Does anyone else dislike their iPhone 3GS?

I have an iPhone 3GS. It’s…

  • … fantastic!
  • … very good but not as good as it could be
  • … acceptable (the pros outweigh the cons)
  • … dreadful but I’m stuck with it now
  • … so restricted I’m going to bin it and get something else

0 voters

What phones from 2005 can do that the iPhone 3GS can’t:

  1. Send contacts to other phones

2005 SonyEricsson k750 - Yes: SMS, MMS, Bluetooth
2005 HTC Wizard 200 - Yes: SMS, MMS, Bluetooth, email
2010 iPhone 3GS - No (only by email or to other iPhones via MMS in .vcf format)

  1. Easily send SMS to multiple contacts

2005 SonyEricsson k750 - Yes, simply tick each contact on a single screen - the phone will automatically select the “mobile” contact

2005 HTC Wizard 200 - Yes, ditto

2010 iPhone 3GS - No, you have to press “”+" then choose the correct phone number option (the mobile) then go back to the message screen, then repeat for each contact

  1. SMS delivery confirmation

2005 SonyEricsson k750 - Yes
2005 HTC Wizard 200 - Yes
2010 iPhone 3GS - No

  1. Camera has LED light for evening/indoor photos

2005 SonyEricsson k750 - Yes, very bright
2005 HTC Wizard 200 - Yes, but pisspoor
2010 iPhone 3GS - No

  1. Phone can store data (music, docs, video, anything really) and transfer it easily to and from your or anyone elses computer by various methods

2005 SonyEricsson k750 - Yes, USB, Bluetooth, infrared, removeable memory card

2005 HTC Wizard 200 - Yes, USB, Bluetooth, WiFi, infrared, removeable memory card

2010 iPhone 3GS - No

  1. Alarms work when phone is off

2005 SonyEricsson k750 - Yes
2005 HTC Wizard 200 - Yes
2010 iPhone 3GS - No

  1. Supports external Bluetooth roll-up keyboard for writing documents on the road

2005 SonyEricsson k750 - Never tried, should in theory (phone has full Bluetooth)
2005 HTC Wizard 200 - Yes
2010 iPhone 3GS - No, Bluetooth is castrated on the iPhone

  1. Choose whatever ringtone you like

2005 SonyEricsson k750 - Yes
2005 HTC Wizard 200 - Yes
2010 iPhone 3GS - No, you have to pay, or jailbreak your phone (and if you haven’t done this the phone is basically useless)

  1. Multitasking

2005 SonyEricsson k750 - Yes, applications can be minimised
2005 HTC Wizard 200 - Yes, real multitasking
2010 iPhone 3GS - No

  1. Supports flash on websites

2005 SonyEricsson k750 - Not really
2005 HTC Wizard 200 - Yes, and particularly nicely on the Skyfire browser
2010 iPhone 3GS - No, forbidden

  1. Battery lasts all day or can use spare battery

2005 SonyEricsson k750 - Yes
2005 HTC Wizard 200 - Yes
2010 iPhone 3GS - No

  1. Easy contacts management integrated with Outlook

2005 SonyEricsson k750 - Yes, via SE software, and MyPhoneExplorer (better and free)

2005 HTC Wizard 200 - Yes, although MS ActiveSync sucks

2010 iPhone 3GS - No, will MS Exchange sync, but I don’t run an MS Echange server in my home. The roundabout Google sync then Outlook sync is messy, and Google sync to iPhone is only one-off monodirectional

Having to hack the shite out of the thing to get it to work chaps my ass and gets my goat. I didn’t have to do this with my Dopod, although I did it anyway just for the hell of it because Windows Mobile was so user-unfriendly anyway.

It actually never occurred to me that it would be so hard to store stuff on it and transfer things between the device and other devices and computers. I’ve taken advice from an apps developer and the thing is fully jailbroken, Sinfulled, and Installioused up the wazoo.

The iPhone is a platform for Apple to sell stuff to people. I don’t get the feeling I own this phone despite paying the equivalent of NT$21k for it.

Madness. Genuinely thinking of selling it at a huge loss and buying an HTC Desire.

Have I missed something?

