Reader Christi wanted to know if the iPhone's version of Safari worked with Google Docs. The answer? A definite maybe. I was able to get into the Google Docs site with no problem, and even read both a word processing document and a spreadsheet (the former worked perfectly, and the second so-so, but Google disclaims a lack of Safari support for it even on the Mac).
However, there is a catch: you don't seem to be able to edit documents at all: clicking on the page does not bring up the iPhone's keyboard. So you won't be using your iPhone to write any lengthy missives, likely, or hack away at the crucial document for work. On the upside, if you need to refer to something in a Google Doc, you're all set. I also would be far from surprised to see Google and Apple bring us editable Google Docs in the not too distant future.
Not every site works poorly though: I had good success with Netflix's site. I logged in, searched for a DVD, and added it to my queue with no problems. You don't seem to be able to rate selections, but that's okay: I love the idea that I can easily add something to my queue when I think of it, no matter where I am.
Update: Colleague and speed demon Dan Frakes points out that you can actually edit docs by clicking on the "Edit HTML" link on Docs's "menu bar." Granted, you'll be editing the raw HTML code, which is a little messier, but if you're in a jam, it might be enough!
What do they have in common? If you said "All three wear the number 12," you're both a sports fan and a true iPod geek.
While picking up my iPhone yesterday, I also grabbed Apple's $9 iPhone Universal Dock Adapter 3-pack, which includes, not one, not two, but three dock inserts. These iPhone-specific inserts let you use your the phone in any dockable iPod accessory -- speakers, home-stereo docks, and the like -- that use Apple's Universal dock design. Each Universal dock adapter is branded with a number indicating the iPod models it fits, and, as it turns out, the iPhone's adapter number is 12.
(Unlike all recent iPods, which include such an adapter, you must purchase it separately for the iPhone. On the other hand, you get three, which is nice if you have more than one Universal-dock accessory.)
I tested the adapters with a number of speaker systems and they indeed fit perfectly. Of course, that doesn't mean all Universal-dock accessories actually work with the iPhone; we'll have more on that soon.
That said, I'm scratching my head over this bit of text on Apple's product page:
The adapters are also designed to enhance the acoustics of iPhone during speakerphone calls.
The only think I can figure is that, by including some open space near the front of the iPhone's bottom edge, the adapter doesn't block as much sound -- from the speakerphone or into the microphone -- when the iPhone is in a dockable acccessory as it would have if it fit the bottom of the iPhone tightly.
The iPhone has more features than your average multiplex, but one's gotten rather short shrift at the time of launch, and that's Bluetooth. As Mr. Frakes already mentioned, Apple didn't bundle in support for the A2DP protocol that would allow for wireless streaming of music; in fact, it seems like the only thing they do allow you to do is pair a headset and even that hasn't gotten a ton of attention, as it appears that Apple's own Bluetooth headset didn't make it in time for the iPhone's launch.
I currently have a Motorola HS805 headset that I'm not exactly in love with, but it gets the job done. Setting it up with the iPhone isn't too tricky. Set your Bluetooth headset to discoverable mode first, as per its instructions, then navigate to Settings -> General -> Bluetooth on your iPhone and flick the slider to On. The phone will start searching for compatible devices, and your headset should show up. It may prompt you for a PIN, which again, you'll have to look up in your headset's documentations.
Once you've got your headset paired, the "Speaker" panel during a call will turn into an audio sources button (or, well, maybe; it worked for me before, but it's getting tetchy now). Clicking on it will give you the option to shift the audio between your headset, the iPhone's ear speaker, and the speakerphone. Simple.
I also decided to try and pair my iPhone with my MacBook to see if I could wirelessly sync my contacts via Bluetooth. The short answer? Not so much. The iPhone will pair, but there are no services available to the Mac.
And, on top of that, it doesn't even show you an icon of the iPhone itself—very unlike Apple to overlook a detail like that. Hopefully, wireless syncing (at least of contacts/calendar) will come in a future update, but for now, you're stuck with iTunes.
