Regular readers and colleagues would know that I have been secretly lusting after an Apple iPhone for quite a while now. For many years, I was a stickler for the Palm range of products – way back from when they were using the dying PalmOS system, to the more recent Windows Mobile operating system.
Well, I have finally laid my Palm Treo 750 down to rest. There was nothing really wrong with it – the device itself works perfectly, as been robust as anything. However, I got a call from my carrier rep the other day saying that my monthly repayments on the phone had finished, and would I be interested in upgrading to another device…and that got me thinking.
I bought an iPhone 3G for my wife last year, and it has converted her from a technophobe, to someone who embraces this device with wild abandon! She finally loves using email and messaging – and uses her phone to nearly maximum potential. I, meanwhile, have been sulking in the shadows and secretly coveting her phone.
So, when the call from my carrier came at the same time that the iPhone 3GS was released – I couldn’t contain myself any longer.
I have now had my new device for a week. And….I love it. There is no doubting that the iPhone interface is streets ahead of anything else at the moment (although I have not played with Android or WebOS as yet). The 3GS boasts a better camera, plus the ability to capture video. It also has a voice recorder (I had to purchase iTalk separately for my wife’s old iPhone – hah).
The whole concept of the AppStore is also intriguing to me. I used to spend a lot of time searching across various sites on the internet of varying reliability and trustworthiness to find applications for my Windows Mobile devices – but now I can browse one site with the knowledge that the apps have been vetted by Apple. Whether this is really a good thing or not is debatable, but I am leaning towards the positive at this stage.
I am also enthusiastic about my experience with Apple support so far. When my wife’s iPhone battery started to fail (i.e. only lasting a couple of hours), the device was still under warranty, so I rang Apple, and they sent out a replacement phone in advance, complete with all the shipping labels to send the old one back – after I had received the new one and set it up and ensured it was working. That is the first time I have ever heard of a manufacturer sending a replacement out prior to getting the old one back! Kudos to Apple support.
The main reason for me getting this phone, though, is to try and run my business on it as much as I can. For example:-
- ANZ Bank has released an iPhone friendly web link which enables me to keep track of my business and personal bank accounts.
- I am using Wesabe to better control my expenditure and personal expenses
- We are switching to an online Saas based accounting system for my business, which I can drive using my iPhone
- I have installed an RDP client on my iPhone so I can still use my Windows Servers while out in the field
- I am using Fuelly to track my fuel usage and milage on my business vehicle
I am hoping to keep you updated on here as I move more and more of my business online. The iPhone is going to be a big part of that.
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