tOfficial iPhone news and discussion thread

[Jim in Atl]

Originally Posted by Patrick Bateman

Is Wunder Radio really as sweet as it looks? I haven't paid for any apps yet and I don't want to get in the habit of it since there are so many good free ones available, but this one looks like it might be worth the $6.99.

I could not get the sports talk stations from Detroit with the other streaming apps. Wonder radio cleared it up. When u have 3g there r no buffeting issues.

[Jim in Atl]

I replaced the 3g with the 3GS last week. This is a multipost series on the experience.

Yes, I was eligable for the full upgrade discount. I purchased the phone opening day last year.

The final deciding factor was when I found that 3G phones, used, are currently selling $400 - $1200 on eBay. Yes pay $200 for the 3GS and immediately sell the 3G not for $99 but for $400+. This seems odd except the phone really costs you and AT&T much more than $300. Also, apparently these phones are popular in other countries "unlocked."

[Jim in Atl]

3GS part II:

good-
* the screen coating really is nice. No more screen protectors.
* it's faster and it doesn't hesitate in any mode with any app. The keys no longer stick as it pauses while typing. The apps and functions snap open. The software helped and this phone adds to the effect.
* the camera adjusts for background light manually. This was a problem before. Now can see faxes even if back light or window in the scene.
* the camera can now focus on very close items and it can photograph a bar code. The camera does not zoom.

[spenc119]

My good / bad coming from a new iPhone 3gs owner (former blackberry user):

Good:
-Corporate / Personal email setup extremely easy
-WiFi performance is excellent
-ATT 3G performance is excellent (where you can get it)
-I was in and out of Best Buy in about 25 minutes
-The interface is extremely fast
-I was able to find a remote desktop client that would allow me (after VPN'ing in) to access my work computer over 3g / WiFi
-Calendar software seems to function well
-Apps, apps, games. Evernote, vlingo, facebook, youmail, iRdesktop, fandango, pandora, flightcontrol, stickwars, and fieldrunners are all great apps / games and all run smoothly.
-Seems to use battery power very efficiently when playing music (the only time it does so).

Bad:
-Battery life is terrible even with WiFi and Bluetooth turned off. Playing a game for 20 minutes drains about 30% off the battery. With minimal browsing, calling, e-mail, calendaring i'm lucky if I make it through an 18 hour day. <-this is my only 'major' gripe.
-ATT's EDGE network blows
-The camera might be better than previous models, but it's essentially not any different than any other cell phone cam...junk.
-The compass is more effort than it is worth. Every time I attempt to use it, it's pointed in the wrong direction. When I go to calibrate it, it ******* about not having enough space around it even though i'm standing in the middle of a 15x15 office.
-Bluetooth takes forever to pair with (multiple) earpieces.
-iTunes is by far the worst piece of programming I have ever been forced to use. Find an alternative.
-Ridiculous pricing on almost all accessories.
-The voice commands are gobbledeguk. I speak clearly and annunciate the words "play artist incubus". It asks if I would like to call a friends mobile or home phone...etc.
-MMS still does not work despite my attempt to hack it.
-I did test the enterprise software that supposedly allows you to push software / security settings and it is . Not a very good effort by Apple on that front.


All in all I would not go back to my Blackberry even if someone paid me. There are simply too many uses for this phone and it accomplishes them all very well (though you are on a strict time limit if you don't have a charger nearby). While I would not by ANY means want to support this phone at the enterprise level it certainly is useful at a personal level if you are even somewhat tech savvy. Thankfully, Apple has most certainly relaxed forcing their "experience" down your throat with this device (mostly because you can avoid iTunes if you want to) and I will not be returning it within my 30 day trail period as I had anticipated after all.

[spenc119]

Originally Posted by Jim in Atl

I replaced the 3g with the 3GS last week. This is a multipost series on the experience.

Yes, I was eligable for the full upgrade discount. I purchased the phone opening day last year.

The final deciding factor was when I found that 3G phones, used, are currently selling $400 - $1200 on eBay. Yes pay $200 for the 3GS and immediately sell the 3G not for $99 but for $400+. This seems odd except the phone really costs you and AT&T much more than $300. Also, apparently these phones are popular in other countries "unlocked."

