{"id":1635,"date":"2012-10-22T18:24:46","date_gmt":"2012-10-22T22:24:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patrickchang.com\/blog\/?p=1635"},"modified":"2014-06-06T13:03:44","modified_gmt":"2014-06-06T17:03:44","slug":"iphone-5-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patrickchang.com\/blog\/2012\/10\/iphone-5-review\/","title":{"rendered":"My iPhone 5 Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Being a long time Android user, I kind of surprised myself when I decided to take the plunge and preorder my first iPhone. \u00a0What was the tipping point? \u00a0I don’t think there was any particular tipping point. \u00a0I think I’ve always wanted to take the plunge but there were a few things that were holding me back. \u00a0I live in a Google world using GMail, Calendar, Drive, etc., \u00a0so having an Android phone made sense. \u00a0The question is, can a Google user live in the Apple world? \u00a0After having the phone for almost a month, here is my review of the iPhone 5.<\/p>\n

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First Impression<\/h2>\n

My first impression of the phone is how pretty the phone is, but more on that in the next section. \u00a0As far as my first impression using the phone itself, I was a little overwhelmed with how the way iOS has all the apps right in your face. \u00a0As an iPad user, I already had a number of apps downloaded, so some of these apps went onto the iPhone right away. \u00a0Why was I overwhelmed? \u00a0I was looking for my familiar home screens like I had on my previous Android phones. \u00a0I wasn’t used to the app drawer being opened right away and not being able to close it. \u00a0I was also looking for my widgets, but they were nowhere to be found. \u00a0In my opinion, Apple’s implementation of the home screen is suitable for the iPad, but on the smaller screen of the iPhone, there needs to be some rethinking. With that said, after getting all my apps reorganized into folders and the appropriate screens, I was a little bit more satisfied. \u00a0Despite the issues I have with iOS there is one thing that I cannot doubt… iOS is probably the smoothest operating systems I have ever used. \u00a0Granted, my previous phone was a Motorola Droid Bionic, which only until recent, has been stuck on Android 2.3 Gingerbread. \u00a0Verizon has finally started to release ICS to it’s suffering Bionic users. \u00a0As for me, it was too little too late.<\/p>\n

Design<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>Even before receiving my iPhone in the mail, I ordered a cheap case from Monoprice<\/a> because I wanted to make sure that my phone would be well protected from day 1. \u00a0Now that I physically have the phone, I will say that this is the best phone, as far as hardware is concerned, I have ever owned. \u00a0The phone is too pretty to cover it up with a case, but the phone is too pretty not to protect it with a case<\/strong>. \u00a0Granted, I’m coming from being an owner of the Motorola Droid and the Bionic, but even handling other phones such as the Galaxy S III and HTC One X, I don’t anybody can beat the styling and sleekness of the iPhone 5. \u00a0The only thing that would come close in my opinion is the Nokia Lumia 800 & 900 family of phones. \u00a0The iPhone 5 is just a beautiful piece of hardware with a lot of fine details that makes you want to show it off. \u00a0Because of this, I’ve decided to buy a new case that would show off the phone a little bit more, such as the Griffen Reveal<\/a> and Belkin View<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Eco System<\/h2>\n

The eco system is where the iPhone was going to make it or break it for me. \u00a0On the iPhone, there is a dedicated GMail app, but having multiple GMail accounts, the GMail app is not an option to me until they start to support multiple accounts. \u00a0One app that gets no love on the iPhone is the built in mail app. \u00a0Personally, I don’t mind it at all. \u00a0Actually, I quite like how I am able to separate all my email accounts but at the same time have one unified email box. \u00a0At the same time, I am able to look through all my GMail labels as well. \u00a0Google Calendar works flawlessly with the built in Calendar app and the Google Drive app gets me access to all my cloud files. \u00a0Editing files in the cloud is a different story, but I may save that for another blog post.<\/p>\n

My first frustration came with figuring out how to sync my contacts. \u00a0The only two ways that I know or heard of syncing Google contact with your iPhone automatically is setting up your gmail account as an exchange email or using iTunes to sync your contacts with GMail. \u00a0As one who uses iTunes frequently and plugs my iPhone into the computer, I elected to go with the latter.<\/p>\n

Of course, I am enjoying the\u00a0plethora of apps in the iOS eco system, but what about some of the apps that have been omitted in the iOS 6? \u00a0The one that has been getting the most attention is Google Maps. \u00a0As far as ascetics are concerned, I quite prefer the Apple Maps simplified layout and color scheme. \u00a0The thing that I miss the most about Google maps on my phone is the ability to do a quick search for things, such as my nearest Starbucks. \u00a0For example, at the time I’m writing this, I happen to be in TaiChung, Taiwan. \u00a0The Maps app was able to locate me accurately on the maps, but when I searched for “Starbucks”, it gave me four locations in China. \u00a0Taiwan is not in China (if you didn’t know that, please look on a map some time). \u00a0One way around it is going to Google maps in the Safari browser. \u00a0This is a pretty good alternative, but not quite the same experience as using the dedicated Google Maps app on Android. \u00a0I haven’t had any issues with the navigation, but I haven’t had the opportunity to use it too much either. \u00a0One thing that I assume will happen is that the Maps app will improve over time, but unless they are able to tap into the Google database, I don’t think the experience will ever be quite up to par.<\/p>\n

The Camera<\/h2>\n

The thing I was excited the most about getting the iPhone was using the highly praised camera. \u00a0Has it met my expectations? \u00a0I would say that it has. \u00a0If you’re expecting DSLR quality photos, you have come to the wrong place. \u00a0My Olympus E-PL1 still takes way better photos but I would say, the photos are quite good and usable. \u00a0“Usable” doesn’t seem like high praise but for a camera phone, there’s only so much you can ask. \u00a0Outdoor photos are excellent and indoor photos hold their own as well. \u00a0I will not be selling my camera gear anytime soon, but it has caused me to hold off on upgrading my camera gear.<\/p>\n\n\t\t