Over the past week I have gotten myself a new iPhone! A white 3GS with 32GB of storage space. I still remember the days of 500MB hard disks on my computer, so I think 32GB on a phone is pretty impressive. After fitting in random videos, apps, photos and my entire music library, all 11GB of it, I still have a sizable 10GB left, which makes me wonder why I didn’t get the cheaper 16GB instead other than the fact that I’m a spendthrift.

So, meet the family:

I’m starting a collection.

This is good stuff.

Tethering also works very, very well. I can hook my iPhone to my Mac effortlessly via cable or Bluetooth, and the speeds are really nice for something that’s mobile.

<3

Wide-screen texting is nice. Also seen is copy/paste and the MMS icon.

SMS forwarding… I’ll claim my money from him tomorrow when I see him.

Emailing of multiple photos.

The most recent OS brings features such as MMS, copy/paste and SMS forwarding, amongst many other features, to the iPhone. These missing features have been the biggest complaints by detractors, but I cannot remember the last time I ever needed to MMS or forward an SMS.

Oh well, they are still nice to have. The real nice thing that I’m looking forward to is all the push-enabled apps that will hit the App Store next week. Finally, I can be on MSN Messenger 24/7 on the go!

The only reason why this phone is a big deal is because it’s the first phone powered by Android to be released. Otherwise, it’s kind of a lack-lustre device. The device looks somewhat nice in some photos, but most real-life shots make you wonder what HTC, maker of devices like the Touch Diamond, was thinking when they were tasked to make the first ever Android phone.

As much as it has been hyped up as an iPhone killer, software-wise it still shares some missing features with Apple’s offering. No tethering or Flash player here too. It doesn’t even come with a video player, unlike iPhone’s strong media-playing capabilities. Well, of course you can download the video player, and developers will eventually come up with tethering and Flash players, but try programming a standard 3.5mm headphone jack into the device.

Yep, the thing has no 3.5mm headphone jack. So much for being an iPhone killer. Let’s wait for the G2.

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I have “read” four and a half books in four days with my iPhone. In fact, I have stopped listening to music, and have been exclusively listening to my Animorphs audiobooks, and it’s working very well. Making reading into something passive is very enjoyable indeed.

Anyway, I suddenly crave for the white rabbit sweet thing. On a side note, can you imagine the whining should Hello Panda biscuits kena the milk thing as well? I know more than a few die-hard Panda fans.

Damn cute can.

He has been using it obsessively for the past few days, constantly asking me how to make use of the different functions, and he seems to be having a lot of fun playing around with the phone. I haven’t seen him like that before. In his words, the iPhone is “sibei 好玩”.

No it’s not Crash Bandicoot or Super Monkey Ball. I bought something that Shuli/Chen Lu would love much more (rhyme!).

Dizzy Bee

It costed me US$2.99. I have not played it much, but the first two levels have left me quite impressed already. The iPhone’s accelerometer navigates the bee, and the objective of the game is to collect flowers and save fruit friends. What?! It’s fun okay.

Gameplay footage:

There’s another quality game on the App Store right now too, and it is at the amazing price of free. Aurora Feint is an excellent puzzle/block game.

Gameplay video:

I think I’m going to get the De Blob and Crash Bandicoot soon. And come September, there’ll be Spore for the iPhone. Madness.

Some, one of which I linked up there because his captcha didn’t work, ironically, with my open-source browser, may argue that Android = open-source = free, but I think that’s a pretty simplistic argument. The iPhone has proven itself to be more than a welcoming environment for free apps, but the fact is, shouldn’t some apps be worth paying for? As if all of Android apps will be free.

I could do without paying for productivity apps, because I’m not really a productive person myself, but I sure as hell am going to buy games:

Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D

Super Monkey Ball

Enigmo

These are full mobile games, be it from big-name developers like Sega or Vivendi, or small-time indie developers. While Apple didn’t really have gaming in mind, I suspect they might very well exceed Nokia’s gaming efforts, and Nokia has been trying quite hard. It might be a stretch to say that the iPhone would stand up to the DS or PSP, but I do believe it’ll do pretty well as a games platform. THQ and Electronic Arts are expected to release games soon as well.

An iPod, internet tablet and a phone, now with capable gaming abilities. The iPhone is the most featured media phone there is on the market. Hell, it already has rumble (due to its phone vibration alert), and control mechanisms that could ride on the success of the Wii and DS Lite. Cooking Mama and Patapon for the iPhone please.

With more than 7 million iPhones sold to date and who knows how many iPod touches, the iPhone platform is also extremely lucrative to develop apps for. I guess it has indeed “failed”.

I am eager to see what Android brings to the table.