[kyussmondo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smess83

I do appreciate it, those who have made suggestions...

However, I can't believe the arrogance of those who have said you've not researched the Iphone before getting one... it never, ever occurred to me that you wouldn't be able to do the things on it that you can do with every other phone on the market !

In fact, because the Iphone is so popular, I'd have thought you could do more with it ! The only thing it appear to do that other phones don't is operate Applications - most of which, in any case, appear to have pretty poor write-ups on Itunes...

Apple more than any mobile device manufacturer understand that to get a great device you have to get the right balance of the features you put in and the features you leave out to make it a better user experience. I have had loads of features crammed into previous phones and so little thought has gone into each feature that I just give up and just end up using the phone for phone and texting and then go the remainder of my contract regretting it. There are features I wish it did have, but I would much prefer to wait for a polished solution rather than some bodge job tacked on at the last minute which could ruin the experience of the whole phone.

Regarding applications. There is a lot of crap on the app store. Personally, I am not a big fan of apps, I don't see the need as I don't see myself doing a lot of productive stuff on my iPhone, maybe with the iPad... however I am a fan of some things like Facebook, The Guardian, Tweetie, Movies and some of the games like Doodle Jump and Flight Control are simple yet really quite addictive.

[Lyceum]

I was going to get an Iphone myself, so went to the shop to have a play. Left twenty minutes later knowing it wasn't the phone for me. The fact I couldn't go to a song, click it and select 'use as ring tone' or 'use as message tone' I thought was odd, given I have been able to do that and every phone I've ever owner ...ever, even cheapo £10 nokia's.

No bluetooth file transfer. So if my friend has a cool pic , they can't just send it to me. They have to email it to me, and none of my friends have email set up on their phone, so they have to bluetooth it to their PC (if the PC has bluetooth), then email it to my phone, and obviously I'd have to have email set up on my phone to receive it.

These are just basic features every singe phone on the market, besides the iphone seems to have. So I can't understand why they left them out. To me, those are deal breakers. Amongst a few other things (camera, battery life, the fact that you HAVE to install itunes to get music on it).

That said, they did omit those features, and it's done nowt to hurt sales. People use phones differently and thankfully for apple, a huge amount of people aren't as bothered by the above as myself.

[simon69c]

Actually you don't *have* to use iTunes to put music on your phone - there are 3rd party alternatives. You do need it to perform OS updates, but then you need to install proprietary software for the vast majority of phones to perform OS updates (apart from the few that do them over the air).

I really don't get people's aversion to iTunes anyway - it's not like it takes over your computer - you are perfectly free to keep using whatever media player you want on your computer. I tend to only open it when I'm connecting to the phone - and it just provides an excellent backup and sync facility so that if anything were to happen to my phone I can just connect a brand new replacement to the computer and sync it up and it will be set up exactly the same as my old one - right down to text messages, pictures and settings etc.

Some of the things you mention that the iPhone omits are a pain, but the good thing about the iPhone is that it is backed up by the most incredible software support I've ever seen from a phone manufacturer and even the original iPhone has been getting loads of new features being added to it through full scale OS updates. There are rumours that the next iPhone OS won't support the original iPhone, but at the moment they are just rumours and even if true - that's by far the longest and most comprehensive set of software updates I've seen for a phone. I expect Bluetooth file transfer will eventually come in a future OS update (and is available now if you are happy to jailbreak - along with many other "missing" features). Custom ringtones aren't actually that difficult to handle once you've imported them in iTunes - they are only a couple of taps away from being set. The lack of custom text message tones is still a bugbear of mine, but again jailbreaking can get round that too (though it remains more awkward to do than ringtones).

The way I see it though is that the few things the iPhone doesn't do are things I either would do so rarely, or can cope without relatively easily that I don't mind since the stuff it does do it does so well and effortlessly. As you say though, it's not for everyone and different people have different priorities - vive la différence!

[thorvertonian]

http://www.iringer.net/

[Lyceum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by simon69c

Actually you don't *have* to use iTunes to put music on your phone - there are 3rd party alternatives. You do need it to perform OS updates, but then you need to install proprietary software for the vast majority of phones to perform OS updates (apart from the few that do them over the air).

