There is something about iPhone

After using many different PDAs and so called "smart-phones", I still have yet to find one that impresses me as much as iPhone does. I am not a big Apple or Jobs fans, I have no regret using Windows (XP). If you are a guy like me looking for a mobile gadget which provides data connection, well I can safely say iPhone would be your best bet, to date.

Here are something I like:

1. Big Screen without Big Weight. iPhone is hardly the first smart-phone with a 3.5 touch screen, there are many others who have this real estate of vista but none, so far, enjoys any weight advantage. The size matters here cause I find it is the minimum size which you want to read your email on, let alone surfing the internet.

2. Easy connectivity. The UI is a breeze to use, but I have no idea why that Ms. Bradshaw rejects it on sight (I watched that movie too, okay?). It is not only ground-breaking which many follow afterward, what makes it stand out, still, is how easy to hook up with the data network, and this part is really crucial to a mobile communication device. I guess most people would tell you that Apple computers have user-friendly interface, but I am telling you Apple computers also have very easy networking setup, something yet to find in many other desktop, at least, environments. iPhone is in the same vien as her bigger cousins. Let's say for WiFi, once you get into a connection point, and if you need to fill out some extra details (say passcode), it is all there. And next time you come back, just pick that connection point again, no profile to manage, no extra to key in, just click it and there you go. I don't know why Windows Mobile 6.1 still cannot help me on this!

3. 3rd Party Software. First off, I don't jailbreak my unit since I want my firmware update smooth as silk and leave all the worries of bricking it behind me. But with the advent of Apps Store starting from version 2.0, 3rd party software are now supported. The better part is I don't even have to go to any PC with additional software (in this case, iTune) to get any software I want to put in or out of my unit. Everything can be handled right inside my phone. It is the wireless connection now, man, your mobile phone is no longer a kid which goes home for supper. I am fully aware many developers hate the limitation imposed by Apple, but as far as I know, many of them are not technical issues at all. (See SCUMM VM board, for example.)

4. SMS. The bigger screen, not only allows me to read messages in greater ease, allows messages to be arranged like a dialog where I can easily trace the flow.

Well, it is not to say iPhone is perfect, here are some of the things I really want to see it in:

1. Cut and Past. Come on, if I find a phrase of something and look it up elsewhere, without cut-n-paste, I have to type every single word out of it. This feature exists back from the days of Palm Pilot, why isn't it here now?

2. I want my Changjie Input Method! That handwriting recognition is fine but it is not as fast as Changjie.

3. Just make your software licence GPL-compatible, it helps your Apps store to grow faster.

Finally, many say the followings make their life complete, which I don't give a damn:

1. Bluetooth A2DP support: I am a little serious about listening music on the road, and all I know is, if you are do care the quality when listening to music out of a portable device, my advice: get a real iPod (the older the better), plus a better wired earphone. There current incarnation of bluetooth headphones has yet to reach my satisfaction mark.

2. External memory card support: When was the last time I pull a memory card out of a mobile? Yes, it was the time when I put the phone into reserve...

3. Radio, video conferencing and camera flash: Never use, don't use and useless. Frankly, until we have digital radio broadcasting, nothing beats a radio with an analogue tuner. I have yet to see a phone with radio which gets it right all the time.

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Update: Here is another one. For those who include multiple profiles (Nokia first?) to decide if the phone sings or rumbles under different circumstances, I think iPhone gives us a simplier, yet more sensible choice: sound or no sound. You just flip a switch on the side of the phone, and that's it! I think nobody cares about profiles nowadays, and I think a separate profile for Bluetooth headset is rather ridiculous.