We've got iPhones, what do you want to know?
By Chris Ziegler 
posted June 29th 2007 11:28PM
posted June 29th 2007 11:28PM
Can the home screen icons be reordered or customized?
As far as we can tell, no. We'll keep you updated if we find a way.
How long does it take to boot?
Our cold reset took 32.5 seconds from power on to the appearance of the home screen.
Is the UI smooth and fast (like in the commercials)?
By and large, yes. We see an occasional stutter, but nothing that has a noticeably negative impact on the use of the device.
Does it only work with the SIM it came with, or can you insert your existing SIM?
You can insert your existing SIM, but you will still have to go through the iTunes activation process. Furthermore, you need to reactivate in iTunes every time you change SIMs -- if you put in a different SIM, you get an "Incorrect SIM" message.
How's speed over EDGE?
The jury's still out, but it totally depends on what you're doing. YouTube seems to be virtually unusable over EDGE at the moment, but Safari and Maps are pretty bearable. Mail's decent, too. Our speeds on dslreports.com are all over the map -- lowest is 64kbps so far.
What do you think of the on-screen keyboard?
In the vertical mode, it's a little tricky, but as several reviewers have reported we think we'll probably get used to it. In the horizontal mode -- which appears to be available only in Safari -- it's way easier to use. We'd say it's actually a pleasure.
Can you download and save images in Safari?
No, it doesn't appear so.
Can you play music through the built-in speaker?
Yes, and it'll go pretty loud, too.
How prone to fingerprints is it?
With the exception of the Apple logo, the back and sides have a matte finish that make them impervious to fingerprints. The front is literally a pane of polished glass and it exhibits the same properties -- oils and fingerprints are basically invisible when the screen's on, but they show up when off (and in the black zones above and below the screen). The included polishing cloth is definitely going to see some use.
Does Meebo work?
Yes, it seems to!
What does the touchscreen feel like?
For lack of a better description, it simply feels like a pane of glass (as we commented above). Perfectly smooth with no give whatsoever. For anyone used to Palm or Windows Mobile touchscreen devices, this is a completely different experience. Notice that you cannot use a stylus with the iPhone, so the resolution of interactivity is lower to accommodate the fact that fingers are fatter than styli.
Does Safari remember passwords?
No. If you log into a website and leave Safari, it stays open in the background (unless you explicitly close it or restart the iPhone) and maintains your sessions, but that's the extent of it.
Does it scratch?
Yeah, probably, but nothing so far -- and we definitely haven't been babying them. Our biggest concern would be the back, not the front.
Is there a reset button?
No. The phone is reset by holding down the home and sleep / wake buttons for several seconds.
Can Chinese characters be viewed in Safari? What about Chinese character input?
Chinese works like a champ when viewing websites, but we haven't found any way to input it.
Is battery life really as good as Apple was claiming?
Stay tuned for some comprehensive battery tests, but our initial impression is that the only way to meet Apple's talk time numbers is by keeping use of the display to a bare minimum. We've had our screen on more often than not this evening and we're at about 60% battery life after perhaps two hours of cumulative use.
How are the camera and camera app?
We'll have more on this subject, but so far it seems the cam may be one of the least impressive aspects of the device. Picture quality is less than stellar, the viewfinder operates at no better than 8 or 10fps, and there are literally no options for scene, white balance, and so on.
Is it easy to use with one hand?
Sort of, yeah. Folks with smaller hands may have trouble reaching the back / cancel buttons found in the upper left hand corner of some screens, but otherwise, it's doable.
Does it do anything useful before you activate it via iTunes?
Nope. It'll let you make an emergency call (like most GSM phones) but that's all.
Does it support modem tethering via Bluetooth?
Nope! Nor by any other means, for that matter.
Can you text and email in landscape mode?
No, and we hope this is something Apple revisits in a future firmware version; the landscape keyboard is a good deal easier to use.
Does it vibrate when ringing?
It can be set to do that, yes.
What happens when someone sends you an MMS (which the iPhone doesn't support)?
Disturbingly, it seems that the answer is "nothing." The sender has no notification that the MMS wasn't received, and you have no notification that someone tried to send one to you. This can't possibly be the intended functionality.
What happens if you're downloading stuff and you receive a call?
We ran a 1MB dslreports.com speed test while simultaneously calling the phone. The call went straight to voicemail.
Can the proximity sensor be fooled?
It can be fooled into thinking it's against your ear (and therefore fooled into turning off the display) simply by holding your hand near the top of the phone, but no real surprise there. We haven't noticed any instances of the display turning on while it actually is against our ear, though.
Can you use music with the alarm clock?
It doesn't look like you can, no. Possibly downloadable ringtones, though -- we'll have to wait see.
Can you stream shared iTunes libraries to the iPhone over WiFi?
No.
What exactly can the Bluetooth support be used for?
Not much -- mono headset and that's about it. No A2DP, no tethering, no contact exchange.
can you download or buy itunes on the iphone? and can you use your itunes library songs as ringtones?
can you download ringtones on the iphone? and can you set your itunes music as a ringtone?
In one word, the Iphone sucks:
- no MMS
- a weak 2.0MP camera
- no Bluetooth modem
- no stereo headphone connectivity!!!
- only AT&T
- no GPS receiver
- no Itunes over WiFi
- YouTube is useless
- ....
Is an iphone similar to a sidekick?
Is an iphone similar to a sidekick? With the same quality as in programs and its capability or does the iphone surpass that?
Is an iphone similar to a sidekick? With the same quality as in programs and its capability or does the iphone surpass that?
i want to hear all the ringtones it comes with i ordered mine online and i am tired of waiting already
We’re interested to hear about your iPhone experiences.
We are looking for iPhone owners who live in either San Francisco or New York City. If you’d like to take part in research about using your new iPhone, please contact us at iphoneresearch@gfk.com. Please email us your name and phone number, and the best time of day to contact you. We will be calling people to ask a couple of questions to ensure that you do qualify for the research. We are not trying to sell anything, just understand what the iPhone is like.
For those that qualify, some will be invited to an hour long interview in San Francisco on July 19th, and in NYC on July 23rd. You will be compensated for your time.
Who is GfK Custom Research North America: We are one of the world’s top ten market research firms. We conduct quantitative and qualitative research around the world for many large clients. If you would like to find out more about the company, please visit www.gfkcustomresearch.com
Is the iphone a world phone , even though I live in America I do visit my parents in England quite alot, and was wondering if this is a viable phone for me
hi i got this problem that the i phone keep pop out a icon telling me how much money i left in the phone line every min. it is really annoy!! is there any way to get ride of it?
I'm going to get my 4gb iPhone 6 august:P:D I hope they find out a way to hack that to make it sim free:P:D
question: just got an iphone, and i know there's a wallpaper feature. maybe i'm stupid, but i set the wallpaper and i don't see it ANYWHERE. where does it use a wallpaper and how do i get to view it?
How come if u go to youtube website on the safari on iphone it doesnt let u see them ???
it says something about gettin the latest software and to download but then then iphone doenst let u sooo then it says u might have the wrong java script or its turned off and it is turned on soooo
now what
so is there ever gonna be a way were we can watch videosfrom different websites besides the youtube already on the ipone
if we cant ever then thats kinda gay
iphone kinda sux when u think about
it has no ringtones for 1 thing
it freezes alot alot