i-phone
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 36,017
Likes: 226
From: Queen City, NC
I thought thiswas a pretty nice Q&A write up - just simple questions and straight answers.
As time passes, you will see more functionality - I'd say by Christmas there will be a huge number of updates and add ons to make the iPhone more robust.
There's already an AOL IM app you can add to iPhone, so I'd expect a ton of stuff to drop in the next few months.
1. From the Desk of David Pogue: Often-Asked iPhone Questions
================================================== ========
With its new iPhone, Apple pulled off two masterful feats:
creating the machine and creating the buzz around it.
That machine, and that buzz, have inspired a lot of
questions. Just how much of a phone, an iPod and an Internet
machine is this thing?
Here are the answers to the most frequently asked iPhone
questions. Consider them a companion to my review yesterday,
which covered the big points like the touch-screen keyboard
(adequate with practice), the AT&T Internet network
(painfully slow) and the iPhone's overall character (fun,
powerful, amazing).
Before you dive in, though, a note about the "Does it
have...?" questions. Apple has indicated that it intends to
add features through free software updates, so the real,
secret answer to some of the "no" answers is actually,
"Coming soon."
Phone
Does the touch screen work if you're wearing gloves? Will a
stylus or pen tip work? No. Skin contact is required to
operate the buttons. Fortunately, most tappable elements on
the screen are big and broad, designed for fingertip access.
Does the iPhone have a speakerphone? Vibrate mode? Airplane
mode? Yes, yes and yes. The speakerphone and the vibrations
are both weak, though.
Can I dial without looking? Can I dial one-handed? You can't
do much on the iPhone without looking. Then again, few people
can operate a cellphone without looking. Dialing the iPhone
one-handed, though, is easy. As your fingers grasp the
iPhone, your thumb is free to tap buttons, scroll lists and
so on.
Can I use a SIM card from another phone? The iPhone comes
with an installed SIM card, the tiny circuit board that
stores your account information and phone number. Apple says
that you should be able to replace it with any recent AT&T
card, once you activate it in iTunes. No other company's SIM
card works in the iPhone.
Will the iPhone work overseas? If you mean to use your AT&T
account, yes; call AT&T to turn on international roaming, and
then prepare to pay big roaming charges. If you mean to
insert some other country's SIM card, no.
How about voice memos, voice dialing or call recording? No.
Do I need an AT&T account? Yes. The iPhone won't work at all
without a two-year AT&T voice-plus-Internet plan (and no, you
can't use it as just an iPod, no matter how tempting the
bigger screen and longer battery life is).
iPod
What iPod features does the iPhone have? Password protection,
Shuffle and Repeat modes, ratings, audiobooks, audiobook
speed control, podcasts, SoundCheck, equalization, volume
limiter, on-the-go playlists.
What iPod features does it lack? Games, lyrics, video output
to a TV and disk mode (when the iPod acts as a hard drive for
transporting computer files).
Does the iPhone work with iPod accessories? Some of them. The
iPod radio receiver works, for example, but FM transmitters
may not work. Existing speaker systems trigger the iPhone's
airplane mode (wireless and phone features turned off) to
avoid interference with the music. Starting soon, iPhone-
compatible iPod products will bear a "works with iPhone"
logo.
Can you use your iTunes songs as ring tones? Can you download
new ones? No. At the moment, the iPhone's 25 ring tones are
your only choices. (They're really good.)
Can you use your own headphones? Fortunately, the iPhone has
a standard miniplug headphone jack; unfortunately, its
plastic molding prevents most headphone plugs from seating
properly. Inexpensive adapters are available from Belkin and
others.
Wireless
Does the iPhone work with Bluetooth computers, printers,
stereo headsets or keyboards? No. At the moment, it
communicates only with hands-free devices like Bluetooth
headsets (including Apple's very tiny one, coming in July)
and a car's dashboard system.
Does the iPhone alert you when it detects a wireless Internet
hot spot? Yes. In fact, if it's a hot spot you've used
before, the iPhone hops onto it seamlessly and quietly.
Can the iPhone serve as a wireless modem for my laptop? No.
Can the iPhone receive songs, files, calendar appointments,
contacts or software updates wirelessly? No, only from your
computer through the U.S.B. charging cradle. But this is kind
of neat: Unlike the iPod, there's no "do not disconnect"
message during syncing. You can yank the iPhone out of the
cradle whenever you like - to answer a call, for example;
syncing resumes when you're done. You can also operate the
iPhone while it is charging.
