iPhone 3G review: Twice the hype, half the novelty
- b
- blameboy
- 4A%
- 13 Aug 2008
I can live with no MMS but no stereo bluetooth, bluetooth file transfer, video calling, video recording, FM radio, and cheap low pixel camera really turn many people off.
Any decent high end phones that's made in 2008+ should have at least 3MP camera if not 5MP on it.
Oh yeah. Also the damn build in battery is extremely frustrating. You can't get a back up battery just in case the battery runs out.
- S
- SwagR
- R0K
- 13 Aug 2008
Yawn!
- ?
- Anonymous
- nSH
- 12 Aug 2008
I probably only send about 1 MMS every month or less. But if someone far away wants to share a picture, it's the easiest way to do it. MMS should come as standard...as should Bluetooth file transfer. Its an embarrasment to have headset-only Bluetooth in 2008. Since I mainly use BT for file transfers, no point in getting the iphone! The other missing basic features are a mystery too.
I would also like to see a FM radio, I think it actually might help itunes sales- if someone hears a song they like then they can search for it and buy it, maybe using something similar to trackid...
- p
- pokpok
- e6}
- 12 Aug 2008
I really don't understand why some people complain about some handy but unnecessary features that the iPhone does not have. On mms, why would I send pics via mms and get charged for it when I can email those pics with my iPhone for free? As for songs, I don't remember sending songs everyday or every week or even every month when I used to have my n95. Do you know of people who do? Now Internet is a big deal. And the iPhone has the best browser. As for the camera, the iPhone does take decent pics and you don't really need 5mp. If you're serious in taking pictures, no camera phone can replace a standalone camera, so u still end up pulling out your canon. Same with videos. iPhone's features are just adequate for a cellphone. And most importantly, it works very smoothly.
- S
- SE + Nokia Fan
- i}d
- 12 Aug 2008
iPhone/Apple fanatics are willing to pay any amount for any item that has an Apple logo on it...
If Apple/Jobs make their own parfume that smells like a keyboard and put the Apple logo on it, they'd probably still make a ton of money.
The fanatics' love of Apple is just pointlessly blind...
Other than a nice touchscreen and its slim figure, iPhone is way overrated...
- J
- Julio
- iKD
- 12 Aug 2008
iPhone a phone? U must be kidding me! That`s a overhyped stupid and expensive toy!
No MMS? No video recording? No settings in camera? No transfering files via Bluetooth? No snoozing alarms? No multitasking???
C`mon guys!!!
- M
- Michael Alexander
- mAM
- 12 Aug 2008
Crow, 12 Aug 2008"DvD-like quality or even High Definition, and watch them o... moreAs about the DVD-like quality or HD quality, of course you cannot achieve that on the phone itself, but on a TV screen only. But if you don't have a TV nearby, the 480x320 display is enough to enjoy a movie, believe me.
- M
- Michael Alexander
- mAM
- 12 Aug 2008
Crow, 12 Aug 2008"DvD-like quality or even High Definition, and watch them o... moreI think you're living into an ideal world, really. I mean, these guys are just producing their second phone, in the second year since they entered this market. Tell me another company whose second phone was better then that, even considering the time when they started. Do you remember the second Nokia device? Or Samsung's, Motorola's, Ericsson, etc? You cannot achieve perfection from the very beginning, that's why the word "evolution" was invented. And periodically firmware updates are a must, even Nokia is releasing improved versions for their Symbian phones. If you don't like the materials of iPhone you can buy exclusive phones like Nokia Arte, Nokia Prism, Nokia Luna, etc. These devices are made of the best ever materials, but they worth at least 700 euros each, offering less than iPhone. But if you don't keep your iPhone in your pocket, along with your keys, you should not be afraid of scratches.
- ?
- Anonymous
- TIE
- 12 Aug 2008
i ph is only gd for US. my friend using unlock version in singapore. Its stunning at first sight due to excellent screen and UI. but it actually is useless. For those who can live without free services like mms and video call or Java app, then shouldn't be a problem. Anyway, not for me.
- M
- Michael Alexander
- mAM
- 12 Aug 2008
G, 12 Aug 2008Makes me wonder too...it can't be hard to do the MMS and Bl... moreIt's quite clear why Apple didn't introduce FM radio support yet, though some iPods have it already. Probably they thought that if people will have FM included, the sales of MP3's from the iTunes store will decrease a little bit. The MMS wasn't a priority as it's not a popular service in the US. In fact I think I've sent no more than 3 MMS's over the last year. As about Java support, they are still negotiating with Sun Microsystems. They should have fixed the copy-paste, the voice command and bluetooth A2DP and file sharing.
