There’s no doubt this is an incredible piece of technology. Apple has revolutionized the design and interface of the mobile phone – their philosophy is admirable: if you need an instruction book, it’s too hard.

The iPhone user interface makes it very easy for everyone to access some useful and advanced features which are probably also available on your existing phone, but you’d have little idea how to access them because they are hidden deep within a complex menu system, which you’ll only discover after reading your phone’s 100 page user manual.

For example, when you’re on a call it’s very easy to place the call on hold, make a 2nd call, switch back and forth between the two, merge the calls into a conference call, mute the microphone or turn on the speakerphone for hands free operation.

It’s a pleasure to use and have easy instant access to those advanced features which would normally be a nightmare to find on a traditional phone.

The iPhone is indeed intuitive and easy to use.

But let’s get down to the nitty gritty. Believe it or not, there ARE some features lacking on the iPhone which many of us have grown up with, and may take a bit of getting used to living without. These are the things you should be aware of before committing to buy an iPhone - 

 

No Picture Messaging (MMS) / No Bluetooth File Transfers

You need to understand the iPhone is built around Internet communication. While it supports traditional text (SMS) messaging (and does this very nicely), you cannot send picture messages (MMS).

But you can easily share pictures with email, or 3rd party social networking applications like the free Twitterrific application (that allows you to upload and share pictures with your Twitter friends).

Also be aware there is no Bluetooth send/receive of pictures or files – so if you like getting with your friends and Bluetoothing pictures and sounds to each other forget it – you can’t do it with an iPhone.

So if you’re addicted to MMS or Bluetooth File sharing – the iPhone is not for you.

 

Not a great Camera Phone

The iphone does a stunning job at organising and viewing photos. You’ve probably seen the demos where you flick pictures across the screen to browse through the album, pinch to zoom, unpinch to unzoom, rotate the phone, etc.. It’s all very impressive.

But what’s lacking is the iPhone’s ability to take good quality pictures.

The camera is very basic 2 megapixel camera. There is no zoom, no focus control, no macro mode or lighting controls, and no flash. Just very simple point-and-shoot. 

Furthermore, you cannot record video with the iPhone.

So if you need video, or a high quality camera, or video conferencing – then the iPhone is not for you. But if you’re happy with a simple point-and-shoot basic camera, coupled with it’s ability to display images either captured on your phone or synced from your computer on it’s beautiful bright hi-res screen, this phone will certainly not disappoint you.

 

Beware the Battery

The iPhone is a feature packed device, but those features can be a drain on the battery supply.

Gaming, video watching, web surfing and GPS location services all take their toll on the iPhone’s battery. If you consider yourself a “power user” you might be disappointed to find the battery screaming for more juice before lunch.

You can probably get about 24 hours of listening to audio from a full battery charge, or 3-4 hours of watching video or gaming, or 2 hours of GPS navigating. That will give you an idea of the battery overhead on top of the normal “phone” functions.

There are tips and tricks to conserving your battery, which I have documented here.

I’m not saying the battery is bad.  There’s just a lot of features draining the battery – it all gets down to how you use it. To say the battery life is “worse” than other phones isn’t a valid comparison if you’re gaming, email, using the GPS, watching videos, or using the iPod all day. The battery life comparison with other ordinary phones isn’t fair because you don’t do all this stuff on other ordinary phones.

So a cautionary note to the die hard power users: be prepared to carry your charger with you to get through the day, and on the plus side, you’ll find the phone super fast to juice up.

For the ordinary phone user – the battery life won’t be such an issue, and has improved substantially since the 2.1 software update.

 

Weak 3G reception and call dropouts?

You may have heard about the complaints of call dropouts and poor coverage and signal strength indications, with various rumors and theories of a bad 3G chip in the phone or a bad software driver.

Thankfully Apple’s 2.1 software update appears to have addressed these issues so it appears to have been software related. Independent tests have shown the iPhones antenna to be on-par with other quality phones, and since updating the software I can report my iPhone receives as equally reliable, if not better, reception than my last Nokia 3G phone.

 

Touch screen keyboard

People with big fingers tend to complain about the iphone’s small touch keyboard when entering text. Especially the first few times using it.

