Monday, September 15, 2008

The iPhone 2.1 update

I've had the weekend to live with the 2.1 update, and offer the following comments.

1. Searching for Contacts is improved, but if you have a lot of entries--I have about 3,000--there is still a great deal of latency in either searching for a contact or addressing an email. Ironically, Google app is far faster in finding someone than searching Contacts. Go figure!

2. Battery life is somewhat improved, but not by a lot. If you're a heavy phone and email user, and you're stuck using 3G, count on the fact that you're going to run out of power in a short period of time. One trick is to shut 3G off if you're just making phone calls. Assuming you are just waiting for mail to arrive, shut off wireless and 3G and live with Edge. Your battery life will be greatly improved. Then, when you're finished, turn only one or the other back on, depending on your location and access to wireless.

3. I realize that the iPhone is a new paradigm in computing, but there are still some important, essential features missing.

Copy and paste: essential
Voice dialing: essential
Autotext: essential

4. Someone has to come up with a way to synchronize the notes created on the iPhone with the notes in either Entourage or Mail. I've used a Blackberry for years, and love that the notes I've created in Outlook sync perfectly. What's the point of having this capability on the iPhone if you can't have them on your computer and handheld.

5. AT&T continues to be the biggest problem with the iPhone. I still have to carry a Verizon phone because I can't afford to be out of touch. Time and again I'll find a location where AT&T shows no bars, and Verizon has a strong connection. I rarely see the opposite. (More bars in more places. More bullshit.)

My comments are based on extensive use in S. Florida, and NYC and Westchester County. I travel extensively, however, and find my statement above to be true regardless of where I am.

We're movin' in the right direction...I just wish the train were moving faster!