- Joined
- Dec 8, 2004
- Messages
- 4,812
I've been trying out the new iTool. Mixed results, to say the least. But I like it.
The fork and spoon features (you can use a tap of your finger or an included stylus to select the icons) work very well.
The knife not so much. Despite the icon, you get a simple wharncliffe blade. Online documentation says that a clipped point and sheepsfoot will be downloadable directly to the iTool by Fall--you can be, though, that this will be closer to Christmas, conveniently for shoppers.
One feature I definitely like is the fire starting tool. This worked even on very damp tinder, and the spark got a fire going quickly. A nice touch is that by using the body of the iTool, you make a tiny windbreak that's good at deflecting casual breezes. I doubt it would stop a strong breeze though.
First aid was about what you'd expect--no surprises there. You can already download a bunch of additional bandage types and stuff, but what you get included is already pretty good.
The firearm (inaccurately named "Gun") is pretty good, and it comes with either 9mm or .45 (you choose this at purchase and the guy sets it up for you). The online iStore already has .40 and .357M available, as well as a couple of different grain weights for the 9mm and .45. I gather future downloads feature more calibers; the guy at the store wasn't too sure. I haven't fired it yet (gotta get to a range), but the shorter length of the iTool will probably feature more recoil than I like. But heck, it's a survival tool, and that's better than nothing.
A neat feature I didn't get (maybe when I get more cash :grumpy is the quater-inch bit router. It comes standard with an ogee (does anybody use those a lot), but you can download other bits from the iStore. I saw the demo, and it ate through wood really well. One thing that's intentionally dumb though is that you can't use your standard router bits. You have to use the ones from the iStore, or they don't fit. How convenient!
I didn't mess with shelter yet, but it looks like there's a whole bunch to choose from--you scroll through the list and tap the one you need. Nice. Also it has 32MB of memory standard, but the upgrade to 100GB is so cheap you should just get it and not worry about it.
Probably won't replace every tool I've got or carry, but not bad--and of course, it's a pretty good phone, too. Lot of thought went into it.
The fork and spoon features (you can use a tap of your finger or an included stylus to select the icons) work very well.
The knife not so much. Despite the icon, you get a simple wharncliffe blade. Online documentation says that a clipped point and sheepsfoot will be downloadable directly to the iTool by Fall--you can be, though, that this will be closer to Christmas, conveniently for shoppers.
One feature I definitely like is the fire starting tool. This worked even on very damp tinder, and the spark got a fire going quickly. A nice touch is that by using the body of the iTool, you make a tiny windbreak that's good at deflecting casual breezes. I doubt it would stop a strong breeze though.
First aid was about what you'd expect--no surprises there. You can already download a bunch of additional bandage types and stuff, but what you get included is already pretty good.
The firearm (inaccurately named "Gun") is pretty good, and it comes with either 9mm or .45 (you choose this at purchase and the guy sets it up for you). The online iStore already has .40 and .357M available, as well as a couple of different grain weights for the 9mm and .45. I gather future downloads feature more calibers; the guy at the store wasn't too sure. I haven't fired it yet (gotta get to a range), but the shorter length of the iTool will probably feature more recoil than I like. But heck, it's a survival tool, and that's better than nothing.
A neat feature I didn't get (maybe when I get more cash :grumpy
is the quater-inch bit router. It comes standard with an ogee (does anybody use those a lot), but you can download other bits from the iStore. I saw the demo, and it ate through wood really well. One thing that's intentionally dumb though is that you can't use your standard router bits. You have to use the ones from the iStore, or they don't fit. How convenient! I didn't mess with shelter yet, but it looks like there's a whole bunch to choose from--you scroll through the list and tap the one you need. Nice. Also it has 32MB of memory standard, but the upgrade to 100GB is so cheap you should just get it and not worry about it.
Probably won't replace every tool I've got or carry, but not bad--and of course, it's a pretty good phone, too. Lot of thought went into it.
