On iPhone

In response to my friends post on his blog.

I must agree the hype about the iPhone has been getting tiresome. There will be and are a large number of alternatives that do a great job. The 3G phone only adds a marginal amount of functionality, there is STILL no cut/copy/paste, and the camera is only 2mp.

My coworker John just got a new phone from Verizon that does many of the things, and even he admits he wont be using his web browser, he doesn't want to pay for the data plan.

Having said all that, i really to use mine a lot. Please don't ask my wife, i think she wants to flush it down the toilet. I have been waiting for a device that is a small form factor computer, email, communication device for over 25 years. When I got my hands on the first Apple Macintosh SE, i commented to friends, i love this thing, and i even have a 300 baud modem and had a connection to DarpaNet (the precursor to the internet). My comment was, that this would be even better if it was more portable.

I do agree that the android platform that Google will use to run their rumored phone might be very kewl, when it comes out "next year?" 'Nuff said.

What I like about the iPhone, especially now that 2.0 software is out, is the ability to add programs. I have downloaded (free) applications that range from a cowbell and light sabre (and a few other games) to a network subnet calculator and a streaming radio program (Pandora).

The coolest intergration from Apple is the remote control that allows me to run my iTunes or my wifes from anywhere i can get on my wifi network.

All in all, the a real mobile browser and live maps, a decent phone, an ok camera, all very tightly integrated is really the complete package. My work blackberry does almost everything (no camera) my iPhone does, just poorly. It did do email via exchange-push better before the upgrade. If I could skip it across the lake (I don't pay for it) I would.

There are alternatives, and they are good. What you choose really does depend on what you need. John has his phone and a GPS, for him, thats a good combo. I feel no need to upgrade to 3G yet, but I will probably very strongly consider getting the next iPhone.