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7 Missing Features from the iPhone 3G

Apple’s announcement of the new iPhone 3G puts to rest all the crazy rumors about new features it may include. Here are seven features I was waiting for but never materialized.

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1. Flash Support

The iPhone’s Safari browser still lacks support for Adobe Flash, so it seems connection speed wasn’t really the issue.

2. Cut-and-Paste

Nope. You still can’t copy-and-paste text in the iPhone. I’m guessing Apple has some security concerns about allowing cutting and pasting of data (and Flash applications. See #1 above).

3. Network Independent

There was no mention of offering the iPhone unlocked so that you can use it with your favorite GSM provider. Apparently it’s still AT&T only in the US.

4. Video or a Better Camera

The iPhone 3G still sports a 2-megapixel camera with no video support. Nokia offers a 5-MP camera with very good video support, so why can’t Apple?

5. Landscape Email

Why can’t I turn my iPhone sideways to read emails?

6. Wi-Fi syncing

Although Mobile Me will go a long way towards syncing the information on my iPhone with my desktop, I still don’t understand why the iPhone can’t automatically sync itself when it connects to my home wifi network. Why the need for a USB cable?

7. iPhone Modem

Why can’t I use my iPhone as a modem? It connects to the internet via cellular and it connects to my Mac via USB or Bluetooth… Then, why can’t it patch me through to the Internet?

In conclusion… other than 3G speed and true GPS, it doesn’t seem like the new iPhone does much more than the old one (which doesn’t make it a bad phone, specially at the new price; it just doesn’t make a must upgrade, since most of the cool stuff comes with the 2.0 software upgrade, available free for all iPhones).

Léelo en español en: 7 Funciones que le Faltan al iPhone 3G

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16 Comments

  1. how bout iPhone synchronizing with an online backup account i used the nexthaus app to sync contacts and events at my zyb account and it worked with no issues!!

  2. Also missing data text messaging. Why cant i send a picture via text message?? Still the best phone in the market I think but they really dropped the ball with the cut and paste.

  3. Yes, no MMS either. Although I haven’t really needed it (probably because it’s not available on the iPhone). I mostly send pictures as attachments, or should I say attachment (singular), as you can only attach one image per message.

  4. I agree with your list but I will point out with the exception of #4 those are all issues with software not hardware. There is no reason through updates all of the items on the list could not be resolved. In terms of #3 from what I recall it was a 5 year commitment and with respect to Flash it was not about the network speed but more about the amount of battery life flash used and the strain on the processor. We will see flash here on the iPhone shortly, I’m sure Adobe will make it happen.

  5. @Pete, I agree that most of these can (and most probably will) be patched by software developers. Who knows, maybe it’s Apple’s way to get developers coding for the iPhone (not that I think they need further convincing).

    Another hardware issue I did not mention is memory capacity. Where are the 32GB and 64GB models? Granted, I still haven’t filled my 16GB, but I find that I use the iPhone more as a multimedia content device than as a phone (it’s not a multimedia-capable cellphone, it’s a cellphone-capable multimedia tool), so in time it will completely replace my iPod.

    I do hope the new OS allows developers to quickly incorporate all these needed improvements. (Luckily, they should all work on the first-generation models).

    Finally, about the AT&T contract, if the iPhone is available unlocked overseas (and that’s not certain yet), then it creates a local problem… though I’m sure the 2.0 software will eventually be unlocked as well.

  6. I agree with each item on the list and I’m particularly disappointed that there’s no Flash, video or modem tethering. What I don’t agree with is this not being a “must upgrade”. The two biggest things I most wanted to see on an iPhone were 3G and GPS and that’s what we got. And yes, though the 2.0 software update will be available to 1st gen iPhones, and therefore the App Store, Many of the apps that are really going to make this new iPhone shine just won’t work or work well on the older unit. I’ll be getting one, but feeling bummed knowing I’ll probably have to get the next one too.

  7. Yes, I’d definitely like the speed to enjoy MLB’s game update app with video clips… Will I wait until the next new iPhone comes out? Probably not… I’m sure I’ll be getting a 3G at some point. I’m just not lining up at the Apple Store right now.

  8. iPhone 3G has some missing features and at least in Spain, i'ts very expensive. Is is worth the money?

    I'm thinking of buying it for xmas!

  9. Playing on the rest of that first night and for several more hours the following evening I found the frustration at not being able to blast through the game subsiding, and just getting back into that very same discovery mode I found myself in 24 years ago. If nothing else, the reconnecting with a long lost friend aspect of all this was well worth my time. That’s not to say all was well in Space Ace land, I found http://www.chase.com the controls somewhat inconsistent and yes the load times are still a little annoying but if I’m not mistaken they’re still faster than the arcade versions.

  10. Major missing features of the iPhone:
    *Storing and accessing files on the hard drive (being able to use it like a flash drive)
    *Accessing files via drag and drop from a PC
    *T9 Phonepad, and multiple options for keyboard layout
    *Sending contacts via sms
    *Disabling the autorotate when surfing web… problematic when using the iPhone while lying down
    *Blacklist numbers!!! I hate spammers/ telemarketers. And setting a silent ringtone to a special contact just sucks…
    *Flash in browser like Skyfire mobile browser
    *Being able to rotate the keyboard in all apps, and fixing the “glitch” where the keyboard will not rotate after you start to type (example, doing a search in google, sometimes it just refuses to change orientation)
    *Sync to do lists/tasks and notes with more than just outlook.
    * Push gmail. Not just fetch!

    I really hope someone at Apple is reading all these comments, because I'm sure a lot of stuff could be fixed/changed in the next OS update.

  11. That's a great list of missing features… I wrote this when the original 3G iPhone came out… Now it's the 3GS and still most of them are missing. I'm thinking of turning your comment into a guest post.

  12. Major missing features of the iPhone:
    *Storing and accessing files on the hard drive (being able to use it like a flash drive)
    *Accessing files via drag and drop from a PC
    *T9 Phonepad, and multiple options for keyboard layout
    *Sending contacts via sms
    *Disabling the autorotate when surfing web… problematic when using the iPhone while lying down
    *Blacklist numbers!!! I hate spammers/ telemarketers. And setting a silent ringtone to a special contact just sucks…
    *Flash in browser like Skyfire mobile browser
    *Being able to rotate the keyboard in all apps, and fixing the “glitch” where the keyboard will not rotate after you start to type (example, doing a search in google, sometimes it just refuses to change orientation)
    *Sync to do lists/tasks and notes with more than just outlook.
    * Push gmail. Not just fetch!

    I really hope someone at Apple is reading all these comments, because I'm sure a lot of stuff could be fixed/changed in the next OS update.

  13. That's a great list of missing features… I wrote this when the original 3G iPhone came out… Now it's the 3GS and still most of them are missing. I'm thinking of turning your comment into a guest post.

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