It’s the day I lost my iPhone4. Since April 2010 I’ve been using a simple Nokia feature phone donated to me by my youngest brother, I’m not even sure what model it is.The Nokia has 3G, I could technically use it for email, Facebook, Twitter etc. But it’s so fiddly to use I only use it to make calls and send texts. It has a small screen and horrible buttons that aren’t really buttons.
I often send blank texts by accident and I have drafts folder full of texts, it’s quicker to start again than access the accidental draft. Compared to the iPhone4, using it is a clumsy clunky experience.
Comparing an old feature phone with a smart phone isn’t really fair, but the Nokia does have it’s good points. The battery life is amazing. A smartphone does a lot so it’s expected battery life is going to be limited, I got used to charging the iPhone every other day. When I switched to the Nokia I got 5 days+ of battery – bonus. It’s also very light and small, I don’t mind dropping it either.
As a phone; a device purely for making phone calls I’d say the iPhone4 is the worst phone I ever had. I paid £180.00 for the handset and signed up for a 24 month contract at £35.00 per month (!), which I’m still paying for – urgh. Even though the iPhone4 had awful reception in my area (practically unusable) and I had to use a (free) case to stop the signal dropping every time my finger touched the antenna, I accepted it.
If it was any other smartphone made by any other manufacturer I’d of been looking for a refund or at least a different handset. Crazy. The thing is the iPhone4 wasn’t just a phone, it was/is a personal computer, it’s so useful once you have one and use it for a week you wonder how you ever lived without it.
The majority of the time I’d use my iPhone4 for taking pictures with Hipstamatic, listening to music and podcasts, playing great games like Cut the Rope, finding my way with Google Maps, email, Facebook, Twitter, filming stuff, texting and watching programs on iPlayer. Oh, and making the occasional phone call.
Having the option to do all these things anywhere with or without Wi-Fi access is what makes the iPhone an amazing device. Being able to do everything with a few swipes of the screen makes the experience painless, pretty much anything can be accessed on the iPhone within 3 or 4 swipes and taps.
When I lost my iPhone4 I was gutted, properly upset. Friends got in touch to ask if I was ok! The only thing stoping me from rushing out and replacing it was the £500 price tag of a new handset. I wasn’t insured for loosing my phone – a very stupid mistake I’ll never make again.
I figured I’d wait it out for a few months as I thought Apple would release a new model in the summer (2010), they didn’t. So I waited a bit longer. As each month passed my ‘addiction’ to the iPhone faded.
As strange as it sounds I actually felt a sense of freedom. Not feeling the need to check my Facebook and Twitter every spare moment I had or taking pictures of pointless things (look at this massive sandwich!), receiving work emails outside of work hours and browsing the Internet thinking about work when I should be relaxing. It felt liberating, I was free!
I appreciate it’s not the iPhone that made me feel like that. It’s a brilliant device and if used in moderation with a touch of self-control it’s the perfect product for a self-employed web designer or anyone really. With great power comes great responsibility - ha ha.
So, the new and improved iPhone4s was announced this week (4th October) and I have a decision to make. Even though ‘I’m free’ I can feel myself already thinking up little reasons why I need the new iPhone4s.
- It’d be great for work.
- I want to do a series of videos taking about my web design services, that 1080p camera would be perfect.
- There have been times when it would of been beneficial to have access to email on the go, I’d configure Mail to not push email, to avoid receiving email outside work hours
- I do miss listening to the ‘Big Web Show’ / Podcasts when out and about.
- I’d calm it down a bit, but having a camera with you at all times is useful.
- I’ve heard the new iPhone has sorted out the antenna issues…
- ‘Reader’ looks like something I’d use.
- Battery life has improved…
- iCloud looks like it could be useful
- If it works, Siri looks like it could be fun. Although the voice activation features on the iPhone4 didn’t really work…
- I could go on…
I think it’s only inevitable I will get a new iPhone at some point, I can’t continue using this Nokia – Can I? It’s clearly on my mind, but unlike the last time I won’t be queuing up for four hours to get it! Urgh – Apple I curse you for making such desirable products.