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iPhone 3G review: Twice the hype, half the novelty

11 August 2008 | Read the review | Post your comment
iPhone 3G review: Twice the hype, half the novelty - read the full textIt's finally here - the iPhone 3G. No, we mean that literally. It's finally at our office and boy, are we excited! GPS, HSDPA purring under the new iPhone hood with a hefty number of software enhancements. But all them software goodies...

 

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I don't get those people who complain about the iphone missing some features as if there's a phone out there that can do everything.

The iphone focuses on internet and ipod features. And now it's even better because you can now download helpful and useful applications from the application store.

If you happen to be a user who needs features that the iphone does not have, the iphone obviously is not for you, but it does not make the iphone a bad phone just because you send MMS everyday and the iphone does not. There are people, like the iphone users, that do not care a lot for MMS, or BT. As for me, the iphone is all I need. I am enjoying its effortless operation. It's seldom to none that I get frustrated with the iphone's performance.

  • Reply
  • 2008-09-05 09:47
  • 4TDQ

That still in no way justifies the price for this phone!!!!

Anyways, its for people with a lot of spare money to spend.

What extra do you get at that price as compared to any other phone with the same price??

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  • 2008-09-03 19:34
  • w4Yp

Poor bluetooth compatibilty.
Cant' switch off preditive text.
Can't search emails.
No home key for the net.

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  • 2008-09-02 21:41
  • pJCq

> In reply to Anonymous @ 2008-08-26 10:44 from 4TApU fanboys, noy only u

Almost every phone out there has MMS, but when ppl complain about the iPhone no having MMS, u almost make it sound like if it was a "bonus" not to have it. If it's just a phone, why such a large screen? So u can see the numbers??

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  • 2008-09-02 06:53
  • ThR}

Apple phone v2.0 cool phone it is!Am planning to one for myself cos am a Muzik craze,but as I thought Apple has'nt come up to its mark..As every1 has ever xpected..Lack of good features is pulling me back!
Now am planning to get SonyEriccson W950,along with an iPod Touch,which is more worth for my 24/7 Musik thirst.

  • Reply
  • 2008-09-01 07:29
  • w4p$

> In reply to Simon @ 2008-08-22 13:36 from vu{jThis is a very good review and i couldn't of said it better myself!

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  • 2008-08-30 02:05
  • 0RZn

> In reply to Anonymous @ 2008-08-27 07:14 from 4TA3You call me dumb, and yet I obviously need to explain "standard features" to you. Standard features are those that the vast majority of people would EXPECT to see in a phone, because MOST manufacturers include them. The standard features MOST people EXPECT from a high end 3G handset these days would be voice calls, video calls, SMS, MMS, email, web browser, media player. Video calling is not popular in the US because of the lack of 3G coverage - I'm sure we've already covered this. As for having our own computers here - of course we do, but if I'm at a friend's house and he has music on his computer that i'd like to have on my phone, what's the point in me downloading it if I can transfer it from his computer? It's just Apple placing unneccesary restrictions...

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  • 2008-08-29 11:26
  • nTqt

> In reply to Revenant @ 2008-08-26 11:25 from nTqtAre you that stupid? lol. Do I really have to say multi-media all the time?

You're pointless. What do you mean missing features? Why? Is there a standard checklist for all phones to follow on what features should be included? The iphone is on a league of its own. Apple has their own perspective and standards of what the iphone should be. There is always room for improvement. Not just with the iphone, but for every phone out there. Hence, the updates. There you go again with your video calling. Again, I really have not seen anyone using that feature. I used to have it on my N95 and Touch Diamond. Never used it. I would believe you, if I see people in public using that feature, but they don't. You're giving too much importance when it's not popular (with phones).

We are very happy with itunes. Where do you download your music from? Do you have go to your neighbor's house and use their computer. Don't you have your own?

Again you're pointless, and dumb =)

  • Reply
  • 2008-08-27 07:14
  • 4TA3

> In reply to Rego @ 2008-08-26 11:07 from PBtxIphone users didn't buy the iphone expecting extras. We bought it because of its ipod and web browsing and cool applications. The iphone is for users who prefers to do computer work on their pc's or macs, not their phone. The iphone is expensive because of its high quality, both in features and build.

