Considering an i-Phone - Questions

[prberk]

I currently just have a regular Motorola flip-phone on Verizon. I have to get a new phone (speaker almost dead).

I plan to get another basic phone, but I am considering the i-Phone now or later. I have the new i-Pod Touch, and I like it.

But he i-Phone would add an expensive data package. Most of that I have with the Touch, but only in Wi-Fi Zones.

I plan to use whatever I buy as a phone first, texting and data secondarily. So, I have few questions as I consider moving up to the i-Phone:

- Can you make it vibrate only? At the store, that seemed hard to do. I have to keep my phone with me, and need to put it on vibrate quickly, and a traditional phone is easy for that. The i-Phone had volume down, but seemed to never go to vibrate only.

- Have you found it to be as durable in pockets, etc., as traditional phone?

- Is it a good idea to synch it with the same PC that has my 64-gig Touch?

I am trying to consider if it is a waste of money (esp. data package), since I have the bigger Touch. But I have to admit I like everything except the hard-to-switch-to-vibrate quality, and I like to keep my phone in a jeans pocket when not wearing a coat....

And I like listening to WSM radio from Nashville using their app (not to mention the WDW Magic App for use at Disney), which the iPhone would allow me to do in the car on the move (not just in wi-fi like I do at work) -- but that would also drain the battery, when the phone is more important.

Appreciate your insights.

Paul

 

[Amber]

I was one of the people that stayed up half the night to pre-order my iPhone, so I may be a little biased, but I'll try to help:

- I'm coming off a Blackberry Storm, which was the absolute worst phone I have ever had. I hated it. Couldn't wait to get a new one, and when the iPhone was an option I was very excited.

- There is a little switch on the side of the phone that switches it to vibrate. Very quick, no issues at all.

- I do know someone that has both an iPhone and an iPod touch - he says they are a lot alike. As for the syncing part, I can't really help much there. My guess would be that it would be easier to keep everything straight if it was all done from the same computer.

- I would definitely recommend getting some kind of case for it, because it really is two pieces of glass. I've dropped it a few times, but usually its onto carpet so I haven't had any issues...yet. I have no problem keeping it in my pocket.

- I've noticed that the battery drains faster than any other phone I've had, but I bought a car charger so between that any syncing I haven't had an issue keeping it charged.

Hope that helps!

 

[prberk]

Thanks Tigger. The button will make a difference. The guy at the Verizon store didn't seem to know much about it.

I just don't know yet whether the data package is worth it. I don't know that I will use it that much -- but that might be different once I have it.

As it stands now, my biggest use of the Touch is to listen to WSM all day at work. That might be useful to listen to in the car. I am assuming that that would use data time, not "minutes" on my phone.

I did like the clarity of it when I tried it at the store.

Would I need insurance?

Anyone able to compare it to Motorola Droids? Especially in durability.

Paul

 

[prberk]

Is AppleCare worth it? Or is insurance ($10.50/mo.) a better idea. AppleCare kicks in after 90 days, and lasts the remainder of 2 years from purchase. It costs $60, and goes directly through Apple, but does not cover breakage or loss/stealing of phone.

 

[DisneyJoe]

They make it very difficult now to buy a phone without at least a minimal data package....

 

[Mikester71]

I got the iPhone 4 last summer when it became available up her in my neck of the woods and LOVE it! Before the iPhone, I was one of those people who didn't want anything fancy when it came to my cell phone. As long as I could make and accept calls, I was happy. I did like it to be able to store and play my music though, as I hated having to carry two devices on me at work all the time. My old Samsung had killer sound when I used it as my mp3 player and I was really happy with it. So when my wife phoned me and said she was able to fight off a few people to secure the iPhone 4 last summer at one of our local phone dealers up here only to find out that she was not available for an upgrade yet and did I want it instead, I thought, why not give it a try and see what all the fuss was about.

Now it took me a while to warm up to it, only because I wasn't an iTunes user before and I was having issues with it right off the hop. Once I figured it out though, it actually isn't too bad. The phone itself is pretty sleek and I loved everything else about the phone right away. The sound quality, ease of use, features, etc. However, the first thing I did was went out and bought the Otterbox iPhone4 Defender Series case after reading about it on here of course (thanks MontyMon :wave. I like to clip my phone to my jeans or shorts and am always bumping into things at work, so wanted something that would allow me to clip it to my waist and cover the whole phone. Best $50 I ever spent I tell you! Ended up dropping my phone the very first night I took it to work, from pretty high up too, and on to a concrete floor to boot! :brick:Took it out of the case and not a scratch on it. So glad I bought something to protect the phone!

