Apple iPhone

[moose]

Oh bloody hell. He said it would be £200 to fix the screen.

You've broken the screen already?
Insurance bought instore at the same time as an electrical/technology item is always rubbish - just add it on your household insurance. You won't want to be bothered fixing it anyway, if something does happen, you'll want a replacement.

 

[Pie 1]

just posted this from the phone!

So one of it's most basic selling points works then.
Well, phew!

 

[Melinda]

You've broken the screen already?
Insurance bought instore at the same time as an electrical/technology item is always rubbish - just add it on your household insurance. You won't want to be bothered fixing it anyway, if something does happen, you'll want a replacement.

Hey
No I havent broken anything yet, I was sold the insurance on the basis that it would cost £200 to fix the screen in the eventuality of me knackering the screen. Im taking your's and Xan's advice and ditching he insurance today.

I CANNOT believe the extent I was hypnotised by the beauty of the damn thing. I didnt listen to anything! Siren iphone!

 

[paolo]

probably can't see anything up your own arse anyway.

Doof!

 

[Xanadu]

Barclays Additions First is £6.50 a month and had loads of benefits in addition to the phone insurance. check it out: http://www.personal.barclays.co.uk/BRC1/jsp/brccontrol?site=pfs&task=homefreegroup&value=12854

The other packages look even better.

 

[Melinda]

You're up early!

Cheers for the info- its really appreciated. xx

 

[Xanadu]

No problem!

I'm sorely tempted by the iphone still. I'm reluctant to go into any phone shops, just in case I end up succumbing to the high-fiving employees.

I have to keep reminding myself - it doesn't have 3G, there's no spare memory card slot, and you can't send text messages to multiple people.

This is going to be difficult

 

[Melinda]

I knew none of that!

But it does have 8gb of memory though?

Im telling you it looks SO GOOD. Piano black and shiney with chromey bits!
And the colours on the screen! It feels lovely in your hands, although my thumbs seem a bit large for texting. The maps are wicked and youtube looks cool on it too!

Go buy one.... its new and shiney </siren>.

 

[scruff]

No multiple texts? How come?

 

[editor]

BBC's review is worth a read.

Graphics and picture-heavy websites take an age to load. But RSS feeds and mobile-friendly websites (such as news.bbc.co.uk/mobile) load quite quickly over the 2G Edge network that O2 offers.

I also found it sufficiently speedy to send and receive e-mails on the go. Sadly, O2's Edge network only covers 30% of the country so if you are not in a major urban area, you will experience painfully slow data connections....

The phone also lacks the ability to sync data - such as calendar details and contacts - wirelessly, either through short-range Bluetooth or over the mobile network.

The camera that comes with the phone is also deeply disappointing. It offers a measly two megapixels and while the sensor in the phone is decent, images are often poor quality unless shot in direct sunlight...

The iPhone isn't for everyone - it is not a true Smartphone device, the storage capacity is fixed and limiting for people with large music collections, the camera is low quality, it lacks true internet communication capabilities and the 2G handset is slow for data connections over the cell network.

The articles goes on to praise the interface and stability of the phone.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7079098.stm

 

[dogmatique]

Or try Stephen Fry's typically ebullient reposte in the Guardian today:

The iPhone is a digital experience in the literal sense of the word. The user's digits roam, stroke, tweak, tweeze, pinch, probe, slide, swipe and tap across the glass screen forging a relationship with the device that is like no other.

"But I don't want to 'forge a relationship', I just want to get the job done," you say? Well then, you know what? Don't buy one. And stop reading this. You're only doing so in the first place to lend fuel to your snorts and puffs of rage. Allow us our pleasures.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/nov/10/iphone1

 

[editor]

Or try Stephen Fry's typically ebullient reposte in the Guardian today:

Funny that he's had to go on the defensive already (and Fry really is Fanboy #1), but I like this comment:

In the end the iPhone is like some glorious early-60s sports car. Not as practical, reliable, economical, sensible or roomy as a family saloon but oh, the joy.

I'm not sure that it's 'changed the market forever' either. High end phones may nick/adopt some of its features, but I can't see it having much impact on the low end of the market.

 

[paolo]

slow compared with? Does the reviewer say? Its a meaningless comment without a reference point.

 

[editor]

slow compared with? Does the reviewer say? Its a meaningless comment without a reference point.

Compared to 3G, I'd imagine.

 

[paolo]

Editor (or anyone): can you time a web page load on your phone then post the result , along with URL phone model browser and connection type? I can then try it on the iPhone over edge (and GPRS at some point)

 

[paolo]

I'm not expecting the iPhone to be faster but so far I am genuinely surprised how quick it is.

 

[editor]

Editor (or anyone): can you time a web page load on your phone then post the result , along with URL phone model browser and connection type? I can then try it on the iPhone over edge (and GPRS at some point)

I surf with my images turned off , but loading urban using the 'lite' screen took about 3 seconds (Treo 650/Blazer).

