Clearly AT&T has some work to do

As reported here, it seems pretty obvious that AT&T has some work to do. While it is not a scientifically based survey of any sort, it is clear that AT&T's 3G network needs to be beefed up a bit in certain places. It is also apparent that Apple isn't going to have a magic bullet for the 3G complaints.

If there is one thing people do frequently, that is underestimate the popularity of an Apple device. It is also one of those "duh!" moments where the carrier has to realize that the iPhone is more than a phone! (now the DUH!) The iPhone is probably the first and only product that really stresses the 3G network because people can actually use the thing for more than just email and texting.

The sad part is that while AT&T deals with these issues on their 3G network here in the US, other phone vendors are going to benefit from the build out of these networks when they introduce their new products. When they come out with their product that uses 3G, they are going to be pointing at the iPhone and saying, "See how much better my performance is than when the iPhone 3G came out!"

Let's not forget this when the time comes!

Insanity - no mass delete

I'm going to go crazy as I sit here and try to delete about 50 SMS messages on my iPhone, one blessed individual message a time. Where is the check box or mass delete? If I don't ever post again its because I've turned into a lunatic or broke my finger pressing the little minus and delete button one too many times on my iPhone.

Apple - pull up your shorts

It's time for Apple to pull up its shorts and stop shying away from full disclosure on issues and what is and isn't being fixed when patches are released. The last iPhone update to 2.0.2 has "bug fixes" listed as the reason. Bug Fixes? Come on, what heck is it that is being fixed? (I know they've admitted now it is supposed to be a 3G fix perhaps but is that it, what happened in the 2.0.1 update as it said the same thing??) And it happens with iTunes and iPod updates all the time too .

Is Apple really that insecure?

My iPhone - observations and gripes

I finally got my iPhone. I love it. There is no doubt this is the future of the phone. As I mentioned before though, when you have something that is so nearly perfect but is marred by what I perceive as easily addressed (or could have been addressed) issues, it tarnishes the product a bit. Whatever I say doesn't change my opinion of the phone though, it is far and away a fantastic phone and easily beats the competitors hands down.

First, and a lot has been written about this, is the battery. I know, you need to charge it every night. That I can live with. What I can't live with is having to make excuses for what is an otherwise spectacular product and having to recharge my phone part way through the day.

There is no single reason I can think of short of Job's insistence that this phone doesn't have a replaceable battery. I understand why it isn't bigger. I understand battery technology isn't where it should be for this computer in your pocket. But come on, I should be able to replace the battery. Somehow, some way, Apple should have figured this out and made it work.

The alternatives now are things like this Mophie Juice Pack. These are at best balky clumsy fixes.

The battery problem is now something that is impossible to fix without another phone design. That'll be at least a year away and if I know Jobs, he'll still be a pain in the rear and won't add a replaceable battery again.

The other feature issues are below. I hope Apple can address these with software updates:

• Need a period on the alpha keyboard or some sort of punctuation. I really can't stand switching back and forth to end a sentence. Worse, you can't rotate the phone while typing an email and get a bigger better version of the keyboard with the punctuation. Please fix this, it is frustrating.
  
  
• Application updates and deletes in iTunes and on the iPhone need to be handled a bit better. It should know that if I delete an app on the phone, I don't want it synced back over to the phone when I reattach to iTunes. To delete an App, you almost need to delete it in both places at once in a coordinated effort.
  
  
• Why in the heck can't I change the sounds for anything other than ringing on my phone. I absolutely hate the new mail sound. Can't change it! This is really inexcusable. For that matter, not being able to turn any sound into a ringtone is ridiculous. I understand the economics behind it but it sucks.
  
  
• Switching between multiple email accounts needs to be a whole lot easier. I should be able to toggle between multiple accounts from the inbox of each account.
  
  
• Folders in email should be collapsible.
  
  
• Recent call list should show which phone the call was made from if it matches in your contact list. When someone calls, I like to know was it their home, office, or cell. I have to click and look at the details for the name in the recent call list to see this now.
  
  
• The mail icon on the home screen should have the option to have more than one number displayed for email. Perhaps four (one in each corner) and each would be a different color. I'd really like to know if the new mail I've got is for my work account or my home account without having to drill down into my email. Worse, because switching accounts is a bit of a pain, it is a more tedious process than necessary.

I'm done griping now. You might ask, what DO you like? Well, the list is too long. There are plenty of positive reviews out there and the good things are all spelled out in those. I just felt these points above needed reiterating.

Out of all the things, I'm mostly disappointed in the battery life. I knew this going into it I just wish I didn't have to make excuses for what is such a fantastic product. I feel like I did when I had the old Mac with the 9" screen and it was black and white. I was always telling people how great the Mac was but then making excuses for the stupidely small screen and the lack of color. If the battery were a real obscure problem it wouldn't be a big deal. But it isn't, it is a glaringly obvious problem and could have easily been addressed.

Russian Marketing Lesson for China

The Chinese hopefully aren't paying attention to the Russians when it comes to their latest marketing lesson. China has poured Billions (capital B is appropriate here) into the Olympics as a way to garner the attention of the world. Can you imagine how pissed they must be that after spending all this money, for a few million in ammo and bombs, the Russians managed to steal the spotlight in Georgia?

Hopefully they aren't paying much attention to this because we certainly don't need two really large countries acting like retards in the world. (well, besides the stupid things we do of course...)

Unless of course the Chinese think they want to teach the Russians a lesson or two.