After seeing all the new phones on the market today and after watching my wife settle on the Sony Xperia x10 and WISH she would have waited to get the iPhone, I would say I am DEFINITELY glad I went with the iPhone!

 

[mkt]

1- Yes. There's a switch on the side that'll take care of that for you

2- No. You have to get a case for it to protect it.

3- I don't. I do everything over the air. App downloads and updates, over the air; calendar, task, email, and contacts... over the air with Google (and google calendar sync running on my computer). To be fair though, I don't keep any music on my iPhone, only streaming. I have a 180gb iPod Classic which I use for that purpose.

 

[DisneyJoe]

FWIW, my brother called me this past Thursday night from Chicago, around 10:15pm eastern time - I have a Droid X, he has an iPhone. I am in New Jersey, not far from Philadelphia.

The connection dropped 3 times during our 20 minute conversation, and he kept apologizing saying that since he got his iPhone he has many dropped calls.

 

[Amber]

FWIW, my brother called me this past Thursday night from Chicago, around 10:15pm eastern time - I have a Droid X, he has an iPhone. I am in New Jersey, not far from Philadelphia.

The connection dropped 3 times during our 20 minute conversation, and he kept apologizing saying that since he got his iPhone he has many dropped calls.

Just curious if he's AT&T or Verizon? I used to drop calls all the time with my Blackberry, I don't remember dropping any since I got my iPhone. I'm Verizon. And I'm also in the Chicago area, that's why I ask.

 

[SFMarine]

I was one of the people that stayed up half the night to pre-order my iPhone, so I may be a little biased, but I'll try to help:

- I'm coming off a Blackberry Storm, which was the absolute worst phone I have ever had. I hated it. Couldn't wait to get a new one, and when the iPhone was an option I was very excited.

- There is a little switch on the side of the phone that switches it to vibrate. Very quick, no issues at all.

- I do know someone that has both an iPhone and an iPod touch - he says they are a lot alike. As for the syncing part, I can't really help much there. My guess would be that it would be easier to keep everything straight if it was all done from the same computer.

- I would definitely recommend getting some kind of case for it, because it really is two pieces of glass. I've dropped it a few times, but usually its onto carpet so I haven't had any issues...yet. I have no problem keeping it in my pocket.

- I've noticed that the battery drains faster than any other phone I've had, but I bought a car charger so between that any syncing I haven't had an issue keeping it charged.

Hope that helps!

I had the Storm as well and went through three of them. I love the Blackberry brand and the email is fantastic on it but that phone was an absolute disaster. I waited and waited for the Verizon iPhone and last Fall I gave up on all the rumors and opted for a Droid X. It's a good phone but I'd much rather prefer an iPhone. Of course it is now available on the Verizon network but I'm not paying $600 for it.

OP- I'd hold out and get the iPhone 5 but that's just me.

 

[RonAnnArbor]

Just as a sidenote -- somebody above gave you VERY bad advise....

You should always sync your iPhone with your computer -- they crash a lot, and because they use internal hard drives, your data will all be lost if you didn't sync and back it up.

You CAN use the same computer as your Touch -- it will just create a new user account inside the same iTunes account - you can use all the same programs, and all the same music on your iPhone....

But for heavens sake, do NOT just use it and assume all will be well without backing it up. Syncing saves everything back to your computer and in case of emergency it all restores to your new iPhone with one click.

Apple Care is purchase-able up to a year after your original purchase date. If you think you will need it, you can purchase it anytime before that. Most people have found that it is not worth it if they plan on updating to the latest and greatest when it comes out, since they run on yearly update cycles and people buy the new version and eBay their old version. Having Apple Care on it us usually not value-added in those situations. For your own protection, it's a good idea. Is Verizon permitting insurance on the iPhone? ATT was not permitted by Apple to have their own insurance available on the iPhone. Incidently, insurance is different from Apple Care, which is an extended warranty program not a be-all-end-all replacement service. If you break the glass on your iPhone you will STILL be paying 150.00 to get it fixed even with the apple care.

Good luck with your decision. I've had the iPhone since day 1 a few years ago through ATT and love it. Incidently, I've NEVER had a problem just carrying it around in my pocket all day long -- although I am also a 50-year old and don't bang into things, don't horse around with a phone in my pocket, and don't participate in activities where it could get damaged. The only time I use a soft case is when I go to an amusement park like WDW!....