iPhone not all it is cracked up to be.
IanMcF
Newbie

I finally succumbed to all the hype and bought an iphone 4 when my contract was up. I am disappointed to say the least.

The iphone is an ipod with a phone and a camera and a GPS. great for people who walk around in a daze all day listening to their tunes.

Not so good for a business person who wants to use the calendar, gets lots of e-mails with attachments and links.

Some really irritating examples

  • you cant enter a meeting in the calendar that occurs on the 2nd Tuesday of every month. My $20 LG could do this.
  • You cant print the Calendar from the phone unless you buy an "an app for that"
  • If you click on a link in an e-mail it goes to the page but when you hit the "back" button it goes to the last web page you visited not back to your e-mail
  • The Alert System is pathetic. One alert tone for EVERY mailbox. I used to be able to use a different tone for my boss, wife etc or for my Biz Account.
  • If you have mail folders, the iphone doesn't check for mail until you open the folder. ..hence no Alert at all!!!!
  • The glass case may be Job's pride and joy and won't get scratched by the keys in your pocket but it slides off any surface that isn't perfectly level.

I could on all day but this is enough!

Some nice features but these are far outweighed by the crap business software that comes with the phone.

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Re: iPhone not all it is cracked up to be.
ArnettH_VZW
Verizon Employee

Hello IanMcF,

Thank you for sharing your feedback on the iPhone, as all feedback is welcomed on our forums. As an Apple loyalist for eight years, I find the iPhone to be a fantastic device that is versatile as it is functional. It's also very creatively designed and appealing to eye as I have receive a lot of attention from the ladies just from owning one! I understand that not all devices are created equally and the "perfect" device is subject to the opinion of the end user.

As a company, Verizon Wireless offers a variety of devices, each with unique abilities and functions, to meet the needs of our wireless subscribers. From simple feature phones to smartphones to tablet computers, a device is only ideal if it's functionality satisfied what the customer needs. There are several options available to customize the iPhone as well as other model devices. As I'm sure that you are aware of, you can download an app for almost function that you would like your iPhone to perform. Although I am unable to make app recommendation because I am a Verizon employee, I do recommend reading the reviews on the apps prior to downloading/purchasing to ensure that it does what you need it to do.

If for any reason that you are dissatisfied with the iPhone then you have a few option available. If you are within 14 days of purchase then you can return the device for another make and model phone. Please note that a $35 restocking fee may be applicable along with any cost difference between the iPhone and the new device that you select. IF you are beyond the 14-day return period then you can sell your iPhone privately. I noticed that they are going for quite a bit of money on Ebay and Craigslist. Third, you can trade in your device for a Verizon Wireless gift card, of which you can use to buy another make and model device of your choice. Depending on how many lines you have on your account, it may be cost effective to use an alternate upgrade, if you have one available on another line, or purchase a new device at full retail minus the value of your gift card. I hope that you find some value in my reply as we are passionate about our customers and getting them in the right devices that fit their needs.

Thank you...

ArnettH_VZW

Follow us on Twitter @vzwsupport

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Re: iPhone not all it is cracked up to be.
mikedamirault
Contributor - Level 3

I have to disagree with most if not all of that

you cant enter a meeting in the calendar that occurs on the 2nd Tuesday of every month. My $20 LG could do this.

I must be missing the point, there's only 12 months in a year, is it really an issue to enter the same meeting or event 12 times in a row one time a year?  Of course I could see an issue if there were multiple meetings/events that happens every month, I don't see it as much of a hassle even for the business professional

You cant print the Calendar from the phone unless you buy an "an app for that"

True, the iPhone's Airprint feature is not available in it's Calendar app, but as far as I know, the iPhone is the only smartphone on the market that even has OS integrated network printing support (both Android OS and Blackberry OS doesn't have OS integrated printing support at all, a third party app is required for both of them), so you can't blame the iPhone for not supporting a feature that not even Android and Blackberry support

If you click on a link in an e-mail it goes to the page but when you hit the "back" button it goes to the last web page you visited not back to your e-mail

