I can now check iPhone off my shopping list. Got one on Friday via Craigslist. Saved $100 compared to retail+tax.
So far I am happy with the purchase. The iPhone has 3 things over any Windows Mobile based cellphones (many of which I had used over the past years): full browser experience, iPod, and the fancy UI.
First the browser experience. Safari Mobile beats the crap out of all IE and Opera mobile browsers I have used. I will even gladly pay for the data plan because of the better web experience.
iPod smokes!!! Windows Media Player Mobile players are just terrible in comparison. Period.
iPhone’s UI is pretty neat. The special effects are not necessary but do add to the user experience nonetheless.
In terms of phone experience, iPhone shines once the call is connected, but it was much easier to initiate a call on my “old” HTC S620 - just type the name and the corresponding contact/number shows up.
Other than that, iPhone really is lacking tons of features and customizations that Windows Mobile phones have had for years. For example, photos attached in emails are automatically downsized to 640×480, making it ineffective to upload photos to Flickr since emailing is the only way for iPhone photos to reach Flickr.
In the end, my conclusion for iPhone is the same as everybody else’s: iPhone is for consumers while Windows Mobile based phones are for enterprises suits. I enjoy the iPhone, but I might miss the Exchange email sync with my company, maybe.
I’m gonna stick with smartphone, just because I know how to hack them.
Actually it’s also possible to hack the iPhone, it’s just more challenging.
I will leave the iPhone in its pristine state for a while first. Hacking will come later when I get bored with it.