the first five days with my iPhone

Okay, after spending the past five days with my new toy, the verdict is in… the iPhone definitely gets a big thumbs up.

My Favorite Things

• Address book synchronization: I add a number on the phone, it gets synced with my Mac, and vice-versa. This makes it a breeze to add/remove contacts. I also love that multiple phone numbers and email addresses can be linked together under one name on the contact list (no more “dad-home,” “dad-work,” “dad-cell” entries).

• Photo synchronization: I take pictures on the iPhone, they sync with iPhoto on my Mac, and vice-versa. It’s also nice to be able to carry around hundreds of photos in my pocket (sorry, I’ve been using a black and white iPod for a long time, so this feature is new to me).

• Calendar synchronization: same deal

• Safari: Hey, if I can read my blogs on the road, I’m a happy man.

• Email: Since Google added IMAP for GMail, my inboxes are always in sync between my Mac, GMail’s online interface, and my iPhone. No more sorting the same message two or three times. This is a huge time saver. Plus, it’s just cool to be able to check my mail on the go (finally!).

• User Interface: You gotta love how intuitive Apple’s operating systems are. Basic functions just work without any hassle. No unnecessary buttons or menus. Using this thing is a breeze.

• Visual Voicemail: I really wasn’t expecting to like this function as much as I do, but it’s pretty sweet that I can see who the message is from and play it without having to cycle through voice prompts. When the message is done I can hit “call back” or “delete.” There’s also a progress bar to show you how long the message is. For a guy who isn’t exactly a fan of voicemail, this is actually a pretty helpful feature.

Features I Haven’t Had Time To Try Yet

• iPod: Cover Flow looks cool, but I honestly haven’t had much time to play with the music functions yet since I’m still using an older iPod in my car. It’s a little weird not to have the classic scroll wheel, but the UI is still really easy to navigate.

• Video: I have a feeling the video capabilities will come in handy on long train trips to Chicago, but for now I don’t really have a need for this.

• Google Maps: I haven’t been on a road trip where I needed directions yet, but again, when the need arises I think this function will definitely come in handy. The traffic info for trips to Columbus will definitely be useful.

• Jailbreaking: I know it’s easier than ever to Jailbreak an iPhone and install third party applications, but I just haven’t had any time to give this a shot yet. Plus I don’t want to screw anything up permanently.

Minor Quibbles

• Phone audio is too quiet: Whether it’s up against my ear or on speaker, the phone volume is definitely too low. I’m not sure if Apple could fix this with a firmware update, but the volume is an annoyance.

• Battery Life Seems Short: Under fairly light use (no iPod, no video playback, little internet use), I can get about two days with a single battery charge. Granted, my old phone didn’t have any bells or whistles, but I could easily go three or four days on a single charge.

• AT&T: Setup was ridiculously simple, but AT&T is by definition one of the most evil corporations on the planet. It makes me cringe to know that they will be milking me for $60 a month for the next two years.

Overall

Okay, keep in mind that I’m saying this after only five full days of use, but I think the iPhone may do for the phone what the iPod has done for music.

There are certainly some minor issues for Apple to sort out in subsequent revisions, but considering how far the iPod has come in six short years, I can’t imagine what they’ll have cooked up for this device by 2013. Sure, $400 is a lot to plunk down for a phone, but as far as I can tell this baby was worth every penny.