This is a blessing in disguise, trust me when I say you don't want the back button to go back to your email, it will only cause confusion and other issues

The web browser app on the iPhone (Safari) is unrelated to the email app on the iPhone (Mail), when you click on a link in "Mail", this sends a command to the "Safari" app to open and display the given site the link was connected to, this puts the "Mail" app in the background, and brings the "Safari" app to the foreground

What you are saying is that when you tap the back button in "Safari" all the way to the page from the link in your, the next time you press that back button, it should close "Safari" or put it in the background, then bring "Mail" back to the foreground

What is involved with this, is "Mail" would not only need to open "Safari" and display the page in the link, but it will also have to open a new tab as a starting point, so when you do tap back all the way to the beginning, it knows to go back to the "Mail" app, the problem with that is, "Safari" only saves 8 tabs at a time, after that, a link will just open on an already used tab, and not one of your choosing

So say, for example, you had 8 VERY important websites up in "Safari", and you just got sent an email from a coworker, customer, boss, manager, IT personnel, etc., and they said you needed to go a site in a link they sent in said email, so you tap on the link which opens "Safari" and opens the link right on top of one of those important sites, so you do what you need to do in that given link, and tap back to get back to that very important site, only to find out it puts you right back in the "Mail" app, you just lost that very important site just by launching a link in your email, all of a sudden having the back button go back to the email isn't such a good idea after all

The Alert System is pathetic. One alert tone for EVERY mailbox. I used to be able to use a different tone for my boss, wife etc or for my Biz Account.

I can see how this can be an issue in a professional environment, at the same time, if your are using a phone in a corporate setting, chances are it's not a phone you want to use for personal use as well, so it would be a better idea to have a personal smartphone and a business smartphone, keep all your business emails and apps on the business smartphone, and keep all your personal emails and apps on the personal smartphone, of course there would still be a message tone issue between your boss and Biz Account emails, but it will at least be less of an issue, I wouldn't consider the iPhone as a corporate smartphone anyway, of course it can be used as a corporate smartphone, but Apple didn't design it for a corporate setting

If you have mail folders, the iphone doesn't check for mail until you open the folder. ..hence no Alert at all!!!!

I can see how that can be an issue for most people, though it's quite a relief to me, I get enough push notifications as it is already, I don't need push notifications from emails I get sent to folders, if an email is that important, I just check it on a computer anyway

The glass case may be Job's pride and joy and won't get scratched by the keys in your pocket but it slides off any surface that isn't perfectly level.

Now I agree with this one, if there's one thing I don't like about the iPhone 4, it's the glass front/back, I've had mine fall on a hard surface 3 times already, twice on cement, once on tile (all 3 occasions happened after swimming, luckily the phone was never around water), I'm lucky it still works, and it does have some case damage, if only there was some sort of matte finish to keep it from sliding

All in all, I have to say the iPhone is one of the best smartphones I have had so far, and that is after a Blackberry Storm and HTC Eris

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Re: iPhone not all it is cracked up to be.
rcschnoor
Legend

1) I guess it is not a problem if you don't mind doing 12 times the work.

2) Don't forget you also need a special printer for Airprint to work.

3) With Android, it only goes back to the email client if you went to that page from the email client. If you just open the browser and hit the back button in the browser, it will go to your previous page.

4) I don't understand why people put up with this, but there are businesses which expect YOU to supply your own business phone. At least this is what it sounds like since you hear so many people complaining about the cost of the plan they must pay for to be able to access business emails, etc... It seems to me that if the business wants you to have a phone, they should just pay for it. As to having to carry around 2 phones, I would prefer not to, and most people I know who have a business phone DO NOT, and I know several people who have corporate iPhones.

5) Unless, of course, you have your email on your smartphone because you are not in an office environment(such as in a car) and do not have regular access to a computer, hence the need for a smartphone. If you can just check your email on a computer, you may not necessarily have the need for a smartphone.

Don't get me wrong, I think both Android and iPhones are good platforms and it is more of a preference thing. Personally, I wouldn't rule either one out. If the next iPhone has a BIGGER screen, I may even consider it.

