The iPhone review: a year and a half later

So it’s been about a year and a half since I bought my iPhone 3G. The novelty has fully worn off, the back is full of scratches and there’s even a few dust specs under the glass, but does it still stand up to the hype? I think I can sum the iPhone up in three words.

Awesome and frustrating

The iPhone has changed how I do many things. It’s changed:

• how, when and where I check email
• what I read and where I read
• how I play games
• what I expect from other small displays
• how I surf the web
• how I judge the quality of other gadgets
• how I view my stocks
• how I listen to music
• how I watch video
• how I get my weather
• how I access things like Facebook and Twitter
• what I do when I’m lost or need to find a coffee shop
• how I find what movies are playing today and at what theater

Is that your iPhone ringing?

The above list are just some of the many things the iPhone has changed for me, but it’s not all awesomeness! I love my iPhone I really do, but it’s also changed how I answer a Phone. Gone are the days of pressing a button and hearing a voice at the other end although you can press a multitude of buttons to silence a call. The iPhone has reinvented the way we use gadgets in every possible way, including how we answer a phone. Now you swipe a pretty little graphic to answer your phone. Got winter gloves on? Don’t worry, answer it later. Fumbling around with your phone while getting it out of your pocket? Don’t worry, that phone call probably wasn’t important anyway. Someone trying to buzz you to get into your building and your iPhone has let you know about it two minutes later with a missed call message? Don’t worry, someone else probably let them in.

Yes, the iPhone excels at everything except being a phone. The final blow comes when your iPhone is sitting on the desk in front of you; none of the challenges mentioned above are an issue now. Your phone is ringing, all you have to do is slide that beautiful slider to the right, slide once, slide twice, slide three times, maybe one more slide, please please answer the call! I know I am not alone in this, a simple Google search finds thousands of people with the same issue. The slider randomly locks up and does not answer phone calls sometimes.

The iPhone is sold in countries with winter (AKA Snowy and Cold)

Not only that, the whole slider concept is a stupid idea anyway. Yes it’s cool the first few times you try it, but then practicality comes into play. Try answering an iPhone in Toronto on a cold January day with gloves on, no traditional button means no answering your phone. I think my iPhone would be perfect if I could just press the big button at the bottom to answer the phone.

Still no regrets

That said, I still have no regrets, Apple has trained us all to say iPhone, not phone, so that speaks volumes about the customer loyalty, or possibly their marketing, but I think it’s a combination of both. The fact that my iPhone sometimes won’t answer calls and I still put up with it also speaks volumes. I could also just be a sucker for punishment, but in all fairness this only happens every month or so, but it’s still infuriating.

The iPhone has become a way of life for me. When I was recently stranded in Guadeloupe because of a volcano eruption, a local wi-fi connection, Skype and email made communicating with friends and family a lot more affordable. Every morning I also manage to check all my personal email while walking to work (when the weather is warm). When I’m lost I load up Google maps. The amount of hours I’ve put into iPhone games is probably best kept a secret. The quality and feel of the iPhone is also unmatched in my opinion. It has raised the bar for hand-held devices making many other devices feel cheap and flimsy in comparison.

I want to touch every screen

Like expecting every public faucet to magically turn on when I place my hands under it, I also expect many hand held devices to have touch screens and feel silly when I realize they do not.

The iPhone has made the decision to get an iPad easier

A great experience builds trust, and like most Apple products that trust translates into more sales. My decision to get an iPhone involved a lot of research and humming and hawing, my iMac purchase required less scrutiny, and I doubt I will need much arm twisting when the iPad finally arrives in Canada.

Just give me one button!

My only request would be for my iPhone to always answer calls, even when I have gloves on. That big round button at the bottom would be perfect! Are you listening Apple?