iPhone Love @ Bullhorn
I have a new iPhone and so does just about every one on the team at Bullhorn. For those of you who read this blog, you probably aren’t surprised, even though it’s only been 5 months since I wrote about my Blackberry Curve. I can sum up my experience with the iPhone with one word: love. I know that I’ve professed my love for phones in the past, so I’ll spare you the “this is different” story. Suffice it to say that it’s true love (at least until something better comes along).
The iPhone has 2 major advantages over every other device on the market: the user interface and the App Store. The user interface is so easy to use and intuitive. Using finger gestures rather than clumsy keys makes it feel like it knows what you want to do. And, the speed of the iPhone 3GS is amazing. Add to that the 50,000 applications built for the platform and you have something truly unique. There are applications that let you book travel, look up movie times, stream music, improve your golf swing, etc. If you can think of it, it’s probably available in the AppStore. The AT&T network and email/sync support previously made the iPhone a tougher sell and with them resolved, the device is a no brainer. These email, calendar and contact sync functions are solid for business users now that the device supports ActiveSync (the technology that lets Bullhorn sync with it).
The phone is clear and AT&T has improved their network significantly in the Boston over the last 6 months. Previously, I would drop 15-20 calls per month with AT&T compared to Verizon’s 1 or 2. But, this time around, I have only dropped 2 calls since buying the iPhone a month ago. I imagine that AT&T has made similar investments in other cities as well. Every time I sit down in a meeting at Bullhorn now, we spend at least the first 5-10 minutes talking about our iPhones. This is a world of difference from any “phone” I have ever used. And, I think that RIM (makers of the blackberry) and Palm are going to have an uphill battle keeping up with the pace Apple has set. So, it will be no surprise to hear that all this love will be trickling down to our customers too.
We’re really getting behind the iPhone. We’re planning to build an App for the device so Bullhorn users can fully leverage the platform. And, we’re launching a beta program in a few short weeks to support syncing email, contacts and calendar to the device. So for all you Bullhorn users, who have been holding your breath, hang in there a few more weeks.
