A week spent with my iPhone 3G

It’s been over a week that I’ve had my iPhone 3G. I’ll share the bad experiences first.

• Reception at the house hasn’t improved and 3G coverage in my area isn’t consistent. I find myself having to disable 3G more than half the time to get a decent signal. This was a big concern before I bought the phone because the extra $10 per phone, per month for the 3G access is a joke considering the coverage area.
• On two occassions the phone has become unresponsive, once browsing the App Store and the other surfing with Safari. But unlike any Windows OS, it didn’t crash or require a restart. I just waited a few minutes and it became responsive again. You can even hold down the power button to restart it if you can’t wait that long.
• There were a couple of downloaded Apps that crashed. Every time I used them it would try to load up and close. Reinstalling them should fix it.
• It’s great that you can search for nearby locations with the Google map. But I wish there was a way to forward the information to another phone or email. While my friend and I were out, he wanted to know if there were any Korean BBQ restaurants nearby. No problem, I was able to get all the info I needed – directions and contact info. Well he doesn’t have an iPhone but want the info. There’s no way for me to send the info to him. He had to write it on a napkin. I hope Apple or someone adds this feature soon. Same with my contacts. I miss having the ability to forward vCards to other people via SMS.
• I noticed this morning that my battery didn’t get fully charged even though I left it plugged in overnight. It only charged up to about 85%. I’m not sure if my battery is starting to act up in just a week’s worth of use. I hope it’s covered in the manufacturer’s warranty.
• AT&T does not give you the option for phone insurance as they do with all their other phones. So if you lose it or it’s stolen, what are your options then?
• Why can’t I edit my Google calendar via Safari?
• You will get interference while playing music using an FM modulator

Now for the good stuff.

• Internet experience is unmatched by any existing mobile device (other than a laptop). I love how I can just surf the internet and check emails while I wait for my food to be served at a restaurant. Having the internet in my pocket I can get directions and contact info to any business – it’s such a time saver. I can check for movie times and ratings and view trailers.
• Emails on this phone is great. I have my Gmail, Yahoo, and Exchange accounts. It’s interesting how Yahoo allows you to have iMap support on the iPhone yet you have to pay $20 annually for Pop3 for your computer.
• You can send SMS messages to another cell phone using email. I tested it with Sprint and T-Mobile. So far I’m only able to send text. I tried attaching images but they never get it. It may work for other service provider. Here’s the list of email address format for each cell phone company in the US http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/939/sms_email_cingular_nextel_sprint_tmobile_verizon_virgin.
• You can capture screen shots by pushing the power button and the main menu button simultaneously. This feature also exists in the original iPhone and iPod touch. The only requirement is for it to be version 2.0.
• On top of what I mentioned above, it’s also an iPod! I can listen to music without plugging in my headphones. It will play through the speakers.

So far, those are what stood out the first week of using it. w I have a pretty big list of dislikes, I will be keeping this phone past the 30 day trial. I can manage having the inconsistent signal at home, I’m hardly there anyway. I’ll share more things as they come along.