I finally broke down and got one.
For the last while, there have been three devices around the $400 mark that have caught my attention. These are the EeePC, the PS3 and the iPhone. Honestly, I could justify none of them at that price. The important thing to note is “at that price”, which is why I jumped at the chance to pick up an iPhone, albeit the discontinued 4GB model, at $200. The phone in question is ex Apple, used only for training purposes. I have to say, I love this phone. It truly is the device I was imagining on those days spent in traffic – something to use to check traffic reports, something to play music, a decent phone.
This last part is important. I have had and used so called Smart Phones in the past, of the BlackBerry and Treo (Palm powered please, none of this Windows nonsense) variety. I have also seen the degree of wrestling one has to do with a Windows Mobile device to get it to do even the simplest of things. The Treo is a great organizer, but the phone was absolute crap. I have heard from others with more recent versions that it hasn’t improved much. RIM make some very capable BlackBerry devices and I would recommend them to anyone needing something to be integrated into an enterprise setting, especially if it’s tied to that awful beast known as Exchange. I was tempted at one stage to pick up a BlackBerry Pearl, but that was before this little beauty was released. BlackBerry devices almost get it right – the iPhone gets it spot on.
The other thing that works surprisingly well is the browser. I typed almost all of the above using the iPhone browser. The only reason I’m not still using it is that I had typed too much to fit in the window, navigated away from the page and couldn’t figure out how to scroll down. I may learn that there is a way in time or I may not. It is still a much more capable browser than anything I’ve seen before on a mobile device.
I can’t remember if I had another point to make. If I did, I have forgotten it. Basically, I love my iPhone and am very glad I got it.
