iPhone 3GS Review 1

I’m not sure the traditional ‘what I like’ and ‘what I don’t like’ review will fit here. Apple thinks outside of the box so I think I’ll just combine the review. You will catch on.

Email

iPhone email is not all the way there yet but it is so close that it is knocking on a partially opened door. The set-up (to me) lacks just a little when compared to the Blackberry product line. My BB Bold took just a very few minutes to configure and it works every single time, every day of the week…….it just works. Like I said, Apple is getting close. Now with a really nice MS Exchange Support feature, Apple is knocking on the door of business and I can tell you I saw some bright minds last week in Europe and the folks that were using their iPhones seemed a bit happier than those of us using Blackberry products. I love the push email from Blackberry and I like the fact that I do not have to pay the $99.00 fee just to have the feature. Apple needs to get with the program here and realize this is standard service I should not have to buy MobileMe every year to get what Blackberry already bundles? Are you listening Apple? Summary: I like iPhone email……almost.

Keypad

It took me a little time but the touch screen keypad works. I just don’t think it is quite as fast as pumping out emails on my BB Bold. However, having said that, I would not want a physical keypad on my iPhone. In fact, that would be a real ‘mood killer’ for me. One of the things I like about the iPhone is not having a gadget that has a flip or slide-out keyboard or a front mounted keyboard that uses precious screen space. I do appreciate the ability to now rotate the device for a larger keyboard view on many programs. It does help folks with fat fingers like me. My suggestion would be to offer 3-5 various keyboard sizes in the ‘settings’ menu so that the user could pick the size that best fit. Summary: The keypad is a bit crampy for me but with a little use I overcame and did enjoy but still prefer the on screen vs. buttons for this application.

Internet Browser

Do you remember how insanely crazy I was over the BB Bold e-mail functions? I can tell you, iPhone internet browser (Safari) crushes all of the competition I have seen in this market. In fact, when on a trip, if my family requires information that must be found online the iPhone 3GS is our first choice. We can pay bills, browse any page, look at news……….and we can do all of this in the time it takes to fumble through the opening pages on my Bold. Yes I have mini Opera on my Black Berry and it is still lame beside the Safari used on iPhone products. I have nothing negative to say at all about the browser on the iPhone until a competitor gets within the same century as Apple……then I’ll offer a suggestion or two. Summary: Browsing the way a mobile device should browse. In comfort and in style……..and intuitive!