunes Genius list. You can request a playlist or a specific song by artist name and album. You can also give commands such as pause, skip, previous and shuffle.
Voicemail
iPhone sports a random access voicemail feature. Innovative indeed because it’s the first cell phone to offer a visual display of voicemail messages received. Users simply scroll through the visual display of voicemail messages and select the ones they want to hear.
SMS / MMS
The iPhone Classic and 3G models come with SMS technology allowing for easy to use text-messaging capabilities.
The MMS (multi-media messaging) features on the iPhone 3GS allows photos, videos, audio files and even map locations to be sent. One thing to note is that the iPhone Classic will not support the MMS feature.
Photos
The iPhone camera has been decent but not extraordinary. Originally starting at 2 megapixels, the 3GS models have an upgraded 3 megapixel resolution. The 3GS also has a new “Tap to Focus” feature will allows for easier focusing. A small box appears in the window when the lens is pointed at a subject. Tapping that small box enables the adjustment of the white balance, color, contrast and exposure. Just tap where you want the camera to focus and square will move there. If you decide not to tap the square, the default focus is the entire frame.
Like with other camera phones, the iPhone camera is still without a flash.
Video Recording
The iPhone 3GS comes with a new feature – video recording. First in the family of iPhones to have this feature, there’s also a video editing feature right on the phone. Video shooting still works much the same like the camera functions and also incorporates the Tap to Focus feature.
The video editing feature is also easy to use. The video is displayed frame by frame. Simply highlight and hit the “Trim” button to cut out frames you don’t want. Beware though, one problem with the editing feature is that once a cut has been made, the file is saved over the original file and you’ve lost that section completely. Also, you can’t cut frames in the middle of the video and join the rest of the frames together.
Hmmm... Highly user friendly, but low on functionality.
iPhone as the iPod
The iPhone also doubles as an iPod. Syncing is easy and extremely user friendly. Just plug and play.
Music
Apple is well noted for the original iPod – a music, video and movie player all rolled into one device. Users can download their favorite CDs into iTunes and sync the songs right to their iPhone. iTunes also covers a huge selection of music choices appealing the younger and older generations including everyone in between.
The functions of the iPod work pretty much the same with the iPhone. Just shake the phone to shuffle. We also mentioned earlier that the Voice Control feature can also be used in conjunction with the Genius playlist feature.
Video
In addition to music, iTunes makes available for purchase videos, television shows and movies (for a small fee of course) for your entertainment pleasure. You can also watch your favorite You Tube videos which are completely compatible with the iPhone.
The iPhones 3.5" display has great NTSC resolution and is large enough to comfortably watch.
iPhone as an Internet Device
The iPhone is able to access Wi-Fi connections and also AT&T’s Edge or 3G Network. With Wi-Fi connections being spotty at best and with AT&T networking issues, connecting to the internet may not be as easy as it is with a standard computer especially if you’re out of the large population areas.
Tethering
A new feature for iPhone 3GS users is the ability to tether their 3G signal to their Mac or PC. Using a wireless Bluetooth or a USB, iPhone owners access the internet on their computer while still retaining all the functionality of their phone. No Wi-Fi is needed.
Safari Browser
iPhone features the Safari Browser which it claims is the most advanced Web browser for a mobile phone. While that may be true, we won’t know that as long as the AT&T’s signal reception remains the way it is.
Still, when internet connections are working, the best of the iPhone comes to light. Use the zoom button to focus on specific sections of a web page or view the whole screen. Users can also bookmark their favorite sites and even create a web clip.
Email
Email on the iPhone works much the same like the voicemail interface and much like email on your computer. Users are also able to work with other email providers such as Google, Yahoo!, AOL, Hotmail, and Mobile Me. Users can retrieve mail from multiple accounts if needed. Users can also view attachments right on their phone such as PDF files, MS Word, MS Excel, PowerPoint, and JPEG file.
Maps + Compass
Owners of the earlier versions of the iPhone have a map feature which also incorporates a GPS. Users can get directions easily and find the locations easily much like in Google Maps but one of the cool features is that click on a location and instantly make a call to the place. iPhone 3GS users also have an additional feature – the Compass which points true magnetic north.
Applications
iTunes also provides application downloads. Through the App Store located in iTunes, free and for a fee applications can be purchased and downloaded for use on the iPhone. The application selection is enormous! Spanning games, business functions, health and fitness apps including social networking apps are just some of the things available.
One of the newest features of the iPhone 3GS is its accessibility features. Visually impaired people can utilize the Voice Over function with for messages, emails and even Web pages. Even navigating through the iPhone’s menus become a breeze.
Another notable addition with the iPhone 3GS is the Nike + iPod application. This feature integrates the iPod with a separate sensor (also available for purchase) that is placed inside Nike running shoes. The sensor acts much like a pedometer and is able to track speed and distance traveled.
Apple does a great job in combining as many favorite features as one could imagine into one single device. The features are user friendly and the iPhone can also be tailored with add-on applications to benefit anyone’s lifestyle. This makes it the number one “Lifestyle Machine”.