So today Apple and AT&T Wireless unveiled a long-awaited feature for the iPhone that honestly should have been included on the original unit when it came out in June 2007: MMS (picture/multimedia messaging)! Wow, great. To quote one of my roommates, ”Welcome to 1999, Apple and AT&T.” My first cell phone back around 2001 had picture messaging, and my next one after that could record video.
To those who may not know, originally when iPhone users would receive a picture message, they would get a text message with a link, ID and password (complicated ones, no doubt) that had to be entered in on a webpage via the phone’s Safari web browser. When firmware 3.0 came out not long ago, everyone was excited because picture messaging capability was announced. But alas, U.S. subscribers had to wait more long months so that AT&T could try and get its act together to handle the new stress load on their network. With spotty service as it is, I still fear what might happen despite their improvements.
So, even though we iPhone users now have the age-old staple of real picture messaging, with as much as this phone and its data plan costs, you’d think there would be some other features along for the ride, too. How about a basic video recorder for the iPhone 3G? I know it can handle it, because hacked firmware allows you to install a video recorder app, and I’ve even seen it work on an original iPhone. How about data tethering already? As of this article we’re still waiting on that (at least officially).
Don’t get me wrong. I do love my iPhone 3G and all of the cool things it lets me do on-the-go, but it is capable of so much more! Don’t let us down, Apple and AT&T, or a Google-based phone might be my next one.
I’ve had the iPhone 3 GS 16 for the past three days. Despite the outward “coolness” of the device I have a number of serious complaints.
1: The “intelligent” and supremely annoying Apple interface, which wants to do things for you whether you like it, or nor.
2: The lousy battery life, averaging only about two hours when surfing on the crappy AT&T network.
3: The imprecise, touch screen-only interface, growl!
4: The phone functionality itself is incredibly clumsy and inconvenient.
5: Back to the interface. The Apple interfaces, including all of their computers and iPods seem to have been designed by smart people – for morons. They remind me of cars with automatic transmissions – which I despise, preferring to have positive, clear, instant choices, rather than clumsy, usually inaccurate and mushy ones.
Some of the apps are cool, such as Google Maps and Google Earth. That doesn’t redeem the bad features of the iPhone, particularly that the many of the aps are also available for other smart phones, running on better networks.
In short: The iPhone is going back to the Apple store, my old phone is getting re-activated and as soon as my AT&T contract expires, I am moving to Verizon.