Tikkabik

So I got to show off my new toy yesterday.

My cousin Jen seemed particularly taken with the iPhone, until she began to type. She's accustomed, as I am, to thumb-typing messages on her phone, and I explained to her that it really works better if you point-type with your index finger. It definitely takes some acclimation. The fact that the iPhone is an exclusive to AT&T is also a deal-breaker for her -- she's a Verizon Wireless customer, and isn't willing to pay the penalty (or suffer the shortcomings of AT&T coverage) for the novelty of having an iPhone.

I'm convinced at this point that the iPhone's cell reception isn't as strong as the BlackBerry 8700 it replaces -- there are "dead spots" around Mashpee that are one bar zones on the BlackBerry, and both were AT&T phones. Inside my aunt's house in Framingham, there was no service at all.

That goes with what I've heard from other people, as well. And I suppose it's a cross I'm going to have to bear from here on out.

I will not "jailbreak" this phone to install software on it; I'll wait for the flood of "blessed" third-party apps that are sure to come out after Apple releases an iPhone SDK in February. Nothing seems like that much of a deal-breaker that I have to hack the phone to have it right now.

I'm disappointed that the iPhone doesn't have any easy way to synchronize contact and calendar data wirelessly via Bluetooth, or even via Wi-Fi, but I'm not surprised by it -- after all, I've had since late June to read all about my colleagues' and our readers' trials and tribulations using the device.

Using the iPhone as a media player is a total home run. I plugged into into my iPod dock in the car yesterday (and switched it into "Airplane" mode) so we could hear some tunes while Bonnie played Solitaire and Mahjong on the long ride home on my 5th-gen iPod. Viewing Youtube videos is satisfactory, and the phone's ability to render HTML mail and Web pages is unparalleled to any portable device I've used.

There's a real shortage of TransPod/iTrip-like interfaces for the iPhone that enable the iPhone's phone circuitry to stay active while you're listening to music, so I'm looking forward to seeing more of them on the market.

Also, I guess I'm in the market for a new Bluetooth headset -- the old Motorola one I was using with the BlackBerry disappeared about a week and a half ago and hasn't been seen or heard from since -- I think it may have fallen out of a jacket pocket at some point while I was out and about. Any recommendations? I'm not impressed with the audio quality of the Apple headset that a couple of my colleagues use. The Aliph Jawbone looks and sounds fabulous, but at $120, it's a lot of money to spend on a headset. Is it worth it?