Fear not blogosphere! I'm not dead (yet anyway...)! But after using my new iPhone for a week I do have a full review to give those of you who are interested. First things first though, let's talk about that Friday.
I woke up around 3 because I couldn't sleep the night before (too excited, I know, I know, I'm incredibly nerdy). I got dressed and the plan was originally to meet my girlfriend at the AT&T store in pearland around 5. I changed it to 4 since I was up early, but she ended up not being able to go so I went alone. (Note to self: bring books when waiting in long long lines. Also, a chair.) After sweating in the early morning hours under the Texas sun, it finally came time to where I was next in line (there were some people in front of me, but not too many). I walk up to the counter at the same time the man in front of me walks away with his two new phones.
"I'm sorry sir, we've just sold out of phones"
[My lawyer says I shouldn't post the things I said then, due to a pending lawsuit]
The gist of it was that AT&T employees should be able to count and understand what those numbers mean. And they should know when or IF they get shipments. They are incompetent otherwise.
So I head home disappointed and grumpy from being up so early. I ended up crashing on the couch until about 11 when my older sister wanted to go to Freebirds for lunch. On the way, our of curiousity I call the Apple store at the mall (I'd already called all the AT&T stores, nada). They have plenty they say, and not too long of a line, so I decide to take my chances:
Not terrible, could be worse.
So I'm waiting in line, and waiting, and waiting. I made a new friend named Jorge. (it's what happens when in long lines).
As I'm sure you've heard, AT&T servers kept crashing, as did iTunes servers (never have a single point of failure, it will fail-always). So I was in line for 9 hours to get mine. But at the glorious end of the day, I walked away the proud owner of a brand new iPhone. Here's what they give you:
Here you go Mr. Mills, display the fact that you just bought one of the most coveted items to the crowded mall as you exit, also we've gone through the trouble of showing them exactly where you're keeping it by printing it largely on this bag. I can in no way see how that could possibly be a bad idea.
Inside that poor idea of a bag is this:
Here you go Mr. Mills, display the fact that you just bought one of the most coveted items to the crowded mall as you exit, also we've gone through the trouble of showing them exactly where you're keeping it by printing it largely on this bag. I can in no way see how that could possibly be a bad idea.Inside that poor idea of a bag is this:
Pictured in front of the new headphones (not really)So you may notice that the box is white. That's because I opted for the white model (16 gB) because the black one looked cheaper, and attracted more fingerprints.
The device itself is somewhat weighty, not heavy, but the authoritative kind, the pleasant sort. It fits nicely in your hand, and the headphones are remarkably easy to keep in for extended periods of time.
If you own an iPod with video, or a touch (P.s. please help my friend recover his) then you know how good the video display is. If not, it's something that really must be seen to be believed. It's stunningly gorgeous. I don't think I'd mind watching TV shows at all. (something I used to make fun of other people for).
GPS and 3G (functional in both Boston and Houston, YES!) are welcome for me, as I like to think of myself as a bit of an internet junkie and having constant access to information about movies while in blockbuster, or reviews of nearby restaurants, youtube videos, etc. is a dream come true for me.
But the coolest feature in my opinion has been the applications. Third party apps that range from increedibly cool and useful (Box Office-reviews of movies from Rotten Tomatoes, click to buy tickets at nearby theatres; Facebook) to incredibly cool and useless (iPint-virtual beer drinking;Bubblewrap popping game; and Phonesaber-uses the accelerometer data to make lightsaber hums and clashes as you swing the phone about). The best part? a ton of the apps are free or very cheap (I haven't spent a penny on them yet).
Perhaps whats most exciting about it is where it's pushing tech though. Look at the number of imitators. It's helping to bridge the gap for connectivity, social networking. It really creates an exciting number of oppurtunities for change in the market. Maybe products have to rely more on quality because there is ready access to online reviews, maybe lines at starbucks move faster because people can touch their orders up on their phone, and even pay through an online account. Or take a picture of something, and image recognition pulls up information about it from the internet. Truly useful mobile internet pushes the envelope for what you and iCan expect from not only mobile devices, but what the internet itself can do.
If you own an iPod with video, or a touch (P.s. please help my friend recover his) then you know how good the video display is. If not, it's something that really must be seen to be believed. It's stunningly gorgeous. I don't think I'd mind watching TV shows at all. (something I used to make fun of other people for).
GPS and 3G (functional in both Boston and Houston, YES!) are welcome for me, as I like to think of myself as a bit of an internet junkie and having constant access to information about movies while in blockbuster, or reviews of nearby restaurants, youtube videos, etc. is a dream come true for me.
But the coolest feature in my opinion has been the applications. Third party apps that range from increedibly cool and useful (Box Office-reviews of movies from Rotten Tomatoes, click to buy tickets at nearby theatres; Facebook) to incredibly cool and useless (iPint-virtual beer drinking;Bubblewrap popping game; and Phonesaber-uses the accelerometer data to make lightsaber hums and clashes as you swing the phone about). The best part? a ton of the apps are free or very cheap (I haven't spent a penny on them yet).
Perhaps whats most exciting about it is where it's pushing tech though. Look at the number of imitators. It's helping to bridge the gap for connectivity, social networking. It really creates an exciting number of oppurtunities for change in the market. Maybe products have to rely more on quality because there is ready access to online reviews, maybe lines at starbucks move faster because people can touch their orders up on their phone, and even pay through an online account. Or take a picture of something, and image recognition pulls up information about it from the internet. Truly useful mobile internet pushes the envelope for what you and iCan expect from not only mobile devices, but what the internet itself can do.
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