Oh, Apple, how well you know me. I'm a huge movie trailer junky, so when I saw Chris respond to a commenter that QuickTime seems to work fine in Safari, I took a ride over to Apple's Movie Trailers site.
Only to find that Apple graciously created an iPhone version of the trailers site (it looks pretty much identical, but the URL is http://www.apple.com/trailers/iphone). For the most part it functions identically to the standard trailers page, but you'll notice that if you load any of the individual movie pages, a blue "play" icon appears on the trailer itself. Touching that will launch you into a fullscreen media player (which, though it was a little quirky on my iPhone, you can rotate into landscape mode). At the end of the trailer, it'll drop you back onto the webpage.
Very very slick stuff, and perfect for a trailer addict like myself. I've already watched The Bourne Ultimatum and I Am Legend trailers, and while it's a little irritating that the aspect ratio gives you two sub-par choices (letterboxed or zoomed), the video still looks pretty good (though not nearly as good as Apple's HD trailers).
The iPhone's Calendar app didn't get much attention over the past six months, which is too bad -- it's actually very nice. My favorite feature is one that people have requested of Mac OS X's iCal for a long, long, time (so much so that some people used a Dashboard widget to get it): a list view that displays all upcoming events.
You can also see from that image that fingerprints are very visible after trying to "swipe" events to delete them. (I kid, I kid; those are simply my quick-and-dirty photo edits to "smudge" out a few non-public events for posting.)
This is something I'll be using regularly to get a quick look at upcoming events -- especially since there's no Week view on the iPhone.
(Thanks to Daring Fireball for reminding me to mention this.)
OK, so I promised a list of "Obvious Features Missing from the iPhone." Basically, these are features that you would have expected the iPhone to have -- either because most modern phones have them, or because the iPhone is such a Mac- and iPod- like device that it seems odd they're missing.
The good news is that, since the iPhone runs a version of Mac OS X and can receive software updates (likely via iTunes), and Apple has made clear that new features will be rolled out via such updates, I expect a good number of these features to eventually make their way onto the current iPhone -- in other words, you shouldn't have to go out and spend another $500 or $600.
iChat/IM: AIM is hugely popular, iChat is on every Mac, the iPhone's SMS feature looks exactly like iChat, the iPhone has true Internet connectivity, there's a keyboard for input -- am I missing anything? Oh, yeah: AT&T makes lots of money on SMS messages. This was likely one of the (few) concessions Apple had to make to the carrier.
MMS: Basically, MMS is the multimedia version of mobile text messaging. Whereas SMS is plain text, MMS lets you send images, audio, video, and rich text. For example, if you take a photo with your phone and want to send it to someone else's phone, you would send an MMS. Or at least you would if the iPhone supported it.
Interesting note: according to a leaked AT&T iPhone training guide, "MMS and IM messages are included in the customer's iPhone Data Plan." Typo? Or a sign of things to come?
Voice dialing: I haven't seen a decent mobile phone without voice dialing in years. Of all the "missing" features, this one is the most puzzling to me.
One-button dialing: A minor drawback of the iPhone's "one-button" interface is that basic phone-dialing, even via "shortcuts," requires more steps than on most phones. For example, even though I've added my wife to my Favorites list in the iPhone's phone section, calling her requires 3 (or 4) steps: waking up the phone, switching the iPhone to phone mode (if it's not already there), touching the Favorites button, and touching her entry. On my previous phone, I could perform the same action by simply pressing 2 and then Send; on the phone before that, I could just hold down the 2 button for a couple seconds. (And, I should add, on both phones I could perform the action without actually looking at the phone.) Unfortunately, I think we're stuck here; given that the iPhone doesn't have physical buttons, I'm not sure how Apple would be able to implement such a feature. It's one of the drawbacks of the iPhone's impressive touchscreen interface. (Although this makes the lack of the previous feature, voice dialing, that much more painful.)
