I had the chance to play around with the much hyped iPhone. “Surely,” thought I, “The user interface can’t be that snappy.”
Well, it is. I was switching apps, zooming around the photos, starting up the calendar, sms, and mail apps, browsing the web and going back to the home screen just like they do in the videos. We’ll see once they get loaded down with custom apps and widgets. And of course, bandwidth will be different when you’re out in the field, but at least the UI is as fast as their videos portray it to be.
Protip: to delete SMS messages, swipe your finger from left to right on the message you want to delete. A delete button will show up for that message. It makes you feel like you’re in the future.
Typing wasn’t as horrible as I thought it was going to be and I think it would get easier over time. It’s an interesting experience tapping on glass rather than plastic. I didn’t think it would feel different, but it is, since you use your finger instead of a stylus. The only other time I’m using a finger for an interface is on a laptop touchpad, and even then, I’m using my thumb and not using it on the screen itself.
The screen looks fantastic, but of course I didn’t get to see it in the sunlight, so that little detail is still up in the air.
Coverflow is great for browsing your music and the two finger touch zoom is great when both browsing photos and the web.
Overall, I’m waiting for Rev. 2, but for right now, I feel like this would be a little expensive, coming off Wednesday’s acquisition of a 15″ MBP.