In fact, soon after buying my iPhone I wondered if I’d made a mistake in buying it – my thumbs just seemed too big. It was clumsy and there were some keys that I just couldn’t seem to hit properly.

All I can suggest is stick with it. The more you practice the easier it gets and soon you’ll be typing almost as fast as a full size keyboard. It seems hard to imagine at first but just try it and stick with it. Your thumb-eye coordination quickly adapts, and there are many tips and shortcuts for typing on the iPhone – such as auto-correct, which can help you use the keyboard more efficiently.

At the end of the day it gets down to personal preference, but I must advise not to base negative assumptions of the keyboard entry on just trying one for just a few minutes – you really do need a few days to settle in to the keyboard.

My advice – trust the keyboard, let it correct your minor typos as you go, and you’ll soon soon be typing with speed and accuracy.

 

Syncing with iTunes

Out-of-the-box the iPhone is designed to be synced with iTunes, so you’ll need to have the latest version of iTunes loaded on your Mac or PC.  

If you’ve already owned an Apple iPod, you will already have embraced the use of iTunes, and plugging in your iPhone to iTunes will come naturally. But if this is your first Apple device, the iTunes experience may come as a bit of a shock.

iTunes is Apple’s all-in-one media manager.  It is an official requirement of the iPhone that you have iTunes on your computer. The relationship between iTunes and your iPhone is very tight. iTunes keeps your iPhone’s software up-to-date, it will manage the syncing of your music and videos, podcasts, calendar entries, address book contacts, website bookmarks, photo albums, and your email accounts.

iTunes also automatically backs up all the settings and software on your iPhone.

You’ll need to download and install iTunes yourself from Apple’s website (i.e. – the software is NOT included with the iPhone). It’s a free (but large) download.

When you install iTunes it attempts to become your computer’s default media manager.  So if you already use Windows Media Player, or WinAmp, or some other media management system – iTunes will attempt to take over these functions, and depending how much you love your current media software, you may not like this idea!

A big part of iTunes is the iTunes Store – where you can purchase music, subscribe to free (or paid) podcasts, or download free (or paid) 3rd party applications (games, etc) for your iPhone.  To access the 3rd party applications (even the free ones) you’ll need to set up an iTunes Account. And to set up an iTunes Account, you’ll need to give them your credit card number – even if you’re not spending any money.

Many people don’t like this idea. 

So if you really want to embrace the iPhone, you’ll need to embrace iTunes.

The thing that works best for me is whenever I get home I just plug my iPhone into the computer. The iPhone’s battery charges up from my computer via the included USB cable (or you can also use the power adaptor for charging if you prefer).

When I first plug it in, iTunes loads and syncs. It only takes a minute.

I purchased a separate iPhone “Dock” from Apple (about $30). I just sit the iPhone in the dock – it’s tidier. But you can simply use the basic USB cable alone.

And if you purchase more Apple products, you’ll reap the benefit of interchangable components and a family devices that work closely and seemlessly with each other. The iPhone can be just one piece of an overall collection of computer and home entertainment products that all work together into your lifestyle with beautiful form and function. If this is your vision, the iPhone fits it beautifully.

But if you can’t stand the idea of using iTunes, then the iPhone probably isn’t for you.

 

No File Storage

You can’t save files to the iPhone. Out-of-the-box, the only way to get a “document” onto your iPhone is to email it from your computer. Files also cannot be transferred via Bluetooth.

To transfer and store document files on your iPhone you’ll need a 3rd party solutions – such as the “Air Sharing” app (costs about $8 from the iTunes App Store). There are also methods to store your files in “the cloud” (i.e. on the internet) and access them direct as required – providing you have Wi-Fi access, or a phone signal.

Having said that, the iPhone does a fantastic job at displaying documents that have been saved in any of the popular formats (e.g. PDF documents, Microsoft Office Documents, and Apple iWork Documents).

 

Can’t Create Files

While the iPhone does a beautiful job at displaying files that have been saved in a variety of popular formats, you can’t create these files on the iPhone.  There’s no built in Word Processor or Spreadsheet program, however, it will only be a matter of time before 3rd Party Applications become available to let you create, save, and edit documents on your iPhone.

