[revtech]

Wow, I don't even know where to start. This will be very strange for many of you but I had my first opportunity to spend time (30 minutes) with an iphone of any kind (ip5). I still use a flip phone mostly for financial reasons (data plan costs) but am ready to get a smartphone.

I tried a used blackberry and liked the keyboard an customization options but got fed up with the small screen and how it (didn't) handle webpages. I own a xoom tablet (android) and am familiar with that but for some reason don't like it's implementation on the phone (razr maxx, razr m).

I'm fairly tech savvy (higher than average person but by no means an expert) and so had always been told "you wouldn't want an iphone/ipad; (too simplistic, not enough customization, walled garden, steve's a jerk, I'm sure you've them all and more). But I registered on imore and started digging around and I decided 'ya know, I think I've had enough playing around and just want something beautiful that just works well' - I am smitten with the black ip5 and decided to drive the 2 hours to go play with one (all the reading and researching can only go so far, I needed a hands-on). I really loved the pull-down notification feature, for some reason that really tripped my trigger, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out it will multi-task I really like how the whole ios experience seemed 'light' and 'pleasantly simple'.

So I've got alot of questions but I'll just ask a few (and would be very glad to hear unsolicited advice and salespitches as well =) . . . I had always heard that ios doesn't do flash so I couldn't see embedded video on websites, but I didn't seem to encounter that problem on the few sites I went to; true or not? Also I couldn't seem to rearrange icons on the home screen; I thought you just held it down and they jiggled and you moved them? Can you change what goes in the bottom dock? (Obvioisly I'm asking about stock, I know you can jb it and do alot of these things). I have more questions but there's only so much you can do to play with a device tethered and locked down to a table in a crowded store with a salesperson looking over your shoulder; I'm looking for real world usage input.

And probably most importantly more me is this really general open-ended question: Is there possibly anything you know about in your experience or from others that I may get into this and have something crop up where I'm likely to say 'O crud, I didn't know I couldn't do this'? I really want to jump in because it seems like such a clean and beautiful device and experience, but I can't afford a $200 mistake; whereas I could buy cheap used devices to try the others out for extended periods of time, there seems to be no such thing as a cheap used iphone, and I suppose that in itself says alot =)

I've read a few posts where some seem to be bothered by newbie questions, I apologize if this is bothers you, but I really want to join your ranks so to speak, so thank you to anyone who is willing to read this and give any advice to 'sell me' or at least alleviate unforeseen concerns. Again, thanks! =)

[SeanHRCC]

Just to quickly point out...none of the phones on the market support flash anymore.

Most of your questions are just basic usage FAQ's, you can find that stuff easily by searching google...as far as the last one about the open ended nature of the iPhone, put simply, if you jailbreak the device you can turn your iPhone into an android device, there's that much customizable options after a jailbreak, so the iPhone being too "closed" is kind of an inaccurate statement. Is it limited to what you see in native form? Yup, but given how easy it is to jailbreak the iPhone, if you're a person that likes customization options, it's a no brainer in that aspect.

[sau124]

Wow. I am sorry you lost me at the mention of crackberry. We are more than happy to help you with your question but can you please make it bulleted so it is easy to read?

Flash - who needs flash, most websites have adopted HTML5 so I think you should not have a problem unless there are specific websites you want to use which do not support HTML5

Moving or deleting app - yes, after they jiggle you can move them or lay it on top of the other one to create folders

Yes, you can keep whatever you want in the dock.

There are lot of things you cannot do with the iPhone but for most daily use you should be good to go. Again, if cost a clause then iPhones do hold their price much better than any other phones right now. For me, iPhone does everything I want from a smartphone. Phone, Email, Sport scores, Internet, maps (yeah, ppl are complaining about the same but I don't think there are massive issues and Apple will fix them, there are also other apps that will work in the meantime), movie trailers, YouTube, Facebook and twitter. Plus the whole cloud backup is pretty sweet.

