Sunday, July 21, 2013

The iPhone...one month in

For those that don't already know, I finally entered the world of smartphone users about a month ago when I got an iPhone 5 through Verizon. Really, I wasn't looking to get an iPhone, but basically Verizon made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Being able to upgrade to a 2GB data plan for only $10 more than I was paying for my regular phone with limited talk and text was a no-brainer.

I wasn't looking to get an iPhone and as I had looked at smartphones, there were several others I had been looking at. I've never really been a huge fan of Apple for a variety of reasons. That's not to say I won't use their products (I still have my first generation iPod Touch), but you won't see me waiting in line for the latest model or raving about how awesome Apple is. I'm sure a new iPhone will be released soon and this phone won't be supported in just a few years. My iPod Touch is like that: only 5 years old and it's been at its developmental limit for at least 3 years since it can't support any higher operating system and thus, can't handle most apps.

That said, overall I have really enjoyed the iPhone so far. Having a smartphone period has been very convenient, and I find myself not using my desktop or laptop as much. In the spirit of the post, I'm writing this entirely from my iPhone with the Blogger app!

What I like:
The most impressive thing about the iPhone 5 is the screen definition. It's soooo clear. I held it next to my iPod Touch and the difference is quite noticeable to the point the iPod seems blurry even though it isn't by any means. 

I really like the phone setup overall, but especially voicemail. It's much easier to manage my voicemail since I can see a list instead of having to listen to everything. Before it was a matter of listening to my saved messages before it would play my new messages, but now I can see which people I have messages from and delete them if I want to or skip them without having to listen to everything.

I definitely like the two cameras (how nice to have a front camera!), not only for taking self pictures, but doing things like Skype. I did a FaceTime call with my brother and really enjoyed it!

What could be better:
I have been less than impressed with the battery life. I realize using the phone for other things is going to drain the battery faster, but this phone seems to drain pretty quick. Yeah I still get a few hours out of it, but it needs usually 2 charges in a day, so I just keep on plugged in at home.

I'm also not thrilled with the wifi range, which I read was because of the LTE receiver. Basically, it can get a faster signal, but it has a lower range.it hasn't been too much of an issue, just something I have noticed.

I do have to say I still feel a bit awkward using it as a phone since it's bigger than I'm used to. I'm holding this huge thing to my ear, made even bigger by the case and it just feels weird. I'm sure I'll get used to it and it's hardly even the largest smartphone out there, but still...

In "case" anyone was wondering about my phone case, I got an Otter Box Defender series case in two shades of blue. I've been happy with it thus far, not only in how it looks, but how it protects the phone. While I've been careful with my iPod, I don't use my iPod nearly as much as my phone and I have had many MANY phone drops, so I wanted something to keep it safe (seen plenty of shattered screens on iPhones!). My last phone died from being dropped too many times (which is why I was even looking to get a new phone), so I knew drops would be inevitable. So far, so good!