Having owned both Palm OS (Treo + Palm III/V/Clie/TX) and an iPhone, I can say that while the parent post is well-meaning, it was filled with FUD from someone who clearly has never used an iPhone for any length of time.
you could pick up the phone and call someone in less than the 5 minutes it takes to get iPhone to do ANYTHING.
* Just picked up my iPhone -- from "locked" to "phone ringing at other end" it took 4 presses (one press to turn on screen, one slide to unlock, one press to launch phone, one press to dial contact) -- I timed it multiple times -- it took approximately 4-5 seconds from picking up to ringing.
It took less than a second to start an app
It depends upon the app -- most built-in apps (SMS, YouTube, Mail) take less than one second to launch. Some of the larger App Store add-ons (Orb, Shoutcast, Stanza) can take upwards of 3-4 seconds to launch. Of course, the program sizes for the iPhone are MBs and not KBs...Some of the larger ones (10MB+) such as HoldEm do take nearly 9 seconds to load...that's nine seconds of my life I'm never getting back. Of course I'm usually sitting at an airport killing time so that's a few hours of my life I'm never getting back, but let's get back to the GP post...
when you switched to another app and came back, it was JUST where you left it - what a concept
Let's see -- halfway through typing SMS, leave application, do something else, come back, SMS is still there half typed.
In the middle of playing Bejeweled, if I leave the application (say, the phone rings) -- the iPhone gracefully hands off the focus to the phone, it rings, I finish my conversation, end call and -- right back to Bejeweled.
If I am browsing the web and an SMS comes it, it pops up on the screen, I can reply right then (going into the SMS program) and return to my web page or simply cancel the notification...
Side note: Safari is quite stable. You obviously don't remember the joy of spending hours trying to get Blazer to display pages/not crash...
I was looking forward to Android, but don't want to switch to T-Mobile. Here's to hoping Pre is as good functionally as Treos were and Verizon would for once start carrying a phone designed in this century. (As much as I miss my Treo, I miss having coverage more, AT&T coverage SUCKS)
OK, so you don't want to switch to T-Mobile -- but you say that AT&T coverage sucks and Verizon doesn't carry the phones that you like...?
I'm not really sure what your point was -- other than that you are unhappy -- but suffice to say that the hoards of iPhone fanatics out there didn't just sign an agreement saying that they will take every opportunity to convert the world and force family and friends to drink the Kool-Aid. We really do love our phones *because they work*...