Will the New iPhone 3G be a Good Planner?
June 11, 2008 · Print This Article
Planning your day seems like such a simple thing. I’ve been looking for a good solution for a long time though, and haven’t found a satisfying one yet. There is always a drawback to every system I used. I am very happy with my Moleskine Weekly Planner at the moment, but it’s not perfect - it doesn’t sync with my computer…
On the 10th of June Apple introduced the new iPhone 3G, with GPS built in, a much faster network connection at a much lower price than the original iPhone. Next to that they introduced a better synchronization service called MobileMe, which will keep all our data on our iPhone, Mac and/or PC in sync. Could a combination of those two finally provide me with a perfect planning system?
In The Beginning…
It must have been at school when I first started using some sort of planner. The school agenda held all my homework and assignments. Later on I also added social events and meetings in the agenda. I relied on this paper solution throughout my high school years.
Then I started to get into electronic gadgets. I’ve been using a Palm Zire for a while. It worked quite well and synced with my computer, but it was a hassle to carry it around together with my mobile phone. I stopped using it, not because I didn’t like the system, but it just didn’t seem particularly smart to carry around those separate tools.
Laptop at the Dentist
First I used the software that came with my Palm, then I synchronized the thing with iCal and when I stopped using the Palm it was just iCal on my laptop. Not a very easy-to-use device. I was carrying it around everywhere I went and when I was at the dentist and had to make a new appointment I had to get my laptop from my bag to see which dates were available. It made me feel quite ridiculous at times.
Why not use a mobile phone? Well, I didn’t like the interface of the calendars on most mobile phones, but still in search of the best solution I bought the Sony Ericsson M600i. The touchscreen made it easy to input data and was carrying my phone everywhere anyway. So why did I stop using it? First of all it didn’t sync with iCal, so I had my appointments only in the phone. I didn’t get used to the user-interface too, it wasn’t as flexible as I hoped it would be.
Back to Paper?
So this year I went back to paper, with the Moleskine Weekly Notebook. I really like it, it’s flexible and it feels much more personal. I use the lined pages on the right for my weekly to-do lists. There’s only one big disadvantage: it obviously doesn’t sync with my Mac.
The new iPhone 3G combined with the new MobileMe service will definitely integrate nicely with iCal and Address Book. The intuitive user interface of the iPhone will be a big improvement compared to my old phone, so I’m expecting it to be a joy to work with. It’s also becoming more affordable now. The high price of the iPhone was one of the main reasons I didn’t buy one in first place.
But will it be the perfect solution? One thing I’m concerned about is checking my calendar and inputting data during calls. The user interface of the M600i made this almost impossible, so I wonder how it will be on the iPhone. If you already own an iPhone and know the answer to this, please let me know!
Do you own an iPhone and do you use it as a planner? Or are you going to buy one after the recent upgrade? Or do you have your own system? Please leave a comment, I’d really appreciate your opinion!
Photo by: Steve Keys
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What I found worked best for me is using an online service called Airset. It can email you a daily schedule, and email and text you reminders. Since it’s available online, you could just use your phone to go to the site and your account. This leaves out the sync and since it’s online, it’s available anywhere you are.
Theresa
I’m planning on dumping my worthless Windows Mobile based phone for the new iPhone when it becomes available in July. I have an iPod Touch which has similar capabilities but without the phone. The biggest advantage of the new iPhone is going to be the rich selection of third party apps which will really drive this platform to new heights.
I know the iphone would help me stay organized IF I had the money for it
Another great tool is omnifocus coming out for the iphone
I just read a story about it at mashable
http://mashable.com/2008/06/11/omnifocus-task-list-iphone/
Apple is known for innovative and easy to use solutions. For the planning capabilities, we cannot expect to fulfill all the dreams of the tech guys, but for the rest of us - it will be a good planner and the MobileMe will be definitely great.
Howdy! Great blog, btw. I just discovered it.
Anyways, no one has answered your question yet on how the iPhone could handle inputting data while on the phone. The answer (thankfully) is: VERY well.
During a phone call, you can return to your home screen (or iCal, Contacts, Safari, etc.) whenever you want, without interrupting the call. You can continue talking via the microphone built into the earbuds, a bluetooth headset, or speakerphone while inputting thing. Then, when you’re done, just tap the top part of your screen (that turns green when there’s still an active call) to return to the main phone screen.
It’s marvelous, and MobileMe (which I’ve just signed up for) is going to make everything even better!
That’s very good to hear, Benjamin! And thanks for your compliment!
For me, not being able to quickly check my calendar and return to the call is one of the biggest drawbacks of my Sony Ericsson. So I’m happy to hear the iPhone handles this smoothly. Thanks!
I look forwards to looking over the iPhone 3G, but I’m not planning to buy one until towards the end of the year. By then ATT should have 3G service in my area and I’m hoping there will be a 32GB iPhone 3G coming along soon.
Currently using Dell Axim x50v (sweet PDA) for planner. Have small Windows Mobile smartphone as well but don’t use it as total convergence device as planned because data entry is quite the pain.
Hoping iPhone 3G with Exchange and/or MobileMe sync will make decent PDA/planner/iPod/etc. and finally let me get down to just carrying one device. Eager to try it out.
[...] June I asked the question: Will the New iPhone 3G be a Good Planner?. I didn’t have an iPhone myself back then, as it wasn’t available where I live. Since [...]