iPhone and the Prius - Yes, I got one...

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mr. Zorg @ Jul 7 2007, 11:39 PM) [snapback]474912[/snapback]</div>

go ahead and call me a back pedaller, but in reality i'm just a cheapskate.

 

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,134209-c...one/article.htm

Hackers already on their way to cracking the iPhone, do you still think that it would be worthless for someone to steal it from you?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(morpheusx @ Jul 9 2007, 08:25 AM) [snapback]475455[/snapback]</div>

Of course. You are assuming the thief will know how to do the hack. The hack is not ideal because there will be no way of having a fully functional iPhone. You can already unlock the iPod and internet over wifi features but you lose the phone features. I even doubt you can sync it with iTunes before it being locked again at some point.

 

What I don't get is that morpheusx seems to be condoning stealing of iPhones. WTH? Is that what you've resorted too, because you can't find anything else to say bad about the iPhone?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Texas911 @ Jul 9 2007, 12:17 PM) [snapback]475542[/snapback]</div>

I never had anything bad to say about the phone other than the price is too high, at least it is for me. But they don't seem to have a hard time selling them either. All i have basically said is that considering i already have an iPod, already have a great digital camera, and i also have a more than satisfactory cell phone it doesn't make sense to buy one, at least right now. It is sort of like how people get their car paid off at 5 years still only have about 60,000 -70,000 miles on it and go and trade it in for something new and shiny after spending all that money.

 

Ok, I'm late to this discussion.
First; I purchased my iPhone at 6:10 PM 6/29/07. I stood in line for 25 minutes, mostly because I got in line at 5:45. Apple had things running very smoothly. If I had gone to get dinner and come back after an hour I would not have had to really wait at all, just walked in, purchased my phone and left.
I took it home, started the activation, and hit a minor roadblock transferring my service from Verizon. I received the same email as others did, stating it would take up to 24 hours to complete, but all was done and fine in less than 2 hours. As part of the set up I was asked if I wanted to always sync with my home Mac, (my email, address book, datebook (iCal) and music). I clicked yes, and once Verizon grudgingly released me from my (already expired) contract, it was all set to go. Email, contacts, music and schedule are intact and usable. It works exactly as advertised, and does it well.

ISSUES:
PROVIDER:
AT&T has been a moderate improvement over Verizon, as ATT has upgraded service in my location over the last few years, while with Verizon I was stuck with only two towers for an area 2 miles by 25 and a population of between 70K and 200K on any given day. Many times I could not get a signal, especially from inside buildings. No problems at all so far with ATT. (BTW, I live on an island, lots of tourists)
DATA:
Easy acess to my home network and any WIFI, though battery life is reportedly increased markedly if I only turn on WIFI when I want it. EDGE is slower than 3G, but given the power consumption of the 3G sets, I'll trade that speed for improved battery life.
BATTERY:
I charge it every other day so far, vs daily for my last phone, and frankly it's only been below 60% once, on the second day, when I spent a lot of time (14 hours) playing with the features and showing it off. Given the industry problems with aftermarket batteries, (fires, explosions and so on, and yes that includes some Apple laptop factory batteries) I can understand Apple's desire to keep that tightly controlled.
PROBLEMS:
I hate the fact that I can't seem to erase a recent call from the list unless I erase all of them. I can erase individual voicemails easily, why not recent calls?
The keyboard has a rather steep learning curve. I'me getting better, and I will eventually end up preferring this over my last phone keyboard.
When using the supplied headset to make calls, the sound quality is amazing! BUT! I can't use "earbuds" unless I apply superglue. I will eventually replace this with a BT earpiece, (with a "hook") but the Apple BT set is an earbud and costs 129$. I like the fact I can listen to music over the supplied headset and easily answer an incoming call. (or send straight to voice mail, a nice touch) Has anyone been able to do this with a BT earpiece? Can you listen to music via the BT? If so, how is the quality?
Per the Toyota site, in a Prius BT access is via the NAV system. I don't have a NAV system, so until I either buy a Garmin or other BT enabled navigation system or a newer Prius with a NAV system, I am out of luck.
The iPhone appears fragile, but so far it is actually pretty damn tough. After the 5th time it ended up on the floor of the Prius, plus being dropped on the ground twice, I bought an "rubber armored case" and belt hook. It makes the iPhone a little bulkier, but protects the phone. I do worry about the glass touchscreen, but again, it seems very tough, no scratches or other marring of the surface with heavy use.