Internet
Can you make phone calls while you're on the Internet? Yes -
if your iPhone has a Wi-Fi connection. When it's using AT&T's
Internet network, no.
Why didn't Apple use AT&T's faster 3G Internet network? Apple
says that today's relatively unpolished 3G (third generation)
radio chips would drain the battery too fast - and at this
point, wouldn't provide enough of a speed boost to justify
that trade-off. Apple will release a 3G iPhone model when the
time seems right.
How snappy is the real iPhone, compared with Apple's ads?
It's identical, with one exception: Apple never shows the
iPhone when it's on AT&T's cellular network. That would just
be embarrassing.
What kind of e-mail can it get? The iPhone comes with presets
for Gmail, AOL and Yahoo Mail. You can also set up standard
POP3 and IMAP accounts.
Is there instant messaging, like AIM or MSN Messenger? No.
Text-message exchanges appear as sequential, colorful text
balloons, just as in Apple's iChat program. But they're still
cellphone text messages, not chat.
Does the iPhone synchronize bookmarks with your computer?
Yes: with Safari on the Mac, or Internet Explorer on Windows.
What does the Web browser have? Multiple open pages (like
tabs), fonts, layouts, pop-up menus, checkboxes, clickable
links and dialable phone numbers (tap with your finger).
What does it lack? Java, Flash, stored passwords, RSS,
streaming audio or video (except for some QuickTime videos).
What about V.P.N. (virtual private networking)? The iPhone
works with several common V.P.N. systems (that is, secure
connections to corporate networks). A Settings screen lets
you fill in the configuration details.
Software
Does the iPhone synchronize with my computer's calendar and
address book? Yes. It can sync with Address Book or Microsoft
Entourage on the Macintosh, Outlook, Outlook Express on
Windows, or Yahoo's address book on the Web. If you add
appointments or phone numbers to the iPhone, they are added
to your computer the next time you sync.
Do To Do items show up on the iPhone? Do memos in the
iPhone's Notes program show up on the computer? No.
Does the keyboard rotate when you rotate the iPhone? Only in
the Web browser. That's a shame, because the rotated
keyboard, stretching the full length of the screen, is much
bigger and easier to use than the narrow version.
Can you type with two thumbs? I've seen Apple employees flail
away with two thumbs as though on a BlackBerry, but it takes
loads of practice. After two weeks, I'm still tapping with
one index finger.
Without cursor keys, how do I edit something I've written? If
you hold your fingertip against the glass, a magnifying loupe
appears around it. You can now slide you finger through what
you've written, moving the insertion point as you go.
Can the iPhone replace a BlackBerry? It's not really even in
the same category. For example, only Yahoo Mail accounts
offer "push" e-mail like a BlackBerry, in which new messages
appear in real time. For other accounts, the iPhone checks
either periodically (every 15, 30 or 60 minutes) or when you
tap the Check button. Similarly, you can view e-mailed Word,
Excel and PDF attachments on the iPhone, but you can't create
or edit them. The iPhone doesn't work with corporate Exchange
e-mail systems, either, unless the administrator turns on
IMAP (the administrator presumably knows what that is).
Hardware
Is there an ambient light sensor? Yes. A light sensor lies
camouflaged behind the black glass. Each time you wake the
phone, it adjusts the brightness - to make it brighter in
sunlight, for example. You can also adjust the brightness
manually.
Does the camera have a flash? Zoom? Self-portrait mirror?
None of the above. The chrome Apple logo on the back is not a
self-portrait mirror.
Are there any secret features? When the screen is off, the
glossy black glass becomes a handy makeup mirror.
================================================== ========
With its new iPhone, Apple pulled off two masterful feats:
creating the machine and creating the buzz around it.
That machine, and that buzz, have inspired a lot of
questions. Just how much of a phone, an iPod and an Internet
machine is this thing?
Here are the answers to the most frequently asked iPhone
questions. Consider them a companion to my review yesterday,
which covered the big points like the touch-screen keyboard
(adequate with practice), the AT&T Internet network
(painfully slow) and the iPhone's overall character (fun,
powerful, amazing).
Before you dive in, though, a note about the "Does it
have...?" questions. Apple has indicated that it intends to
add features through free software updates, so the real,
secret answer to some of the "no" answers is actually,
"Coming soon."