[revtech]

SeanHRCC - Thank you, as I said I know alot of things can be googled for informations sake, but I like to hear personal story/testimony . . maybe I'm just funny that way. But thank you for reading and responding, I have read alot of you answers to other posts and I appreciate active and helpful forum people like yourself (even if you are a braves fan =)

Sau124 - thats what I thought but for some reaon I couldn't get them to jiggle. Thank you

[SeanHRCC]

Thank you, as I said I know alot of things can be googled for informations sake, but I like to hear personal story/testimony . . maybe I'm just funny that way. But thank you for reading and responding, I have read alot of you answers to other posts and I appreciate active and helpful forum people like yourself (even if you are a braves fan =)

Nationals or Phillies fan? (and shame on you for either, regardless of answer, lol!)

The basics are really just that, basic stuff you'd probably figure out extremely quickly anyways without instruction...but since you asked nicely. The icons are moved as simple as you explained yourself...hold it down, it starts to dance, move it where you want (including the dock), the thing is though, you can't just put icons wherever you want on the screen, in native fashion, you're stuck in the grid (4 or 5 icons high max and 4 across max)...it will fill in this grid so you can't make 2 icons on one line and 4 on another (without a jailbreak that is)...jailbroken you can do any number of a billion different things on every screen (including the lock screen).

As far as the flash thing, like i said before, no phones support flash anymore...so it's slowly dying.

[revtech]

Sean - Brewers, actually . . remember you used to be us =)

[lcargile]

Congratulations and welcome to the iOS community, we are happy to have you. As far as you jumping into the iPhone experience and regretting it, I would have to say that I highly doubt that will happen. You seem like you have done your research and have about all of the facts that would be needed to make an informed decision. There aren't too many things that you CAN'T do with this phone that another platform is going to offer you. The other platform will just do it differently. iOS definitely gives you a cleaner, more polished experience in my opinion and is very responsive. The hardware is very tough, but I would suggest getting a case for those "Just In Case" things that happen. All in all, I feel that you would be very satisfied with an iPhone. A lot of phones try to do things the same way the iPhone does because the things that it does, it does extremely well (if that makes any sense). Like was stated, Flash is going out so that wont be an issue for long. Also, the only people that really feel restricted by the way iOS is locked down are usually whats called PowerUsers or people that like to really dig around into their operating system and see just how far they can make it go. I'm a bit of a poweruser myself and even though some things tick me off, I am happy with my iDevice. I hope you find the answer to your question and are satisfied with whatever device you decide to go with. Remember that there's an entire community of fellow iUsers right here waiting to help you if needed. Happy purchasing!!!

[Fausty82]

Sean - Brewers, actually . . remember you used to be us =)

Welcome to the forums... and actually, Sean used to be Boston... and you used to be Seattle... so, who's counting

[cardfan]

From my experience with new users, the hard part is getting them setup, using itunes, etc. You need an apple id. You have to decide what you're using for contacts, email, calendar, etc. And you should get familiar with itunes if you haven't already. Walk through the settings on the iphone and get familiar with them.

Since you can try out for at least 14 days before returning, that's the best advice. Try one out.

[SeanHRCC]

Sean - Brewers, actually . . remember you used to be us =)

Ouch, tough season for you guys, came out the box strong, but St. Louis ruined things for ya. We'll take care of them Friday, no worries.

---------- Post Merged at 02:05 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 02:04 PM ----------

Welcome to the forums... and actually, Sean used to be Boston... and you used to be Seattle... so, who's counting

They were Milwaukee before Boston, but at that point you're talking ancient history, lmao.

[Fausty82]

Ouch, tough season for you guys, came out the box strong, but St. Louis ruined things for ya. We'll take care of them Friday, no worries.

They were Milwaukee before Boston, but at that point you're talking ancient history, lmao.

Un, Dude... they were in Milwaukee from 1953 ~ 1965... They were founded in Boston as the Boston Red Stockings in 1871... over the years they were known as the Red Stockings, Red Caps, Beaneaters and Braves (and probably a few more) - all in Boston before moving to Milwaukee for the 1953 season, and then on to Atlanta in 1966.

But now we're WAY off topic. Sorry.

[SeanHRCC]

Un, Dude... they were in Milwaukee from 1953 ~ 1965... They were founded in Boston as the Boston Red Stockings in 1871... over the years they were known as the Red Stockings, Red Caps, Beaneaters and Braves (and probably a few more) - all in Boston before moving to Milwaukee for the 1953 season, and then on to Atlanta in 1966.

But now we're WAY off topic. Sorry.

I had it backwards...oh well, lol. Either way, we're going to stomp a mud hole in the Cardinals friday...

