Another Reason I Love My iPhone

My Dad just got a Garmin GPS and is amazed at how great it is.

I just traveled to North Carolina and used the Map program with Location Services enabled to provide the same functionality.

It illustrates how the iPhone has some limitations, but still has amazing versatility.

Unlike the Garmin, the iPhone map program doesn’t give audible turn-by-turn directions. It also is somewhat less precise, in that it sometimes had my current location mapped to the other side of the interstate.

But the GPS functionality comes at no extra cost, while the Garmin obviously involves extra expense. And you don’t need to remember to move the iphone from one car to another since it’s always with you.

Likewise, the iphone camera doesn’t have 8 megapixel resolution, but it’s really functional and beats carrying an extra device.

And being able to write blog posts (including photos) during a 3-hour airport layover is an extra bonus.

It’s like buying a computer instead of an xbox or PS3. The dedicated consoles have higher performance in their narrow applications, but they’re less versatile.

I’m a big fan of versatility.

What My iPhone Has Replaced

I’m coming up on my two-week anniversary of getting my iPhone, and I thought it would be fun to use my iPhone to take a picture of the devices it is replacing in my coat pocket.

On the left is my Blackberry, which had my calendar and email. In the center is my 80 gig iPod, which had the advantage of carrying every bit of my music and spoken word audio. On the right is my personal cell phone.

I didn’t have a digital camera previously; now with the iPhone I have that functionality. The iPhone keyboard is a little touchier than the Blackberry and is more susceptible to typos, but the smart error correction is pretty nifty.

With the Blackberry, Web browsing was possible but intolerably slow for all but emergency situations.

I had an interesting experience this week as I was on a phone call using the ear buds, when I got a text message. I returned the text without having to leave the call. That was pretty nifty too.

Some people wish the iPhone had a video camera. Personally, as regular readers and all SMUGgles know, I prefer the Flip for video. It has a built-in USB connector for uploading video.

So if the iPhone were to add video functionality it would be OK, but it’s not a huge priority. I like the Flip because I can put it on a tripod to get better quality Web video. The iPhone is so thin and sleek that it couldn’t accommodate a tripod adapter, so without that I would just as soon leave out video capability

The really great thing about the iPhone, though, is its application platform, which enables others to add functions, like the WordPress app I’m using to write this post (and incorporating a photo from the iPhone camera).

I couldn’t have gotten the iPhone, though, if it didn’t support Exchange e-mail. This is really well done, and the calendar also synchs automatically.

As I do blog posts using the iPhone, I expect they will mostly be less text-heavy than this one. The WordPress app for iPhone is nice for mobile blogging and incorporating photos, but you can’t insert links. So I guess I would need to edit posts later from my computer to add links.

Anyway, I’m quite satisfied with my experience with iPhone. And it has been nice to lighten and unclutter my sportcoat pockets.

If you have an iPhone, I would love to hear what applications you find most helpful.

iPhone First Impressions

I’ve had my iPhone for a little over a week. It’s quite a marvel, and what’s even better is that it’s a platform that can accept applications to extend its functionality. So far I’ve installed the free Facebook, Twitterific and WordPress apps. I’ve used the WordPress app to create this blog post. It’s pretty elegant.

I had to wait until my Sprint contract expired in early September to make the switch. If any SMUGgles have
longer-term experience with the iPhone (and recommendations on must-have applications), please share your thoughts in the comments below.

I also just adopted most of Guy Kawasaki’s settings for improved battery performance. I’m also getting some of his applications, particularly “If Found.” I’ll tell you why that’s so important in a future post.

Meanwhile, what are your must-have iPhone apps?