MP3/AAC ringtones: Again, it's been years since I owned a phone that didn't let me use my own MP3 or AAC files as ringtones. (Which is another way of saying that I've never been a Verizon customer.) And, in fact, early demos of the iPhone clearly showed this ability. But the iPhone I have in my hand doesn't let me. We've seen reports (a.k.a., rumors) that a possible upcoming feature in iTunes will let you convert snips of your music to ringtones for $0.99. Hopefully this is one of those rumors that's partly wrong (specifically, the $0.99 part -- although this could be another concession to AT&T).
Video recording: It's got a decent camera, but you can't currently record video using it. Think about the possibilities, especially with YouTube built into the iPhone: What if you could record video and then upload it directly to YouTube, sans computer?
To Do list: Not much to say here. I'd use it.
Voice memos: Many current phones can do this. All current dockable iPods can do this if you connect an iPod microphone. The iPhone can't, and -- as you can see from the image to the left -- doesn't work with iPod microphone attachments.
I've also noticed a few features missing from the iPod side of things:
Lyrics: There's no way to view them on the iPhone; too bad, as the iPhone's screen is much more suited to reading text than that of any "normal" iPod.
Ratings: You can't view them on the iPhone, which also means you can't set them on the iPhone. I actually rate all my music, and I use this feature all the time on my iPods. Update: My mistake. My colleague Chris Breen just let me know that you can indeed rate tracks, although the feature is somewhat hidden. Go to the Now Playing view -- when the iPhone is vertical, not horizontal -- and then click on the track listing button in the upper right. At the top of the screen is the familiar five-star rating scale; you can tap a star, or drag your finger to it, to assign that rating.
Bluetooth A2DP: A2DP stands for Advanced Audio Distribution Profile, a Bluetooth profile that supports stereo audio transmission. Newer mobile phones use A2DP to send stereo audio to a compatible speaker system and to support stereo Bluetooth headsets such as iSkin's Cerulean F1. I find this omission especially odd given that the iPod is, in Steve Jobs' own words, "the best iPod ever." Possible good news: a couple sources have told me that A2DP is likely to be supported in a future software update.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm really digging my new iPhone. And I'll be posting positive impressions, as well. But it's worth noting what you don't get from this otherwise impressive device.
I'm not sure it's the best idea ever, but it does appear that it's possible to blog from the iPhone. I wouldn't really recommend I'd unless you're really patient, but it's a good way to improve your two thumb typing skills. Writing this entry took about five minutes, with a lot of deleting. I do have to say that the correction suggestions are pretty darn good, though.
However, I don't think it's possible to be funny at the same time.
Like Chris, I've been using the iPhone for a few hours now, and although I'm quite impressed, I have a few quibbles. (This isn't my "Obvious Features Missing from the iPhone" list; I'll get to that in a bit; this is the "I wish this worked a bit differently" list.)
No text selection: If you want to delete a block of text, you have to position the cursor to the right of that text and then hold down the delete/backspace button until all the characters are deleted. Fine if it's just a word or two; stinky if you want to delete a paragraph or two (say, in an email reply -- see below). Being able to select text seems like a no-brainer feature.
No copy/paste: Want to copy text from an email, text message, or Web site to another email or to a Note? Is your login name the same as your email address on a Web form? You'd think you could copy and paste, but that's unfortunately not an option. (Which makes me feel a bit better about not being able to select text...not.)
Mail defaults to "reply on top and include everything" When you reply to a message in most modern email clients, you can select the text you want to include in the reply. No dice on the iPhone (see above note about not being able to select text). You also don't have the option of automatically having your reply text placed below the quoted text -- a major email faux pas for me. (I'm not trying to start the endless, near-religious, "top-post vs. bottom-post" debate here; I'm just saying it should be an option.)
No "home page" in Safari When you switch to Safari, it shows the last page you were browsing. When you open a new Safari window, no page is loaded; you need to tell Safari where to go. I think both behaviors are the right ones. The problem is that if I regularly want to go to a particular Web page, there's no "Home Page" setting or button; I need to bookmark the desired page and then access that page through the Bookmarks screen, which, though functional, takes a few steps. I want a Home Page feature just like "real" Safari.
Minor issues? Perhaps. But I've already encountered them enough that they bug me.
