Yvan Seth's Hole in the Internet

Well, it's happened… I'm an iDork. Got myself an iPhone today.

Basically it is far and away the best "smart" phone handset around for now. I played with the Diamond Touch, but wasn't impressed. I've been trying to hang out for an Android handset, but who knows when that'll happen? And what's up with that "leaked" video of the HTC offering, slide-out keyboard? Ick. Flimsy.

The iPhone, on the other hand, is a pretty solid unit. I doubt it can handle the sort of treatment my Moto F3 lives with (thrown forcefully down the stairs, no worries!) but it probably isn't going to break in my clumsy fingers. My Moto A1000, a very nice phone IMO, lasted me a couple of years before I managed to smash the screen. So I'll probably be right.

Speaking of the Moto A1000, that's a phone I have very fond memories of. In the end it was only the fact that my worn out battery lasted a mere 6 hours that made me stop using the thing. The reason I never switched to any other, more up to date, alternative is that I simply didn't think anything else was up to the A1000 standard. I've played with blackberries, Nokia's high-end phones, and countless HTC options, and, frankly, they were all just shit.

When I heard about the iPhone the one thing I knew is that it'd be sleek and probably have an above-par UI. But it was an Apple product. I have never owned an Apple product, not because I have anything against Apple really, more because they just don't do good geek gear. The iPod is nice an all, but doesn't excite me. Their laptops are pretty, but not quite my thing. No iPod? I use a JoS MP3/OGG player, it plays OGGs and is ruggardised. Perfect. No MacBook? I preferred the Thinkpads, my next laptop is likely an Asus Eee. Mac stuff isn't Yvan stuff. Until now.

Problems?

• Huge delay between buck and bang, every other phone I've bought I've had working before I even left the shop.
• I need an iTunes? For my phone? sigh 60MB download and install later… But it is far better than the usual utter garbage PC/sync software that comes with phones.
• Whoa, three different screens full of multi-page click-wrap licences. Bloody yanks.
• "upload your photos to the cloud" does it even know WTF it is talking about? This kind of language just rubs me the wrong way.

I know Apple are control freaks, but this is just a little silly. I can live with it though, I live in the UK after all. Big brother is part of the landscape.

It's a nice piece of hardware, after Q4 has rolled past I'll see if I regret it. (But then again, Kat also needs a new phone;)

I was impressed once I finally got it working at home. I entered the map application and asked it where I was, right away it homes in on me. And it was spot on. Nice. Will be interesting to play with the assisted-GPS in the field, see how it goes up against my Garmin.

It's also bloody nice to be able to browse the web and read email on my "phone" again, I really have been missing that old A1000.