All of the iPhone mania is very puzzling to me. I spent the week setting up my Treo 650 to work with our Microsoft Exchange server and it’s like I never used this year old phone before. Everything synchronizes quite nicely, I never have to do a cable connected synch with Microsoft Outlook, and I am as happy as a clam. I’m so happy that I think I will upgrade to the Treo 750 so that I can use (eventually) Windows Mobile 6.
What do I need an iPhone for?
It seems to me that the iPhone is a better (1) web browser and (2) media player. For those of us that use Exchange, almost any other PDA/smartphone is better at managing calendar, contacts, and email. So I am still scratching my head trying to figure out what all of the oohs and ahhs are about concerning the iPhone.
Let’s say that the iPhone makes it much easier and prettier to use the web on a cel phone. They key words in that sentence are “on a cel phone.” I can surf faster, easier, and have a full suite of internet applications on my lovely Dell Latitude. Plus, my eyes can handle the larger laptop screen. Since I can tether my Treo in areas that don’t have WIFI or just use WIFI in areas that give it away for free, why do I need better web browsing on a cel phone?
Scratch.
I own a 40GB iPod. It plays various things – video, music, etc. I spent a couple of hundred dollars for it. I make all of my CD rips using the lossless codec and can travel through airports and on airplanes with a good portion of my entire CD collection.
Scratch, scratch.
I guess it boils down to the “coolness” factor, something that people who actually use their cel phones for work can’t afford to invest in. I’d probably buy an iPhone for my college aged daughter since she is not gainfully employed. Until the iPhone gets its rumored integration with Microsoft Exchange AND people have verified that it actually works, I’m staying away from iPhone version 1.0.