[Fausty82]

I had it backwards...oh well, lol. Either way, we're going to stomp a mud hole in the Cardinals friday...

THAT is definitely something that I can support...

I grew up a Braves fan while visiting my uncle's resort in Wisconsin every summer... still follow them, but I have my hometown embarrassment these days (Diamondbacks). With the retirement of Bobby Cox and (this year) Chipper, my migration to the Dbacks is complete.

[Highrisedrifter]

I'll give you my experiences and hopefully this will assist you.

Of the various smartphones I have owned over the years, I have had, in the following order
iPhone 2
iPhone 3G
iPhone 4
Blackberry Curve
Samsung Galaxy S2
Galaxy S3
iPhone 5

Some of these i've had concurrently, such as the Blackberry, iPhone 5 and SGS3 (actually, I sold the SGS3 today as it happens, to a very nice chap who gave me a fair price for it and the Blackberry went the week before last and I am not sorry to see the godawful thing go).

The one thing that keeps me coming back to iPhone is the polished IOS. If you want a phone that 'just works', with an OS that isn't too fiddly or awkward to navigate then iOS is the one for you.

Yes, if you compare stock Android against stock iOS, there are more customising options in Android, but from my personal experience, Android OS falls over more. As mentioned by others above, the customisable options in iOS are opened up far more if you jailbreak it. The level of customisation n Android is incredible, you really can tear it apart and build it up from scratch again. Pretty much every single aspect of the phone can be restyled, remodeled and reworked. Of course, that level of customisation will guarantee that the OS will not behave the same on every phone and will be far more prone to going belly up.

I think the iPhone encompasses everything in a very neat and beautifully designed package. The look and the feel of the phone are premium, with a beautiful screen and a very solid operating system. The iPhone is definitely the phone for the person who wants a smartphone that just works whilst the Android platform is for those that like to tinker around under the hood more.

I think your other questons have been very succinctly answered above so I will not dwell on them.

And probably most importantly more me is this really general open-ended question: Is there possibly anything you know about in your experience or from others that I may get into this and have something crop up where I'm likely to say 'O crud, I didn't know I couldn't do this'? I really want to jump in because it seems like such a clean and beautiful device and experience, but I can't afford a $200 mistake; whereas I could buy cheap used devices to try the others out for extended periods of time, there seems to be no such thing as a cheap used iphone, and I suppose that in itself says alot =)

Are there any specific questions you had with regards to the paragraph above? Without knowing what uses you will put a phone to, we can't honestly give you feedback on things you might need that it can't do.

I can say that I miss the following aspects of my Android phone:
- automating certain aspects (get in car, automatically turns bluetooth on and off when I get out. Leave home, automatically turns wifi off and back on when I return. Automatically launching certain apps when I plug the power cord in etc. All this through the power of an app called 'Tasker')
- I do like widgets. I know they are gimmicky but I only had a couple that provided me with the info I needed instantly I opened the phone up, rather than having to click on an app. No biggie for me though as it's not hard to tap an extra button and the lack in iOS is certainly not enough to keep me with Android.

I can't think of anything else right now that I truly miss and none of them are game breakers in any way anyway.

I've gone from a phone that was a gamble every night if the alarm would wake me up in the morning (I do remember the iPhone alarm fiasco a few years back and I got caught out on that too, so I know iOS isn't infallible), to a phone that just works and does what i want when I want it to.

As I always say, this is highly subjective opinion based purely on what I want from a phone, so feel free to take as much or as little from this post as you think will assist. Please feel free to PM me if you want more info.

[revtech]

Thank you! Your observations and descriptions are along the same as my first impressions, so that helps me feel much more confident in my evaluation.

And as to the open-ended question you have addressed that as well; as someone who has come over from android you can tell me what you miss whereas I wouldn't know it until after I bought it - although as was pointed out in another post I have a return window, which was something I hadn't thought of.

I thought I would really miss widgets because I like to see info at a glance, but when I saw how the pull down notifications worked it not only served my purposebut I think I actually preferred it to a screen full of widgets (which are sometimes wonky anyway).

You all may think this was silly, but it has helped me immensely; I am more than competent enough to do my own analysis but I like having my results confirmed by the experience of others.

