My Review of the iPhone 3G

I have had a plethora of cell phones and PDA’s through the years and the new iPhone 3G is my absolute favorite.  It combines the best of both worlds with an intuitive operating system that is easy to use and simple to understand.  As a kid, I would dream about having some form of device that would be a personal communicator and video device – Dick Tracy stuff and now it’s become a reality.  The form factor is typical Apple - sleek, ergonomic, desirable and intelligent.

I recently flew to California to visit my in-laws. I occupied my time on the plane listening to music, watching a movie, catching up on a TV show and finally playing Scrabble all from a little black handheld device.  Before the flight, I was able to check the gate, schedule and weather using the Safari web tool.  It was pleasant not to have to hunt down a Wi-Fi hotspot as the iPhone has internet available 24-7. To ensure I wasn’t late, my phone reminded me of our itinerary for the day with the great calendar function.  I even checked and responded to some work e-mails in between flights. (Setting up my work and personal e-mail was a breeze and took only a few minutes).  At the gate, I downloaded a car racing game using the App Store feature and in a matter of seconds I was playing a new game.  The App Store has many free programs too, roughly 25% of their inventory that allow you to choose from categories such as productivity, business, games, lifestyle, etc.

The phone has one of the best interfaces that I have ever seen when making a call.  The visual voicemail is a great feature that makes it easy to prioritize and respond to a task list of incoming calls that require a response. 

The Apple experience in purchasing the phone was exceptional.  On the day that I purchased the phone, 10 personal shopping assistants helped 10 different customers at various spots in the store using handheld registers.  This alleviated the typical frustrating wait in a long line.  It took 8 minutes to setup my phone and my Apple Assistant provided advice and suggested accessories without being pushy.

Like any product, the 3G is not perfect and does have its flaws.  In the comic book “Spiderman”, Peter Parker’s uncle explains that with great power comes responsibility.  If he were talking about the iPhone the statement might be, “With great functionality comes reduced power”.  The battery simply does not last that long and requires frequent charges.  At home and in the car, my iPhone is usually charging. That’s my major complaint but here is my wish list for the next software upgrade or iteration of the phone. 

My top 5 requests are as follows:

- Copy and Paste: This is such a basic feature. Having copy and paste makes it easier to type out text messages and e-mails.

- Sync notes:  There needs to be a bidirectional sync function that allows you to add existing notes from your computer to the phone and vice versa. 

-Viewing/Editing Office documents and PDF files: Today, I carry all my documents as email attachments. I would prefer to have a preview like application on my handset to conveniently sync and view documents. Editing capability would also be very helpful.

-Improve memory:  There is a 32GB iPod touch available today so I can only assume a 32GB or greater iPhone is looming in the future.  I have lots of songs, movies and picture that are clamoring for some showcase space.

-Video: Most smart phones have this feature today; it would be a welcome addition to the iPhone.

In summary, Steve Jobs, if you are reading this, please consider my request list?  I hope you can comply as long as it’s not in the form of the new improved iPhone 3G (2.0) to be released next week at half the price I just paid for mine…please give me a little time to enjoy my new toy.