Back to Tech Blog homepage
So my second impressions of my iphone are about the same as my first.
- Typed on my Blackberry handheld.
A my awxpms impresiima of my iPhone we sour rw saw amy diats.
- The same sentence typed on my iPhone.
Yes, I still can’t get used to this keyboard even after watching the video about using it on the Apple site. It does advise using one finger at first, rather than two thumbs, but I can’t work that way and in some applications you can’t switch the orientation to get a wider keyboard.
What else? I’m still not enamoured with Web browsing, which I hoped would be the killer app for this phone. I’m still using the slower Edge network - the iPhone won’t work with my home wi-fi network, even though I’ve a dozen other devices that have configured themselves without a hitch.
When browsing, the web page itself is initially too small and, while touching it to magnify it, it’s very easy to click another link and go sailing off somewhere else. In hope rather than expectation, I clicked on a link to some cricket commentary. Needless to say, it did not work, as Windows Media Player and Real Player plug-ins are not included.
Apple, in its proprietary way, has complete control of the experience. So the approved Yahoo weather and stock ticker icons work okay along with Google’s YouTube and Maps, but don’t expect to be listening to unfettered internet radio on this device any time soon or any non-approved video sites.
I am planning to return the iPhone once I’ve finished reviewing it. I was not planning to buy one for personal use and, after trying it out, still feel the same way. While Apple offers a superior user experience, it doesn’t give me the freedom to create my own.
Apple is ignoring the Web 2.0 trend of sharing and self-expression. It doesn’t even allow its owners to make their own ringtones from a favourite song or buy a third party’s.
It is also Version 1.0 and has too many features lacking right now - GPS, more memory, 3G wireless, instant messaging, no memory card slots to name a few.
The iPhone is beautiful, but just not my type. The best thing it has done is to raise the bar for every other handset maker to come up with a better phone.
David Gelles, Joseph Menn, Chris Nuttall and Richard Waters in the FT's San Francisco bureau upload their views - plus tech insights from writers in New York, London and Tokyo
Richard Waters
Chris Nuttall
David Gelles
Maija Palmer
Joseph Menn
Robin Kwong
Tim Bradshaw
The latest gadgets and gizmos, reviewed by Jonathan Margolis in How To Spend It.
Paul Taylor, the FT’s personal technology expert, answers your gadgetry questions