Apple - iPhone (8 GB) Cell Phone Review

Day 1: Awesome 
Days 2-4:  FRUSTRATING

Yes, the iPhone has loads of cool functions which I played with right away:  loading my photos which expand and contract with my fingers' touch, the clicking sound of the little wheel where I set up time reminders, itunes, weather.  Lots of eye candy.  It's fun, very fun.   And wow, is it pretty.     

Once I got down to serious business, however - how to make this phone work for me in my very busy, crazy life of telecommuting, deadlines, travel, constant calls and hourly research.....everything went south.   AT&T pulled my data off my old bluetooth phone, and put it on a flash drive for $15.......but in a format that Apple says is 4 years old, and which no program on my PC (or Apple's) recognizes.   So I had to do battle at Apple to get them to transfer all myinfo manually.  (They asked me to return my phone instead......)  I lost about 3 days trying to get this phone set up.

Also, when I bought the phone, I was subjected to the typical evangelizing and demeaning insults that Mac users - many of whom are my friends - can't seem to avoid making to PC users.   I was there to spend a lot of money on my very first Mac product, and they're telling me what a misfortune it is that I have the computer I have?   Not a cool business move at ALL.   Steve Jobs, are you listening?  

I miss dialing my phone by feel - knowing the 9 is the 9.  The iphone screen is completely flat, so you have to look to dial.   You cannot dial this phone while you drive.   The iPhone touchpad is also highly sensitive and it's very easy to make mistakes when everything is flat.  My phone has also dialed several people when I didn't know it.............?  Last glitch:  so far, I have been unable to get my Outlook "Calendar" to synch with the phone.   Contacts are solid, calendar is missing.   Perhaps an upgrade to the software will fix this?

The good news is that I am addicted to the phone by now, and willing to suffer any and all of the inconveniences that go with it.   The photo feature comes in so handy and is so fun to use.   People are, frankly, dazzled, when I show them pics.  The life-changing part of the phone, however, is bookmarking web sites for easy access.  I follow college football scores for untelevised games;  check movie times when I'm out and about;  get alerts when new freelance job listings are posted;  and on and on.   I have the weather and time programmed into my phone for all my closest friends and family.  

SW Florida:  "4 out of 5 are having problems"...

If you live in southwest Florida, I will just say "I feel your pain" as you try to set up your phone....hopefully my experience is unique to this area and local AT&T and Apple customers.  I'd hate to think anyone will go through the data transfer issues I did.   (If AT&T gives you your data on PBB files, you will have a big problem).   I was finally told by the manager at our local Apple store that "4 out of 5 customers were having the same data transfer problems I was.  Yet he was unwilling to have a meeting with the AT&T store mgr and looked at me like I was crazy when I suggested that..... Apple has a very strange business model.   They had one chance at me, but they lost me.   At any rate, I love my iphone, I just haven't forgotten all the turmoil I went through (and the $599 price I paid) to get going with it. 

Bottom Line:  Libby Loves It.....but has been through the ringer!