I am usually loathe to purchase new technology, preferring to let the bugs be addressed first. This was an exception. I spend 3-4 hours a day commuting, I am very phone, email, text mesage and voice mail dependent. I felt if the iPhone performed half as well as advertised it would be a huge improvement, and worth the cost.
So far it has been a good investment.

Mac

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mr. Zorg @ Jul 10 2007, 06:24 PM) [snapback]476508[/snapback]</div>

True - the iPhone doesn't support Stereo Bluetooth/A2DP yet. Apple has said that they're going to add it via software update later.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sassy Pamela @ Jun 30 2007, 05:19 PM) [snapback]470719[/snapback]</div>

I am waiting for a convertible Prius to come out. I may modify one of mine when my 2005 gets over 100000 miles on it. That would be sweet! I may loose a little MPG but it would feel so good to let down the top on a nice day. I'm sure that there is a place to have it done in California but I doubt in Texas.

 

There's rumors there may be a "Nanophone" in the works. Stripped down verson of iPhone based on the iPod Nano. Whether this is also locked to at&T is the question. Probably won't do internet and some of the other fancy stuff the iPhone does.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Jul 11 2007, 02:59 PM) [snapback]477019[/snapback]</div>

Ah, just a rumor that the source actually retracted. Pretty funny story too:
http://www.tuaw.com/2007/07/10/jp-morgan-r...rm-nano-iphone/
http://blogs.business2.com/apple/2007/07/t...phone-nano.html

Oh and as for activating the iPhone features without the phone service and contract. It's been hacked already:
http://nanocr.eu/

Supposedly, you can do a swap trick with another gsm card, too. I don't care! I WANT ONE!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ATOM_SF @ Jun 30 2007, 05:01 PM) [snapback]470712[/snapback]</div>

I am almost positive the VAIS will work with the iphone because the connector is exactly the same as for other ipods. It will charge your iphone while driving, too!! I have been doing some research in my area to find a good car audio place that will install a VAIS in my Prius for my iphone. My brother has an iphone too, and he has an Alpine ipod interface in his Honda Insight. His works perfectly with the iphone, and he recommended that I get VAIS's SoundLinQ2 for my 2006 Prius. I always go to him for any computer/technology advice and he has never steered me wrong! Good Luck...I hope to get one installed in the next week or so!

 

Hi. I hope you can clarify something you said. I have a 2005 Prius and have used the Bluetooth with a Motorola phone. I am going to get an iPhone and wonder what you meant when you said "the iPhone doesn't (yet?) seem to support pushing contacts..." --- what do you mean "pushing contacts"? Do you mean (1) adding names/numbers from the phone into the phone book on the Prius? OR (2) Do you mean pushing one of the 18 one-touch buttons you're allowed to dial from while the car is moving?
Thanks for helping.
Howell in Corpus Christi, Texas (new member)

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mr. Zorg @ Jun 30 2007, 02:01 AM) [snapback]470517[/snapback]</div>

 

Thanks! iPhone, here I come!
Howell in Corpus Christi, Texas

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mr. Zorg @ Jul 15 2007, 03:19 AM) [snapback]479023[/snapback]</div>

 

Bought my iPhone last night, and paired it with the Prius in about 15 seconds flat. No apparent way to get the contacts from it across to the Prius though - but of course the contacts I'd already uploaded from my Moto RAZR work just fine, so that's OK. The Prius shows battery and signal level and call quality is fine - a little quiet in comparison to the Moto, but not significantly. No interference.

I can't say I entirely understand the excitement over the iPhone. It's very cool and in most respects remarkably efficient to use, and it's not hard to see how this does indeed represent the breakthrough product in smartphone/cellphone technology in the way Jobs rather over-enthusiastically claimed, but without the ability to upload additional apps, it's really little more than a slick integration of functions we've already seen. The lack of task lists and the disappointing virtual keyboard which make it easy to be awkward and clumsy with text input at times (such as entering wifi passwords) when that's the last thing one wants to be are just a couple of issues which have a chilling effect on this product.

