To Plunge...Or Not To Plunge...

[bigdog5142]

Okay...I'm sure that you guys get at least a few of these posts...but I really need some advice from some people that have been using the iPhone. I have been a Treo user for just over 2 years now. I am used to being able to do my own ringtones and have great synchronization with Outlook 2007. I REALLY want an iPhone and right now is the time to do it for me...my wife's contract just ended with AT&T...so...I give my Treo 700p to my wife (on Sprint and she'll have a two year contract after I change the plan) and then I'm on AT&T with a two year contract. All we do is switch numbers. My work currently pays my cell bill, and the change for my wife is the same we're paying with AT&T currently, so it's pretty much a wash on the monthly charges.

My issue is functionality. I am used to great emailing capabilities and great organizing capabilities. Here's my main concerns...

1. No "to-do" lists
2. SMS messages do not allow pictures to be sent
3. Personalization of iPhone vs. Treo
4. Synchronization concerns with Outlook 2007
5. No personalized ringtones
6. No third party apps

I don't know how big these issues are to me, though. Is there anyone out there that went from a Treo to an iPhone and can help me out a bit? I'm not a "power" Treo user, but I'm used to some things with my phone. I mainly use my phone for (in this order): calls, calendar/contact organization (to-do list as well), email, web, third party apps...The music and video capabilities are nice, but I have a 80 gb iPod Classic...not too concerned with that. (So...I'm looking at the 4gb model.)

Thanks for whatever help you can give to me!

[Kurahoshi]

The to-do list could be done in the note app..with the vertical keyboard, there is a ringtone workaround, if you don't update to iTunes 7.4, and I'm sure 7.4 will get another workaround at some point, and there are lots of third party apps already.

[Complexis]

1. As Kurahoshi said, there is notes app for those.
2. iPhone allows
3. Personalization not as much, wallapaper only when the device is on hold
4. Sync is no problem
5. Personalized ringtones cost money, 99 cents each from itunes and can only be downloaded for one computer, if you try to use a diff comp for syncing ringtones, all your old ringtones will be erased.
6. Third party apps are MANY including, but not limited to, AppTap, Games, etc + a lot of other apps.

[lkalliance]

There are personalized ringtones, via the iTunes Store, less expensive than other carriers. There are no official "build it yourself for free" ringtones, but there are hacks/third party apps that treat that.

There are PLENTY of third-party apps that increase the functionality of the iPhone, and some sophisticated, easy tools to manage them: see this Macworld editorial (http://www.macworld.com/weblogs/editors/2007/09/iphoneapps/index.php?lsrc=mwrss). But these third-party apps are not supported by Apple, and who knows when or if Apple will block them via a firmware update.

If you would rather stick with what Apple officially authorizes (web apps via Safari) there's this site indexing all sorts of iPhone-optimized apps on the Web (http://iphoneapplicationlist.com/). These are all web apps, not third-party installations on the iPhone. I've opted (for now) to go this route; I've found some nice apps that have extended my functionality. They're all skinnied down, the work reasonably well (the ones I've tried) over EDGE if I have no wifi. As far as to-do lists, I've not used it in real life yet, but I'm intending to try Listingly (http://iphoneapplicationlist.com/2007/06/18/listingly/), which I found on that site, which will allow me to create multiple lists (to-dos included), including shared lists that can be contributed to by other users.

Hope these help!