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Re: iPhone not all it is cracked up to be.
IanMcF
Newbie

You have been an Apple user for quite a while. I would guess you Are not used to good biz software

Sent from my iPhone

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Re: iPhone not all it is cracked up to be.
AZSALUKI
Legend

if it doesn't suit your needs, you had 2 weeks to return it.if you're still within 14 days of purchase, just take it back and get a different phone.......but research it (the potential new phone) because you can only exchange once.

Re: iPhone not all it is cracked up to be.
demmo86rt
Champion - Level 3

mikedamirault wrote:

I have to disagree with most if not all of that

you cant enter a meeting in the calendar that occurs on the 2nd Tuesday of every month. My $20 LG could do this.

I must be missing the point, there's only 12 months in a year, is it really an issue to enter the same meeting or event 12 times in a row one time a year?  Of course I could see an issue if there were multiple meetings/events that happens every month, I don't see it as much of a hassle even for the business professional

There is absolutely no reason it should have to be done this way.  What if you have multiple regular monthly meetings?  Then you have to enter each one 12 times?  (Android will do this)

You cant print the Calendar from the phone unless you buy an "an app for that"

True, the iPhone's Airprint feature is not available in it's Calendar app, but as far as I know, the iPhone is the only smartphone on the market that even has OS integrated network printing support (both Android OS and Blackberry OS doesn't have OS integrated printing support at all, a third party app is required for both of them), so you can't blame the iPhone for not supporting a feature that not even Android and Blackberry support

My Rezound (Android OS) will do this for a WiFi connected printer, as long as it is compatible.  Maybe not a part of vanilla Android (though it could be), but the iPhone is obviously not the only smartphone on the market that will do it.

If you click on a link in an e-mail it goes to the page but when you hit the "back" button it goes to the last web page you visited not back to your e-mail

This is a blessing in disguise, trust me when I say you don't want the back button to go back to your email, it will only cause confusion and other issues

The web browser app on the iPhone (Safari) is unrelated to the email app on the iPhone (Mail), when you click on a link in "Mail", this sends a command to the "Safari" app to open and display the given site the link was connected to, this puts the "Mail" app in the background, and brings the "Safari" app to the foreground

What you are saying is that when you tap the back button in "Safari" all the way to the page from the link in your, the next time you press that back button, it should close "Safari" or put it in the background, then bring "Mail" back to the foreground

What is involved with this, is "Mail" would not only need to open "Safari" and display the page in the link, but it will also have to open a new tab as a starting point, so when you do tap back all the way to the beginning, it knows to go back to the "Mail" app, the problem with that is, "Safari" only saves 8 tabs at a time, after that, a link will just open on an already used tab, and not one of your choosing

So say, for example, you had 8 VERY important websites up in "Safari", and you just got sent an email from a coworker, customer, boss, manager, IT personnel, etc., and they said you needed to go a site in a link they sent in said email, so you tap on the link which opens "Safari" and opens the link right on top of one of those important sites, so you do what you need to do in that given link, and tap back to get back to that very important site, only to find out it puts you right back in the "Mail" app, you just lost that very important site just by launching a link in your email, all of a sudden having the back button go back to the email isn't such a good idea after all

This is exactly how Android does it (do you see where I'm going with this yet?) and it has never been a problem for me.  I hate to inject my own personal opinions on how someone uses their phone but REALLY?  8 very important websites?  That you can't remember?

The Alert System is pathetic. One alert tone for EVERY mailbox. I used to be able to use a different tone for my boss, wife etc or for my Biz Account.

I can see how this can be an issue in a professional environment, at the same time, if your are using a phone in a corporate setting, chances are it's not a phone you want to use for personal use as well, so it would be a better idea to have a personal smartphone and a business smartphone, keep all your business emails and apps on the business smartphone, and keep all your personal emails and apps on the personal smartphone, of course there would still be a message tone issue between your boss and Biz Account emails, but it will at least be less of an issue, I wouldn't consider the iPhone as a corporate smartphone anyway, of course it can be used as a corporate smartphone, but Apple didn't design it for a corporate setting

Again, Android does this (you can even install an app that will allow you to set different notification tones for texts from different people).  That way you don't need two phones.