I really don't get people's aversion to iTunes anyway - it's not like it takes over your computer - you are perfectly free to keep using whatever media player you want on your computer. I tend to only open it when I'm connecting to the phone - and it just provides an excellent backup and sync facility so that if anything were to happen to my phone I can just connect a brand new replacement to the computer and sync it up and it will be set up exactly the same as my old one - right down to text messages, pictures and settings etc.

Some of the things you mention that the iPhone omits are a pain, but the good thing about the iPhone is that it is backed up by the most incredible software support I've ever seen from a phone manufacturer and even the original iPhone has been getting loads of new features being added to it through full scale OS updates. There are rumours that the next iPhone OS won't support the original iPhone, but at the moment they are just rumours and even if true - that's by far the longest and most comprehensive set of software updates I've seen for a phone. I expect Bluetooth file transfer will eventually come in a future OS update (and is available now if you are happy to jailbreak - along with many other "missing" features). Custom ringtones aren't actually that difficult to handle once you've imported them in iTunes - they are only a couple of taps away from being set. The lack of custom text message tones is still a bugbear of mine, but again jailbreaking can get round that too (though it remains more awkward to do than ringtones).

The way I see it though is that the few things the iPhone doesn't do are things I either would do so rarely, or can cope without relatively easily that I don't mind since the stuff it does do it does so well and effortlessly. As you say though, it's not for everyone and different people have different priorities - vive la différence!

That's my problem, I would HAVE to install some software to get music on my phone. I can't just drag and drop like I've always done, I can't bluetooth the odd song. I have no alternative but to install software. I know a lot of people aren't bothered, but I just take exception to the fact apple have decided I need to install software on my PC if i want music on my iphone, and that's it. I get no say. And no alternative.

Still, I do actually wish I'd gotten on with it because in many different respects it's an amazing bit of kit. That's why every phone company is trying to emulate it.

[dontpannic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lyceum

I was going to get an Iphone myself, so went to the shop to have a play. Left twenty minutes later knowing it wasn't the phone for me. The fact I couldn't go to a song, click it and select 'use as ring tone' or 'use as message tone' I thought was odd, given I have been able to do that and every phone I've ever owner ...ever, even cheapo £10 nokia's.

No bluetooth file transfer. So if my friend has a cool pic , they can't just send it to me. They have to email it to me, and none of my friends have email set up on their phone, so they have to bluetooth it to their PC (if the PC has bluetooth), then email it to my phone, and obviously I'd have to have email set up on my phone to receive it.

These are just basic features every singe phone on the market, besides the iphone seems to have. So I can't understand why they left them out. To me, those are deal breakers. Amongst a few other things (camera, battery life, the fact that you HAVE to install itunes to get music on it).

That said, they did omit those features, and it's done nowt to hurt sales. People use phones differently and thankfully for apple, a huge amount of people aren't as bothered by the above as myself.

The thing is, the iPhone doesn't need those features. Its really like listening to a stuck record because those people who don't want an iPhone come onto forums to complain about two things: Ringtones taking slightly longer to set, and no bluetooth file transfer. You forgot the age old argument that Flash isn't included.

In the time that I've had my iPhone and the Windows Mobile phone I've had before it I haven't needed or wanted to transfer a file via bluetooth, its just not necessary with the way the iPhone handles e-mail and uploading.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smess83

However, I can't believe the arrogance of those who have said you've not researched the Iphone before getting one... it never, ever occurred to me that you wouldn't be able to do the things on it that you can do with every other phone on the market !

But I and numerous other people have given you direct instructions to tell you how to do the things that at the moment you think it can't do! There's also a fairly huge instruction manual bookmarked in Safari

[Lyceum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dontpannic

The thing is, the iPhone doesn't need those features. Its really like listening to a stuck record because those people who don't want an iPhone come onto forums to complain about two things: Ringtones taking slightly longer to set, and no bluetooth file transfer. You forgot the age old argument that Flash isn't included.