PS. I really feel for the Yanks on this one: their iPhone are locked to the carrier and they can’t use it as a modem (internet tethering) according to US websites I’ve seen. There is even talk of Skype not working over 3G. I’ve used Skype over 3G here in Taiwan (Fareast Tone) and it works a treat.

If you, or anyone else wants to sell their 3GS cheaply, let me know.
I’d upgrade from my 3G.

Would you not rather have an HTC Desire? Let me get my hands on a real live Desire first (so I don’t make the same mistake twice!) and I’ll get back to you! I played with one in a shop once but that doesn’t count.

I’ve never really played around with an HTC or Android so I guess I don’t really know what I’m missing.

I understand all your complaints but I’ve been using an iPhone 2G/3G for a couple years and mine is also hacked out so it’s livable. Every once in awhile I do something stupid with it and lock it up rendering it unusable for a few days which is maddening but I’ve always been able to get it fixed. Of course I realize this wouldn’t be a problem in the first place if I had a “proper” phone.

You and I are in a similar boat. I bought 3g way back when thinking certain features were possible, then i shit bricks when I learned how much was missing. The OS has become significantly more robust but it still misses certain things that just dont make sense. Good luck on finding somebody to trade/buy it off you.

The ideal situation would be a straight swap, my iPhone for someone’s Desire, but I guess that’s not going to happen.

I undestand why someone who’s new to smartphones would be blown away by the iPhone, but I’ve been using HTC phones for years and I’ve never had an Apple and not used to the feeling of being locked into a restrictive world where you can only do what Steve Jobs wants you to do. Sod that - it’s my phone!

I’m no techie, but I’m very happy with my iPhone. It’s a helluva lot quicker and easier for checking my work emails or forumosa, etc., than turning on my computer and I can do it while driving down the road; can use it to find my way when driving; no problem with emails, text msgs or phone calls; can install various apps to occupy time in the doctor’s office or a taxi (news, games, entertainment, etc.); the camera and video work fine (except it would be great if it had a telephoto), etc.

Regarding your specific points, most of them I have no idea, but

Yea, that would be nice.

Huh? I have no problem at all with my battery. I do on my laptop, but not my iPhone. I charge it to 100% each morning and never have it run out during the day. Are you watching movies on it?

Anyway, chicks dig it. Makes you look important. Isn’t that all that really matters.

Oh, I do have one complaint. I keep hanging up the damned thing inadvertently. I suspect my cheek touches the end call button and I’ve been trying to avoid that, but DAMN it still does it sometimes. :fume:

I had an HTC Touch and absolutely hated that thong once the inevitable Windows errors crept in. I’m sure Android is better than that, but I’m more than happy with my 3GS, and will be happier still once iOS 4 is out.

If you end up looking to offload it cheap, I’ll give you a fin more than Josefus offers. :wink:

It seems to me that a 4G is the way to go. That would solve flash and battery problems, at least. I hope they solve the sending contacts through SMS problem, as well as the multiple SMS. That IS annoying, but not a deal breaker for me. If the battery problems on the new HTC evo weren’t so overwhelming, I’d probably give it a try. But for now it seems like iPhone 4G is going to be at the top of the pile for the next six months, at least.

The reason more technical people/ early smartphone adopters don’t like the iPhone is that they released the 2g with one innovative feature(slick capacitive touch centric interface), but without the features of most phones at time. The 2g, 3gs and eventually the 4g are incremental releases slowly adding features that should have been standard on other handsets for years.

The big “selling point” for many supporters(even some folks here) is the app ecosystem. There are more apps on the App Store hands down. The counter perspective is that having a phone which has more features out of the box is better than getting a bunch of apps for the feature.

If I gave you a nexus one or any flagship android first you would probably have the opposite opinion. The iPhone marketed to non-techies who did not know the capabilities of smartphones. Since you didn’t know what was the norm, you had no concept of what was missing. In fact I would guarantee you would be able to do EVERYTHING you do now on an HTC Desire and notice zero difference. In fact with background tasking, the ability to install a new UI, IME, Keyboard, Browser, Flash and other things not allowed on an unrooted iPhone, you would probably have a better experience.

