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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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> In reply to aNgelo G @ 2008-08-14 15:23 from kxJ{ - click to readI'm sorry aNgelo G, but do you honestly KNOW what you are talking about?

Regarding your most recent post, "5mp camera so what? It's good for taking random pictures, no camera phone on the camera is like a true camera...", 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. The Nokia N95 is one of the few rare phones that incorporated a high quality lens to accommodate the CMOS sensors. I would think a previous so called owner of the Nokia N82, and someone bold enough to state "By the way, mega pixel is not what counts, but lens!" would know and recognize that. Furthermore, the purpose of ANY camera is only "good for taking random pictures", unless you're a professional photographer, which the average consumer is not. Question. Are you suggesting the average consumer purchase a single $300-$600 digital camera over devices which not only offer high quality imagery, but advance options to send and share those precious "random pictures" on the spot?

In reply to aNgelo G @ 2008-08-14 05:05 from 4x74

The iPhone is simple, much like you and everyone else who proclaims this device. It's because of this simplicity the device is popular, or even "good" for that matter. Beyond that, the iPhone is not worthy to be dubbed as a smartphone. In my opinion, the iPhone doesn't differ much from a typical ordinary mobile phone.

What you and many others need to understand is that iPhone is classified as a smartphone. In this league, there are many "must have" functions, users and developers alike, have adopted in which the iPhone lack. Your statement ".....so stop complaining about mms, bluetooth and so on. You can use wifi or adhoc to transfer in between phones" proves why the iPhone "sucks". Given the scenario where the other phone did not support WIFI, or a WLAN signal was not available, please explain the possibility of a simple image transfer then.

The main factor when deciding "best browser" is how closely a mobile browser mimics the PC browser. The iPhone is quite far from being the "best browser" as you so diligently put it. Try viewing the 360 degree view of the precious iPhone. Unsuccessful? The iPhone safari browser lacks flash support and java.

Much like the overall conception of the iPhone, the UI is too simple. The iPhone has an open one application limit. Multitasking is essential in the smartphone world. The only thing Apple pushed in the UI field are the highly attractive icon designs and animations.

I do agree with your statement when you noted Apple is "playing it smart". Either consumers are really that ignorant, or Apple's marketing is just that marvelous. The iPhone 3G has nothing more to offer over the original iPhone other than HSPDA and GPS. Based on your concept of "upgrading", that in detail would require the multiple purchases of redundant devices whenever Apple decides to upgrade slightly or in your terms, come closer to the perfect phone. I'm sorry but technology advances with time. There will never be a "perfect phone". The IDEAL phone is one that can adapt with the ever so changing technology.

Yes. Consumers will all eventually replace, upgrade, their devices. The differences between the iPhone and the other manufacturers, the other manufacturers upgrades aren't so drastic yet pointless and leave consumers greatly unfulfilled. They still have the choice of maintaining their "old" devices, but can still go head to head with the "newer" ones.

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  • 2008-08-14 21:35
  • q28e

unsure if anyone has mentioned this one, but if you want it to pick up your corpoarate email via Exchange through a SSL connection, the phone does not support self signed certificates, basically most small to medium sized businesses that create their own certificates. You have to pay for a full authorative certificate from someone like Verisign or Thawte, usually an expensive buy. A major handicap when Windows mobile devices, symbian devices with mail for exchange (eg nokia E90) and blackberry's have no such problems!! Not a business phone!!

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  • 2008-08-14 19:31
  • myVd

> In reply to aNgelo G @ 2008-08-14 15:23 from kxJ{ - click to read"No one yet knowing a better phone?"

Sorry, I cracked. :D

Sorta self-defeating by showing your "blind" fanboy loyalty, doesn't it? Blind to the subpar camera, limited bluetooth, blah blah blah. Just say you like it (despite its obvious limitations) and be done with it.

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  • 2008-08-14 19:08
  • Rxcj

5mp camera so what? It's good for taking random pictures, no camera phone on the camera is like a true camera. You want good quality, get yourself a Canon Rebel.

Yes the camera on the iphone sucks, but it shouldn't be a main selling point for a phone.

By the way, mega pixel is not what counts, but lens!

No one yet knowing a better phone?

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  • 2008-08-14 15:23
  • kxJ{

> In reply to Anonymous @ 2008-08-14 08:30 from pqB$ - click to readnokia has 5megapixel auto focus camera phone...wat does ur stupid iphone has? oh yeah..2mp with no auto focus..picture quality is a crap.....

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  • 2008-08-14 14:48
  • ibjQ

Not to mention that most appstore apps have been cracked.Have u guys seen crash bandicoot on iphone compared with nokia?It looks incredible, almost nintendo/sony psp quality.Imagine the games that will come! Appstore has been up for one month or so and there are HUNDREDS of apps many of them super-high quality. The iphone really is the future! Where is the nokia touch screen ?Also itunes sync is amazing: MUSIC PODCASTS TV SHOWS MOVIES oh and ITUNES U plus audiobooks etc...and did i mention APPSTORE?Just watch Crash Bandicoot on iphone and die of jealousy nokia fanboys

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  • 2008-08-14 08:30
  • pqB$

I wonder how many of you actually have an iphone, so you can give your opinion about it. I had the ROKR E6, one my first touch screens, another Samsung slide phone, Nokia e61i, Nokia N82 and now iPhone. Up to now I have not found the perfect phone.