If you have mail folders, the iphone doesn't check for mail until you open the folder. ..hence no Alert at all!!!!

I can see how that can be an issue for most people, though it's quite a relief to me, I get enough push notifications as it is already, I don't need push notifications from emails I get sent to folders, if an email is that important, I just check it on a computer anyway

Push notifications are great and, on HTC phones you can set up peak/off-peak times so that, if you want to, it won't bother you with work emails after hours and these can be set seperately for each email account.  I think this is a feature that HTC added, but it may be in other Android phones as well.

The glass case may be Job's pride and joy and won't get scratched by the keys in your pocket but it slides off any surface that isn't perfectly level.

Now I agree with this one, if there's one thing I don't like about the iPhone 4, it's the glass front/back, I've had mine fall on a hard surface 3 times already, twice on cement, once on tile (all 3 occasions happened after swimming, luckily the phone was never around water), I'm lucky it still works, and it does have some case damage, if only there was some sort of matte finish to keep it from sliding

Worst.Feature.Ever.

All in all, I have to say the iPhone is one of the best smartphones I have had so far, and that is after a Blackberry Storm and HTC Eris

All in all, I have to say I'm glad I didn't go with an iPhone.  The Android is so feature rich, with many options to tailor the phone to meet your needs.  Smartphones don't need to be just glorified music players, they are used for so much more.

Re: iPhone not all it is cracked up to be.
mikedamirault
Contributor - Level 3

"I guess it is not a problem if you don't mind doing 12 the work"

Not that bad really, put it all in one day, no need to do it the other 364 days

"Don't forget you also need a special printer for Airprint to work"

Not exactly, there is software you can install for both Windows and OS X that will allow you to print using Airprint to any printer connected to the given computer the software is installed on.  Printopia, Fingerprint, Airprint Hacktivator and Airprint Installer 1.3 come to mind, there are many more, those programs just aren't supported by Apple, so Apple doesn't advertise them

Also it doesn't matter if a certain printer is required or not, the iPhone is the only smartphone to be able to print directly from the smartphone itself without the need for a third party app, Blackberry OS, Android OS and Windows Phone OS don't have printing support at all, so a third party app would be required to be able to print at all (the OP says that the iPhone doesn't support printing from the Calendar without a third party app, truth is no smartphone does, can't blame the iPhone when all smartphones are at fault)

"With Android, it only goes back to the email client if you went to that page from the email client.  If you just open the web browser and hit the back button in the browser, it will go to your previous page"

I don't really like the idea of that though, seems like it would cause confusion IMO, and say you did want to access the page/site that was there before you clicked the link before you go back to the mail client app...  You can't, not without closing out of the app and reopening the web browser app

Also, Android is designed in a way that apps work together, so the web app can reopen the mail client app, iPhone apps don't work together

I don't think it's worth the OP complaining about though, it's as simple as pressing the Home button twice and selecting the "Mail" app from the task bar, I do it all the time and don't give it a second thought

"I don't understand why people put up with this, but there are businesses that which expect YOU to supply..."

I agree, if a company expects you to have a certain smartphone, or just a smartphone in general, it should be up to the company in question to supply the phone (and maybe even the service), it shouldn't be the given employee's responsibility to provide their own smartphone and service, I do agree that some companies do that though

I never said that the iPhone isn't or can't be used as a corporate smartphone, I know many people who have a corporate iPhone as well, but Apple didn't design the iPhone to be a corporate smartphone, that was not Apple's focus when creating the iPhone

As for having two smartphones, I was just saying if someone is going to have a corporate smartphone, that smartphone should only be use for corporate reasons, for example, would you use a company issued laptop (or a laptop used for a business purpose) to check your personal email and run your own personal software?  Same thing with smartphones, if you need a smartphone for personal purposes, it should be seperate from business, hence the need for two smartphones

"Unless, of course, you have your email on your smartphone because you are not in an office environment(such as in a car) and do not..."