[quote=“Lord Lucan”]What phones from 2005 can do that the iPhone 3GS can’t:

(long list of things)

…the iPhone is a platform for Apple to sell stuff to people. I don’t get the feeling I own this phone despite paying the equivalent of NT$21k for it.

Madness. Genuinely thinking of selling it at a huge loss and buying an HTC Desire.

Have I missed something?[/quote]

Wow, you spent a lot of time on this. It seems you’re really unhappy with your phone. Maybe you should get another one. I’m one of those ignorant types who doesn’t know what he’s missing, though, as I didn’t understand most of your list. My 3Gs lasts all day with 3G and wifi on, I can makes calls, watch videos, listen to music, search maps, browse the Internet and do other things I like to do. I hate flash photography. I don’t have that many contacts as I am not terribly popular. My brain is incapable of multitasking, so having a phone that can do it is less than useless.

I’ll probably stay stupid but happy with my phone.

You can fiddle with mine if you get me drunk first.

I was using a Milestone Android phone and a 3GS. Right now, the Milestone serves as my alarm clock when I use it at all.

To me the Milestone was annoyingly slow and also didn’t do as good a job of doing things that I do a lot as the 3GS does. For example, even though it has a flash, the camera is slow as shit to take shots and thus you might miss stuff the rapid-firing 3GS would get. Even though it has 5MP vs 3MP, the 3GS pictures are still better quality every single time, even in very low light conditions.

The other thing for me is that the 3rd party apps on the iPhone are much more mature and full featured than their Android siblings in almost every single case. And in many cases, such as some of the cooler games coming out on iPhone OS, you can’t even get the app on Android. In basically eery single case, the new apps being pushed out by startups will go to iPhone first… they would be mad to do it any other way.

That said, I still really like Android - just never had a chance to live with it in earnest on a good Android phone. Had a chance to play with N1s and Incredibles, etc, but not live with it day to day as I did the Milestone. What use I did have with the other phones did not convince me to buy them.

So for me, it’s 3GS. BTW, pretty much everything the OP listed is cured with a 3rd party app or with a 3rd party accessory (eg: plug-in battery).

Which brings up another point that because the iPhone is used so widely and is compatible with the other widely-used device, the iPod, the 3rd party support for it from apps to accessories is SOOO much better. One example of this is when you stay at say a Starwood hotel like the W or a Hyatt a Marriott property or even Holiday Inn, the desk radios have iPod/iPhone docks.

We have a few of the 1GHz Android phones on order for the office, so maybe I’ll update this in a few weeks.

I think the OP was making the point that a 1st party integrated solution is far more desirable than “having an app for that”.

The OP is Lord Lucan. His post is the online equivalent of the way he twirls that Lamborghini key fob around his finger in the pub. (He got it off eBay – he doesn’t even drive!) :laughing:

The OP is Lord Lucan. His post is the online equivalent of the way he twirls that Lamborghini key fob around his finger in the pub. (He got it off eBay – he doesn’t even drive!) :laughing:[/quote]

The hell is a fob?

chassis-plans.com/PDF/fobterms.pdf

That still doesnt answer. I see FOB FOB FOB

The big “selling point” for many supporters(even some folks here) is the app ecosystem. There are more apps on the App Store hands down. The counter perspective is that having a phone which has more features out of the box is better than getting a bunch of apps for the feature.

If I gave you a nexus one or any flagship android first you would probably have the opposite opinion. The iPhone marketed to non-techies who did not know the capabilities of smartphones. Since you didn’t know what was the norm, you had no concept of what was missing. In fact I would guarantee you would be able to do EVERYTHING you do now on an HTC Desire and notice zero difference. In fact with background tasking, the ability to install a new UI, IME, Keyboard, Browser, Flash and other things not allowed on an unrooted iPhone, you would probably have a better experience.[/quote]
Maybe I’m missing something here, but it seems like Android users in Taiwan have to root their phones (or find a foreign SIM card) to be able to get all the apps on there (otherwise paid apps are not allowed). So then shouldn’t we be comparing rooted Androids to jailbroken iPhones? Then all of a sudden multitasking, group SMS, ringtones etc. become available on the iPhone. Otherwise it seems to be an unfair comparison.

Remote access dongle. Not sure of the etymology; probably derivative of a pocket watch in some way.