Oh, that's precisely my point. I'd expected the plan rates to be brutal - given all the nifty new things you can do.
I'd originally read this as $80 per month for two lines (which would be insanely good - given all the extra services you'd get).
My post was meant as "holy crap! I'd better not come near one of these things, or I'll buy one!"
In actual fact, $80 is for a single line, so two lines would run $110.00 per month - which is (thankfully) less tempting.
Eating the start up cost, activation and then increasing my monthly cell bill by $50 a month is not going to lure me any time soon.
If I won two iPhones in a contest, I'd totally switch, even with the pricier plan - but both at once (and a measly 8 Gig, to boot) I think I can stay away.
-Watched the entire video I posted here earlier -Watched the activation video -Re-watched the keynote address, twice. -Read at least a dozen reviews of the iPhone, some of them twice.
and - and this is particularly pornographic. I've watched an "unboxing" video posted by one of the tech sites, where (and I'm not kidding) a tech reviewer lovingly opens a newly purchased iPhone to show you how cool the packaging is.
Given all that, I should probably stay way the hell away from my local AT&T stores.
there's a problem with the iphone, though, that i can't resist pointing out.
it's a phone.
i hate phones.
it's also trying to be everything else. everything. which means that it wants to be *both* work *and* play. the only thing in my life that has succeeded at that, is my day job. everything else that's tried has just stressed me out. like my pda. it tells me when to go to a meeting; when to go to the doctor or the dentist (meaning i have to tell my boss i'll be starting late or leaving early); it has books on it; due-dates for various nastiness like paying the property tax bill; it has due dates for library books. it has two games on it, a pile of music, and a bunch of books.
it stresses me out. it's either freaking me out about something important that i almost forgot, or its battery craps out in the middle of a book on mp3. or both kind of at the same time.
i liked it at first; and i still prefer it to a day runner, 'cause it's smaller, weighs less, and its evil little noises at least remind me to check it from time to time.
it is a useful thing. when its battery isn't crapping out. but that does not make it good for my mental health. and it *doesn't* make it a fun toy.
Trying to be all things will certainly cause some unintended problems.
The people I know who have these have four main gripes, one of which is exactly that.
1) The person who gets this as their PDA will discover that the phone will interrupt work - without a confirm prompt. They're in the middle of sending an email or something and *pow* the phone UI comes up with an incoming call. The more "work stuff" they try to cram into this thing, the greater the likelihood that someone will be working when a call comes in.
-That one they will assuredly clear up quick - a simple, elegant prompt: "Incoming call from Smith, J. Accept?" ices that one pretty good.
The other gripes I've heard are 2) the obvious one: AT&T Edge network is so slow, you might as well not bother doing internet unless you're in a Wi-Fi hotspot. 3) All of your incoming messages are split up according to their delivery method. Meaning if I have two voicemails, three text messsages, and an email - I have to go to three separate places to view them. It would be far better to have a "My Messages" area where each message is displayed with an indicator of which format it's in, and whatever id data is easily scannable. 4) No battery swap. You can't carry a spare battery pack to swap in when the phone craps out. You're in the middle of a long email on your spiffy UI and it powers down - you gotta go find an outlet and wait. Some of the folks I work with LIVE on their PDAs, so when it dies- they are stuck. Again, the more they want this device to do, the more use it will get, the faster the battery dies and - the more you want to swap in a fresh battery.
Number 3 they can (and assuredly will) fix in the foreseeable future with a software patch.
2 will be a beast - AT&T's network won't upgrade fast, and I believe there is a hardware problem (shorter battery life) with making the iPhone use the newer network protocols. Number 4 - the battery swap, I dunno. Apple's been pretty cagey about letting people open up their little toys. You'd think they'd provide a external, rechargeable power pack as just a "why the hell not?" accessory.
---
The whole problem of putting more on the device, I think is a non-issue, long term.
Fact is - it is handy to take a lot of information around with us. Like most people, I thought cell phones were pretentious and annoying. But, now that I have a phone that has a constantly updated clock (watches, you are now obsolete), and carries all my phone numbers - I don't think I'll willingly be without one. Biggest gripe I have with my phone is that it doesn't hold enough information and it's hard to enter the data it CAN store.
More data storage + better UI is a killer ap, even if all you are doing is taking names and making calls. Add in the ability to store and USE multiple ways to contact your people (SMS, Email, phone) and that's damn cool.
Now they just need to make it synch via wi-fi automatically -
But seriously, next go round, I'm thinking the iPhone will kick crazy ass. I might just get one.
9 comments:
Don't lie. You still want one.
Oh, that's precisely my point. I'd expected the plan rates to be brutal - given all the nifty new things you can do.
I'd originally read this as $80 per month for two lines (which would be insanely good - given all the extra services you'd get).