They sell for so much on eBay unlocked because, after being unlocked, they can be used on another GSM / UMTS network (T-mobile, many foreign carriers) similar to ATT's. In addition, if you pay full price you do not have to be tied to a 2-year contract.

Despite being unlocked the iPhone will not work on Sprint / Verizon and is unlikely to ever be developed for S / V unless ATT does something to severely piss off Apple. Here's why: Sprint / Verizon are the only large carriers, in almost the entire world, that are stuck on CDMA technology (not compatible with current iPhone) which is going to completely screw them in 1-2 years. CDMA has essentially reached its end of life, is nowhere near as fast as ATT's UMTS, and Verizon / Sprint are beginning to invest in new networks (replacing ALL of their hardware) that will take them years to roll out. This is why ATT is going so slowly with their 3G roll out...they are 2-3 years ahead, using a proven 3g technology, and banking that Apple doesn't want to create a regionalized phone for use on the V / S network which would drive their variable costs sky high, be useless in most world markets, and would likely only be relevant (hardware wise)for another 1-2 years. /end rant

[Jim in Atl]

3GS Part III, the complaints.

I all this is likely still the best phone available besting the palm who really was the first - unless you count Sony prototypes - to create a UI for a real PDA.

If you have a 3G and sell it this 3GS could be worth upping the contract one more year but not worth $200 and another year.

The video is cool and really will increase the number of youtube videos quickly. The camera isn't all that improved unless you want an app that reads bar codes.

The compass by itself is novel but pretty useless and I moved it to the third page of my desktop. Perhaps it will help with apps? Where the heck is turn by turn.

The battery life seems to have plumetted since I upgraded to 3.0 with the previous phone. Also the signal seems to Have droppes as well. Fewer bars and more poor connections and dropped calls. I've been having this issue where my phone does not ring but the caller hears four or five rings and then voice mail.

Finally, there is no plan for this phone to just be a phone. If I want to give my 3G as a gift to someone used to paying $50 for unlimited calls and text they are up to $80 or $100 a month for the minimum.

[rob]

Interesting article in todays NY Times:

Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Technology

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June 29, 2009, 7:57 pm A Skeptic Sees Strong Sales of Palm’s Pre

By Matt Richtel

Edward Snyder, a cellphone industry analyst with Charter Equity Research, often plays the role of cautious pessimist. For instance, he questions whether smartphones or data services will catch on as much as carriers hope, and he unreservedly criticizes what he characterizes as their underperforming cellular networks.
Paul Sakuma/Associated Press Sales of the Palm Pre might exceed industry estimates, according to one analyst.

So the report he issued Monday bears notice. Mr. Snyder said that his sources in the manufacturing and retail channels indicated that Palm had sold 300,000 phones — considerably higher than some estimates by analysts — and that the company was struggling to keep up with demand. Mr. Snyder estimates that the company now is producing 15,000 units a day and will ship one million phones to Sprint in the first full quarter of production.

Mr. Snyder wrote in his report that he believes Palm will rapidly seek to expand its market — despite the exclusive contract it struck with Sprint for the Pre. Mr. Snyder notes that the deal doesn’t preclude Palm from selling other devices that are built around the Pre’s underlying operating system WebOS to competing carriers. Mr. Snyder predicts Verizon will sell a WebOS device built by Palm in early 2010 and AT&T will introduce one shortly thereafter.

But would AT&T introduce a device that could be seen as competing with the iPhone? Complicated question. So far, Palm’s marketers have sought to position the Pre not as an iPhone Killer but as a device that can succeed without taking on Apple’s iconic device head-on.


And yet a new print advertisement by Sprint suggests that the carrier has a different marketing vision. In the full-page ad, which appeared in Monday’s New York Times, a shiny new Pre leans on an Apple core. Says the ad: “Your iPhone contract is up. Perfect timing. The Palm Pre does things the iPhone can’t.”

[bulldogg]

Originally Posted by Jim in Atl

Finally, there is no plan for this phone to just be a phone. If I want to give my 3G as a gift to someone used to paying $50 for unlimited calls and text they are up to $80 or $100 a month for the minimum.

Huh?

[Jim in Atl]

Originally Posted by bulldogg

Huh?