But at the same time, if you are on the go (not in an office, at home or anywhere with access to a computer), would you really need notifications?  (or to the extent that you would need a different per account?) Chances are if you are out on the go, if you have a chance to even pick up your phone (like when not driving or in the middle of something), you would be able to check your phone every once in a while to see if there are new emails, no matter who the email is from, you should be able to check it, and if you are in the middle of something, chances are even if the email was important (like a business email), you would still have to stop what you are doing to check your email, or the given email will have to wait

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying anything bad about Android, Blackberry or Windows Phone, or that the iPhone is the best smartphone on the market or anything, but I don't think the iPhone is as bad as the OP makes it out to be

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Re: iPhone not all it is cracked up to be.
mikedamirault
Contributor - Level 3

Before I begin my reply, I should mention a couple things

1. The lime green text you used doesn't contrast very well with the white background, making the text hard to read

2. Android OS and iOS are different, I am not saying that iOS is better or worse, but more that they are different, both have their pluses and minuses, I happen to like both Android OS and iOS (though I hate Blackberry and I am undecided about Windows Phone OS), the only reason why I tend to like iOS better than Android OS is because iOS is more stable in my experience, you like Android OS better, and that's your opinion, and that's fine

There is absolutely no reason it should have to be done this way.  What if you have multiple regular monthly meetings?  Then you have to enter each one 12 times?  (Android will do this)

But is 12 times really that bad?  And if there are multiple regular monthly meetings, would all these meetings be planned on the same day? Plus how much info is being put into these calendar alerts anyway?  It shouldn't take any longer than 5 minutes to set 12 alerts, and if you know what time you need to be at the meeting, just set the alert for "All Day" label it "So and so meeting" x12, done

My Rezound (Android OS) will do this for a WiFi connected printer, as long as it is compatible.  Maybe not a part of vanilla Android (though it could be), but the iPhone is obviously not the only smartphone on the market that will do it.

But that's just the Rezound, not the Android OS itself, and even if it's integrated into the Android OS on the Rezound, I would still consider it as third party only because it's not a feature that Google added to Android OS, just like the clock widget on HTC Androids, albeit the fact that Apple makes both the iPhone hardware and iOS, Apple's Airprint feature is first party, if you read my comment correctly, I said that the iPhone is the only smartphone on the market with first party (okay, I said integrated, I should have said first party) network printing support

Now you are right in saying that vanilla Android could support it, same with any mobile OS (Blackberry OS, Windows Phone OS, Palm OS, Symbian OS, etc.), it's all about software, as a matter of fact, Android (and other mobile OSs) could support CUPS/SMB or similar printer/file sharing standard and forget about printer compatibility altogether (just use Windows or Linux printer sharing), but so far, that hasn't happened

My point still stands, the OP is complaining that Airprint in iOS doesn't support printing from the Calendar unless you download a third party app, but question is, does ANY smartphone on the market support printing from the Calendar without a third party app?  IDTS.  You can't blame a particular smartphone for lack of a feature that virtually no smartphone supports

This is exactly how Android does it (do you see where I'm going with this yet?) and it has never been a problem for me.  I hate to inject my own personal opinions on how someone uses their phone but REALLY?  8 very important websites?  That you can't remember?

I get that's how Android does it, I am just saying, at least personally, I don't like that type of feature, as a matter of fact, if you read my second reply I explain how Android OS is able to do that while iOS can't, it has do do with the fact that Android is designed in a way that apps work together, something that iOS doesn't support

As for 8 very important websites that I can't remember, yes, have you never did a search for a website, click a link (say on Google or Yahoo search), open a new tab, do another Google or Yahoo search, click a link, then open a new tab, do another search, so on and so forth, there is no possible way to remember the URL by heart, so are you saying that because it was from a Google or Yahoo search, that those given sites aren't important?  I can't count how many tabs (and browser windows) I have open right now in Firefox, and each one of them are important for different reasons, not to mention I have all 8 tabs used on my iPhone as well, all of which just as important

