iPhone, iTouch users, opinions please - Updated, 1st post**

[Jen O]

I am typically not one who yearns for the latest gadget. And yet, I find myself coveting my friends' iPhones when I see what they can do and hear them referred to as "Life changing." I do not have a problem paying the cost of the phone itself, considering all it can do, but I about choke when I think about paying $90 a month for the service. I have a cell phone through work, which I do not use all that much and pay nothing for. So going from having no cell phone bill to paying more than $1000 a year for cell service is really hard to contemplate.

I am wondering if my jones could be satisfied with an iTouch. I know it does a lot of what the iPhone does without the phone service or anytime access to the Web (as I understand it, you need access to some wireless source to use the iTouch for web stuff, right? but the iPhone has its own built in?)

Anyway, normally I can talk myself out of these kinds of things. We don't have an HD flat screen TV, we have old cars with few cool features. I have a 4G iPod nano that works just fine for me for iPod purposes, and yet.... the iPhone keeps calling to me. I guess a third option would be to explore other manufacturers' smart phones that might have cheaper service but offer some of the same features.

Any thoughts as to whether an iTouch might be a good compromise?

Thanks for any guidance!
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UPDATE: I really appreciate all the input. I had yesterday off to take my daughter to the science fair, and when we were done, I went to the Apple store and played with the iPhone and iTouch for a bit. It seemed like the iTouch was going to be enough for me, since I already have phone service, don't need to be connected 24/7 and don't so desperately need a camera that I was willing to pay the extra. So, I left the Apple store and went to Target, where they had it on sale and gave a $15 gift card back with purchase. It's just the 8G small one, but so far, I am having great fun with it. Thanks to all who responded. It definitely helped.

[Cheryl]

I love my iphone. Truly love it. The way *I* use it, I couldn't get by with an iTouch. I use a couple of apps, but not a ton. For me, it is having google and my google calendar at the tip of my finger to schedule appointments for the whole family. It is checking email when I have 2 minutes in the car. It is finding a GNC when I am out and about looking for a specific type of omega oils yesterday and wanted something close to where I was. It is when I get lost I can get directions. It is having my shopping list for Costco always with me. I rarely use it as a phone. It is the (almost) constant ability to get to the internet. I also haven't touched my iPod since I got it, so I also use it for podcasts. Now dh? OMG, he is addicted. He has pages of apps many of them needing internet access (like one that you scan an item big ticket or small) and it will tell you what major store has it for the best price. Crazy. Now, if I had another phone that got the internet, then yes, I think an itouch would be fine for me. But not my dh.

[hollymg]

I am totally addicted to my iTouch.

There are occasions I wish it were the phone so it always had access, but honestly those times are not nearly often or dire enough to come close to justifying the costs you just mentioned. Having 24/7 access is probably not a good thing for me because I can be OCD about checking email lol.

To get past that, I can plan ahead by mapping where I am going using access at my house, and then it saves the map to refer to. Same with putting something on notes.

Also, wifi is getting easier to find, esp. since I downloaded a wifi app that does a better job finding it than the built-in one does. For example, V's indoor soccer arena has free wifi, and a lot of places I go with the kids does. I use it around the house, at my parents' house, etc. etc.

I say start with the iTouch and use it a while to see if that's enough for you. It is for me, and like I said, I am totally addicted.

[Linda]

I'm not a cellphone person - don't own one and honestly don't foresee a time when that will change - I rarely even use the landline phone. I do love my iTouch though - it's fabulous!

[mobetsy]

I have an iTouch and I love it. I already had a phone with perfectly good service at a good price, so I had no desire to switch to AT&T. I am not all that into web surfing while out, so the constant ability to do so isn't that important. Yes, there are times when it could be handy, but not so many I can't live without it. And when I bother to check, there are a fair number of places with available wi-fi access. My phone has a camera, so I didn't need that, although that's probably the feature I most wish I had simply because of the ease of the photos being on the iTouch and getting them onto my computer when I sync the two.

What I did want, and got, was a good address book, a good calendar, music, and a photo album. I use the notes a fair bit, and some games are a bonus :-) I like it so much that when my first one fell in the toilet, I didn't punish myself by waiting ages to get a new one; I figured out how to get a good deal at Target and replaced it promptly

[Sue]

Hmmm, interesting question. My itouch was free - they were giving away the previous version when we bought DS19's laptop for college, so I didn't invest anything in it and don't pay anything to use it. I do use it, mostly at work, both for music and it's how I read here during the work day because I can log in to the network as a guest. I also use the calendar (I sync it with the calendar on my mac, so I don't need internet access to use the calendar). The apps I use most are the grocery list and a game or two. Every now and then I feel like I should go peruse the app store, but I rarely do. I'm also cheap, so am not willing to pay for apps - or at least not pay much. I did really like having it for watching a movie when I was traveling last may. It sure made that flight go by fast. I realized very late in the game that I could rent movies from itunes too. It does take them awhile to download, so you have to plan ahead to allow for that - and then I think the rental period is 24 hours, but again perfect for traveling. It's also very easy to move movies, music or apps off and on, so if you wanted to put a couple of movies or extra pictures on for some reason, it's easy to do that.