Now I own the old 3G free and clear, right? If I give it as a gift that person owns it free and clear. AT&T got its subsity to pay for the phone. I didn't complain about the $30 web fee or the charges for text until now. This thing can not just be a phone without Internet access. Not everyone wants to pay &100 a month for a cell, but I wanted to give a mice gift. Not a gift that keeps on taking long after being paid for. Small complaint I guess.

[msu.uf]

Great opinion piece on RIM and the challenge they face now vs. the iPhone. RIM's OS is rock-solid and aging by the second. Can they innovate even though they still have a strong foothold in the market? I think they are going to be relegated to second-class status soon if they dont.

What happened to Research In Motion and where are they going? : Boy Genius Report

[Patrick Bateman]

Originally Posted by rob

Interesting article in todays NY Times:

What's interesting about that article?

[Ibleedgreen]

What I wanna know is why they call it a genius bar if they have fricken stupid people working them.

Calling out for help once again from you RCMBers. I had the original I phone, I just upgraded to the 3gs. My Texts clear themselves out as soon as I hit the home button on the new phone......its really annoying because im used to saving all my texts and deleting them when Im done with them as do most of you Im sure.

The genius bar cant figure it out and has a 2 day wait. One of the so called best guys looks at and says "we cant touch it its been altered" he said that because I reversed color on it from white on black to black on white, the people in the apple store didnt even know u caould do that on the new phones!!!!!

[KingPong]

Quick question. Can I sync the ipod with and exchange account as well as a local outlook client for the contacts and calendar?

Will multiple calendars display?

[bulldogg]

Originally Posted by Jim in Atl

Now I own the old 3G free and clear, right? If I give it as a gift that person owns it free and clear. AT&T got its subsity to pay for the phone. I didn't complain about the $30 web fee or the charges for text until now. This thing can not just be a phone without Internet access. Not everyone wants to pay &100 a month for a cell, but I wanted to give a mice gift. Not a gift that keeps on taking long after being paid for. Small complaint I guess.

Ummm ... why can't it be just a phone? You can put in a SIM from any other phone (like a RAZR, etc) and it will work. Data won't and Visual Voice Mail won't, but the phone will.

[incubuscircles2]

Originally Posted by spenc119

Despite being unlocked the iPhone will not work on Sprint / Verizon and is unlikely to ever be developed for S / V unless ATT does something to severely piss off Apple.

I thought I read somewhere that Verizon would be getting the iPhone within a year or two?

[Jim in Atl]

Originally Posted by bulldogg

Ummm ... why can't it be just a phone? You can put in a SIM from any other phone (like a RAZR, etc) and it will work. Data won't and Visual Voice Mail won't, but the phone will.

will they provide a sim and activate without the data? I was told not. So you are suggesting we get another AT&T phone activated then swap the phone? Seems worth a try. How about AT&T's go phone?

[Jim in Atl]

Originally Posted by incubuscircles2

I thought I read somewhere that Verizon would be getting the iPhone within a year or two?

wishful thinking. No reliable source has any evidence of this being true.

[Trevor Barnes]

Version 3.1 is coming down the pipe soon it sounds...it has been released to developers and after testing will be released to users...

iPhone OS 3.1 Features: Non-Destructive Video Editing, Voice Control Over Bluetooth and More - Mac Rumors

Apple yesterday seeded iPhone OS 3.1 and iPhone SDK 3.1 betas to developers for testing, and users have been digging through the new releases to document new features. Among the changes found so far by readers in our forums, at Redmond Pie, and at MobileCrunch:

- Trimming video clips on the iPhone 3GS now offers the ability to save the edited version as a copy rather than simply overwriting the original file.
- Voice Control over Bluetooth is now available, allowing users to Initiate calls and control music playback via Bluetooth headsets.
- MMS is now enabled by default, but still not supported by AT&T.
- iPhone vibrates when rearranging Home screen icons.
- A "Fraud Protection" toggle is now available in Safari settings.
- iPhone startup and shutdown and app launching times have improved.
- New APIs allow developers of third-party application to access and edit videos.
- OpenGL and Quartz have seen improvements.

[Jim in Atl]

Originally Posted by Ibleedgreen

What I wanna know is why they call it a genius bar if they have fricken stupid people working them.

