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Apple iPhone 3G

Author	Andy Vandervell
Published	21st Jul 2008
Manufacturer	Apple
Supplier	O2
Price	From Free On Contract
Latest Price	Click here

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It's all a bit silly, isn't it? Nothing, especially a mobile phone, truly deserves the amount of attention heaped upon the iPhone 3G. Yet, such is the nature of the device, the company that makes it and the media that follows it all, it attracts the kind of hysteria normally reserved for the front page of The Daily Mail. Throw in a launch with Monty Pyhon-esque levels of farce - albeit nothing like as funny - and it's a recipe for weeks of discussion, dissection and, quite often, vitriol.

All of which is a shame because, as the original Apple iPhone proved, this is a product that can quite easily stand alone without the hype. Not perfect, granted, even now it still lacks one or two features many regard as essential, but then the iPhone has a few things no-one can even touch - touch being one of them. The iPhone 3G then is not the revolutionary device that the original was, more of an incremental upgrade, but it's all the better for those upgrades.

Let's start with the headline grabbing feature: 3G. There it sits, two little letters that signify one massive, nay essential, addition to the iPhone. Notwithstanding the brilliance of the original iPhone, and it was brilliant, the addition of 3G really makes this the product the original should have been. Where before one tolerated the EDGE network to enjoy the fruits of the effortless touch sensitive navigation, sleek design and the unique web browsing, now it's possible to enjoy all of these in a package that delivers a Mobile Internet experience fit for this fast paced modern age of ours.

How big is this difference? Well, using the 2G EDGE network it takes 38 seconds to download the BBC homepage, while on 3G it takes only 18.5. All told around twice as fast and that test was run in a relatively low 3G signal area, so in stronger signal areas the difference will be all the greater - Apple claims 3G is around 2.4 times faster. Just for reference, on standard 2G GPRS you'll be waiting over two minutes.

Twice the speed, by any measurement, is a significant difference and makes web browsing in particular faster, more efficient and, importantly, richer. Other elements, like Google Maps, are obviously faster as well, though it benefits less from the higher speeds and is still perfectly usable on EDGE.

There are some practical advantages to 3G as well. It means that, alongside GSM and EDGE support, you have the maximum level of network support. This is an important consideration for those that travel widely. Japan, for example, has no GSM network, so 3G is an absolute must to roam there. Another advantage is you can use data at the same time as making a voice call, useful if you need to look up information on the Internet while in conversation.

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Oliver Levett said on 8th August 2008

From what I've read of this review and the comments, and my own experience of the iPhones, the only advantage of it is the fact that you can pull it out of your pocket and have people recognise the device.

The UI is nothing special, sure you can do some things fast, but the main screen is just like being locked to the WM5/6 program launcher, and there are so few settings that can be adjusted (thanks to Steve Jobs wish to force things on people) that the UI doesn't have to handle any tasks as complex as what the WM UI has to deal with. And, if you truly love the UI, there are plenty of iPhone style UIs for WM (along with more innovative things like PointUI and the Diamond/Raphaels Manilla).

The iPhone 3G is not revolutionary - and, for that matter neither was the original iPhone - it's year old tech in a nice box with an Apple printed on the case and no way of changing anything that Steve Jobs has decided is the way to go. Even the 3rd party apps are limited (you may say the iPhones SDK hasn't been around that long, but Apple are hardly making it easy to get!) to fairly basic operations.

The few features the iPhone posseses are implemented relatively well, but things like the camera limit its ability (even my Prophet takes better pictures with its switchable macro lens), and with the limitations of the email software - you can't have that many accounts, and the Exchange support is limited at best - the iPhone is nowhere near as good a device as even mid range WM devices, which are far cheaper and far more available.

Even Safiri (to me, the iPhones only plus) is outdone by Opera Mobile 9.5, and that's still a beta!

The media available on the iPhone is severly limited by the lack of support for things like AVRCP, or for that matter, any bluetooth audio support, and the inability to transfer media with anything other than iTunes. I'm not saying that WM's default WMP setup fares much better, but at least with WM you have a choice of what software to use!

The app store, one of Apples "revolutions", may make the iPhone have a less limited range of functions, but even that gets controlled by Apple, and adds nothing but the ability to install an app on the phone, rather than firing up iTunes (WMs CAB installers work far more effectively IMHO).

And now, I come to the hardware:
The device itself is bulkier than the competition (Samsung Omnia, HTC Diamond, and even the HTC Touch) and yet lacks VGA, proper GPS support and even HSUPA. MultiTouch may make up for some of these disadvantages, but how many apps actually make use of it? And, the tilt sensor implementation is limited in use aswell.

If Apple actually wants the iPhone to compete, rather than spending money on advertising year old "revolutions", things like Copy/Paste functionality are a must!

Unless you actively want an overpriced bulge in your trousers, or love getting chained down by Steve Jobs (I don't want to know the details...), the iPhone has no advantages over other devices on the market, and the things it does do are bettered by the competetion.

From what I've read of this review and the comments, and my own experience of the iPhones, the only advantage of it is the fact that you can pull it out of your pocket and hav... more

Williamn said on 5th September 2008

Good lord.. I really want one. And this from someone who dislikes apple products...

jeremy said on 29th September 2008

Just got my new i phone from o2.yep looks good and feels well made,it can even tell me the weather in new york.so far so good.But after owning it for less than 3 days you soon real... more

Andrew Katz said on 3rd October 2008

Having just sent back an Omnia after having it for less than 16 hours for being useless, unreliable, unpleasant to use and just so darn Microsofty, I am in love with my iPhone, and... more

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