So I'm glad I have it and I like having internet access if I'm waiting somewhere and can get a wireless connection, but it's small and not great for web browsing for these aging eyes. Now that ipad? I might go for something like that if I had a spare pile of money sitting around. Same thing, bigger screen.

But do I get $90 worth of use a month to justify the iphone (like Betsy I have a perfectly functional, inexpensive, very simple phone)? No. Not even close.

[SherrieM.]

I dissed the ides of an iPhone at first, but Ilve and die by it now. I'm using it now. That said if I wasn't In the market to replace my 4 year old phone and Greg's Blackberry hadn't died, I wouldn't have gotten mine. The timing was right to justify it. AT&T's coverage here is not great, either.

[Anna]

Jen, why $90?

We just upgraded all of the phones. I thought about the iPhone, but here it is $60 a month, and my Blackberry is $30. I got the Bold, and it's just fine. Ds1 thinks I'm nuts not to get the iPhone, but honestly, the Blackberry does everything I need and more. Maybe when it's time to upgrade again.

OTOH, if you really want it, get it. It certainly doesn't sound like you want a whole lot, and I know iPhone users swear by them. They are rated #1 in Consumers, too bad AT&T isn't!

Treat yourself.

[Kande]

I've had an iPod Touch since they first came out. For a long time I couldn't justify the iPhone, but honestly I really really want one. I love the idea of being able to get online anytime and using the apps to find things, etc. But what I really want now is ONE device to carry around. I have a keyboard phone and it's OK, but I am always juggling the iPod and my phone. I asked for an iPhone for my birthday and I can't wait! Treat yourself and have fun!

[Jen O]

Anna, $90 because that's what my friends with iPhones said it costs. I just looked on their site, and the best I can tell the lowest plan with fewest options would be $70/month before taxes, so maybe it would be slightly under $90, but close. I suppose if I were paying $50 now for cell service, upgrading wouldn't seem like such a big deal. But I'm paying 0. So that's more than a treat. That's an extravagance. Still mulling, however. I appreciate the feedback from all. Please keep it coming.

[Cheryl]

Does your work phone give you internet access? (blackberry?) If so, I think you would be fine with an iTouch.

[Lora]

Anna, I am surprised at the prices you mentioned. From everyone I know it's $90 for the iphone a month and I think about the same for the black berry.

We have Verizon and having 4 phones (me, parents each, and son) runs about $90-$100 a month) and then we have the family/unlimited texting for an additional $30 so my bill for all is about $140 a month total. I wouldn't be able to justify paying almost that for just me. I also wouldn't want to switch becuase we have great coverage even in northern MN and ruralish AZ where my parents live and winter so coverage is important. Brittany will likely soon be added to our plan after my frustrations over the past month that would have been solved if she'd had a phone (once a Target when we got separated, once when I was late for pick up to basketball practice, and then the sledding accident when she was too shy to ask to use the phone and those parents didn't call). Actually there was one more recently too when we were having trouble coordinating who was picking up which kid and when due to each of our schedules that would have been convenient for her to have a cell to reach each other after practice to see what the plans ended up being.

PS Jen, you are totally making me want an iTouch. Turkey!!!! I would love one for when we travel to AZ this spring so I could watch a movie on the plane and check email while we're there without lugging along a laptop. DH wants a new TV so it's probably not in the cards for me at this point.

[funnygirl]

LOVE my Iphone.

Sue - I weekly run through the "free" apps, just to see if there is anything good. I don't pay more than 99 cents for an app. I found a really cool crossword one that is free - I can't wait to fly this week.


I still need to merge my Itunes on here. I still need to get Itunes all resolved. But will soon.

[cherir]

Have had an Iphone for over a year now and can't live without it. LOVE IT! I do everything you could possibly imagine with it........but honestly, it only costs us $30 more a month than any other phone. Because you have a free phone otherwise, that throws a kink in everything.

I would suggest you try to borrow an Iphone for even 1 day, but I don't think you could find an Iphone owner to give one up that long. lol That apps are just amazing.....from the mapping features to being able to find somewhere to eat/shop/hospitals........to tracking your food intake for health purposes, to finding out if your flight is on time...........on and on and on.