Phone
Does the touch screen work if you're wearing gloves? Will a
stylus or pen tip work? No. Skin contact is required to
operate the buttons. Fortunately, most tappable elements on
the screen are big and broad, designed for fingertip access.
Does the iPhone have a speakerphone? Vibrate mode? Airplane
mode? Yes, yes and yes. The speakerphone and the vibrations
are both weak, though.
Can I dial without looking? Can I dial one-handed? You can't
do much on the iPhone without looking. Then again, few people
can operate a cellphone without looking. Dialing the iPhone
one-handed, though, is easy. As your fingers grasp the
iPhone, your thumb is free to tap buttons, scroll lists and
so on.
Can I use a SIM card from another phone? The iPhone comes
with an installed SIM card, the tiny circuit board that
stores your account information and phone number. Apple says
that you should be able to replace it with any recent AT&T
card, once you activate it in iTunes. No other company's SIM
card works in the iPhone.
Will the iPhone work overseas? If you mean to use your AT&T
account, yes; call AT&T to turn on international roaming, and
then prepare to pay big roaming charges. If you mean to
insert some other country's SIM card, no.
How about voice memos, voice dialing or call recording? No.
Do I need an AT&T account? Yes. The iPhone won't work at all
without a two-year AT&T voice-plus-Internet plan (and no, you
can't use it as just an iPod, no matter how tempting the
bigger screen and longer battery life is).
iPod
What iPod features does the iPhone have? Password protection,
Shuffle and Repeat modes, ratings, audiobooks, audiobook
speed control, podcasts, SoundCheck, equalization, volume
limiter, on-the-go playlists.
What iPod features does it lack? Games, lyrics, video output
to a TV and disk mode (when the iPod acts as a hard drive for
transporting computer files).
Does the iPhone work with iPod accessories? Some of them. The
iPod radio receiver works, for example, but FM transmitters
may not work. Existing speaker systems trigger the iPhone's
airplane mode (wireless and phone features turned off) to
avoid interference with the music. Starting soon, iPhone-
compatible iPod products will bear a "works with iPhone"
logo.
Can you use your iTunes songs as ring tones? Can you download
new ones? No. At the moment, the iPhone's 25 ring tones are
your only choices. (They're really good.)
Can you use your own headphones? Fortunately, the iPhone has
a standard miniplug headphone jack; unfortunately, its
plastic molding prevents most headphone plugs from seating
properly. Inexpensive adapters are available from Belkin and
others.
Wireless
Does the iPhone work with Bluetooth computers, printers,
stereo headsets or keyboards? No. At the moment, it
communicates only with hands-free devices like Bluetooth
headsets (including Apple's very tiny one, coming in July)
and a car's dashboard system.
Does the iPhone alert you when it detects a wireless Internet
hot spot? Yes. In fact, if it's a hot spot you've used
before, the iPhone hops onto it seamlessly and quietly.
Can the iPhone serve as a wireless modem for my laptop? No.
Can the iPhone receive songs, files, calendar appointments,
contacts or software updates wirelessly? No, only from your
computer through the U.S.B. charging cradle. But this is kind
of neat: Unlike the iPod, there's no "do not disconnect"
message during syncing. You can yank the iPhone out of the
cradle whenever you like - to answer a call, for example;
syncing resumes when you're done. You can also operate the
iPhone while it is charging.
Internet
Can you make phone calls while you're on the Internet? Yes -
if your iPhone has a Wi-Fi connection. When it's using AT&T's
Internet network, no.
Why didn't Apple use AT&T's faster 3G Internet network? Apple
says that today's relatively unpolished 3G (third generation)
radio chips would drain the battery too fast - and at this
point, wouldn't provide enough of a speed boost to justify
that trade-off. Apple will release a 3G iPhone model when the
time seems right.
How snappy is the real iPhone, compared with Apple's ads?
It's identical, with one exception: Apple never shows the
iPhone when it's on AT&T's cellular network. That would just
be embarrassing.
What kind of e-mail can it get? The iPhone comes with presets
for Gmail, AOL and Yahoo Mail. You can also set up standard
POP3 and IMAP accounts.
Is there instant messaging, like AIM or MSN Messenger? No.
Text-message exchanges appear as sequential, colorful text
balloons, just as in Apple's iChat program. But they're still
cellphone text messages, not chat.
