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For travelers, iPhone 3G is a must-have tech toy

by Ron Goltsch

I’ll be at my local AT&T store on July 11th picking up my new toy — an Apple iPhone 3G. Why do I want one? Let me count the ways.

I’m a techno-fan. I love new toys. I have a long-time history working with PCs for both work and play. However, I was never a big fan of Apple. To me, they were toys the kids used at school until they could learn how to use real computers.

Then my wife and daughter bought me an iPod Video for Father’s Day. I never realized how smooth a device could be until I started working with this iPod. It just worked. How many times have those of us in the Windows world had that not happen?

A year ago, Apple jumped into the world of cell phones, seemingly the same way they did with portable music players. They were going to create something no one had ever seen before. They were going to reinvent the cell phone, and merge it with the iPod.

I looked at the iPhone when it came out. Should I spend $399 for a music player that could make calls too? The limited battery life and an expensive data plan sealed the deal for me. Thanks Apple, but while you made a new creation for the home user, those of us that really use our phone to work will keep our BlackBerries and Windows Mobile phones.

Fast forward a year to June 9th, 2008. Steve Jobs introduced what Apple calls iPhone 3G, the next iteration of the iPhone.

The new phone, combined with the new operating system, iPhone 2.0, helps the iPhone make a large leap forward for the corporate user. The iPhone now will sync with Microsoft Exchange servers, it will support remote administration and a bunch of other backside stuff the average travel user doesn’t care about.

Let’s just say that your IT department will have less reason to strike your request down on technical terms.

The new phone also has GPS and the ability to use AT&T’s 3G network. The 3G network runs at speeds that are from two to four times faster than the old Edge network the original iPhone used. There is also a new program called MobileMe that will allow users to more easily sync the new iPhone to various computers and devices.

But as with all things Apple, it’ll cost ya’.

We here at Tripso are a different breed. We’re looking for other things in our devices than just the ability to remote sync email and VPN to the office. Considerations such as battery life are one of the most near and dear subjects when it comes to the devices we choose to carry as we fly here and there.

Me? I carry a fully charged spare battery for every device I carry in my laptop bag. The last thing we travelers need is to get off a long flight, where we were using our iPhone to listen to music or watch a movie and find our phone is now dead and useless until it gets a shot of juice. We need to keep our entertainment devices separate from our work tools.

The only device I carry that doesn’t have a spare battery is my iPod, since Apple likes pre-planned obsolescence. When the battery dies, I either send my toy in for repair, or I buy a new one. How many of us here can spare our cell phone for a week while it is sent in to have the battery replaced? If the battery no longer holds a charge on my Motorola Q, I can stop at a store at the airport and pick up a new battery.

Let’s also talk about the keyboard on the iPhone. Oh wait, there isn’t one. Sure, it has a virtual keyboard, but to those of us who have used the small keyboards on our BlackBerries and the like, a real keyboard has to work better. I am sure someone will answer that the virtual keyboard of the iPhone is quicker, but a few reports I read online seem to agree with my first attempts at my local AT&T store using the iPhone.

All this being said, I don’t really think the iPhone is ready to replace my everyday work phone. However, I do think it will do a good job replacing my personal cell phone and iPod.

To this traveler, the iPhone may be a must-have tech toy. But it’s still a toy.

Published on June 10, 2008 ·
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One Response to “For travelers, iPhone 3G is a must-have tech toy”

  1. On July 26th, 2008 at 4:52 am ipod repair store said

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