[quote john dough]1) What is a good (meaning not cheap) case for the iPhone? Prefer non-leather, as rubber or silicon lasts longer, and, IMHO, provides better protection.
After just keeping the thing in my pocket for a few weeks, I finally felt the need to address the very slippery backside of the iPhone with this:
http://goincase.com/products/detail/prot...er-cl59019
I'm perfectly happy with it. The iPhone needs a LOT less protection than people think -- I finally dropped mine for the first time the other day and it landed face down on asphalt. NOT A SCRATCH ON IT. Not even a tiny one. Kudos to Apple's design team on this one.
2) Can you sync contacts/calendar via bluetooth?
Not at present. Bluetooth is clearly present on the phone, you just can't do anything with it apart from headsets. I am reliably informed that the release of Leopard will bring with it some significant iPhone software changes, including (possibly) Bluetooth changes. Stay tuned.
3) What are some good (hopefully free) apps that you would put on?
At present I would only go with free web apps, as permanent apps will probably be badly broken with future firmware updates (not deliberately mind you, but still -- it's just too young a field and too much warranty-violating and/or geekery for my taste at this point).
I have some safari bookmarks for iPhone web apps, which include cheapMF, goMovies, This Day in History, Tipr, iPhone Network Test, Gas.app and Bejeweled.
Google the name of the above app plus "iPhone" to find them.
4) Any other tips based on your experience?
Yes. Remember to actually POWER DOWN the iPhone every few days or so or it will start to get kind of crashy/funky on you.
Show it off to people all the time. Encourage them to press the buttons, pinch the photos. Show off the video especially (remove the pr0n first, of course).
You'll find that you have to manage your iPhone's storage space more carefully than you would, say, a Nano. For example, I created a smart folder in iPhoto called "Last 30 days" and that's the only list the iPhone pulls from for pictures, so I never have more than a couple hundred pictures on the iPhone (freeing up room for more video and music). I have another smart folder in iTunes that randomly picks about 12 hours of music and rotates it at every sync. Again, leaves more room for video.
Finally, see if you can change your mail to IMAP. I had no use for IMAP till now, but it is WONDERFUL to get an email and reply to it on the phone, and when you get back to your computer it KNOWS you replied to that email (and even has the reply when you re-sync!).
I find that the battery life lasts about 2 days if I'm showing it off a lot (and I still am!), and about 3-4 days if I'm just using it normally. I probably use it as an iPod for about 1 hour a day.
Despite the fact that the headphones that are included can be used as a speakerphone, it is nonetheless almost certainly ILLEGAL in your area to wear them while driving. Check your local laws, but to be on the safe side don't wear the headphones while driving. If you get a call, put it on speaker.
If you're the sort of person who does a lot of talking on the phone while driving, invest in a car-audio interface that lets you do that because the iPhone's built-in speaker is weak. Oh, and know that I and everyone else on the road HATES YOU!
Enjoy it -- and don't be afraid to answer questions about it from strangers, particularly good-looking ones.
