A Few IPhone Shortfalls

Since being released on July 11, 2008, Apple's 3G iPhone has taken over the mobile phone market selling more than 13 million iPhones worldwide. A powerful, yet elegant package, the iPhone offers its user many technologies while maintaining a rather small form factor. Apple definitely hit a home run with its introduction of the iPhone, but there are a few quirks that could use some attention.

To start, the iPhone has what is called assisted-gps, meaning the iPhone will not only get your location from satellites, but also from local cell towers and wifi hotspots. This is great because now the everyday person has access to a great technology, but purpose built devices like those from Tomtom or Garmin seem to be more accurate and a bit more reliable. On multiple occasions I have had my phone unable to keep real time locations (the map jerks, position is not correct) and have also experienced some minor issues with the routing interface of Google Maps. A quick tip: always verify that each address you enter is correctly understood by the software. It's not fun to drive to your end destination only to find out the software used a best guess scenario and now you are not where you want to be. Although the issue with the mapping is minor, it is just one nuance I have noticed with my iPhone.

The iPhone (as of this writing) is only available on the AT&T network and you would think that Apple would pick the best network for its end-all mobile phone, but there seems to be some issue with failed calls on the iPhone. Even when I have a few bars, there are times when it seems like I just can not get a call to go through. When I had one of your every day flip phones that could basically only be used for talking and texting, I never had a call that failed. I'm not saying my calls are currently failing frequently, but I think for something that is supposed to be ultra advanced and forward-minded, the calls should be dropped less or not at all. AT&T and Apple charge premiums to use their products and to see things like failed calls is just a little disappointing.

Bluetooth 2.0 comes standard on the current version of the iPhone and it is a great technology that has big potential. Recently, I obtained a Bluetooth headset and found it rather easy to get it "paired" with my iPhone but quickly came to realize how fast leaving the Bluetooth on can drain your battery. I believe that if Apple were to incorporate some kind of switching software which would turn on/off the iPhone's Bluetooth, it could add to the overall battery life.

Although this article criticizes some of the iPhone's shortfalls, it was in no way meant to deter anyone from discovering the iPhone for themselves. It really is amazing how much one little device can do, and if you have the patience to learn something new, the iPhone can be a handy tool. As of now I have yet to find a mobile phone that I prefer over the iPhone, and I look forward to the day that another innovation as great as the iPhone is announced.