To be continued. I hope! :)
- z
- z
- Y9B
- 12 Aug 2008
no video call or good camera.....
- t
- ted
- Mx@
- 12 Aug 2008
Best handset in the market!!!!!!!
had this handset since day one at 7:02
jailbroken 2.0.1 endless fun :D
- C
- Crow
- n{F
- 12 Aug 2008
Michael Alexander, 12 Aug 2008In a few words, if you already have an iPhone 1G it's diffi... more"DvD-like quality or even High Definition, and watch them on your device or connect it to your LCD tv or plasma TV"
Are you kidding me? DVD-like quality on a 320 x 480 screen? And as the tv out can only do NTSC/PAL output it's quite a bit away from DVD quality either, not to mention HD!
As far as firmware updates are concerned a lot of other devices get firmware updates too, so there is nothing special about that. But it would be best if the device didn't need updates for functions the are standard nowadays. So in my oppinion the neccesarity of updates is rather a downside than an upside!
But apart from that what really matters is hardware and OS usability. There is no denying the excellent OS of the iPhone, but its hardware is really mediocre. The newer windows mobile devices are getting better fast and offer a lot more functionality. They are not quite there with the responsiveness of the OS yet but are far superior in other aspects (display, camera, 3rd party apps, freedom of choice for music/movie/app sources and provider,...). So apple will have to work hard to get it's hardware and functionality up to date with the next generation iPhone or they won't stand a chance soon.
- G
- G
- mc3
- 12 Aug 2008
Michael Alexander, 12 Aug 2008As I said in my comment below, except the camera, memory ca... moreMakes me wonder too...it can't be hard to do the MMS and Bluetooth functionality. Considering the iPhone is supposed to be a music - orientated handset, A2DP should be top priority. I can't think of any music phones that don't have FM radios these days either. Sure you can stream radio channels off the internet, but for one thing WiFi isn't always available and doing it on 3G would mean huge data charges. FM is a must.
Until Apple sort out even these most basic issues, I will never get one.
- M
- Michael Alexander
- mAM
- 12 Aug 2008
G, 12 Aug 2008"If you don't have any iPhone and you are a real fan of mob... moreAs I said in my comment below, except the camera, memory card slot and audio quality, everything can be fixed by future firmware updates. I you cannot live without java, flash, copy-paste, MMS or FM radio, you may buy another phone or wait until apple releases iPhone OS 3.0 or 4.0 or whatever.
I don't know why apple didn't fix at least some of these easy-to-solve problems with iPhone 2.0 platform. I guess they were too busy to make this phone more business-friendly. They added Microsoft exchange, Mobile Me, scientific calculator, contact search, additional languages, plus the possibility to delete all the data, using your computer, in case you lose your phone. I'm looking foreward to the 3.0 firmware already.
There are rumors saying that the next iPhone will be named iPhone Sun, and will be able to recharge the battery using the sun light. It will also have a front camera for video calls. I tell you what, this phone is years ahead all the others in termns of design, user interface and software platform.
- F
- Fury
- Rxd
- 12 Aug 2008
i have been waiting for gsm arena to get a review up for the 3g b4 deciding to buy one and now im so glad i did the touch screen os is kool and fancy and the nerd in me wants it soooo bad but wtf apple forgot to install the phone to the touchscreen
the main disadvantages list reads like the advantages list of a $50 phone a phone thats cant record video never mind send it to you friends is worthless in todays world especially amongst teens and the likes and the phone lacks the top end to be a business phone so where exactly does this phone fit in todays world
my advice buy a ipod touch and a a POS black and white screened phone that cnt do anything but make basic calls tape them together and wait till someone does a decent touchscreen os phone
- ?
- Anonymous
- Suj
- 12 Aug 2008
What about battery time. Didn't find any info about that in the review.
- ?
- Anonymous
- 04%
- 12 Aug 2008
Cr-Apple iPhone....if you own one as your primany decive its like telling the world you got ripped off and are dam proud, congrats Michael Alexander
- G
- G
- mc3
- 12 Aug 2008
Michael Alexander, 12 Aug 2008In a few words, if you already have an iPhone 1G it's diffi... more"If you don't have any iPhone and you are a real fan of mobile devices, this one it's a must-have-stuff." Not really. I won't even consider buying a phone that can't do the most basic things like MMS and sending files over Bluetooth, that even the cheapest other phones can do these days.
- ?
- Anonymous
- 4TA
- 12 Aug 2008
If I get my iphone unlocked so I can use it when I go to other countries using other sim cards, would I have a problem when I put back in its AT & T sim card when I return? Or, since Globe is an official carrier in the Philippines, would Globe sim card work on my At & T iphone?