 

No Copy/Paste

Some people are put off by the iPhone’s lack of copy/paste. I can honestly say I’ve never had a use for it – particularly in that the only type of “documents” I create on the iPhone are emails or text messages, but it obviously affects some users. There are rumors this could be available in a future software update, but as it stands, there is no Copy and Paste function on the iPhone.

 

Bluetooth is Limited

Bluetooth cannot be used for transferring pictures or any other types of files. The implementation of Bluetooth on the iPhone is purely for headsets and hands-free kits.

You cannot stream music via Bluetooth – for example, to wireless stereo Bluetooth headsets.

 

GPS: maps not pre-loaded. No automatic turn-by-turn directions.

When using the maps and GPS, be aware these maps are downloaded as-needed from Google (and therefore count toward your plan’s download allowance). The maps are not pre-loaded as you may be accustomed to on normal in-car navigation systems.

The mapping application can give directions from point A to point B – but these are shown as text instructions, you must use “Next” (or “Previous”) navigation buttons to see the next instruction as you move from step to step. They do not automatically change as you move along.

Nor are the navigation directions read aloud – you have to read them.

These factors do create a safety hazard if using the iPhone for navigation whilst driving.

 

Cannot Tether your iPhone to a Computer

The process of “tethering” allows you to use your iPhone as a “modem” (or as a mini “Wi-Fi Hotspot”) so your laptop computer can connect and make use of iPhone’s 3G data connection.

Presently the iPhone does not allow you to do this.

3rd Party application developer called Netshare released an official solution that allows iPhone owners to tether their phone, but reportedly AT&T requested Apple pull this from the App Store as it goes against their policies.

 

Not all email is Push

“Push” email was one of the selling points for the iPhone, and if you have paid for Apple’s new MobileMe service, new emails sent to your MobileMe email account can indeed be Pushed to you as they arrive.  

But the Push function is not available for your other “normal” email accounts – rather, your phone can either check them manually (i.e. when you open the email program), or you can set your phone to automatically “Fetch” any new email every 15, 30, or 60 minutes. So just be aware “Push” isn’t for applicable for all types of email.

 

No Voice-Activated Dialing

Out-of-the-box there is no Voice-Activated dialing on the iPhone 3G. There may be a solution provided in future updates or by 3rd party application developers.

 

Visual VoiceMail may not be available on your Carrier

One of the features of iPhone is Visual Voicemail, but this is not available with all carriers – particularly for those outside of the US.  Pressing the Voice Mail button with other carriers simply instructs your iPhone to call your plain old everyday voicemail box where you use it as with any other phone. Nothing special.

The decision to implement Visual Voicemail is up to the individual phone carriers.

Also – those with Visual Voicemail who travel internationally should contact their carrier, because this feature uses DATA transfer, and international data roaming charges can be quite high (i.e. this is an issue that has caught a few people out).

 

Can’t Remove or Replace Battery

The iPhone’s case is sealed. You cannot remove or exchange the battery, and you can’t carry a spare one with you for emergencies. 

 

Can’t use Phone while Syncing

The iPhone takes itself offline during the sync process. For most this is only a couple of minutes each day, but may affect those who are heavy phone users or have a large amount of data to be synced or backed up from the phone.

This can be annoying just as you’re running out the door for work and receive a call when you want to sync-and-run.

It should be noted that the 2.1 software update greatly improved syncing and backup speeds.

 

Summary

There’s no doubt the iPhone is an amazing device that fits perfectly into my life. Never before have I been able to carry the internet around in my pocket, have access to my library of music and podcasts, and have a phone, and GPS navigator, and even a great gaming platform in an amazing all-in-one device.

But it’s a case of buyer-beware, because as outlined above – there are many functions that some of us come to expect out of a phone these days which are simply lacking in the iPhone, and if too many of these things affect you then you really must ask yourself whether this is the right choice.

So if you don’t need a great quality camera, and if you can live without the picture messaging, and you like the idea of having the internet wherever you go, and the convenience of an all-in-one device – you won’t be disappointed with this choice. And if you choose to continue down the road to embrace Apple products – you’ll soon find yourself with a suit of connected devices and components which work beautifully together to make your digital life much easier.

 

“Location Services” is the name given to the technology in the iPhone which your applications call on to determine your current location (i.e. the GPS function). Using Location Services frequently will drain your battery fast, so it’s best to leave this off – or at least turn it off after you have found yourself.