ie:missional teaching. glocalizing. living. serving. repenting. incarnating. loving. repeating.

I’ve had my iPhone for about 18 months now, having purchased it at the time of the first price break. Having never had an iPod or Crackberry prior, I felt the spending of the money was justfied as it was time for a new phone anyway.

With the new 3G S coming out in a week or so, I know there will be a truck load of people wondering if they should buy an iPhone or any one of the number of “buy-one-get-one-free” phones that seem to inhabit every retail shop.

Here are a few observations from my months of use:

First, the iPhone is extremely durable. The glass-like appearance of the screen belies is ruggedness. It is not that the screen cannot be scratched; it can, but not with normal use. Mine has no screen nicks at all and only a minor screen discoloration from the mistake of leaving it in direct sunlight in a closed truck on a very hot day.

Second, it has a great interface. It is important to remember that the iPhone is really a computer with a phone, instead of a phone with some cool applications or even an iPod with a built in phone. It has a complete operating system with regular software updates, just like your computer. Since it has a Mac style OS it is very intuitive, even to the point of being fun. Commands are simple and straightforward. It is almost completely idiot proof.

It works well. The touch screen works amazingly well even through layers of grime and skin oil. Only when truly dirty will it cause screen commands to jump or falter. A dry cotton cloth or shirt tail will take care of this quickly. Though I have dropped mine a few times, it never fails to work. I did jar the SIM card loose once from a direct hit on a concrete floor, but a quick hit to my palm in the other direction reset it immediately.

It is durable. Not only does it stand up to normal dropping and jostling, the battery still works as well as when new. An early concern was over the owner’s inability to change the battery; it must be sent to the factory. However, I have charged mine literally hundreds of times and the battery is still good. I do follow the age old advice to let it run down pretty far before recharging.

It’s just plain sexy. The thing just looks good and feels good. It has the perfect weight, not too heavy and not too light. You’ll never leave Chili’s and get three miles down the road before remembering that you left it on the table. I carry mine in my back or cargo pocket and it is easily missed. You’ll forget your sunglasses a hundred times before you forget your iPhone once.

I do recommend, without hesitation, that you activate your password protect feature. If you do not, then anyone who were to pick it up would be able to access any email account that you have tied to it. This could be a disaster. It takes 5 seconds to “clear security” and it is worth it.

Ricky Smith of RB Smith Grading in Buford is a great friend and discipleship partner. He and I meet almost every Wednesday with 2 or 3 other men at a Waffle House, the same place where Jesus met with His disciples. He drives large dozers, low-boys, tractors, etc in doing site work for gas stations, schools, and commercial buildings. A while back he bought an iPhone, but he drops it a lot. A lot. And since he rarely works over carpet, his drops really have impact.

Recently he dropped his iPhone screen down on a concrete curb, creating a spider web of cracks all across it, but short of shattering it out of the frame. Below is a picture of the screen after the EMTs got through with it. It is completely covered with Scotch tape. The cracks and tape are easily seen. The second picture is proof that it still works. The screen you see is after logging through security. The touch screen feature still works. [Note: The fuzziness is photographer error, not phone display problems.]

Get one; I doubt you’ll be disappointed.