Review: iPhone 3G

Ok, so let me start by saying I'm the furthest thing from an Apple fanboy. Never owned a Mac, not even an Ipod... until 1 month ago. More on that in a bit.

When the first Iphone came out last June, I was pretty excited. Not because I planned on wasting money on any overpriced, over-hyped product with an Apple logo on it. Because I recognized it as a game changer in the cell phone industry. As soon as I watched the demo I said to myself, "This is it - this is the device that will make all other cell phone makers kick their R&D groups into high gear and churn out much better products." I expected by Christmas last year, I'd have my pick of "iphone killer" clones from LG, moto, samsung, nokia, whatever. The hardest part would be choosing which one to get. 14 months and 50+ "new" cell phones later, nothing has even come close. WTF? I've been month-to-month, waiting for something better (even equivalent) to come along for more than a year now. I closely scrutinize each new touch phone as they make their way into the hands of phonescoop reviewers, only to be disappointed again and again and again.

Voyager? bust. Vu? Bust. Glyde? Bust. Touch Diamond? bust. Dare? bust. Instinct? bust bust bust! How can this be so hard for companies with 10 times the cell phone development experience as Apple?

So why am I so high on a product I've never owned? A month ago, I received an ipod touch for Fathers day, out of the blue. I don't even use the sony MP3 player I already owned, but it's the thought that counts, right? So I graciously accepted my cool new toy and starting playing with it. Since that day, it hasn't left my pocket. The wifi web browsing is SO fluid and useful, I rarely have to go into my office and use the PC to look things up. I constantly find myself saying "damn, if only I had internet access, I could really use the ipod right about now." I didn't even want it, and now that I've used it for a week, I see what all the fuss is about. Arguing over petty things like no cut-n-paste, no MMS, etc. is missing the point. Nothing, I mean NOTHING on our shores even comes close to the usability of this device. If you haven't spent 24 hours using an iphone or ipod touch, you simply don't know. I was just like you... until a month ago. The iphone 3G will be my next phone. Damn you Apple!!