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  • 2008-08-27 07:01
  • 4TA3

hi guys, stop fighting! weather the iphone is a great phone or a terrible phone. both of you guys are correct the phone can be great to some people and can be terrible too for some. really depends on the priority of the user. like in the US they are the people who doesnt use much sms, mms and ems. the important for these people is voice call and emails. and a good browser so the iphone really fits there needs. plus the beautiful UI make the phone even more attractive for easier to use.

but on the other hand if you use sms and mms much you dont go for iphone because the doesn't even have forward and edit message. and if camera resolution is important to you on the phone, video rec and all this features then iphone is really not for you. the only thing i dont like about iphone is file transfer capability that all files should pass through itunes before you can move them to other devices.

so far there's really good and bad side of every phone so lets be fair. iphone lovers and iphone haters there's no sense in fighting it all depends on the user preference. some user goes with browser more than camera on the other hand there are camera more than browser.

my opinion iphone is the great phone it has the best touchscreen UI in the market to date and the best phone browser to date but flash player would have been a great addition. and i think the fastest UI compared to all other smartphones in the market todate.

  • Reply
  • 2008-08-27 05:58
  • vpdF

> In reply to Revenant @ 2008-08-26 11:25 from nTqtYou're not just dumb, you also have comprehension issues, lol. You speak as if the iphone is the only phone out of the box that need some improvements. Name me a phone that came out of the box that can do everything. And how can you say missing? Why? is there a standard checklist out there on what features a multimedia phone should have? There's none. The iphone also has features and qualities that other multi-media phones don't have. What is standard for Nokia, may not be standard for SE, or Samsung or Apple. Apple can set their own standard and perspective that may be different from other phonemakers, and that is what sets it apart when it first came out. It's different. Video calling is useless to a lot of people. Why do I say that? Because I know a lot of people who has video calling on their phones and never used it once. I used to have one and never used it myself. I don't know how it works in your country, but here in the US, we don't go to our neighbors house to use their computers to download songs. We have our own.

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  • 2008-08-27 03:09
  • abF8

> In reply to Rego @ 2008-08-26 11:07 from PBtxIt's not just about the extras my friend. It's about the performance and quality of the iphone.

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  • 2008-08-27 02:55
  • jJee

wat is the price of phone 3g

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  • 2008-08-26 21:23
  • 2TuH

> In reply to Rego @ 2008-08-26 11:07 from PBtxExactly. If you look at most of the multimedia phones out there, they all have many more features than the iPhone. That is enough to make it a terrible multimedia phone. Remember people, a good web browser makes it a decent INTERNET phone, not a good multimedia phone...

  • Reply
  • 2008-08-26 11:28
  • nTqt

> In reply to Anonymous @ 2008-08-26 10:44 from 4TApSo if you're so smart, and I'm not, how come you missed that I never said the iPhone was a teerrible phone. I said it was a terrible MULTIMEDIA phone. My point about the firmware wasn't that you need to update it to USE the phone - just that so many features are missing that most other multimedia devices can do out the box. You can use the main features straight out the box, but that wasn't my point. My point was that you need the update to use features that are standard on most multimedia phones. Video calling? It's a popular service where 3G coverage is available. I know 3G isn't widely available in the US but is that reason enough to alienate the international market? Yes, you can use iTunes to download music, but can't that only be done from the computer you register on? More restrictions.

You seem to have misinterpreted almost all of my points. And then you call ME dumb?

  • Reply
  • 2008-08-26 11:25
  • nTqt

That still in no way justifies the price for this phone!!!!

Anyways, its for people with a lot of spare money to spend.

What extra do you get at that price as compared to any other phone with the same price??

  • Reply
  • 2008-08-26 11:07
  • PBtx

> In reply to Revenant @ 2008-08-25 17:13 from nTqtJust because the iphone cannot take videos and send MMS, it's already terrible? LOL. Taking videos and MMS are not the essence of a phone. It's making calls. The rest are just extras. You are a terrible person, lol. The iphone can send emails, so MMS is not the only deal. Most, if not all, iphone users have digital cameras, so the iphone not able to take videos is not a big deal for us because we can take better quality videos with our digital cameras. The iphone has Pandora Radio, AOL radio and also an ipod, we do not need FM radio. Video calling is silly, no one really uses that feature. Maybe 1 out of a million, lol. Again, we do not need to transfer via BT, we can email. How many options do you need to download music? LOL. We can buy music through itunes, we can also rip music from our personal cd collentions, we can even download songs from limewire if we want to. We are not freeloaders. We can get our own music. The iphone is a fun phone, has a great ipod and has an amazing web browser, and a revolutionary touch UI. Nice attempt to pull down the iphone. But you need to be really smart to do that, and you're not =)