[Ashley Anne]

I'm mixed on this. I got an iTouch last August. It almost instantly became outdated, and now Apple wants me to pay to upgrade the operating system. Meanwhile, many of the aps are no longer supported (Facebook, Urban Spoon, etc.). So that's really annoying. It has also crashed once, necessitating a visit to the Apple store where they helpfully (not!) told me, "That just happens sometimes" (it was fixable for free, but there was some data loss)

I like it and think it can be useful. I used it to replace the notebook I carried with me everywhere with my various lists and things on it (christmas ideas, prices of products at different stores, etc.). And it is nice to have that in a small, handy package. I have twice, inexplicably, had lists disappear. So back it up!

The Wifi is useful, definitely. My book club meets at Panera Bread and we use it all the time to look up books we are considering for future months, etc. When I am traveling, I can usually find a place to download my e-mail. I will note that it is a bit cranky, and specifically hates AT&T wifi (think: Barnes & Noble stores, Starbucks). I've taken it into Apple and they can't explain it. I know from various message boards that this is an iTouch issue and not an Ashley-technology-related issue. From that persective, the iPhone and its permanent connection would be a huge plus.

I've considered whether the issues I have would be addressed by converting to an iPhone. And now that I am going to need to upgrade to a smart-type phone anyway, I have been asking around. The camera would be fun and easy. There are things I like about the Apple set-up. I do find the keyboard a bit clunky to use, even sideways, even with small fingers. People I speak with are not universally huge fans of the iPhone, which worries me. They seem to break a bit more often than other phones. I know several people who have had HUGE billing issues with AT&T Wireless and I am happy right now with Sprint.

In the end, I probably will get something else. I like Sprint and I am loathe to change from a company I like. For me, if it were a question of $0 to $90 a month (a thousand a year -- yikes!!), no way would I be able to justify that. But as you know I am really, really cheap. Sooooo. . . take that for what it is worth!

Hugs,
Ash

[Jen O]

Ash - That is really helpful info. Can you tell me what you mean about the apps no longer being supported? One of the main reason that I covet one of these devices is being able to use apps. So are you saying that some work just on the iPhone and don't work on the Touch? That might make neither worth it to me (though when I need a new iPod, I could see getting a touch just because the other choice for me is a nano and I think I'd choose Touch features over video camera)

[Ashley Anne]

My understanding is that both iPhone and iTouch moved to a different operating system. So it was a question of having an "outdated" piece of hardware/ operating system. I don't think it was different phone vs touch. I was just REALLY annoyed that it could be outdated in under a MONTH from purchase. I am sure most people happily paid to upgrade (I think it was only $10), but it was annoying to me. I know that Apple is famous for that -- they update things and make the older versions obsolete.

One thing about apps is that most are created by 3rd parties. So Apple has no control over which operating systems they support. If the creator chooses not to support an older operating system, that's not an Apple issue.

I think that's all accurate. But I could be wrong! This is just what I think I've gleaned.

[SherrieM.]

Apps are almost all 3rd party.

As someone dabbling in app development, I can tell you that Apple allows all developers to download the code for development (for a nominal fee). That said, they do try to make the code as compatible as possible.

From a web development standpoint, it is a nightmare of platforms right now. Not just old multiple operating systems, multiple web browsers and smartphones v. computers, but multiple smartphone operating systems. Droid, BlackBerry, iPhone, they all are displaying content slightly differently.

So far, it appears that the app code works on all platforms, but may be glitchy. It is built off the same code we use for websites, but there's some fun scaling stuff thrown in to compensate for different screen sizes. And Apple and Adobe Multimedia (which owns Flash) are in a pi$$ing match right now, so unless the web designer has compensated for that, Flash video and slideshows will not display on your iPhone. Not a huge issue for most of you, but it is annoying to people like me.

[Anna]

Anna, I am surprised at the prices you mentioned. From everyone I know it's $90 for the iphone a month and I think about the same for the black berry.

That's interesting. My Blackberry is $29.99 a month, I've had one for just over two years. I wanted the iPhone, but it was $59.99 for the basic. With that plan (the lowest) I only got 250 text messages a month, I use that many in a week. Moot now though because we pay for unlimited SMS and MMS between five phones. I pay just under $200 a month for five phones, two of which are Blackberrys, and three messaging phones.

Jen, I just upgraded to the Blackberry Bold (had the Curve) and it has tons of apps, photo (slideshow, love it), video, calender, internet (love to take my email with me), books, newspapers, etc. Here, it is half what an iPhone is. Maybe it's worth checking into. Also, I believe you have 30 days to love it or leave it. Some providers are 14 days. Either way, I'm sure you can try it before committing to it for two years.

[Cheryl]

My iphone does seem to get upgraded every 6 months or so like Ashley...but it just tells me, I click a few boxes and move on. They have never charged me. I have only paid 2.99 for one app (tracks calories, has restaurant menus/nutrition info) Everything else has been free. I do agree with the keyboard being a bit touch to not make mistakes, but they don't bother me much honestly.