In the time that I've had my iPhone and the Windows Mobile phone I've had before it I haven't needed or wanted to transfer a file via bluetooth, its just not necessary with the way the iPhone handles e-mail and uploading.



But I and numerous other people have given you direct instructions to tell you how to do the things that at the moment you think it can't do! There's also a fairly huge instruction manual bookmarked in Safari

But that's the point, I do want an iphone, but it missing those features, means it's a deal breaker for me. You might not have needed bluetooth, I need mine. I've used it three times today alone. Something I wouldn't have been able to do with the iphone. So for me, the iphone needs those features before i'll buy one.

I imagine the none iphone users find it broken record like that those who use the iphone say bluetooth and ringtones aren't important simply because they're not important to them. As I said in my previous post, people use their phones differently, what doesn't matter to you is a deal breaker for me.

[steveOooo]

basically you want a 'use as mass storage device' option - this too would be very useful, however, i have ext harddrives, usb flash drives (one has 2gb storage) etc.. so i can live without it, ive had the phone one day and byfar pisses on my nokia n97 (the apps, near psp grahipcally games, ipod touch built in, reliable gps/maps, compass that works, no lag, no hard resets, no-incombatibility with my mac, im sorry, i have to say it - It just works! i feel so dirty now)

Only stuff i miss from nokia-n97 is bbc iplayer downloads (but iphone is able to play most of my mp4 video collection, unlike n97), thats pretty much it - i used bluetooth to transfers pictures - but with iphoto syncing, this doesnt matter.
Radio, radio sender (itrip), are features i seldom use but are good +s on n97 part.

[nufc4life]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smess83

I've gave in, in a moment of weakness, to an Iphone... thinking it would be the last thing in sophistication..

So far, I've found that I can't use my own music as a ringtone, I've found that I cant appear to buy ringtones on Itunes, I've found that I'm going to have to relearn how to text - possibly, or possibly not being forced into using predictive text, and I've found that Apple appear to have upped the price of music to 99p a song !

I can't see this relationship working out.. and I am *so* glad I've held off buying a Mac now !



Thank god for cooling off periods on contracts !

u can use your own ringtone try this website http://audiko.net/

[zapod]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lyceum

I was going to get an Iphone myself, so went to the shop to have a play. Left twenty minutes later knowing it wasn't the phone for me. The fact I couldn't go to a song, click it and select 'use as ring tone' or 'use as message tone' I thought was odd, given I have been able to do that and every phone I've ever owner ...ever, even cheapo £10 nokia's.

No bluetooth file transfer. So if my friend has a cool pic , they can't just send it to me. They have to email it to me, and none of my friends have email set up on their phone, so they have to bluetooth it to their PC (if the PC has bluetooth), then email it to my phone, and obviously I'd have to have email set up on my phone to receive it.

These are just basic features every singe phone on the market, besides the iphone seems to have. So I can't understand why they left them out. To me, those are deal breakers. Amongst a few other things (camera, battery life, the fact that you HAVE to install itunes to get music on it).

That said, they did omit those features, and it's done nowt to hurt sales. People use phones differently and thankfully for apple, a huge amount of people aren't as bothered by the above as myself.

Well, my android handset doesn't do bluetooth file transfer either, without a hack (and even after doing that, it's still a pain to set up), so clearly it doesn't apply to 'every other phone on the market'.

[flagpole]

Smess83 is being punished for criticising the iPhone. The enemy within.

[Lyceum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by steveOooo

basically you want a 'use as mass storage device' option - this too would be very useful, however, i have ext harddrives, usb flash drives (one has 2gb storage) etc.. so i can live without it, ive had the phone one day and byfar pisses on my nokia n97 (the apps, near psp grahipcally games, ipod touch built in, reliable gps/maps, compass that works, no lag, no hard resets, no-incombatibility with my mac, im sorry, i have to say it - It just works! i feel so dirty now)

I have external hard drives and usb flash drives too, b ut I don't carry them in my pocket all day and use them to listen to music and make calls and texts.