  • Reply
  • 2008-08-26 10:44
  • 4TAp

> In reply to Ying @ 2008-08-14 21:35 from q28eYou said "the Nokia N95 isn't known for just its 5 megapixel ability. Unlike most camera phones, the lens equipped on the Nokia N95 is of prestigious quality" - Are you on drugs? The N95 takes decent pictures, but I wouldn't call it prestigious. Camera phones are only handy to use in case you do not have your digital camera with you. That's why I do not understand the hype on megapixels.

You said "the iPhone is not worthy to be dubbed as a smartphone" - Why? Who's dubbing it a smartphone? Did Apple dub it to be a smartphone? The iphone is a multi-media device, not necessarily a smartphone. It gets confused to be a smartphone, but it's not.

You asked "please explain the possibility of a simple image transfer then" - Have you heard of email?

You said "The main factor when deciding "best browser" is how closely a mobile browser mimics the PC browser" - You are wrong. A great web browser is being able to effortlessly surf the web. The ability to zoom-in and out of a page easily. The ability to access web sites with ease. The ability capture a page in the most effective format to fit the display of your phone. The absence of flash support and java with the iphone has not affected or hindered me in any way when I browse the web. I had the N95, the Viewty and the Touch Diamond, and they are far behind the iphone's web browsing capabilities.

You said "Much like the overall conception of the iPhone, the UI is too simple. The iPhone has an open one application limit" - You are again wrong. You can open ipod and browse the web at the same time with your iphone. If that is not multi-tasking, what would you call that? A person can only do so much at one time. What kind of multi-tasking do you require from a phone if I may ask?

You said "Either consumers are really that ignorant, or Apple's marketing is just that marvelous" Again, are you on drugs? If the iphone is just all about effective marketing, don't you think that the millions of iphone users would've realized that by now? Critics would say that if you already have the ist gen iphone, stick with it. Just like when that black N95 came out. It didn't really have a lot of difference from the old N95, so people were advised to keep their old N95 and that the black N95 would be a great choice for new buyers. Same logic here. I'm a new iphone user, so of course I'd be buying the 3g iphone. Use your common sense.

You said "The differences between the iPhone and the other manufacturers, the other manufacturers upgrades aren't so drastic yet pointless and leave consumers greatly unfulfilled." - Are you saying that the iphone is not capable of getting updates? Except for the 3G part, the 1st generation iphone can avail of all the updates that the 3g iphone has. Like being able to download applications from itunes.

You're obviously not an iphone user. Maybe the iphone's feature does not serve you right. It simply means that the iphone is not a device for you. Just because a coupe can only fit 2 people, and you have a family of 8, it does not mean that the two door car is already useless. A coupe can run faster than any van or suv, just like the iphone can outperform any smartphone. Do you want to do a comparison on which phone can flip through pictures faster? Or which phone can zoom in and out faster? Or which phone can load a web page faster.

  • Reply
  • 2008-08-26 02:41
  • jJee

And before people start going on about how most of these shortcomings can be fixed with a future firmware update - it shouldn't NEED it. If the iPhone's supposed to be a multimedia device, surely you should be able to use the multimedia features straight out the box, instead of having to spend ages farting about with it to make it do things it really shoulda been able to do from the off...

  • Reply
  • 2008-08-25 17:25
  • nTqt

> In reply to GUNNER @ 2008-08-22 18:04 from iih@Actually, the iPhone is a TERRIBLE multimedia phone. No MMS, no video recording, no settings on the camera, no radio, no video calling, no bluetooth file transfer and the headset support doesn't even support A2DP. Not to mention the incredibly limited options for transferring music onto the phone in the first place. I'm sorry, but the ONLY things the iPhone has going for it is the UI and the web browsing experience, and without flash or java support the web browsing ain't even as good as it first appears to be. But to call the iPhone a great multimedia phone is utterly laughable. Sorry guys, but it just don't cut it...

  • Reply
  • 2008-08-25 17:13
  • nTqt
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