I Bought an iPhone

I know, it’s nutty. I’ve never had a personal cell phone before this. There’s no point in me writing up a review since there are literally hundreds if you search Google News or do virtually any blog.

I went to the Twelve Oaks Apple store in Novi, walked to the back display unit, futzed around with it for about 2 minutes then walked over to the register and bought it. No waiting in line. No camping. All the hype around this device made me think I’d have a poor store experience but it was great.

What I will say about the device is this. I think it’s Insanely Greatâ„¢ and wouldn’t trade it for anything. I’m anxiously awaiting news of someone finding a way to install 3rd party apps on it. Even a way to just move data back and forth without having to use iTunes.

The Google Maps feature is something I desperately need because I ALWAYS get lost when traveling. I have no sense of direction and am tired of being late or lost whenever I leave the house. The new UI gestures like pinching and flinging really make sense with this app.

I do wish the built-in Mail app was a little more sophisticated by having a built-in spam filter, ability to mass delete messages, and faster navigation between accounts. I don’t like having to climb all the way back to the main menu to jump to another account that has new messages. I think the bottom nav bar could be an easy place to provide these functions since now they’re kinda bare and static except for the “checking for messages” text.

The iPod is really really fun to use as are many of the other things that involve flinging or flipping or throwing. The extra steps it takes to accomplish tasks seems offset due to the fun factor of the UI.

I would also like to see AOL’s IM built in as well as a Keynote Player and a way to connect the device to a projector via the dock/usb cable. Maybe an adapter is in the works. If Leopard had been introduced on time, I bet the Keynote app would have been included as part of the refreshed iWork suite. If Apple can find a way for users to upload or sync Keynote presentations to the iPhone and allow it to power a projector, I’d be really blown away.

Finally, I would love to see Apple publish at least, a developer guide for creating Safari webapps and post it somewhere around here.

Next on the agenda is a case for the iPhone. I will DIE if it gets wrecked. This one looks to be quite durable and even makes the iPhone resemble a Newton.