Two months with the iPhone4s

[Ed Rooney]

Due to my frustration with Blackberry, and quite a lot of negative feedback from droid owners after 6-12 months of ownership, I decided to go with an iphone4s when I miraculously found myself in line at Verizon on release day. I was due for a new phone after returning 2 new Blackberries, so I figured I would get the iphone and then have the 30 days to return it if I didn't like it.

So after a little more than 2 months I am sold on it, both as an end-user and as a corporate IT guy. Apple has managed, with a little help from Microsoft, to make it a better business phone than the Blackberry.

When I first tried the iphone in 2008, I was coming from a Treo, and managed to go a week before binning it in favor of a Blackberry Curve. Improvements to email and autocorrect have helped make the iphone a superior business phone. Attachment handling is much better and I can now bang out emails without having to go back and fix a bunch of typos. Zooming in on attachments is better on the iphone. Directory lookups are also superior. Thanks to Exchange 2010, I have a plan for sunsetting my Blackberry Server. Anyone with Exchange 2003 or better can run Activesync at no additional cost, and 2010 shops will have client access servers regardless. Device wipe, quarantine, mandatory PINs and other mobile policies are all cooked into 2010, making iphones and droids very easy to manage in the enterprise.

One of the really neat things I found with the iphone is that you can download a sip softphone app like 3cx, and connect it to your SIP phone system and get a fully functional cordless handset on your pbx. We recently switched phone systems to Shoretel, and were in need of a cordless solution for our front desk. There are several 3rd partly cordless solutions on the market, most costing $750 or better for just the handset. I was able to download 3cx, set it up as a SIP extension, set up the reception mailbox on the iphone and use the global address list as a phone directory. This is great for front desk and also executive admins who need to answer their bosses phones while also letting it ring at the exec's desks. All of this works over the corporate wifi network. It's also a really good use for all of those iphone 3GS's we had laying around, even though the execs and exec admins have 4s's. You could even do this on an ipod touch.

Speaking of the 3GS, let's think of any other smartphone from 2009 that runs the latest version of software and does it well. For Blackberry that would be the Tour (no). For droid that would be the original Android (no). Many of the recent Droid releases will not even run Ice Cream Sandwich. The old 2009 iphone 3gs is still a viable, first line smart phone which will run iOS 5.x.

Battery life is equal to the newest blackberries, and superior to any droid I have seen. Nothing will touch the battery life of an old BB Curve, but your bound to get great battery life when you can't do anything with the phone. My battery life improved greatly when I loaded iOS 5.01 and turned off time zone support.

One dig I have is that the iphone headphones stink. I've been trying out 3rd party headphones and keep going back to the set that was included with my BB Tour from 2009. They are just great headphones with microphone. Win for RIM.

Verixon vs AT&T vs Sprint: If given the chance, get the AT&T version. Verizon and Sprint offer a crippled 3G implementation, while AT&T is much better for data. Verizon's 3G net is fine for Blackberries, but woefully lacking on the iphone.

It seems like every iphone 3g/3gs user in my company broke two phones. They were like glass baubles. The 4 and 4s are much better. If we get a cracked piece of glass, it's the back piece and a $5 fix via Amazon.

Before going to iphone I tried the two newest Verizon Blackberries, the iphone clone Torch, and the touchscreen Bold. The Torch lasted 2 days, and the Bold a few weeks. BB OS 7 is just a hot mess. No one is developing apps, and the newest OS, whatever they are calling it these days, will be worse. Meanwhile, iphone and droid offer apps for anything you want to do.

In short, mods, please go back and delete all of my anti-iphone rants. They never happened.

[nowzen]

Agree with all your comments.
and siri is a lot of fun.
I like sending messages and emails, hands free.

Also agree about apple headphones - they suck bigtime - their fine if you don't want to hear any bass or drums.

[daveathall]

Great review, thank you very much for posting it.

I am not as computer savvy as most people, but have an iPhone 4S, TBH the reason I started and have kept with Apple phones is their simplicity, for someone my age and intelligence, the iPhone has, with its simplicity of use, spurred me on to use it in other ways than just as a phone. The resale value of iPhones is another plus for the device. One of the apps I use most is the sonos controller for my multi room music system, the dedicated controller from sonos is £279 whereas the app is free, it can also be used with an iPad and must rate as one of the most elegant remote controls out there.


Screen shots.

[mailman]

Question regarding something with the Droids and Ice Cream Sandwhich Ed. I was under the impression that Verizon is going to offer an upgrade sometime in the near future for some of their current phones to run it.

[Darlinboy]

Agree with you on 4s vs. any BB. Much more user- friendly, and now more IT friendly too.

I put a Speck candyshell on mine, and it has survived several waist-high spills to the floor. My wife had previous iphones that were not so robust.

Now if it would just do the 1000ft 300M. Thing, it'd be the perfect device.

At least until the new version comes out in a few months.

[Rbdport]

hubby and I also just switched to the Iphone 4S. We started with Treos' many years ago and switched to BB about 6 years ago. The BB and their apps were just more and more cumbersome and the desktop manager is an abomination. I Iphone was simple out of the box.

[HL65]

Great review. I have one myself and love it!

