Granted, I only have for about 5 days now, but I have been using it intensively (put me in any meeting long enough, and my phone becomes my plaything). So far I am loving it - but I have to admit it is not perfect. I still believe Symbian is a better OS, and I will still recommend any Nokia E-series over just about any phone any day. But the iPhone is not only a phone - it is a whole new computer platform.
The main reason I got it was because I had my eyes on a new iPod touch 2G - but I decided to just make the jump to the full iPhone. Wasnt it Steve Jobs who said that the touch is just a iPhone on training wheels?
So here is what I have found so far:
Pros:
- The interface is amazing. No other phone comes close.
- The build quality is stunning, but I am still treating it like a porcelain doll. It is just so pretty :-).
- Mail is much better than the messaging on any other phone, incl Symbian.
- iTunes integration works without hitch, and the iPod aspect is without problems.
- The battery is better than I expected. We are all waiting for the elusive all day computing device. This is it.
- The 3G is much, much faster than my E61. And a lot more stable. Could be the HSDPA component?
Cons:
- That big beautiful screen sucks the battery dry very quickly. Especially when you also start hammering the 3G and Wifi.
- The keyboard is terrible if you are typing anything but english. When I am typing in Afrikaans the predictive text changes the words. Why cant I switch this off? Software update please?
- There is no decent multitasking - coming from a E61, I am used to running a IM app, web browser and email at the same time. But I am sure this will be fixed soon enough.
I am aware the keyboard and multitasking issues can be fixed with jailbreaking, but after spending R7000 on a phone I am a little hessitant on something that may brick my phone.
Yeah, about the price - R7000 is actually not out of this world pricing, especially if you take into account what top end Nokias and HTCs cost. Never in my life will I ever again use a Windows Mobile phone, and the N series phones are a bit too chunky for my tastes. The only phone I see as a true competitor to the iPhone is the E71. R7000 is the price of a low end laptop, and no I do not want one. I think I made the right choice...