But I'll be the first to admit that the Palm browser isn't very good and I'm only on Ye Olde GPRS. Still, it's usually fine for my needs: I'm not interested in viewing big glossy sitres when I'm on the move - I just want info!

Oh, and Google maps (searching for 'Oxford Street, London) took about 9 seconds to download the full map.

It was *way* quicker using 3G on the Treo 500v I tested.

 

[editor]

The Telegraph thinks you're a wazzock!

Q: Is it an internet browser?

A: Yes - but it's more than that. It's an internet browser that goes half as fast as one of those rotten old 3G mobile phones - and works across only 30 per cent of the country unless you're at a wireless hotspot. Oh, and it's very, very expensive.

Q: What is the correct term for an adult human being who's prepared to spend upwards of £1,200 to own a mobile phone for 18 months, just because it is made by Apple?

A: A wazzock.

Q: What is the correct term for an adult human being who will pitch a tent outside a shop overnight in order to be one of the first people on Earth to spend upwards of £1,200 to own a mobile phone for 18 months, just because it is made by Apple?

A: An utter wazzock.

Q: Does the Apple corporation do a valuable service to the general population by rolling out the iPhone, so that wazzocks and utter wazzocks can be quickly identified and - where appropriate - persecuted?

A: It does.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/11/10/do1006.xml

 

[tarannau]

Blimey, Sam Leith and The Telegraph.

You'll be linking to one of Clarkson's witless opinion-piece diatribes next...

 

[editor]

Blimey, Sam Leith and The Telegraph.

You'll be linking to one of Clarkson's witless opinion-piece diatribes next...

Come on. Admit it. Even you're embarrassed by the Apple's corporation's attempts to foist some ghastly US-style, all-whoopin' and a-clappin', heartily backslappin', high-spendin' consumer-fest of a launch on us Brits.

 

[paolo]

I surf with my images turned off , but loading urban using the 'lite' screen took about 3 seconds (Treo 650/Blazer).

But I'll be the first to admit that the Palm browser isn't very good and I'm only on Ye Olde GPRS. Still, it's usually fine for my needs: I'm not interested in viewing big glossy sitres when I'm on the move - I just want info!

Oh, and Google maps (searching for 'Oxford Street, London) took about 9 seconds to download the full map.

It was *way* quicker using 3G on the Treo 500v I tested.

Maybe try with images on? (a note for your armoury : you can't turn images off in this version of safari )

 

[editor]

Maybe try with images on? (a note for your armoury : you can't turn images off in this version of safari )

It'll take forever, but give me an URL and I'll see how slow my Treo can go!

(It's mad that you can't turn off images in Safari btw - really stupid).

 

[paolo]

Try the urban forum start page. Its about 10 s on this

E2a: that was edge. I'm on the bus - GPRS is happenning occasionally but not long enough to test

 

[paolo]

Google maps, by the way is sooo
much nicer than their regular mobile version. I can scroll-zoom-locate maybe 10 times faster than my nokia (also GPRS)

 

[Firky]

Doof!

Go on! Take a pic, if I was looking at a contract phone I'd probably get this one.

What I think is funny is how fiercely owners of the iphone defend it and how fiercely none owners slate it

"I WANT ONE ITS NOT FAIR! IT MUST BE SHIT!"

 

[Firky]

I should say I wouldn't buy the first generation of apple iphone, I would wait for a year or so. I want 3G and the ability to install Opera.

 

[paolo]

I should say I wouldn't buy the first generation of apple iphone, I would wait for a year or so. I want 3G and the ability to install Opera.

3g will be nice - edge is surpisingly usable though. I'd like opera mini for the places where there's no edge... The proxy mechanism makes GPRS tolerable. Not sure I'd bother with full opera though. Overall though yes - the 2nd version will be more rounded

 

[Kid_Eternity]

The low number of mp is a fair point but the point about light isn't really, most phones are shit in low light conditions anyway.

Tbh, after trying the touch, I can see how a lot of that stuff really doesn't matter when you're using an interface that just feels that cool to use.

 

[G. Fieendish]

I wonder what will happen, when people import "unlocked" iPhones from France, after November the 29th (the French iPhone launch date) & then have problems....
Will Apple U.K honour the warranty, or will they refuse to handle them, thus effectively treating them as Hacked units....
Note: under French law, unlike the U.K, phones cannot be sold "pre-locked" to a network provider's service....

 

[paolo]

I wonder what will happen, when people import "unlocked" iPhones from France, after November the 29th (the French iPhone launch date) & then have problems....
Will Apple U.K honour the warranty, or will they refuse to handle them, thus effectively treating them as Hacked units....
Note: under French law, unlike the U.K, phones cannot be sold "pre-locked" to a network provider's service....

I believe the existing policy is that - within the same country at least - they will support everything but the phone functions if you don't have an official contract.