THE first time I touched an iPhone was in January of 2007 in San Francisco. I was inside a room with three of the many people responsible for bringing the iPhone into the world and they watched with a mixture of pride and amusement as I gasped every time the touch screen responded to my finger’s movements. But my gasping was eclipsed by the woman from India who – I swear to the Apple gods – started groaning and moaning as if she was at a Kama Sutra convention and not the Macworld Expo. That’s the kind of effect the iPhone has on people.
The day before that, I woke up insanely early, trudged through San Francisco’s chilly streets before the sun was up and fought my way to the front of the huge room at the Moscone Center, determined to get a good seat to hear Steve Jobs’ much-awaited keynote speech.
Steve Jobs groupie
Steve walked onstage and said, “Today, we’re going to make history together.” And then, he announced the iPhone, did a demo of its different features and gave us all goosebumps. He used his iPhone to call a nearby Starbucks to say “Hi, I’d like to order four thousand lattes to go, please” and at that moment, I told myself I was officially a Steve Jobs groupie.
I started computing how much cash I had with me. I wanted to buy the iPhone as soon as Steve’s speech was over. I told myself – what’s a few days of begging in the streets of San Francisco if you owned the phone that was making headlines?
But Steve gave the sad news – rollout of the iPhone in the US would be months later. And it would take over a year to get to Asia. Everyone in that room (with the exception of those of us who were allowed to actually touch it) had to settle for just staring at the iPhone inside the display cases at the Mac Expo.
Fast forward
Fast forward to August of 2008 (and skipping over months of Mac fanatics in the country buying iPhones from the States to beat everyone else and vendors sneaking the phones into the country to supply the needs of those who just couldn’t wait), Globe Telecom announced that they were bringing the iPhone 3G into the Philippines exclusively. The iPhone was finally, officially, in the country and faster than you can say pinch and pull, 14,000 people had snatched it up.
Globe offers the iPhone for both prepaid and post-paid users. There are special iPhone plans available too, tweaked so you can maximize the phone’s unique features.
Among those who were the first to pick up the iPhone were James Rosca and Alvin Trono, Globe Platinum Subscribers. James is the export manager of Teresa Marble Inc. and Alvin is the vice president of Stages Production Specialist Inc. In just a couple of months, the two have clearly fallen in love with their phones.
Platinum subscribers
James, who loves gadgets and technology, says he didn’t have a hard time adjusting from using his old phone to the iPhone. “It was a lot easier than I expected.” He enjoys the iPhone both for business and pleasure. “I got the iPhone because of the e-mail experience.” James uses it to carry around and view work documents and he uses the iPhone to listen to music and watch family movies. He also loves how it’s become an important tool for traveling, even acting as his translator when he visits other countries.
Alvin appreciates how iPhone works perfectly with his Mac computer. “I didn’t have a hard time syncing everything. Just plug and play. Everything transferred automatically.” Alvin likes having constant access to his e-mail – he says it makes his life easier.
The two also appreciate the support offered to them by Globe Platinum. “Any problem is addressed quickly,” Alvin said.
There are many reasons to love the iPhone – the 3.5-inch widescreen and multi-touch controls, its ability to allow you to browse the Internet with almost as much ease as using your own computer, your constant access to e-mail, its Wi-Fi, EDGE and 3G capabilities.
Apps overload
People can wax poetic about its design, its touch screen functions, its ability to allow you to pinch and pull to your heart’s content but the iPhone’s strongest suit is its flexibility. Countless phones have claimed to have the power to let you customize them to your needs but the iPhone really means it. It is not just a phone – it can be anything you want. A rain stick, a cowbell, a slot machine, a shopping list, a guitar tuner, a Magic 8 ball, an air hockey table – even a mug constantly flowing with beer.
This is where the applications come in. You can download apps from the iTunes Store and use them to customize your phone. And the best part? A lot of them are free. Spotting an iPhone owner is easy – they can’t stop talking about their apps.
Some apps that have become quick favorites in the country include PixUP which allows you to directly upload photos taken with your iPhone to Facebook, Flickr and other networking sites; ShopShop which allows you to organize your shopping lists, IM+ Lite for chatting; PanoLab for taking panoramic photos with your iPhone; MiniPiano when you want to play a little music; Camera Bag and Toy Camera which give your photos a film effect, Remote which lets your iPhone act as a remote control for your iTunes; iPint, a virtual beer drinking game; FS5 which turns your iPhone into an air hockey table; Sally’s Salon and other countless fun games.
The people behind Globe want to encourage people to get to know their iPhones and maximize its usage. Issa Cabreira, Globe Postpaid Segment Business Head, said, “We want them to be happy consumers, we want them to continue enjoying their iPhones.”
The Apple iPhone 3G is available in 8G and 16G. For inquiries, call +632 7301000 (using a landline) or 211 (using your Globe phone). Visit www.iphone3g.globe.com.ph.
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