Seventeen months after Steve Jobs’ original announcement, Cathy and I finally got iPhones last night. Our Treo 650s were just about beaten to death, so the moment was right. We had known from the first that we were going to wait for 3G and extensibility. The immediate sell-out of the original inventory of 3G iPhones was like a sign from the gods. We are rarely early-adopters, preferring to let other people find the bugs in dot.oh.dot.oh releases. With luck, this week’s release of iPhone OS 2.0.2, which we installed last night, will be golden.
In the Googlefied world, everything is easy. The AT&T geeks knew nothing about how to convert from Palm Desktop the iPhone, but Apple has a fairly simple procedure. I got all my contacts and my calendar events going back to 2001 just like that. AT&T and Sprint are still squabbling over who gets to service my phone number — I can literally call myself, iPhone to Treo, on my own number. But, so far, everything has been easy and nothing has hurt.
Well, one thing is going to hurt. I’m losing the ability to record phone calls. Many of the podcasts you hear here were recorded directly on my Treo, and I will often use CallRec to “take notes” with clients or real estate news sources. That feature is unavailable, at least for now, on the iPhone. We’re gaining a lot, including a whole lot more power in the cloud, but I’ll miss being able to record calls.
I have a few iPhone plans for BloodhoundBlog, but they’ve been waiting for me to have a phone to test on. For now, if you want a BloodhoundBlog button on your iPhone home page, snag one. (Hit the plus sign at the bottom of your screen and follow the prompts.) Within the next couple of days, I’ll be adding an iPhone-only theme to make the blog easier to read on a small screen. But even now you’ll have one-click access to BHB — and Odysseus at his most glamorous on your home page.
Technorati Tags: blogging, technology
St. George commercial real estate says:
Wow that sounds cool that you are going to make your blog available to read on mobile devices. Times are changing and it looks like you will be one of the first to have your blog mobile ready.
Hope you like your phone.
August 21, 2008 — 8:14 am
Dave says:
Funny you mention, i am getting one this week as well. My blackjack is great, but when I “dropped” it this week-end I figured it was time to upgrade.
I bet there will be an app. soon to record calls.
August 21, 2008 — 9:23 am
Todd says:
Awesome! I would really like to know what appkications you are running, please publish the list when you have the time.
I know a guy who has been using the WordPress iPhone app to manage his blog ( not so much write posts, but manage comments, make minor edits, etc. ) and he really likes it.
How long before there is a iPhone specific version of Zillow or Trulia? The GPS inside iPhone make sit a natural for real estate, doesn’t it?
August 21, 2008 — 12:15 pm
Greg Swann says:
> How long before there is a iPhone specific version of Zillow or Trulia? The GPS inside iPhone make sit a natural for real estate, doesn’t it?
One of those two certainly thinks so. Watch this space.
August 21, 2008 — 12:19 pm
Jessica Wynn Horton says:
I love my iPhone. Wish I had a way to transfer my voicemail into iTunes. That would rock!
August 21, 2008 — 12:49 pm
Ken Smith, Arlington Heights IL says:
Just wish the iPhone wasn’t with At&t as they have the worst service in my area. Would love to have the phone as it has some really cool features, but not willing to sacrifice the quality of service for what I need my phone to do the best…be a phone.
August 21, 2008 — 1:47 pm
Judy Orr says:
I just upgraded phones but like Ken, I hate losing my great service just to get the iPhone. Can’t remember what service my husband has but it’s terrible (provided by his company).
Just visited my family in CA and saw the trouble my brother was having with his iPhone just trying to make calls.
August 21, 2008 — 2:15 pm
James Boyer South Orange NJ says:
I have a Palm 700p which actually is my 6th since getting my first some 20 months ago, Verizon just keeps replacing them. They hang, they brake easily, but they are the only ones that can be used to unlock the electronic lock boxes we have. If GE security would write the software for the Iphone I do believe the Iphone has a IR port right, then I could be blessed with one of them as well.
August 21, 2008 — 5:55 pm
Wine Dog says:
I got the WineDog iPhone two weeks ago. You’re going to have fun…but get about 35 chargers. One or two for every outlet in your house, your car, office, health club, church, and one for the outlet at your nearest living relative’s place. That bad boy burns through some power.
August 21, 2008 — 7:46 pm
Thomas Johnson says:
Wine Dog: Greg will have a belt loop harness attachment (he has everything else on his belt) parasol cum solar panel battery charger rigged up in a jiffy to take advantage of the AZ sun and keep his hands free for the touch screen.
August 21, 2008 — 9:13 pm
Todd Carpenter says:
Try the free app called Evernote for recording audio notes. Jott works well in some cases for audio to email, or audio to Remember the Milk.
I need to make a iphone theme for my blog. It’s on the list.
Also, I’ve seen a few very cool native RE apps for the iPhone being tested. Lot’s of cool stuff coming.
August 21, 2008 — 10:39 pm
Brad Coy says:
Guy claims to get 36 hrs. of standby time and shares his settings http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2008/08/the-art-of-ipho.html
They’re still selling out in SF and I can’t seem to catch them when in stock. Therefore, I remain patient, living vicariously through BHB.
August 24, 2008 — 11:30 pm
Greg Swann says:
> They’re still selling out in SF and I can’t seem to catch them when in stock.
When AT&T first told us about the sign-up-and-wait plan, we thought they were daft. Got tired of waiting and signed up. Phones in less than a week. YMMV.
August 25, 2008 — 7:23 am
Ken Smith, Arlington Heights IL says:
Something doesn’t make sense to me, in Guy’s settings (that Brad linked to) he has the 3G turned off. Then why pay for the 3G phone?
August 25, 2008 — 9:21 am