Jan 06 2009
The iPhone post: Fixin what’s broke
I’ve been a smartphone guy (and overall gadget freak) for a long time, starting with a Treo 600 which was replaced by another 600 and another 600 (they kept breaking – it was an abusive relationship) and then a Treo 650 and another 650 (ditto). I was instantly hooked on the keyboard and the ability to install apps, despite the fact that the Treo series was the worst phone every made for that quaint activity called “making phone calls.”
I finally went Blackberry (8800) about 3 years ago and was amazed at how much better of a phone it was for calls, and the reliability / ruggedness was light years ahead (I’ve only replaced my blackberry once! with an 8820).
When the iPhone 3G came out I bought one and went cold turkey on the blackberry, putting it in a drawer. After 3 months of frustration I started carrying 2 devices: the iphone and the Blackberry 8820. This was kind of ridiculous, but you really do get the best of both worlds. Opening both when you take your seat before a flight lets everyone know: “I’m a serious dork, please don’t talk to me.” Score.
The iphone’s shortcomings have been chronicled to death, namely: sucky battery life, shite onscreen keyboard. But oddly enough I think a 3rd problem is even more frustrating: laggy input. This can strike at any time: opening/closing an app, minimizing a window, scrolling etc but it’s MOST frustrating when trying to type on the already maddening fake keyboard. A lot of people have suggested watching the large letters that pop up as you type to train your mind/fingers to adjust, but when they are frozen half of the time there is no rhythm and your mistakes compound. Typing is all about rhythm!
One can dream of a day when a firmware fix addresses this issue, but I’m not holding my breath. I’m sure Steve (or his replacement) will be touting the speed of the next gen iPhone and asking for more dough to fix a problem that shouldn’t have existed to begin with. But, if they do fix it with a firmware update I think I can live with the onscreen keyboard given how far ahead the device is on other fronts (i.e. incredibly application choices which are growing exponentially, amazing browser and touch screen input etc).
Which brings us to the issue they’re never going to fix with a firmware update (IMHO): Battery Life. I have determined, after extensive side by side comparisons, that 1 red bar (read: “almost out”) on the Blackberry 8820 is equivalent to a full charge on the iphone 3G. That’s ridiculous. As someone who travels almost every week, I can’t tell you the frustration of being lost in another city, calming reaching for the phone (solver of all problems) only to find out it’s dead.
So to take another stab at going “cold turkey” on the Blackberry I got this battery pack called the Mophie Juice Pack for iPhone 3G for Christmas from my mother in law. I was seriously stoked to try it out, which is saying something for a battery (or about my addiction? nah…).
After using this for the past couple of weeks, Blackberry in the drawer, I can say that it completely fixes the battery life issue — at least for my use. While I didn’t do any formal measurements, I’d say it at least triples the battery life. This sucker slips on the back of the phone, and definitely adds some heft but I think it feels a lot more solid now, like a Blackberry Bold. It more than doubles the thickness, but I was never drawn to the traditional apple sex appeal. I just want it to work.
Here are a few pics I took showing the relative size. Sorry for the crappy quality, I’m no Mick O 
You can see that it stops just short of the top, leaving room for the camera and for easy access to the rocker switches on the side (volume). There are also blue LEDs on the back showing you the battery level. Overall it feels VERY solid. Highly recommended!