Calling out for help once again from you RCMBers. I had the original I phone, I just upgraded to the 3gs. My Texts clear themselves out as soon as I hit the home button on the new phone......its really annoying because im used to saving all my texts and deleting them when Im done with them as do most of you Im sure.

The genius bar cant figure it out and has a 2 day wait. One of the so called best guys looks at and says "we cant touch it its been altered" he said that because I reversed color on it from white on black to black on white, the people in the apple store didnt even know u caould do that on the new phones!!!!!

The two day wait appears to be about the new phone release. This is not typical in my experience. Before the release of was same day and now I have the same experience as you.

[SteveMSU]

Originally Posted by spenc119

My good / bad coming from a new iPhone 3gs owner (former blackberry user):
-Ridiculous pricing on almost all accessories.

Go to Monoprice.com. They've got chargers for $3, cases for about the same, etc. They were so cheap I picked up multiple car chargers so I can just leave one in my briefcase for when I travel, plus an extra AC Adapter for the office.

[Jim in Atl]

Turn by turn launched today. I received an email from AT&T asking me to subscribe for $10 a month.

I read through the reviews and they aren't great. Mostly complaints about the cost and AT&T not being open to competitive apps. The other complaints are problems with the maps and the errors.

It really does seem that AT&T is just seeing this one app closure of it's open app policy to squeeze money from us. This is the same cost Verizon
charges and I paid it. I was happy with that and it was the biggest obaticle to me getting the first iPhone. I am not getting this app. I pay each month for the value of open apps and data and another $10 and the fact there is no competition just bothers me. I will just use google maps and my cars gps.

What a huge disappointment this was after waiting two years for this phone to catch up with Verizon.

[john michael kane]

Noob question from a non-noob: Is there a way to clear all of my texts? I've got them all the way back from February and want to get rid of them all at once instead of one by one. TIA

[tuff bob]

Originally Posted by Jim in Atl

Now I own the old 3G free and clear, right? If I give it as a gift that person owns it free and clear. .

Correct. You should jailbreak, unlock and ebay that sucker for $$$. Don't update past 3.0 if iTunes wants you to.

eg: UNLOCKED NEW Apple iPhone 3G 8GB BLACK 3.0 T-MOBILE NR - eBay (item 250454976993 end time Jul-02-09 09:36:37 PDT)

[Ezekiel P. Jebediah]

Originally Posted by tuff bob

Correct. You should jailbreak, unlock and ebay that sucker for $$$. Don't update past 3.0 if iTunes wants you to.

eg: UNLOCKED NEW Apple iPhone 3G 8GB BLACK 3.0 T-MOBILE NR - eBay (item 250454976993 end time Jul-02-09 09:36:37 PDT)

Can you please expand further on this? I purchased a 16gb 3g in December-ish on a two year contract. I am not eligible for any price breaks on the 3gs. If I want to upgrade and sell my 3g on ebay to recoup some of the cost, what exactly do I need to do? What is full price for a 3gs for someone less than a year into a 2 year contract? Will they make me renew my contract? Once I purchase the 3gs and (possibly) renew my contract I am then clear to resell the 3g on ebay?

Also, is there an easy site that explains "unlocking" and how to do it?

BTW, I got the e-mail this AM from AT&T, also, re: turn by turn costing $9.99/month. What a crock of ****. The slingbox thing and this really piss me off. Not paying it.

[tuff bob]

Originally Posted by Ezekiel P. Jebediah

Can you please expand further on this? I purchased a 16gb 3g in December-ish on a two year contract. I am not eligible for any price breaks on the 3gs.

isn't it 499 for 16gb and 599 for 32, if there is no price break.

Originally Posted by Ezekiel P. Jebediah

If I want to upgrade and sell my 3g on ebay to recoup some of the cost, what exactly do I need to do?

jailbreak and unlock (and advertise the hell that its jb + unlocked. also its good to verify with a T-Mobile SIM card, if you know anyone with T-Mobile.

Originally Posted by Ezekiel P. Jebediah

Also, is there an easy site that explains "unlocking" and how to do it?

jailbreak:
iClarified - iPhone - How to Jailbreak Your iPhone on OS 3.0 Using RedSn0w (Windows)

unlock:
iClarified - iPhone - How to Unlock the iPhone 3G Using UltraSn0w