My post was meant as "holy crap! I'd better not come near one of these things, or I'll buy one!"
In actual fact, $80 is for a single line, so two lines would run $110.00 per month - which is (thankfully) less tempting.
Eating the start up cost, activation and then increasing my monthly cell bill by $50 a month is not going to lure me any time soon.
If I won two iPhones in a contest, I'd totally switch, even with the pricier plan - but both at once (and a measly 8 Gig, to boot) I think I can stay away.
Have you been able to resist going to the store to play with one? I'll be shocked.
I haven't been to the store.
Yet.
In lieu of that, I have:
-Watched the entire video I posted here earlier
-Watched the activation video
-Re-watched the keynote address, twice.
-Read at least a dozen reviews of the iPhone, some of them twice.
and - and this is particularly pornographic. I've watched an "unboxing" video posted by one of the tech sites, where (and I'm not kidding) a tech reviewer lovingly opens a newly purchased iPhone to show you how cool the packaging is.
Given all that, I should probably stay way the hell away from my local AT&T stores.
I feel almost dirty.
Good instinct.
After all that... I went and saw one.
It was cool (a lot smaller than you'd think).
I want one.
A free one.
You and Stephen Colbert.
there's a problem with the iphone, though, that i can't resist pointing out.
it's a phone.
i hate phones.
it's also trying to be everything else. everything. which means that it wants to be *both* work *and* play. the only thing in my life that has succeeded at that, is my day job. everything else that's tried has just stressed me out. like my pda. it tells me when to go to a meeting; when to go to the doctor or the dentist (meaning i have to tell my boss i'll be starting late or leaving early); it has books on it; due-dates for various nastiness like paying the property tax bill; it has due dates for library books. it has two games on it, a pile of music, and a bunch of books.
it stresses me out. it's either freaking me out about something important that i almost forgot, or its battery craps out in the middle of a book on mp3. or both kind of at the same time.
i liked it at first; and i still prefer it to a day runner, 'cause it's smaller, weighs less, and its evil little noises at least remind me to check it from time to time.
it is a useful thing. when its battery isn't crapping out. but that does not make it good for my mental health. and it *doesn't* make it a fun toy.
sincerely,
thorn
"i poke. even if i like you."
Trying to be all things will certainly cause some unintended problems.
The people I know who have these have four main gripes, one of which is exactly that.
1) The person who gets this as their PDA will discover that the phone will interrupt work - without a confirm prompt.
They're in the middle of sending an email or something and *pow* the phone UI comes up with an incoming call.
The more "work stuff" they try to cram into this thing, the greater the likelihood that someone will be working when a call comes in.
-That one they will assuredly clear up quick - a simple, elegant prompt: "Incoming call from Smith, J. Accept?" ices that one pretty good.
The other gripes I've heard are
2) the obvious one: AT&T Edge network is so slow, you might as well not bother doing internet unless you're in a Wi-Fi hotspot.
3) All of your incoming messages are split up according to their delivery method. Meaning if I have two voicemails, three text messsages, and an email - I have to go to three separate places to view them. It would be far better to have a "My Messages" area where each message is displayed with an indicator of which format it's in, and whatever id data is easily scannable.
4) No battery swap. You can't carry a spare battery pack to swap in when the phone craps out. You're in the middle of a long email on your spiffy UI and it powers down - you gotta go find an outlet and wait. Some of the folks I work with LIVE on their PDAs, so when it dies- they are stuck. Again, the more they want this device to do, the more use it will get, the faster the battery dies and - the more you want to swap in a fresh battery.
Number 3 they can (and assuredly will) fix in the foreseeable future with a software patch.
2 will be a beast - AT&T's network won't upgrade fast, and I believe there is a hardware problem (shorter battery life) with making the iPhone use the newer network protocols.
Number 4 - the battery swap, I dunno. Apple's been pretty cagey about letting people open up their little toys. You'd think they'd provide a external, rechargeable power pack as just a "why the hell not?" accessory.
---
The whole problem of putting more on the device, I think is a non-issue, long term.
Fact is - it is handy to take a lot of information around with us. Like most people, I thought cell phones were pretentious and annoying. But, now that I have a phone that has a constantly updated clock (watches, you are now obsolete), and carries all my phone numbers - I don't think I'll willingly be without one.
Biggest gripe I have with my phone is that it doesn't hold enough information and it's hard to enter the data it CAN store.
More data storage + better UI is a killer ap, even if all you are doing is taking names and making calls. Add in the ability to store and USE multiple ways to contact your people (SMS, Email, phone) and that's damn cool.
Now they just need to make it synch via wi-fi automatically -
But seriously, next go round, I'm thinking the iPhone will kick crazy ass. I might just get one.
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