I like gadgets. So when I lost my iPod on a business trip to California, I decided to take the plunge and buy an iPhone.
It wasn't as easy a decision as some might expect. I had just taken a cracking photo of my new son, Owen, on my Sony Ericsson K800i, and had reservations about the iPhone's very basic camera. In the end, though, the frustration of trying to find a London address via Google Maps on the K800i and my BlackBerry swung the decision. I spent a chunk of my birthday signing up for the iPhone at O2's High Wycombe store in Buckinghamshire.
I wrote an early review of the iPhone here. Those comments have stood the test of time. The iPhone remains a delight to use, and the app store is terrific. (I've become an addict of Flight Control, an air traffic control game available through the app store.)
Curiously, apart from the poor camera, my main complaint about the iPhone is about its failings as a phone. I have found it far too easy to miss calls and voicemail messages. The volume switch is easy to hit by accident when you're handling the phone, and as a result I'm constantly turning down the ringer volume by accident. And as I don't look at my phone all the time, I find I miss voicemail messages, which are flagged on screen. (With my old Nokia and Sony Ericsson mobiles on Vodafone, I got a stream of calls and finally a text alert when a call had gone to voicemail.)
But despite all this, I love my iPhone and forgive it its foibles. A better camera would make it awesome. As my contract is up for renewal in a year, there's plenty of time for Apple to bring out the ultimate iPhone. And with luck, we'll have a choice of mobile companies by then!
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