MiPhone

I know you'll be shocked, but I did it.

I stood in line for about an hour yesterday to get the new Apple iPhone. Yes, me. In line. I've never stood in line for anything, and yet I succumbed to the intense hype. The siren called out to me. All that shit.

Talk about a geek-fest. There were 30 people in line with me at the O'Fallon MO AT&T store, and I was #29. When I arrived, the sales guy looked at me with a sort of "I'm waiting for you to ask me about the iPhone" look on his face. So of course I indulged him.

"How many phones do you have, and am I too late?" It was 5:55 pm, a full FIVE MINUTES before the doors opened. He gave me this little wink that was simultaneously geeky and cocky... and one of those dorky tongue clicks. The only thing missing was the finger-as-pistol "Shooter McGee" motion. He fished around in his pocket. This was his moment to shine!

"Here ya go." He handed me a voucher that guaranteed me the right to purchase a phone. A little quiver passed through my body... much the same feeling as when you find out your application for auto financing has been approved.

And I've paid less for a car.

I bought a 4 gig model and so far I'm elated. Overall, the network's speed is more than compensated for by the incredible functionality of the phone. The email, voice mail and usability of Safari, the internet interface all seem unparalleled. The screen is bright, easy to navigate and the calls are clear. I've been on Cingular for a long time, and at least in this area, it has the most reliable coverage of all the cell companies.

When I plugged the unit into my laptop, (a PC-*gasp!*)it synched easily with iTunes, went online automatically, and in about 5 screens I had transferred my service from my old cell to the iPhone. Seamlessly, the new phone took over. It synched all my contacts from Outlook, my calendar entries and the photos and music I had decided to add to the iPhone.

It also automatically added all my email accounts to the iPhone. The email automatically downloads to the phone and alerts me when I have new messages. The voicemail interface is great - it actually lists all your messages, who they're from, and each has a play button you can click to listen on speaker. No more dialing into the network and navigating the BS menus.

The unit is also an iPod, although that function won't be very important to me.

I really do believe this phone is a groundbreaking new tool, with the amazing animated graphic interface, its versatility (some of which I'm not even aware of yet) and functionality. (more of which I'm not yet aware) On my home wi-fi network, it flies. On the Cingular network, it's a bit slow. They guaranteed me they are working on getting better speed out of their system.

I now have a Sprint Pocket PC 6700 for sale. If you're interested (and haven't succumbed to the alure of the iPhone) let me know. I'll make you a hell of a deal. It comes with a 1 gig data card.

I'll keep you updated on how MiPhone performs.

Oh. This is my last hurrah. I'm finished buying high tech stuff for a while. ;)


EDIT: I just realized I've used my phone for several days, yet never opened the instruction book. This thing is extremely intuitive.