Again, Android does this (you can even install an app that will allow you to set different notification tones for texts from different people).  That way you don't need two phones

I think you are confused between emails and texts, the iPhone can also assign a particular notification tone for texts from different people (I just checked on my my iPhone and I can do it), the OP is saying that the Android can set a certain notification tone for when someone sens him and email, and that iOS can't support that, which is true

What I meant about having two different smartphones, is chances are when you have a corporate smartphone, you have corporate based apps and data on it, and depending on the data, it may not be data that you would want friends or family to see access and see/use when they go to use or borrow your smartphone, and vice versa, there could be personal data on the smartphone that your coworkers should not have access to, it may just be me, but I believe that personal life and business life should be kept separate

Push notifications are great and, on HTC phones you can set up peak/off-peak times so that, if you want to, it won't bother you with work emails after hours and these can be set seperately for each email account.  I think this is a feature that HTC added, but it may be in other Android phones as well.

For me, it's not when I get push notifications as much as it is how often, I get a LOT if email (most if it unimportant), so I swear, as it is already, I could look at my screen, and I swear every 5 minutes I get a push notification to an email that's not even important, but if I go to turn it off, it defeats the purpose if I do get an important email, and even then, if it's that important, chances are I have the phone in my hand waiting for the given email, otherwise it can wait

Worst.Feature.Ever.

Yup

All in all, I have to say I'm glad I didn't go with an iPhone.  The Android is so feature rich, with many options to tailor the phone to meet your needs.  Smartphones don't need to be just glorified music players, they are used for so much more.

I actually switched from the HTC Eris to the iPhone, and I must say that it was one of the best choices I made, now don't get me wrong, I do like Android, but I had so many problems with my Eris (one of the biggest problems being battery life, then speed and storage capacity), that I just switched to the iPhone and never looked back, I do use my Eris time by time (mostly for GPS and iPod like use

Actually, the last thing I use my iPhone for is Music, TBH I don't listen to music that much, I have like 3 songs on my iPhone and barely even listen to them, so to say that the iPhone is only a glorified music player is taking it a bit far

Like I said before, Android and iOS are just different, there are features and apps available for Android that aren't available for iOS, at the same time, there are features and apps available for iOS that aren't available for Android, for example, Android has Google Maps/GPS (Navigation app) and more open apps (apps that Apple wouldn't allow on the iPhone are still available on Android), at the same time, iOS has custom vibrations for calls from certain contacts, and iOS has some apps, that while could be made available for Android, they just aren't, for example PNC Bank's Mobile Deposit feature is only on their iPhone app, PNC Bank's Android app is only a shell for their mobile website

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Re: iPhone not all it is cracked up to be.
rcschnoor
Legend

mikedamirault wrote:and if you know what time you need to be at the meeting, just set the alert for "All Day" label it "So and so meeting" x12, done For people who actually USE calanders, this is very UNHELPFUL. Then people would look at my calander and assume I was busy for the entire day, not just an hour or two! Looking at a calander to see when people are available is a very useful tool, UNLESS of course, data is entered incorrectly such as saying you are unavailable(in a meeting) all day when you are actually free.

What I meant about having two different smartphones, is chances are when you have a corporate smartphone, you have corporate based apps and data on it, and depending on the data, it may not be data that you would want friends or family to see access and see/use when they go to use or borrow your smartphone, and vice versa, there could be personal data on the smartphone that your coworkers should not have access to, it may just be me, but I believe that personal life and business life should be kept separate Encrypted, password protected data? Which is what the files are and should be if they are that sensitive. As to emails, most, if not all, companies will tell you from the start that you should not send ANY data via email that you would NOT want to end up on the front page of the NYTimes. Ditto for texts. Encrypted, password protected files are another thing, though. I find it pretty commonplace when people who have company smartphones DO NOT carry a 2nd phone(smart or not) at any time. It is annoying, but my company requires a password for sensitive information, whether on a computer OR smartphone. Otherwise, this same data you are worried about would be made available if you lost your phone or computer.

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