Possible iPhone user

Rafiq wrote:
1. Office documents (xls, doc etc.), can you view, edit or create them?

There are apps that will let you view Office stuff and there may be something that allows editing. The best thing would be to check the app store.

2. Sync capabilities like contacts, favourites, notes and selected files? (I use Opera for mail and browser which I can sync with Operamini on my phone via Opera Link)

Contacts can be synced from things like Outlook/Google/etc. I don't believe you can natively sync Opera bookmarks.

3. GPS, I don't like the idea of having to use Google maps as I don't use 3G or WiFi and it seems "wasteful" to have to keep downloading maps. Do you get proper GPS software?

TomTom & Navigon both offer GPS navigation apps in the App Store.

5. What phone would you get if the iPhone did not exist? 🙂

I'd probably still be using my Treo and looking for a good replacement. So far, I've been unimpressed with the iPhone copy cat phones but you may want to research phones to see what best meets your needs.

Tamara gave some good info, here is my perspective:

1. Yes, but there are limitations. DocsToGo has one product, but the XLS edit feature is still coming soon. Other products don't do Powerpoint. Also, because the iPhone makes most apps run in a sandbox, these offices apps are not as fully integrated as one would like. It is a lot to go into here, but if you use Exchange, you have to use the office app to get the attachment - the office app can't see the doc that is in the iphone built in email app.

2. Sync works well, but like other phones is limited to what the manufacturer allows. Exchange and Outlook sync with Notes, contacts, calendar. Bookmarks sync with Safari and IE - I am a Firefox user, so no bookmark sync for me. If you are a mac user, then Notes, Contacts, Cal sync with native OS X apps.

3. There are 3rd party GPS apps - they store Gigabytes of data on your phone. I find that downloading maps for GPS works well for just about anything i do. In the US, a data plan is required, so using 3G is not wasteful for GPS.

4. My friend has a 3GS - the speed difference is noticeable - it is faster then my 3G. But I am not pining away for one - I can get one in December for the new contract price, but i see no reason too. Voice dial, video, compass are the new features and none will make me by a 3GS when my 3G works fine.

5. I am spoiled on the full screen form factor, so it would have to be something similar. I must have Exchange sync available so i would opt for some android variety. The new Moto Cliq looks interesting. Also, something that is not as locked down. I had WinMo smartphones in the past and I could install any app and customize the background and menus however i wanted.

If an Android phone has good battery and lets me customize and sync with Exchange and has a good browser, that would pull me away from an iPhone.

The iPhone is not designed to be a mass storage device but there are apps like Airsharing that will allow you to copy files to the iPhone.

If you're not going to use Wifi or especially 3G then there isn't much reason to get an iPhone as it is a data intensive phone, and you would be paying for the required 3G data plan anyway (if you're in the US).

QuickOffice will also let you move files back and forth over Wifi. Once you enable file transfers, it directs you to mount a web page using the IP address of your iPhone on port 4242 (this is pretty much the way any of the file sharing and/or editing apps move files around). There you can upload and download files. Uploads are only accessable via QuickOffice, as is the case with any of the file transfer apps for the iPhone (to my knowledge). You can also edit email attachments once you register the email address with the QuickOffice server to redirect attachments to the app. QO also works with .doc, .txt and .xls files as well as .docx and .xlsx, but it does not handle powerpoint files at all. "Documents to Go" will handle viewing PP files though.

There are apps that will also let you store and just view documents/files, but keep in mind that those files are only accessable to that particular app - the iPhone does not have a generic file storage folder where any app can access any file. "Air Sharing" is nice way to move files from computer to iPhone and back, but on the iPhone, only the AS app can see those files. Same thing with QuickOffice - it can view and edit the files you load onto the iPhone with it, but not others, and other apps cannot see QuickOffice's file storage.

The sync option is within iTunes and you only see it when the iPhone is connected - you set up all your data sources you sync with. An iPod touch shows similar settings.

You could import bookmarks from one desktop browser (Opera) to another that iTunes supports (Safari or IE) and then sync. Not a great setup for frequent changes, but how often do most people change bookmarks?