However, like much Apple do, the slick and wonderfully crafted software, and the seamless integration, do make this a very cool device which lacks much of the 'version 1' roughness one might normally expect.

Anyway, all that aside, it takes and makes calls via the Prius bluetooth without any problem, and sounds clear in the process.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ZA_Andy @ Jul 17 2007, 04:23 AM) [snapback]480147[/snapback]</div>

It is a version 1.0 product and they, unlike Microsoft, actually cares about security and doesn't come out with yet another product they expect you to over pay for. As for price. Keep in mind it wasn't long ago that the first gen 5gb iPod (with a hard drive) cost $100 more than the iPhone which is a phone, an iPod, a computer you can web surf on, and do all your e-mails with full HTML and pictures in those e-mails. How much would someone have had to pay for this 5 years ago. $1500?


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ZA_Andy @ Jul 17 2007, 04:23 AM) [snapback]480147[/snapback]</div>

Give yourself time. You will be surprised how fast you will have been trained to type. I have seen videos of people on uTube typing literally 50 words per minute on the iphone. Ok, so we'll never type that fast. But this just tells you it isn't the virtual keyboard but all the training on other small keyboards we have used we have to unlearn. It only takes a couple or few weeks to find yourself being amazed at the speed you are typing on this. Read the updates from Walt Mossberg about this. In the beginning he had lots of problems. After 2.5 weeks he said he was typing as fast or fast, AND more accurately than on any small device.

Applications will come. Once Apple knows they can have 3rd party people do apps securely then they will come. Actually people are finding ways at creating cool looking and functioning web apps that work on the iphone.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ZA_Andy @ Jul 17 2007, 04:23 AM) [snapback]480147[/snapback]</div>

I've yet to see a version 3 M$ product that is good as a version 1 product from Apple. Windows CE/Mobile still sucks big time. Windows Vista sucks less than XP which sucks less than 2000, and so on. I'm an Apple fan boy in the way that we are Prius fan boys (and girls). This is a very good product that is very reliable and doesn't give us problems vs the Fords and GM products that I have owned which are a lot like MS products. I won't buy any of the latter every again.

Note: Intial product quality means --nothing--. It's only after 150,000 miles and the car still has almost zero problems, THAT is when you start thinking this might be a quality product. Not before.

Sorry for rambling off topic.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(OlsonBW @ Jul 17 2007, 02:56 PM) [snapback]480385[/snapback]</div>

No need for the apology, and not really off topic. Much of that deserved to be said, particularly in the context of regularly repeated commentary from some as to how ill-advised it is to buy a version 1 product in the first place, or how hyped or over-priced the iPhone is or how inferior it is to other products that have market maturity on their side.

For those who have a critical view in that respect, I would point to the surveys of initial adopters that tend to indicate very high satisfaction levels. Given the tendency for buyer's remorse, particularly with expensive products, and given the apparent demographics of purchasers, the satisfaction levels would tend to suggest the iPhone is pretty much everything it was hyped to be, and maybe a tad more. I am certainly quite impressed with it, since even though there are weaknesses in the design, such as the keyboard which IS awkward and does have a chilling effect on use, there are strengths which other devices of this sort simply don't have.

What I didn't want to do here is turn the thread into a review so much as broadly indicate my experience in the specifics of how the iPhone and Prius relate to each other, but if I had to characterize my experience of the iPhone so far and my level of satisfaction with it, I'd give it a 9.9 out of 10. The other .1 will come when the keyboard has reliably learnt to correct me and I've learnt to adapt to it! I think a week should do at the present rate.

 

Forgive me for not reading past page 3...there's so much to read. But I plan to get an iPhone.

A couple of facts:

1. Apple was able to insist that there be no AT&T carrier software in the iPhone. This is unique in the industry. What does this mean? It means that Apple can make everything work, and they aren't dependent on AT&T doing anything.

2. Activation delays were caused by limited capacity of AT&T's servers. They were told by Apple to expect an unprecedented load, but didn't believe it. The iPhone went on sale at 6pm Eastern Time. After the first hour or so, AT&T sent home their engineers on standby. When the next time zones caught up (especially the West), AT&T went into panic mode trying to catch up.

I still have a few inside contacts at Apple after having been a 20-year employee...