You people should stop complaining about the iPhone if you haven't tried it. As a phone, it does it job well. Yes maybe the reception is not as excellent as Nokia, but I never had any major reception problems. Music player: it's fabulous. No phone on the market is better and then the iphone. iPod is the number selling audio player in the world, so having it on a phone makes it just perfect.
The looks of the phone are great, but that really depends of your taste ( I have the first gen iphone... I don't like the plastic feel of the 3G)
OS is one of the best so far. It's fast responding, it works well and it's fun. It is missing some customizing features, but when you hack it you can do pretty much whatever you want. Apple didn't make life easy for us, but there is always a solution.....so stop complaining about mms, bluetooth and so on. You can use wifi or adhoc to transfer in between phones.

YEss I agree, this is not a revolutionary phone, but it has one of the best browser and OS interface so far. It also pushed manufactures like nokia, samsung and LG to do better touch screen phones.

One thing that I love about iPhone is that apple dominated the market with it's iPod, so you can virtually plug your iPhone anywhere. That is great!!!!

If you say that this phone sucks, give us good arguments. What phone has a large 3.5 screen, good responding OS, superb audio player, wide range of connectivity with all the stuff you have at home, good battery lifetime ( don't forget that the screen is huge, with great brightness and nice readability in sunlight) and so on???

In the same time, if you have any better phone to suggest, bring it to the table. Yes HTC has much more features, but it doesn't fit in your pocket, it's ugly as hell and has stupid 65k color ( I know it's because of windows mobile). Diamond looked nice at first, but lacks so much

I do wish Apple would include more known features, but they are playing it smart. Don't you guys remember when they came out with iPod? Always adding new features one by one so can dominate the market. Apple can create the perfect phone, but for what??? They won't make as many sells. Think about it...you make the perfect phone, you sell 100 million of them...then what?? Why not just make nice phones and gradually upgrade them. You force the market to follow you and you sell so much....at a point that no one will be able to compete.

I don't support that, but it's the truth.

My vision of the perfect phone:
3" or 3.5" screen
6h min of battery
a decent min 3mps camera with xenon flash...or even better the n82 camera :D
a good OS with a control manager....god I hate it when I have to quit an app to go to another one....Apple wtf!!!!
A sliding QWERTY keyboard... no Apple you keyboard is not as great as you say. It's fast, but cannot beat a physical keyboard
WIFI!!!!! god we are in 2008 how can you not add this to a phone... yes Samsung and Sony, this is for you
Gps would be nice, but it will never be as a REAL GPS
A good manager so you can customize everything in your phone. Create directories, move things around and so on...

I would say wait a year so 2 new iphone generations come and then the phone should be near perfect.
I would also check out Google's Android.... hopefully they can get a real Graphic designer to do their phone cause boy does Google suck in design. But I have to say that their OS looks promising. Most probably HTC will have it...

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  • 2008-08-14 05:05
  • 4x74

its quite amazing how big marketing makes ppl buy silly stuff.apple made huge marketing for iphone,n now u see crazy ppl buyin it!!the best thing iphone has is its revolutionary user interface,browser,sound quality n sunlight legibility!!!thats all,folks!!buyin this phone is waste of money,its crap n overrated!get real guys!

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  • 2008-08-13 18:03
  • nnWA

i dont think i have seen that many disadvantages on a top end phone since the nokia 8800 series was released. not that i have a major problem with most of the basic features missing but if this is classed as a multimedia phone and trying to be sold like one... you would think at least they would have put on decent version of bluetooth rather then just the handsfree one.


worst of all i mean this really annoys me.... cant turn off predictive... right.... ya know all in all i think apple just created this phone with the idea

"hey guys i know lets make a really expensive phone but with no features, stick our logo on it and see hoe many morons buy it"


haha apple at there offices laughing with all the money they hace made from some lesser minded people

  • Reply
  • 2008-08-13 16:56
  • mCSY

iKids Phone
what is a blutooth without a file transfer?
what is a camera without video recording?
what is 3G without video calling?
..........
do u call this a phone??!!

  • Reply
  • 2008-08-13 14:40
  • mED$

Hi all....
I woukd like to tell you one thing , that here in mumbai/india, it is the chinese phones which are selling like hot cakes,
mostly youngsters buy them,
they are cheap, less than 100$.
They come wit h touch screen,
great music player with bluetooth data transfer capability.
Apple iphone is priced at 700$ or above here in mumbai, it is like an expensive jewellary.
And there is no 3g happening in india for at least 2 years, therefore apple 3g is actually 2g in india...
Thanks to gsmarena review we now know the many disadvantages of this phone.......

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  • 2008-08-13 14:32
  • p$Kx

Nice phone,love to have one but so expensive and so much hype for just another phone,For India Apple's Tagline should be Twice the price and half the Speed.There is no 3g in India,then whats the hype for a 700usd phone!!!

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  • 2008-08-13 08:46
  • v}QC

whats with all the hype anyway? seeing so many cons-and thats not even all of it- makes me wonder why people still hype about the iphone. 3G? ok... thats not so great considering that there are many phones in the market that have 3G. it has a mediocre camera and no copy paste functions! its a real turn-off...

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  • 2008-08-13 08:45
  • w0QN

did you folks here about the secret kill switch inside iphone. apple can turn off and remove software from your iphone whenever they want. sorry for the caps, but i thought that was important to mention.

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  • 2008-08-13 08:15
  • 0iT2

Can anyone tell me how long does it take to Sync their iPhones?
It seems as if there is a problem with mine. Everytime it takes at least 8 minutes to do so.

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  • 2008-08-13 07:16
  • TRB9

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.

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  • 2008-08-13 03:31
  • 4A%p

Yawn!

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  • 2008-08-13 02:27
  • R0K@

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...

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  • 2008-08-12 22:18
  • nSHG

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.

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  • 2008-08-12 21:49
  • e6}s

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...

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  • 2008-08-12 21:10
  • i}dR
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