I was lucky enough to get my hands on an iPhone on Saturday. Normally this would not be such a big deal here at all, except for the fact that this was in the UK.
Our London production company is working with a bunch of actors, one of which is a Brit who lives in LA. One of the production assistants told me he had an iPhone, so I confronted him in the studio and told him at some point I want to play with his phone (it seemed like he got request often!), lucky he is a really nice guy.
I saw him on Saturday at a function and he came and handed it to me. It is much smaller than you expect, thinner, and weighty although still lighter than I expected.
He did not have international roaming, so there was no mobile service on it, and we were out of range of WiFi, however I was able to at least get a feel of it overall.
Impressions (from a UK point of view
):
1. Gorgeous
Don't know what to say here - all been said before. Makes other handsets (even smaller ones) look outdated.
2. Touch Screen
Very responsive and works just like I have seen on the demos and reviews. Fun to scroll through contacts and Coverflow. Easy to select any button/function on any part of the screen.
3. Camera
Very good quality for a phone. I have an Nokia N91 and the 2MP cam on that looks pathetic in comparison. Obviously not perfect but more than enough for decent daylight shots. I would be happy using it (and I do stills photography).
4. Typing
Only had a short time trying here. Had small issues with typing double letters (in 'Hello') but I think I just need to practice more. I only tried with two thumbs instead of typing with one finger. I asked him to show me how fast he could type on it, and he flied with one finger. Amazing to watch and see how good the correction is. I am sure I could get used to this very quickly.
5. Other things
I liked that even though we did not have a connection, when he showed me Google Maps, it cached the last map, so it should still allowed me to pinch to see details etc. I thought that was very neat
I was not able to test Safari without a connection, and the weather was missing details (not cached it seems). Did not have time to go into the Settings area. Did not want to read his e-mail messages, but snuck a look in there, and looks fantastic too. Everything very clear and readable, inc attachments.
I have to say overall, it really blew me away. I had always wanted one anyway, but this small demo really made me want it even more. Rather than getting one on the first day, this is making me want to be first in line for the UK launch!
It really feels like it is more than just a mobile phone to me. Its a new class of category which I would describe as like the ultimate mini-Mac communicator. To just call it a mobile phone is not fair. The way the OS moves when you touch it really feels like it is running more than OSX 10.4 - it feels what 10.5 might feel like on a mobile (if that makes sense).
Not sure if this helps anyone, but just wanted to share this.
If anyone from the UK has questions, I would be glad to help answer them (based on this very quick test), although I am sure plenty of real iPhone owners might be able to help here too!
Our London production company is working with a bunch of actors, one of which is a Brit who lives in LA. One of the production assistants told me he had an iPhone, so I confronted him in the studio and told him at some point I want to play with his phone (it seemed like he got request often!), lucky he is a really nice guy.
I saw him on Saturday at a function and he came and handed it to me. It is much smaller than you expect, thinner, and weighty although still lighter than I expected.
He did not have international roaming, so there was no mobile service on it, and we were out of range of WiFi, however I was able to at least get a feel of it overall.
Impressions (from a UK point of view
):1. Gorgeous
Don't know what to say here - all been said before. Makes other handsets (even smaller ones) look outdated.
2. Touch Screen
Very responsive and works just like I have seen on the demos and reviews. Fun to scroll through contacts and Coverflow. Easy to select any button/function on any part of the screen.
3. Camera
Very good quality for a phone. I have an Nokia N91 and the 2MP cam on that looks pathetic in comparison. Obviously not perfect but more than enough for decent daylight shots. I would be happy using it (and I do stills photography).
4. Typing
Only had a short time trying here. Had small issues with typing double letters (in 'Hello') but I think I just need to practice more. I only tried with two thumbs instead of typing with one finger. I asked him to show me how fast he could type on it, and he flied with one finger. Amazing to watch and see how good the correction is. I am sure I could get used to this very quickly.
5. Other things
I liked that even though we did not have a connection, when he showed me Google Maps, it cached the last map, so it should still allowed me to pinch to see details etc. I thought that was very neat
I was not able to test Safari without a connection, and the weather was missing details (not cached it seems). Did not have time to go into the Settings area. Did not want to read his e-mail messages, but snuck a look in there, and looks fantastic too. Everything very clear and readable, inc attachments.
I have to say overall, it really blew me away. I had always wanted one anyway, but this small demo really made me want it even more. Rather than getting one on the first day, this is making me want to be first in line for the UK launch!
It really feels like it is more than just a mobile phone to me. Its a new class of category which I would describe as like the ultimate mini-Mac communicator. To just call it a mobile phone is not fair. The way the OS moves when you touch it really feels like it is running more than OSX 10.4 - it feels what 10.5 might feel like on a mobile (if that makes sense).
Not sure if this helps anyone, but just wanted to share this.
If anyone from the UK has questions, I would be glad to help answer them (based on this very quick test), although I am sure plenty of real iPhone owners might be able to help here too!
