Second impressions

* This thing feels like carrying around a Ming vase – priceless perfection and God help you if you drop it. If there weren’t a 7 business day wait, I would have ordered a bumper case from store.apple.com by now. As it is, I suspect I may be able to get one at the bookstore at work, or maybe at the Company Store in Cupertino (which won’t be overrun with phone purchasers).

* Last night, with the battery just below 10%, I watched an entire episode of The Young Ones (“Bambi” if you must know) and still had battery life left. Power management with the A4 and the larger battery is magical – though I’m still waiting for a proper workday test.

* I have had a couple of weird one-off glitches – I had to turn the phone off and back on again before I could re-add my in-laws’ Wi-Fi, and my cheek actually dialed “42” (!!!) while talking to the wife once on Friday. I haven’t actually experienced a dropped call from antenna touching, but the ham radio operator in me can totally see how such a thing is possible. Also, my copy of Epocrates keeps showing a “4” badge for unread messages even though I mark them read over and over.

* I don’t think the default settings are as bright as previous phones. That could be a tamer version of the auto-detect being judicious with the backlighting.

* Having folders makes all the difference in the world. Everything I have is on three screens, but I’m adding things I never would have bothered keeping around just because I can do it without creating an un-navigable mess.

* Maybe it just seems this way because I’m coming from a 3G and not a 3 GS, but bejaysus, this thing ain’t half shaggin’ quick. Google Earth is actually usable, it’s so fast, and that was something I never thought I’d be able to say. In fact, there’s almost a 3D effect that lets you see just what a dropoff there was below our hotel in Mürren. I want to go back to Switzerland.

* I’ve taken a few preliminary pics and video clips, but haven’t really done the heavy lifting to compare them to the previous phone (or to see if the 30fps 720p HD video is legit and all it’s cracked up to be). Suffice to say that if I were really able to quit my job, move up to the city and pursue a career as a flaneur, this is the only piece I’d need aside from the Bluetooth keyboard.

* All my previous iPhones have been called “Lightsaber.” I think this one may deserve to be called “Wand.”

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