Phoning it in.

Posted byWaldo Jaquith 24 Comments on Phoning it in.

I folded. I got an iPhone.

It is like I have magic in my hands. I believe it is witchcraft powered.

It reminds my of when I first got WiFi.

I’d write more, but this keyboard is a bear. A…uh…magical bear.

Published by Waldo Jaquith

Waldo Jaquith (JAKE-with) is an open government technologist who lives near Char­lottes­­ville, VA, USA. more »

24 replies on “Phoning it in.”

  1. Including all the bells and whistles, how much in service charges does/will that thing cost a month?

  2. $60, plus taxes that I don’t know what they’ll come to yet. :) It’s $20/month above what I’m paying right now for mobile service from T-Mobile, with that $20 getting me unlimited internet access from my handset.

    Still, there’s no getting around it — $60 is an enormous amount of money to spend on such a thing every month. I’m sure if you live in New York City or Los Angeles, it seems like a bargain, but those of us in parts of the country with lower costs of living (that is, most everybody reading this blog), it’s rather an alarming number.

  3. Yeah – I confess I am tempted too. I play with my partner’s for a bit this morning and it actually works well as a phone (that was my biggest concern).

    The thing is I don’t know that I need unlimited data in my plan, so the additional $20/month is a big deal to me…

    I am also hoping Notes/Memos and ToDo lists get fixed. What I really want is to sync stickies to my hand-held and to be able to edit and view them on the hand-held.

    I may cave… being able to talk to my sweetheart for free (both in same plan) is pretty attractive, and google maps simply rocks.

  4. Can the iPhone SERVE its internet connection to your home computer? I know this is possible on some phones via bluetooth already.

    Still, I’m not going to consider it until I

    1) have a job and lots of money
    2) it gets a GPS and a faster wireless connection

  5. I was able to hold out the first day — I’m getting one eventually, but ideally not for a few months. I just need to avoid anyone with one for the time being, lest I also crack.

  6. The last time I was this jealous was when Billy Joel married Christy Brinkley.

    um…

    I hope this turns out better for you and your magical bear.

  7. I found much amusement in the two day campers here in Arlington finding out that people walking up and buying one today could . . .walk up and buy one.

    Anyway, let us know how it goes.

    (My monthly cell bill runs ~$160, if it makes you feel better.)

  8. You know, normally when I disagree or whatnot with you on something, I take advantage of the fact that you live very near by and visit often to express opinion. But dude, you work at home man. Is the amount of time that you are in town really worth $60 a month?

    You’re gonna have to wow me with this thing when I see you next time. Right now, your actions seem very silly to me. Silly like the time I bought the Friday the 13th box-set for $50 to make sure (as a hardcore horror geek) I had seen them all even though I knew they sucked, only with this its monthly. Ok, bad example, I admit. A better example would be the time I seriously considered buying a $600 katana… only I did talk myself out of that.

    Anyway, hope it kicks ass like Tony Jaa in a Tai Chi school.

  9. After your previous iPhone post, it was all I could do to bite my tongue and not tell you that you were a goner the moment you touched it. That interface is the slickest thing I’ve ever used, and going back to my BlackBerry last month was one of the more excruciating things I’ve had to do. My favorite bit of Friday was watching the huge line wrapping down three blocks at the NYC SoHo store, complete with people camped out from almost a week before, then just two hours later having people just walk in off the street and leave seconds later with one. Made the campers even more absurd!

    Also, I damn near wet myself the first time I saw how Safari handles pop-up menus. So damn clever!

  12. At AT&T here in C’ville, it sucked. The process was ~5 minutes per person. But we were all there to buy just one of two products. It should have taken perhaps a minute. They were deliberately moving slowly (i.e., keeping all of the iPhones in a stockroom in back and having just one person assigned to going back and getting them, one at a time, on request) and telling people that, while they wait, they should review the iPhone accessories that they were selling at stupid prices, $50 faux leather cases, $30 belt clips, etc.