Does the iPhone synchronize bookmarks with your computer?
Yes: with Safari on the Mac, or Internet Explorer on Windows.
What does the Web browser have? Multiple open pages (like
tabs), fonts, layouts, pop-up menus, checkboxes, clickable
links and dialable phone numbers (tap with your finger).
What does it lack? Java, Flash, stored passwords, RSS,
streaming audio or video (except for some QuickTime videos).
What about V.P.N. (virtual private networking)? The iPhone
works with several common V.P.N. systems (that is, secure
connections to corporate networks). A Settings screen lets
you fill in the configuration details.
Software
Does the iPhone synchronize with my computer's calendar and
address book? Yes. It can sync with Address Book or Microsoft
Entourage on the Macintosh, Outlook, Outlook Express on
Windows, or Yahoo's address book on the Web. If you add
appointments or phone numbers to the iPhone, they are added
to your computer the next time you sync.
Do To Do items show up on the iPhone? Do memos in the
iPhone's Notes program show up on the computer? No.
Does the keyboard rotate when you rotate the iPhone? Only in
the Web browser. That's a shame, because the rotated
keyboard, stretching the full length of the screen, is much
bigger and easier to use than the narrow version.
Can you type with two thumbs? I've seen Apple employees flail
away with two thumbs as though on a BlackBerry, but it takes
loads of practice. After two weeks, I'm still tapping with
one index finger.
Without cursor keys, how do I edit something I've written? If
you hold your fingertip against the glass, a magnifying loupe
appears around it. You can now slide you finger through what
you've written, moving the insertion point as you go.
Can the iPhone replace a BlackBerry? It's not really even in
the same category. For example, only Yahoo Mail accounts
offer "push" e-mail like a BlackBerry, in which new messages
appear in real time. For other accounts, the iPhone checks
either periodically (every 15, 30 or 60 minutes) or when you
tap the Check button. Similarly, you can view e-mailed Word,
Excel and PDF attachments on the iPhone, but you can't create
or edit them. The iPhone doesn't work with corporate Exchange
e-mail systems, either, unless the administrator turns on
IMAP (the administrator presumably knows what that is).
Hardware
Is there an ambient light sensor? Yes. A light sensor lies
camouflaged behind the black glass. Each time you wake the
phone, it adjusts the brightness - to make it brighter in
sunlight, for example. You can also adjust the brightness
manually.
Does the camera have a flash? Zoom? Self-portrait mirror?
None of the above. The chrome Apple logo on the back is not a
self-portrait mirror.
Are there any secret features? When the screen is off, the
glossy black glass becomes a handy makeup mirror.
There's already an AOL IM app you can add to iPhone, so I'd expect a ton of stuff to drop in the next few months.
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 17,163
Likes: 4
Originally Posted by Elistan,Jul 1 2007, 08:33 AM
- Click Phone icon
- Click Favorites or Recents and select a person to initiate a call right away
- or Contacts to select a number to call (choose from mobile, home, business, etc.)
- or Keypad to input a number manually
Two to four button clicks depending on what screen the phone is on, not counting manually dialing a number, plus some scrolling maybe. So easy even a caveman can do it.
- Click Favorites or Recents and select a person to initiate a call right away
- or Contacts to select a number to call (choose from mobile, home, business, etc.)
- or Keypad to input a number manually
Two to four button clicks depending on what screen the phone is on, not counting manually dialing a number, plus some scrolling maybe. So easy even a caveman can do it.
I'm very pleased so far. (Well, except that I'm having wifi issues.)
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 6,182
Likes: 1
From: Hollywood
wtf! no mp3 alarms or ringtones. 2 little things that i use the most! i didn't need all that other crap like visual voicemail and all, i just wanted custom alarms so i could wake up in the morning.
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 185
Likes: 0
From: Stockton
the best thing about the iphone is that its an apple product. not only do you get the warranty that at&t gives you but once that runs out, you have the one from apple. as long as it craps out on you, they will be happy to replace it for you. the ipone like any other pda type phone will have its kinks but again, its an apple like the hp ipaq, wont happen as often compared to the htc and blackberrys. and also like most other pda type phones there will be constent software upgrades availible for it. in addition to installing different programs like aim and so on. so i think the people that try to knock this phone in comparision to blackberrys are kidding themselves. ive worked for cingular for about 3 years now, and blackberrys are the most problematic along with the htc's.