Confessions of a Microsoftee: iPhone
Let me preface this post with the following fact; I am a Microsoftee through and through. I 
bleed PC and always have. I’ve never owned a Mac, nor have I ever had the interest in anything Apple. Don’t get wrong, I’m a gadget nut at heart, but I’ve just always felt that I’ve been able to do what I want and need in the PC world. That combined with the fact that typically Apple prices their hardware much higher and I landed in the heart of PC nation by working at Microsoft, and you pretty much make for a No Apple Zone in my work and personal life.
That being said, let me share with you the following difficult to admit statement…The iPhone is hands down the best cell phone I have ever used in my life. In fact, it’s one of (if not the) finest gadgets I’ve ever used. From day one I have been amazed at the ease of use, fun, and sheer magnificent usability of this device, that I don’t see myself turning back ever unless Windows Media “borrows” a few pages from the iPhone usability handbook.
I could write a lengthy glowing review of the device, but I’m late to the game and that wouldn’t really serve much of a purpose. But there are 5 distinct features that I think really stand out for me for one reason or another that I just have to call out:
1. Smart Dim – Somehow the iPhone knows when you are on a call and talking and when you pull the device away (such as looking at call waiting). When you raise the phone to your ear to talk, the display shuts off. Bring it back down to view the screen, its back on. Brilliant.
2. Ringer/Vibe Switch – Why oh why do SO many phones miss this? Practically every cell phone user has the need to quickly and easily go from ringer to vibrate mode. So why is it that so many phones make this a more complicated step than it needs to be? On the iPhone it’s a simple small switch on the top. My previous phone (AT&T Tilt), you had to press one button to bring up the screen, type a password (corporate email forced), then either pull out your stylus or strategically try and press a tiny phone icon in the top right corner, then press an option. Awful.
3. Text Messaging – I’ve never done a whole lot of text messaging, but the iPhone text messaging interface will have me doing it more. The text bubble layout and conversation style is exactly ho
4. Web Browser – First phone ever that makes web browsing on a mobile device not make you want to throw it in the toilet. They actually found a way to browse normal websites on a smaller screen.
5. Multimedia – YouTube is amazing on this thing. You get access to the full site and a custom application built specifically for the iPhone that makes browsing and playing videos a breeze. And somehow they look better then what you see on the actual site.
Of course the device doesn’t come without its shortcomings. No 3G so you’re stuck with AT&T’s dial-up quality EDGE network. No built in chat application. I can’t access my corporate email using the iPhone email application (have to use the browser). That might be more of a Microsoft thing but I’ve heard others with similar challenges with their work email. 8 GB is pretty limiting to actually use the iPhone for music or videos (16 GB was just released, so a tad better). I’m a Zune user still so I actually don’t intend on using this device as my music player. That’s how good the phone experience is.
The movie rental option is appealing, but no way to download a smaller file size so downloading these through the phone is a no go. But hey, that’s being a bit picky for 1.0 of this device. I would imagine many of these being addressed in the next iteration.
Sometimes you have to recognize when a competitor has a superior product, and in my opinion that is the case here. As a phone, this device truly is the winner in my book. I still love the Zune experience for music as I come from the school of subscription service, but my mobile device goes to Apple for now.
February 27th, 2008 at 4:55 am
[...] jasonyormark.com wrote an interesting post today on Confessions of a Microsoftee: iPhoneHere’s a quick excerpt … he iPhone is hands down the best cell phone I have ever used in my life…. … see myself turning back ever unless Windows Media “borrows” a few pages from the iPhone usability handbook….1. Smart Dim – Somehow the iPhone knows when you are on a call and talking and when you pull the device away (such as looking at call waiting)….3. Text Messaging – I’ve never done a whole lot of text messaging, but the iPhone text messaging interface will have me doing it more…. [...]
February 29th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
Well Said, I think i’ve made my choice now…