Anand Reviews the Apple iPhone 3G
by Anand Lal Shimpi on July 16, 2008 8:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Mobile
The Keyboard
The most controversial aspect of the first iPhone was its virtual keyboard. Prior to the iPhone, smartphones shipped with physical keyboards that were both useful and a hindrance. A standard keyboard remains fixed in place, regardless of the application you’re running. For dialing a number, a QWERTY keyboard is mostly useless, but while entering a web address a dedicated “.com” key would be very useful. Unfortunately with a fixed keyboard, a number of compromises have to be made - something Apple wasn’t willing to deal with.
The iPhone’s virtual keyboard proved to be a non-issue, provided that you put in the requisite time to learn how to type on it. Apple’s suggestion of starting by typing with one finger for a few days, then moving to one thumb then two thumbs is absolutely the best way to get acclimated to the keyboard in my opinion. The problem is that you’ll have to put in the work in order to get good at the keyboard, and if you’re not the type of person that can do that for a week then you’ll find the iPhone’s virtual keyboard quite frustrating.
I got my first Blackberry back when I was in college because the engineering buildings didn’t have WiFi in most of them and I needed a way to respond to emails while in class. I ended up writing bits and pieces of reviews on my Blackberries over the years and got pretty quick at typing on them.
Thus moving to the first iPhone frustrated me beyond belief, the first day using it I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to put up with the keyboard. After a few days my concerns were completely gone. After a full year of using nothing but the iPhone, I am pretty quick at typing on it. I still make tons of mistakes, way more than on my Blackberry, and I don’t type as fast as I used to on the Blackberry, but the difference isn’t enough to really hinder productivity for me.
A physical keyboard is still preferable, but what you gain by giving that up on the iPhone more than makes up for it in my opinion. Normally I’m around 30 - 50 words per minute on the iPhone but with errors, I’m definitely better on a physical keyboard but given that I’m not generally writing huge articles on the iPhone I can make do.
Bottom line: the virtual keyboard was a non-issue and continues to be one for me, but it does require patience to learn.
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michael2k - Thursday, July 17, 2008 - link
Like it or not, the iPhone is hardware.AnandTech is run by Anand, and whatever strikes his fancy (be they MacBook Airs or iPhones) gets reviewed.
imaheadcase - Monday, July 21, 2008 - link
"Like it or not, the iPhone is hardware.AnandTech is run by Anand, and whatever strikes his fancy (be they MacBook Airs or iPhones) gets reviewed. "
Yes its hardware, so is a toaster..I away his review on the latest model toasters that come out, as well as the top of the line flashlights... i rest my case.
robinthakur - Thursday, July 17, 2008 - link
Its sad that you aren't realistic enough to know that currently lots of people are looking for a decent and unbiased iPhone 3G review, and Anandtech (A technology site I recall) offers a very good and highly technical review, the best I've seen. Where's the issue there? Are you annoyed that the iPhone is again in great demand and in the news? Its hardly the iPhone's fault that the HTC *fill in this weeks model* garners about as much press attention as a comeback by Kelly Clarkson, its fundamentally outdated and playing catchup to the new kid on the block.Griswold - Thursday, July 17, 2008 - link
You really need to roll over and die.at80eighty - Thursday, July 17, 2008 - link
you ungrateful morons don't seem to get a simple fact. this site is FREEAnand & Co. owe you nothing & yet they keep putting up good/great articles
Lately all i see is whine & cheese about how anandtech has lost its hardware focus , while commenting in 'the third' article of hardware
more often than not this is a one stop place for getting your info. don't like it , don't click.
and im not a mindless fanboy - someone here was recently criticizing the AT staff over something , but he made clear , precise & constructive points why he felt so - and thats a good way to go about it. your stale WAAWAAWAA is just a stupid annoyance
Dennis Travis - Thursday, July 17, 2008 - link
VERY well said. Almost the exact words I was thinking.Keep up the EXCELLENT work Anand and Staff!
imaheadcase - Thursday, July 17, 2008 - link
What he said, roll over and die.Brianoes - Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - link
What are you talking about? I think that Anand's article provides one of the, no, the clearest and most consise iPhone article, and I'm done hunting for them to learn some more random details that I may have been interested in. His conclusion was not the standard three paragraph garbage you see on most other review sites - thanks for the really in depth final conclusion and summary.The first and last good iPhone review I've read, coming from an iPod Touch user for the past three months.
Brian
imaheadcase - Thursday, July 17, 2008 - link
What am i talking about? I guess you are oblivious to the fact that the iphone is a niche market. Like every smart phone out there. Yet they review a iphone and no other phone? You know why they don't review others phones..because there are millions of sites that do that all the time.Stick with actually HARDWARE analysis like next to Anandtech on top of page. Leave the phones/cars/apple related stuff/ game reviews, etc to other sites who do it 24/7.
Goty - Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - link
I think there needs to be some emphasis in the section dealing with reception on the fact that coverage is STRONGLY influenced by where you are. When I was at college, a large number of my friends were Verizon customers, but most dropped Verizon and switched to either Cingular/AT&T or regional carriers because Verizon coverage in the area was practically nonexistent. None of their phones got reception in any of the buildings on campus or in any most of the apartment complexes, and signal strength in open air was limited to one or two bars at best.