The iPhone has not gotten markedly upgraded since it was released on June 29th. I'm still waiting. But, I also have never been more happy with a device than I've been with the iPhone. It beats the iPod cold with its extreme full-featured capabilities, connectivity, web browsing and amazing big screen with touch interface. The iPod was an awesome device. The iPod Touch has wonderful possibilities. But, the iPhone kicks butt like these don't.
I wish the iPod touch could compete with the iPhone but it doesn't. Part-time Net access doesn't match full-time even if it is only at EDGE speeds. From now on, my iPod needs to have buttons for volume control, a camera and speaker too. But, if you can't afford a monthly data plan or a $40/month voice plan, it might make a lot of sense to go with the Touch if you want a connected device with great web surfing and you think you might like using it at home and work sometimes as an alternative to your notebook. Unfortunately, I have heard quite a few people say they really miss volume controls.
I find that I mostly don't take my Canon 700 IS camera with me on my daily walks. I bring it sometimes when I know and remember that I'm going to have cool photo opps. So, even though the fidelity is often seriously inferior to my Canon, my iPhone is my camera most of the time. As long as there's lots of light and I don't need telephoto or anything like that, I'm good.
I walk every morning 2-1/2 miles to and from downtown Tiburon for breakfast at Acri Caffe in downtown. When no one is around, I use the built-in speaker and carry the iPhone in my shirt pocket to listen to podcasts like Buzz Out Loud, Mac OS Ken, MacCast, The Tech Night Owl Live, The Apple Phone Show, This Week in Tech (TWIT), the Wall Street Journal's Your Money Matters and the PowerPage Podcast and a few others. When I have to, I use the headphones. I'm sure glad I am not limited to headphones anymore.
I walk in Old St. Hilary's Open Space Preserve most days. It's pretty much Ring Mountain on a smaller scale. Same rocky, treeless terrain with views. And the views are spectacular on the many sunny days we get around here.
I'll just have to wait for a 16 meg version of the iPhone. I believe Apple knew what they were doing when they went with EDGE. If they had picked Verizon, though, I bet iPhone v1 would be a 3G device. I'm happy to wait and pay a mere $20 a month for unlimited data access and get great battery life that I don't have to worry about. I would pay at least $30/month maybe $40/month for AT&T's 3.5G when the iPhone supports it as long as coverage is good in Marin county where I live.
Keep in mind, I had a BlackBerry Pearl before. If the iPhone didn't exist, I would probably still have the Pearl or maybe try the BlackBerry Curve. But, I get more than double the value with the iPhone. And, I don't work at a company with a BlackBerry server, so I'm not required and don't need BlackBerry or corporate email for that matter.
I liked the BlackBerry Pearl's keypad about as well as the Treo 650 before it. Each had advantages. The Pearl has a better numeric keypad capability with bigger keys that are more comfortable to type on. But the Treo had full QWERTY which is a little easier to type on. But those Treo keys are on the hard side. They don't compare to the comfy, softer and wider Sidekick I had for a few weeks.
Now I'm typing on glass. It works because the keyboard is big and you hear clicks as you type and you see the letters as you go along. Actually, it works because of the intelligence which guesses what you are trying to type and corrects you if you let it. Usually it corrects you well, but you have to remember to stop it when you type something unusual. To stop the correction, you just tap the screen. To accept the suggested word, you hit the space bar. This is pretty efficient. Firmware 1.1.1 improves things a bit by letting you double-tap the space bar to get a period. Typing is as good as Treo or BlackBerry as far as I'm concerned and I really strongly prefer having the huge numeric keypad when I need it.
People have bonded to their PDAs and cell phones before, but I believe the iPhone brings a whole new level of companionship. You always have several options if you have a few free minutes when you have your iPhone with you. If I don't find a free paper at my local cafe, I can read the New York Times, Google Reader, DIGG, check stocks, weather etc. on my iPhone.
There's lots more to add to the iPhone. Copy and Paste please. And native games, not just web-based games. We need to be able to add the applications we need given our own particular needs. I don't mind waiting until they can do it right. I finally quit using custom apps on my Treo because it crashed way too often when I loaded it up with extra applications. The computer industry has long sacrificed stability for shiny new features. I'll take the stability and elegance that iPhone brings to the party for now.
I'm new to Tiburon. I shopped around for a while to find the best breakfast place. The Acri wins easily in the end because it is a very comfortable environment, you can get a a great eggs and coffee breakfast for $8, there's plenty of room to sit and write and read. You can even talk on the phone with disgression. It has nice restrooms. And, saved the best for last, free wi-fi. That means my iPhone works better than a 3 or 3.5G cell phone. Yay! Great surfing.