    AT&T really is the weak point in this entire setup. They’re just terrible.

  14. Still, there’s no getting around it — $60 is an enormous amount of money to spend on such a thing every month. I’m sure if you live in New York City or Los Angeles, it seems like a bargain, but those of us in parts of the country with lower costs of living (that is, most everybody reading this blog), it’s rather an alarming number.

    And $600 for the phone ISN’T an enormous amount of money to spend on such a thing? ;)

  15. I love Apple… Seriously… I would marry it if I could. The iPod, iMac G5, and MacBook Pro are all things of shining, technological beauty.

    However, the iPhone will most likely never be in my home for the following reasons:

    1) I hate cell phones. It’s true. I despise cell phones for the fact that they allow people to bother me no matter what I’m doing, or where I’m doing it. I will not own one.

    2) I don’t like charging things every 6 hours

    3) I already have a video iPod, and typically use my computer for internet/email use.

    4) I don’t have $600 scattered around the house to buy an iPhone (Therefore, I fabricated reasons 1-3, all in an attempt to make myself think that I actually don’t want/need one).

  16. Oh pshaw Johnny. You sound like my crazy uncle who thinks the world went to hell in a hand basket since the buggy whip industry died! Cell phones are the best thing since cold beer in a can. And just as dangerous in the hands of a fool – a drunk Tech student recently drove onto the sidewalk while attempting to “text” with hers and injured 8 people.

    The current models stay charged for nearly a week if seldom used. You can turn the ringer off and screen your calls. They have voice mail. And my current model charges off of my laptop using a mini-USB cable that matches it’s charging port perfectly.

    But none of them are tough enough. And now this iPhone thingy with a glass screen? What the world really needs is a cell phone that can bounce around in a truck down to the river, where it fits in your cut-offs while you work the eddies for some bass. You know, the real world.

  17. But none of them are tough enough. And now this iPhone thingy with a glass screen?

    Actually, they switched from plastic to glass because the glass is tougher. I saw a couple of drop-tests and the like on Saturday, and nobody could do anything more than scratch a bit of the silver paint off the corner.

  18. A drop test is a good start. I’d pay extra for a cell phone that can do what my marine radio can do – go swimming, or survive a spilled drink. Floating would be a bonus.

  20. I’m very surprised to hear that you got one, Waldo.

    Personally, I’d wait for v2.0, or a competitor’s model, instead of paying for the privilege of being an early adopter.

  21. Waldo-

    What’s all this about waiting for a V2 iPhone? This is V2, remember the Newton? :) Also, this is the competitor’s version, look at the Treo and Blackberry. I was excited to get my BB but was totally underwhelmed with it (and it cost almost $500 new about 2 years ago so the iPhone price does not bother me that much). The iPhone has exceeded my expectations and is by far my favorite piece of technology ever. I admit it, I am a big fan of this device. It is sublime. It blows away all the competitors. Everyone I have talked to who owns one is absolutely happy with it and people I have let play with mine absolutely drool over it. Regarding the cost per month, it is cheaper than the plan I had at Altel for my BB and it provides better service. So far I have been happy with Edge despite the pundit commentary on how slow it is…oh, and I am finding unsecured wireless networks all over town. I am glad you drank the kool-aide too.

  22. $60, plus taxes that I don’t know what they’ll come to yet. :) It’s $20/month above what I’m paying right now for mobile service from T-Mobile, with that $20 getting me unlimited internet access from my handset.

    With that 2 year ATT contract that’s about 2,040 dollars including the cost of the phone. That’s a little too steep for me.

    Still, there’s no getting around it — $60 is an enormous amount of money to spend on such a thing every month. I’m sure if you live in New York City or Los Angeles, it seems like a bargain, but those of us in parts of the country with lower costs of living (that is, most everybody reading this blog), it’s rather an alarming number.

    It’s an enormous amount of money if you’re living in Los Angeles too.

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