iPhone without Apps: conclusions

It’s been three weeks since I started using an iPhone again, and in that time I’ve tried to use it without adding any additional applications in order to get a feel of how it works out-of-the-box as a means of gaining an insight and a better comparison with the Google Android phone I used previously. Ultimately, an iPhone without apps is just a phone, no better or worse than the other smart phones put there like BlackBerry, Android, or Windows Phone 7. In my experience and the anecdotal evidence I’ve heard both on- and off-line, it’s the extra downloadable add-ons that are missing or of low quality on the other makes of phone. Without the app store, the iPhone has only web apps, which offer a substandard experience compared to native apps or to desktop computer programs. The iPhone lacks Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr, and other features that just don’t cut it as web apps because the are slow and fail to take advantage of the screen real estate.

Conclusion 1: the iPhone is a capable phone in it’s own right, and I fond it easier to use than the alternatives.

Conclusion 2: it has seriously good battery life when there are no apps, I managed 6 days of usage without charging.

Conclusion 3: it’s not the greatest web browser, especially as it tends to reload pages when switching ‘tabs’. It works, it renders a good view of the page, but it’s not as friendly as a custom built application.

Conclusion 4: most websites don’t work very well for touchscreen devices, especially when they are small form factor. Those that do have special mobile or touch versions tend to have a limited set of functionality compared to the full version, and a very different look and feel, leading to a minor culture shock when using them on a mobile device after becoming used to the way they work on a desktop browser.

Conclusion 5: just like the iPad, the features I want and need are not built into the software included in the handset. Android has the same problem – in order to do the things I want to, I need to turn to third-party applications. Items like basic news reader would have been a welcome addition.

In the spirit of this experiment, I plan to add one application at a time, review it, and limit what I put on here. I’m amazed at the longevity of the battery, it has great stamina. It would be a shame to ruin that with trashy tools. My first apps will be Twitter and Facebook as these are the two sites I tend to look at on my daily commute. The next thing to add after that will be a good RSS news reader to keep up to date on the move with articles and events.