todd.tokubo.com

Two hours in line at my local Cingular AT&T store. They sold out of 8 GB before I got to the front of the line, but seeing as how I arrived at 5:30pm, I’m not going to complain. I got a 4GB version. For the record, I’ve been using a Nokia E61 for the past 6 months, and I will probably keep it on hand for trips to Japan (since the iPhone doesn’t have 3G 2100 support)
My early review (after playing with it for about 2 hours):

• PLUSES

• Graphical Presentation on the phone. Very bright colorful, a bit cartoonish.
• Widget-type apps. One touch stock, weather, photos. They all configure very much like widgets under Yahoo or the Mac desktop
• Easy integration with most major webmail services: GMail, Yahoo Mail, AOL.
• IMAP and POP support
• Web Browser is very nice. Just like Safari on the desktop. Easily the best mobile browser of any mobile device I’ve used (including WinMo, E61, PSP, etc.)
• Google Maps Integration is really cool, including traffic updates
• Shifts between Wi-Fi and EDGE pretty seamlessly

• Typing is a challenge. I feel like my thumbs are the size of lightbulbs trying to type somtimes
• Landscape to portrait modes only work in some apps (browser, imaging)
• Turning on BT is buried under a couple of menus
• No default ActiveSync integration. I know they are working on this, so it’s not that bad.
• Had to reboot my PC before I could Sync my contacts from Outlook

Overall, the integration of the apps and the phone are impressive. I know many are bemoaning the fact that there are user apps that can downloaded to the phone. With the fact that the phone has an unlimited data plan along with a WiFi radio, it’s definite an internet centric device. The usage of widgets makes it a very nicely integrated device. It’s kind of an always on-line device. It’s got the typical Apple zen minimalist type design. It’s smaller than you’d think, but heavier at the same time.

We’ll see how it does after a couple weeks of abuse. The only real missing piece for this is the Exchange / ActiveSync software. Many people who’ve trained their thumbs for their Crackberries are going to have a hard time with this device.

I think Apple stores still have some good stock, even around the Bay Area.

Long time since and update.  Working like a dog

Scary stuff:

Big huge fire near Lake Tahoe where I grew up.

Tech stuff:

The iPhone is set to launch here in the US on Friday.  I wonder if Steve Jobs is going to change the cell phone industry the way Apple changed digital music.  Basically, with the iPod and iTunes, they were able to dictate terms to the music industry for digital music.  What if the iPhone allows Apple to dictate terms to the carriers.  Already, the iPhone is $500 WITH a contract.  That almost sounds like full retail price.  Maybe, the carriers aren’t getting much out of it.  There were rumors at one point about an Apple MVNO.  What if they just used whatever carrier to sell a data path for all the data-heavy features of the iPhone.

BTW, the iPhone looks (and is priced) much more closely to what Intel’s UMPC should be.  Something between a normal cell phone and your laptop, but capable of reading documents, browsing the web quickly, etc.  The icon-based navigation - like a Palm Treo (guess who the iPhone has squarely in their sights) - is like the Newton come full circle.

Newton gave birth to the PDA concept.  Palm made it fairly mainstream and affordable.  Handspring (which was started by ex-Palm people and then summarily purchased by Palm later) created the Treo concept - mating Palm OS with the phone.  Now as Palm goes toward Windows and Linux OSes, the iPhone emerges looking very 21st century Palm-esque.  Ain’t Silicon Valley irony great?

Bonus:

Yes, I did have a birthday.  Yes, I feel old…