iPhone 3G first impressions

I've had my iPhone 3G for 72 hours now, so here's my first review of it:

Pros:

  1. As usual with Apple products, it's a machine that's designed to work well with a human being.
  2. The UI is very good, and I like the gesture (aka, multitouch) support. (But, also see the "occasional lag time issues" not below.)
  3. I was glad that I could add my own ringtones without too much effort and no $.
  4. Surfing the web has been better than expected, especially when I can use a wireless network.

Cons:

  1. Like everyone else is saying, "copy and paste" functionality is a must-have feature.
  2. The phone needs an external indicator showing when you have voicemail, something like a small external light. It's bad that I have to turn the phone on to see if I have voicemail ... reminds me of prehistoric times.
  3. It's not a good device to be trying to fiddle with in your car, like changing from one podcast to another.
  4. My relatively new JVC car stereo that was supposed to be iPhone-proof won't charge an iPhone 3G. The phone displays a message saying the power is not compatible, though it plays just fine.
  5. Whew, don't even get me started on the App Store. First, you have to give Apple your credit card number just to download free applications. Someone needs to call the ACLU about that. But wait, I can't even do that because some part of iTunes thinks I live in Denmark (I live in Kentucky). Argh...
  6. I think the use of the Home button is overdone. Lots of times I'll be working in an app, and want to go back home. I usually want to just hit the Back button several times, but when you get to the main menu of an app, there is no Back or Home button, just the manual button on the bottom of the phone. I think thats bad design, trading good functionality for simplicity.
  7. The keyboard is a little annoying, but I'm getting better with it. It's not so much a matter of trusting it as it is figuring out where my finger hits the screen.
  8. Although my "cons" list is long, I'd like to buy three of these for my sisters, but wait, that requires a service plan with AT&T. Make that another con.

That's a long list of cons, but the truth is, if I really could just buy these phones for my sisters without a huge hassle, I would. Very nice product, and I also look forward to new software releases.