[Watchvirgin]

Great Post! I am a blackberry guy and am at the final stage of my switch. I have tried on all sorts of headphones and have found an amazing pair. I went with the Bang & Olufsen EarSet 3i, AMAZING! It has the answer button for the phone as well. I have a store here in Bethesda, not a far drive from you. I think they were $250, but well worth the money.

here is a link :
http://www.bang-olufsen.com/earset3i

Let me know what you end up with

[Dr.Brian]

I'm a 3GS hold out. I was going to get a 4, but held off because of the reception issues. I need my phone to be a phone and text messenger first, everything else second. I was ready to go with the 4s, but my wife has a 4.3 in screen. I decided I want at least a 4 in screen. I'm waiting on the 5. Other than some battery issues over the last few months, the 3GS I got on release day is still going strong.
I was going to jump ship for the Galaxy Nexus, but the reviews are not stellar, and I don't want to beta test my phone/system for samsung and google.
The one that's still tempting me is the recently leaked Droid 4. It's finally got the juice it needs and is 4g as well. I think that I would prefer a keyboard. Big problem- expected 4g battery drain and no replaceable or extended battery. It should be out in a couple months at most. I'll wait for the reviews on it as an actual phone.

[77T]

Ed
Great story about integrating the iPhone into the Enterprise. There is a wider audience for your review - the Today in iPhone podcast (aka Today in iOS since the iPad came out).

Have you considered emailing it to them? todayiniphone (at) gmail (dot) com

I think it is a good review of creative use - glad you've "seen the light"

[AWS]

Great review. As a Blackberry user for the past 2 years, I made the switch to the 4S and couldn't be happier. I am not a technical person (I usually leave that to my son) but I appreciate the user friendly features of the phone. The build quality is excellent as you would expect from Apple.

[Lion]

Originally Posted by Watchvirgin

Great Post! I am a blackberry guy and am at the final stage of my switch. I have tried on all sorts of headphones and have found an amazing pair. I went with the Bang & Olufsen EarSet 3i, AMAZING! It has the answer button for the phone as well. I have a store here in Bethesda, not a far drive from you. I think they were $250, but well worth the money.

here is a link :
http://www.bang-olufsen.com/earset3i

Let me know what you end up with

I have the B&W P5s and they are amazing. They are headsets but well worth the money and music quality!!!

[CashGap]

Agree.

[Mike B]

As I've said many times before, I LOVE my iPhone. I've been an iPhone user since 2008 when going to the 3G. I currently have the 4, and will be upgrading to the ______ ( whatever Apple announces in 2012 ). The 4S is a fantastic phone, but for someone who already has a 4, I would wait for an upgrade :)

[masterserg]

Can't live without it. Plus, Apple's customer service is second to none. I still have the 4 though.

[blackmsport]

I am so happy that you are happy

[kcmo]

Another VERY happy new iPhone convert! Got mine on launch day too after using BBs for about 5 years and won't ever go back!

[keschete]

Thanks for the review. I had a BB curve and loved it, the one with the track ball. In fact I still have the phone as a back up. I am on Sprint and upgraded to the newer Curve 18 mths ago. I have been through 2 already, piece of $%^&(*)(_) HATE it. It locks up for no reason, battery life is forever because I can do 4 things only, send text, talk, play jewelquest and check my email. I can look at the internet (but only if I have hours). I can play music and take pics....yawn...but if I don't wait til summer, then it will cost my $800 to upgrade to the 4s and if I wait til June I get a significant discount. I can put up with the BB if I know the 4s will be better. I already have the everything plan from Sorint for smartphones.

Thanks again for the info. Can't wait for the new phone.

[ducatidoc]

Maybe it's just me, but I look at the Android vs iOS battle in the same light as the old Beta vs VHS tape issue back in the '80s. The Beta was the superior product, but the VHS won out because they had more companies building the units. I'm wondering now if Apple, without Jobs, will have similar problems with their business model(s) like they had in the early '90s. If so, Google may bury the whole iOS market.

But maybe i'm wrong.

[stephentross]

The iphone is pretty amazing. I was an early adapter, I purchased in June of 2007. I have had a new iphone after each release. There is not much different from each model if you update every year. I was getting bored and wanted something new. I missed the Android rage. I was already in an iphone. Well, I purchased a 2nd phone, a top of the line android to remain nameless. well, I did not care for it, Now the new blackberry bold has my attention. But I believe I will just wait it out, and enjoy my ease of use and seamless integration. I long for something new, but really, what looks as nice and works as well as an iPhone?

[wantonebad]

while waiting in line for the 4S:
"I would never get a Samsung, I'm creative". "Dude, you're a barista... you barist for a living"?!?

[Ed Rooney]

Withe sales numbers apple is putting up, I can't imagine droid burying the iOS market anytime soon.

But the landscape will change hugely in the next ten years. Think about where we were ten years ago. Blackberries were not yet cell phones, Palm pilot was the king of PDAs and apple was just coming out with the original iPod.

Will tablets running vm's (managed in the cloud) replace PCs in the enterprise? Will the consumer want a 7" tablet and a 4.5" phone or will the tablet and phone merge to one device? Will the desktop die in favor of tablets with "laptop" features like removable keyboards and mice?

[ducatidoc]

Originally Posted by Ed Rooney

Withe sales numbers apple is putting up, I can't imagine droid burying the iOS market anytime soon.

But the landscape will change hugely in the next ten years. Think about where we were ten years ago. Blackberries were not yet cell phones, Palm pilot was the king of PDAs and apple was just coming out with the original iPod.

Will tablets running vm's (managed in the cloud) replace PCs in the enterprise? Will the consumer want a 7" tablet and a 4.5" phone or will the tablet and phone merge to one device? Will the desktop die in favor of tablets with "laptop" features like removable keyboards and mice?

All good points, Ed. No one knows. The real question is how long until everything is replaced with human implant devices ?

[JasoninDenver]

Originally Posted by Lion

I have the B&W P5s and they are amazing. They are headsets but well worth the money and music quality!!!

X2.

I just got a set for Christmas and now have to upgrade the quality of many of my music files to handle the resolution these things give.