Another Week With Just An iPhone: Less Successful
Back from yet another trip where I again tried to make do with an iPhone as a primary computer; some more observations:
- Compared to the previous trip — this one was less successful, for one huge reason: lack of 3G coverage for most of the trip and — believe it or not — complete lack of cell phone coverage for large swaths. This comes from being at aged-relatives’ retirement in relatively rural Wisconsin. I made do with WiFi wherever possible, but whenever we left the house, the lack of coverage was a problem. Overall the lack of connectivity was a real shock to this iPhone nut from Silicon Valley where I bitch constantly about occasional dropped calls and coverage gaps, but literally haven’t spent an extended time without cellphone coverage itself.
- Thankfully, iPhone apps made up the difference. Despite lack of Internet access and the ability to make phone calls, I could still play games, do crosswords, and enjoy locally-stored videos and music.
- We forgot our camera proper, but the iPhone camera saved the day by providing mostly acceptable photographs in all sorts of situations. The only downside was the lack of a flash.
- The iPhone’s battery continued to be a big issue. Added a battery pack to the wish list.
Ultimately I was left feeling let down by the iPhone’s lack of cell coverage, but extremely grateful that Apple thought to include apps and functionality that doesn’t rely on Internet access. So even when the iPhone can’t surf the web or make phone calls, it doesn’t become an iBrick — it becomes an iPod Touch.
This experience adds to why I’ve been skeptical of an Internet-only device like the former CrunchPad or a Google Chrome OS driven netbook. While the tech digerati continue to obsess over mobile and cloud services taking over everything, the infrastructure (specifically, 3G) still isn’t there for large swaths of the country.
Certainly, wireless Internet access over cellular will only continue to spread nation-wide, but realistically we’re talking years before it can be taken for granted in rural areas as it is in the Bay Area. We’re preparing for the future here in Silicon Valley, but this trip was a personal reminder that much of America hasn’t yet reached the technological present-day we currently take for granted.