Review of IPhone 3G

My first review is of the new IPhone 3G.  I owned the first generation IPhone and was able to use the 2.0 software upgrade before purchasing the 3G so this review will contain comparisons between the two as well.  It will not be as in depth as some and is geared for determining whether it is a viable option for attorneys to use as a business mobile device.

First impressions

Compared to the first generation, the 3G is slightly larger but still fit in my ISkin cover, so it isn’t by much.  The case is a little different, but that is not of any relevance.  The phone is all screen – there is a button at the bottom center which operates as a “home page” button by default, and a receiver at the top center.  The rest is dedicated to the touch screen.  There are volume and mute buttons on the left side, headphone jack, SIM card holder and power button at the top, and the docking connector at the bottom surrounded by two small speakers.  On the back there is a small lense for the 2.0 MP camera.

What I have always hated about touch screens is the tendency to push buttons that I didn’t intend to hit.  The IPhone solves this pretty much by allowing you to press the power button at the top which turns off and disables the touch screen.

Functionality

The IPhone is married to the AT&T network and will continue to do so for the next few years.  There are hacks around, but you likely won’t be interested in using them. The first generation was hampered by closed development; ie, there were no ways to install 3rd party applications (without a hack).  This was resolved in the 2.0 software, which was released on the same day as the 3G was released, but updated the first generation IPhone as well.  I decided to see if I could sync to my Exchange server easily before going with the 3G.

After a few hiccups (most notably that Exchange service pack 2 that had to be installed over the Windows 2003 Small Business Server service packs), the sync worked and was surprisingly fast, even over the much lamented EDGE network.  The 2.0 software upgrade is a large improvement and greatly improves the functionality of the IPhone.

One glaring defect with the IPhone that wasn’t resolved in the 2.0 upgrade was the lack of copying and pasting text.  This, above all, is the biggest drawback of the IPhone.  Since this is correctable through a software upgrade, I can’t believe this will remain a problem for long.  Still, this is one thing that will hamper business use of the IPhone, especially if you want to take a part of the text of one email and paste it to another email.

Another limitation of the IPhone is the inability to edit documents.  For me, this is no big deal, but to some, this is a deal breaker.  If you require the ability to edit documents on your mobile device, then you need a Windows Mobile device (blackberrys don’t allow editing either).

Both versions are bluetooth capable, carry the Safari (Apple-developed) browser, have GPS capability (the 3G supposedly has upgraded capabilities but I have not tested them), have one button weather and stock information and are incredibly easy to use.  Phone quality on both are equally excellent.  Both also integrate ITunes and an IPod functionality so you can use it as a phone as well as an ipod, which is handy when working out or riding your bike.

Another group of nice features are the conferencing capability, easily displayed time on a call and the call history with the time of the call.  These features are handy for billing purposes.  I am not aware of any integrations with billing systems yet, but anticipate there will be options available before too long.

Another difference between the IPhone and other mobile devices such as blackberrys is that the touch screen handles the dialing and the typing.  Whereas some like blackberrys have raised keys, the IPhone uses the touch screen for the keys, something that takes time to master and is futile for those with large fingers (but that is a problem with all mobile devices).  I personally liked the full keyboard of the blackberry 8700 series, but have gotten used to the touch screen of the IPhone so I wouldn’t necessarily call it a draw-back.  But you might.

Comparison with First Generation IPhone

The issues and features above appear in both the first generation IPhone and the 3G version.  So what really distinguishes the two?  Minor aesthetics, broadband internet, supposed GPS capability, and price.  In fact, the price is the biggest gotcha! of all.  AT&T automatically pushes you back to a 2 year agreement, increases your monthly fee by at least $15, and tries to convince you that you need to pay another fee to get the “business package” which seems to imply that you must purchase the business package to sync with Exchange.  Since I was already syncing with Exchange with the first generation IPhone, I opted against the upcharge and had no problem connecting to Exchange.  I am not sure what the purpose of the business package is, but I won’t be too surprised to see a letter from a law firm in a few years advising that I am part of a class that may have purchased this and am entitled to a $2 settlement award.

Some have complained about battery life, but so far I haven’t noticed the difference. 

Bottom Line

Reasons to own an IPhone for business use:

• Syncs contacts, email and calendar from Exchange
• Bluetooth capable
• Good phone quality
• Ease of use
• You use or are not against using the AT&T network
• Small form factor (for the feature set)

Reasons not to own an IPhone for business use:

• You use another email server besides Exchange
• You want to edit documents
• You need to have copy-paste functionality
• You don’t want to use AT&T service
• You like raised keys instead of a touch screen for dialing and typing

In my opinion, if you already have the first generation IPhone, there really is no compelling reason to go to the 3G – the increase in speed doesn’t justify the increased up front cost and continued costs associated with the 3G.  In fact, for those contemplating going with an IPhone, you should seriously consider buying the first generation IPhone since it is no longer being made and many (like me) rushed out to get the 3G model and are dumping their first generation models on places like Ebay.  That said, if you don’t already own an IPhone and are considering the 3G, it is certainly worthy of consideration – and it works easily with Exchange.