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PDAStreet.com > Hardware Reviews > Review: Integration Key to iPhone's Success Review: Integration Key to iPhone's Success
By Damon Brown
There is virtually nothing new about the iPhone.
For example, the 2 megapixel camera is unremarkable, if not blurry compared to a full-fledged digital camera. Internet browsers have been available on smartphones for years. You probably already own an iPod. However, the iPhone will still be a must-have for many people, you included, through the rest of the year. Why? In a word: integration. Rarely, if ever, has a smartphone allowed all its disparaging dimensions to communicate so seamlessly.
The iPhone is light. At about 5 ounces, it seems gentle enough to scare you if accidentally dropped on the floor. It is metal, plastic and glass, and, according to some estimates, worth about $250. Of course, it retails for much more: $499 (4 GB memory) and $599 (8 GB memory). To start the iPhone, you depress the Hold button, a long, rectangular item at the very top of the device (and one of the few physical buttons on the iPhone). Easy enough. The Apple icon briefly appears onscreen, which may be a symbol of comfort or dread. The machine then shows the default background picture - the Earth - and a digital button, imprinted with an arrow, alongside the words "Slide to unlock". When I let newcomers use my phone, everyone was puzzled by this sliding step. Quite a few were people with several letters behind their name. No one would ask questions, but just examine the phone, occasionally looking on the side for more buttons—sorry, there's nothing to press—but more often staring at the cryptic instructions. After about 10 seconds, I would jump in.
"Just slide to unlock." "Slide what?" he or she would reply. "The button." A look of bewilderment. "On the screen," I'd add. Apple plays on intuition, but on the intuition of a future-looking Apple devotee. People aren't used to pushing fake buttons it seems.
It is quite a different experience once you turn slide the slider and turn the iPhone on. Widget icons fill the screen like a road map centered in the middle of the iPhone universe. You can go anywhere from here. Along the bottom are the primary functions: phone, mail, Safari (Internet) and iPod. The camera icon is stuffed somewhere among the second-tier options—as it should be.
The second notable "real" button, the Home button, is situation right below the main screen. It is the breadcrumb button, something that leads you back home to the primary screen when you're in too deep. It is the smartest accessory to the iPhone. The phone element of the iPhone is fairly boring. It does conference calls and highlights texted or e-mailed phone numbers for dialing. Utilizing the AT&T EDGE network, the phone reception was very average—especially for something fanboys hailed as "The Jesus Phone". The earbuds also double as a mic for hands-free talking, but Apple created a special headphone jack, meaning only proprietary or licensed earbuds can be used on the iPhone or you'll have to shell out a few bucks for a specially made adapter. As a serious music listener who hates earbuds, this left a terrible taste in my mouth. This bad decision makes the iPhone more limited than your video iPod, and turns the phone's biggest capability —to switch easily between easy listening and phone conversations —into a liability.
Earbuds aside, the iPod component is more remarkable than the phone, if only because it doesn't screw anything up. It's standard stuff here: content organized by artist, album, video or virtually any index placement. The fun comes into play when the iPhone is turned horizontal. The albums spread across the 3.5-inch screen a la iTunes' Cover Flow and, like other menus, can be flicked across with the finger like a manual jukebox. It's nice, responsive and surprisingly satisfying.
Movies and television shows also pop in the video mode. Comedy Central's The Daily Show looked just as good on the iPhone as it did at home, if not better. A single tap on the screen brings up the standard VCR/DVD controls (pause, rewind, etc.) and the timeline bar can be slid to find a specific scene.
On the other hand, the Internet is slow and unwieldy, at least initially. The system works like this: after clicking on the Safari browser icon, you use the virtual keyboard to type in a Web site. It loads shortly thereafter.
You will probably not like the keyboard at first. Aside from the lack of tactile response, the main challenge is hitting the right key —the iPhone assumes error on your part and will try to guess what key you intend to press. Ironically, this makes doing precise keystrokes even more important. The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg, for example, said he needed a few days to get used to the keyboard. I am still struggling, though it feels much better than it did on launch day. Visually, Safari looks excellent on the iPhone.
The pictures are crisp and text more than readable, though the lack of Flash limits some major websites (rumor has it that the next iPhone system update will add the now ubiquitous software). Again, flicking the iPhone in the appropriate direction scrolls the screen horizontally or vertically, while double tapping zooms in on a specific part of the screen. It gets tricky since a single tap clicks hyperlinks. Double tapping with the wrong rhythm could prove tedious, but, like the keyboard, I expect it will soon become as natural as text messaging on the cell.
The two ballyhooed additions, Google Maps and YouTube, don't match the hype and frankly, how could they - but definitely do their jobs.
Google Maps is virtually the same one available on the computer. The disappointing point is that it doesn't utilize GPS: you'll still have to type in the current location to get directions to the next location, which kind of defeats the purpose of having it on the cell phone (big points to the Helio Ocean for that one).
Conversely, YouTube uses a special browser for the iPhone, organizing videos into Favorites, Most Viewed and so forth. It works fairly well, though the loading times are long -the chugging EDGE network is probably to blame.
Criticisms aside, there is no other phone integrating all these various needs into the number one music player. The next generation of iPhones should be smokin', but for a first effort, the current models are worth the time and, perhaps, the money. Visit an Apple or AT&T store to try before you buy. About the Author
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