[revtech]

So now the next step will be to decide 5 or 4s (90% sure I want 5), black or white (pretty much 100% sold on black), and naked or case and which one . . I hate to cover it with a case but I think my hand would be more comfortable with a tad bit more heft and girth - so far thinking I like seidio surface w/o kickstand.

[TaliZorah]

Ouch, tough season for you guys, came out the box strong, but St. Louis ruined things for ya. We'll take care of them Friday, no worries.

---------- Post Merged at 02:05 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 02:04 PM ----------

They were Milwaukee before Boston, but at that point you're talking ancient history, lmao.

Yeah my buddy in Atlanta was pretty confident about the Braves getting the WC spot last year... OOPS!

LETS GO CARDS!!!!

[Roo Zilla]

I think once you start using Siri, you can't go to any other phone. Look at something as simple as setting the alarm. I launch Siri, say "set alarm, 7AM on weekdays." That's it. Before, you unlock the phone, launch the clock app, tap "+", play with the dials, making sure you get the AM/PM thing right, then close out. Sure it's not much time, but it's "one less thing." Same with a bunch of other things like setting calendar appointments, reminders, etc., etc. I don't understand why Siri isn't on my MBP. Really.

[Highrisedrifter]

So now the next step will be to decide 5 or 4s (90% sure I want 5), black or white (pretty much 100% sold on black), and naked or case and which one . . I hate to cover it with a case but I think my hand would be more comfortable with a tad bit more heft and girth - so far thinking I like seidio surface w/o kickstand.

If you have the choice between the 4s and 5, I would happily recommend the 5 as a complete no-brainer. If however it is a matter of money then you will save a bit by getting the 4S (and by 'bit' I really do mean a small amount as by all accounts the 4S is still priced quite strongly against the 5). If it isn't a matter of money, then the 5 wins hands down across the board. it is just a better phone than the 4S. It seems faster, smoother and more responsive but again that could just be my subjective view.

I have a Gear4 Thin Ice case. It's hard plastic and completely clear. It covers the sides and back, is very thin and hardly noticeable, and doesn't obscure the looks of the phone at all. Well worth it. I got it from Amazon UK.

[revtech]

Thanks . . I def like the idea of clear plastic, but is it 'slippery' and does it scratch easily?

[SeanHRCC]

Yeah my buddy in Atlanta was pretty confident about the Braves getting the WC spot last year... OOPS!

LETS GO CARDS!!!!

We beat ourselves last year, going on that 8 game losing streak and crapping the bed...you guys have to actually play us to get it this season...good luck, lol!

P.S. - You guys don't have the team from last year anymore.

[TaliZorah]

We beat ourselves last year, going on that 8 game losing streak and crapping the bed...you guys have to actually play us to get it this season...good luck, lol!

P.S. - You guys don't have the team from last year anymore.

Yeah you guys did fall pretty hard last season but the Cards were pretty amazing at the end of the season too. It took both for it to even happen. If ATL wins Friday I will be cheering for them. It will be a fun game to watch! Medlen's magic has to run out sometime... here's hoping it's Friday!

[sting7k]

The sooner you forget about Flash player the sooner you and the rest of us will all be better off. It's time to move on from Flash. We have better technology. You won't miss it at all on the iPhone.

[SeanHRCC]

Yeah you guys did fall pretty hard last season but the Cards were pretty amazing at the end of the season too. It took both for it to even happen. If ATL wins Friday I will be cheering for them. It will be a fun game to watch! Medlen's magic has to run out sometime... here's hoping it's Friday!

Shut your mouth! Medlen and Kimbrel are two names i would NOT want to see going into a 1 game playoff.

[idrewpage]

Well, since I have owned every iPhone made, plus 2 Android phones and 2 Windows Phones (iPhone, iPhone 3G, 3GS, HTC Inspire 4G, iPhone 4, Nokia Lumia 900, Samsung GS2 Skyrocket, Samsung Focus S, and iPhone 4S), I can tell you this: I've always come back to iPhone. Its the best combination of design, ecosystem, and ease of use. Its also the most stable. Android tends to be laggy, even with new Android 4.0 phones. The SGS 3 is nice looking, but pick it up and you'll be disappointed. Cheap Plastic.

The iPhone 5 does has the same design language as the 4/4S, but its totally new otherwise, and much higher quality than any current or past Android phone.