heaven on earth

Straight to the point.

1. Is iPhone as problematic as what everyone makes it out to be?

No.

2. What then?

Some 3rd party apps don't seem to work (ie. crash). The battery life isn't fantastic if you use alot of Wi-fi apps.

iPhone lacks features (which I didn't use often when they were available on the N95 anyway) like MMS and video recording.

3. How about the rest of the features?

Push email (think blackberry) simply rawks.

Web surfing (Safari) simply rawks.

The GPS and assisted GPS simply rawks.

The accelerometer simply rawks. You can turn the phone this way and that way and your display moves accordingly - Great when you're surfing the web.

Phone's simply beautiful.

The iPhone has many "hidden secrets" that takes some getting used to. (eg. tapping screen twice does this and that, etc.)

The 2MP camera ain't actually that bad (think software enhancements).

iPhone App store grows everyday.

SMS works like MSN. A little weird.

It takes 2 hands to do about anything with your iPhone.

4. I heard the iPhone doesn't do this, doesn't have that and doesn't compare to this phone.

Look. Apple is a fashion statement. The iPhone combines a fashion statement WITH useful features. No gadget is perfect.

Besides, Apple is well-known for software improvements (at least IMO).

5. Should I ditch everything and buy an iPhone?

Bet your life on it.

It's Day 2 of the iPhone experience and I'm still loving my iPhone.

Here's some updates:

1. I've got my screen protector fixed, ie no more ugly dust marks and air bubbles.

2. I'm in the process of sync-ing my contacts and what have you.

3. I'm browsing, installing and trying out apps day and night. Trust me, they have some of the greatest apps (as compared to Symbian, ie Nokia N95) around.

4. The iPhone can surf the web JUST THE WAY YOUR DESKTOP/ NOTEBOOK DOES IT. Super-fast, super clear As compared to the Nokia N95 browser which was slow, didn't work with many sites and the words were as if written for ants. This is probably the greatest feature of the iPhone.

5. No software problems (except the ocassional hiccup with 3rd party home-made applications - not the iPhone's fault).

6. Battery life is one thing to watch.

7. I had to google online (with my iPhone) on details of how to switch my phone to silent mode (yeah, go ahead and laugh at me). Turns out there is a switch at the side of the phone.

8. My iPhone fits into the pouch I was using for my N95!

9. I'm getting used to the on-screen keyboard. It's QWERTY-styled, but those with big fingers (the author included) may need some getting used to. Punching wrong letters/ numbers frequently can be quite irritating. In addition, the "smart text recognition" (or whatever they call it, basically like your dictionary function in other phones) is too "England". I can't use Singlish or event cyber shorthand. Spellcheck makes it look Goo-goo and Gaa-gaa.

10. iPhone's GPS is WAY BETTER than Nokia N95. Even indoors, assisted GPS works like a charm, pinpointing my location very well. Also, Google map is much better than whatever was offered on N95.

I'm "commissioning" my iPhone soon and will send out my new number to my contacts. The number's "nicer" than my old one. Lots of "7" in it - the number of perfection =)

Okay,

iPhone XP means MY iPhone XPERIENCE. My iPhone is iPhone 3G, not iPhone XP. Goodness.

Anyway I've just succeeded in downloading the new firmware and got a few free apps from iTunes Application Shop too. They really have a wide range of apps..and the good thing is alot of the useful/ good ones are free!

After months (possibly years) of waiting, Singaporeans can finally get their hands on the iPhone 3G! Being a gadget-freak, I wanted to be the first to own one too (spice that up with abit of kiasu-ism).

HENCE, I reserved my set and picked it up at SingTel Comcentre TODAY (22 Aug - the very first day of the launch ok?). Okay, they launched it at 12.01am with lots of fanfare and hoo-hah and I wasn't exactly the first one to get my iPhone - but I still got it on the first day. One of the SingTel staff told me that the first person in Singapore (rather, the first person to get his iPhone from Singtel) came at 12noon yesterday and queued for a whopping 12 hours.

I queued for about 1 hour and he commented that it was "quite good already". Some queued for 5 hours. Well I picked it up during office hours on a workday, so I'm expecting after-office hours and weekends to be a mad dash. It was a rainy day so it wasn't hot but take note that you'll have to queue outdoors (under shade though) for some time. Therefore, if the weather is hot and humid, you might want to think twice if you can't stand heat and numerous chattering souls. Out of the boredom of queueing for 1 hour, I made a new friend from NAFA - Joel. He's a Visual comms student and we had small talks about iPhone, life and what not.

I must commend SingTel for their EXCELLENT (almost flawless) planning and crowd control though. The moment I exited Somerset MRT and headed for Comcentre, LOTS (and I mean lots) of staff was on hand to guide me to the correct queue. They provided drinks (bottled water, hot coffee - good on a rainy day) and even iPhone handheld fans (see picture below - good quality one okay, quite aesthetically pleasing too). The staff were friendly enough and ready to help with whatever questions you have. The queueing goes about in "batches", so the place doesn't become overcrowded.

Here's the basic flow:

1. Queue Phase 1. Staff verify your reservation and take down your necessary details (plan, phone type, etc.)

2. Queue Phase 2. This is the queue to enter the "glass house", the rather-beautiful structure used to house the sales of all iPhones.

3. Queue Phase 3. This is where you are 5 minutes away from getting your iPhone, inside the glasshouse.

Security staff are everywhere (by security I mean externally-contracted, bouncer-looking young gentlemen and not ah-peks, so don't try anything funny) to maintain good crowd control and SingTel staff with iPhones walk around so you can play with them (the iPhones) whilst waiting.

As the queuers mentioned, getting an iPhone at the launch is all about personal ego. We can probably wait, but we wanna feel good to be the first ones to get it. Also, the iPhone isn't a super phone to begin with, it's all about the aesthetics.

You can read about a ST reporters' report on the launch at http://blogs.straitstimes.com/homeground

Pictures (taken with N95, not iPhone).

Phase 1 of the queue. Look at the crowd at 12.30pm on a Friday.

I took this picture while queueing during Phase 2. Everyone's staring "drool-ingly" inside the "glassbox" - a glass and steel cube.

Finally inside the glassbox! Very prompt, efficient yet friendly service. There must be like 50 counters.

The much coveted prize. 16GB iPhone White.



Accessories you can buy at the launch. They offer a 10% discount.

I must say I really like the paper bag. Everyone was literally STARING at my bag as I strolled towards somerset MRT (esp. those starting to join the queue) and on the way home.

This is the fan they distribute FOC to those in the queue. It really works quite well I must say.

School's out (officially - it's the semester break).

I'm so getting my iPhone on Friday. =)

16GB White. Whooo!