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iPhone - My Review

High Voltage said:
Can I get one of these things and put one of my Sims into it and NOT lose any of the functionality??
No. You have to bend to Jobs' will and sign up for 18 months with O2, or run the risk of unlocking the phone and then having it intentionally borked by Apple during the next firmware upgrade.

Either way you can expect a whole load of firmware updatin' fun with the iPhone.
 
I think the main problem with the iPhone is that you have to deal with people who repeatedly go on about their pet feature that hasn't been included... :D
 
beesonthewhatnow said:
How well/easily does it synch with your desktop?
I can sync my Palm by cable, over a network, via Bluetooth or even have it backed up over the web! Beat that Jobsy!
 
Not sure why everyone is going on about unlocking it. To get one u musrt get a contract with O2, so u may as well use that contract your paying for.
 
beesonthewhatnow said:
How well/easily does it synch with your desktop?

Plug it in (via USB) and it'll sync immediately from what I understand. If you've a mac (and .mac or similar) it'll sync data across devices and t'interweb, including contacts, bookmarks and calendars.

I suspect the reason for lack of bluetooth/wireless syncing is for simplicity - easier to offer one easy option at first rather than multiple sync menus and options. With 8 gig to transfer, wireless could be be one hell of an unsatisfactorily slow and battery draining routine. Judging from the way people use ipods, it's not unreasonable to expect them to plug their iphone back into their computer on a regular, if not near daily basis.
 
jæd said:
I think the main problem with the iPhone is that you have to deal with people who repeatedly go on about their pet feature that hasn't been included... :D

Heh, Apple must be loving all this free detailed product testing and feedback.
 
The iphone is obviously really important, even if, like me you're not planning to actually get one.
It's really a PC and teh way Apple have deliberately crippled it lays bare a real problem with the way our mobile phone networks are run.
I didn't realise this until I read John Naughton's excellent piece in the Observer - here.
 
Global_Stoner said:
cheers for the review, even if i dont end up getting one, then will make the other phone manufactors think about their offerings. There are quite a few features id like on my nokia e61.

think the biggest show stopper for me would be lack of 3g, if u struggle in london, what hope would i have in the lakes, scotland, n yorkshire etc. I use my phone for web browsing a lot (more time then making calls) and on urban i run with the images turned of and press back a lot.

It's not a struggle in London, but yes it will be, down on GPRS, outside of cities.
 
Global_Stoner said:
Not sure why everyone is going on about unlocking it. To get one u musrt get a contract with O2, so u may as well use that contract your paying for.

The O2 iPhone contracts are more expensive than similar non iPhone contracts. Part of carriers deal with Apple is that they give Apple a kickback for every customer. This is why the 'real' price of the phone is upwards of £500. But if you unlock it, it's 'just' the £269 or whatever you paid for the phone. Apple admitted that 250,000 phones have not appeared on the official tariff - about 15% of sales.
 
Have to admit I did chuckle to myself when I strolled into an empty O2 store (exept for about 5 staff) in Kensington at about half 6 other day where they had quite a few iPhones switched on, and ready to be played with.

Made me think of those people who sleep out on the street for 2 days. Why?? They were never gonna sell out. Wot you want to be the first person in the UK to say they've bought one. Er, ok then.

Some of you may remember I was posting from the Apple Store in New York on the day they launched the first phones in the US. TV News vans outside, the queues stretched back to Madison and people were selling their spaces up front for $4000! I like macs as much as the next person but WTF with all this queueing lark?!

:confused:
 
Yeah, remember that! The reception has been considerably less fervent over here.

Can't be arsed to track back to see if this has been posted before, but here's some pictures of deserted mob stores:

http://www.dialaphone.co.uk/blog/?p=750

Absolutely no need to queue as the Apple store on Regent St was clear of queues by 6.30 - less than half an hour after launch! I walk past it every night on my way to the station, and asked one of the half dozen coppers who'd been posted there what he thought: "All this for a bloody phone, and there's no people!" Came the response with a chuckle.
 
tarannau said:
I suspect the reason for lack of bluetooth/wireless syncing is for simplicity - easier to offer one easy option at first rather than multiple sync menus and options.
Funny how so many other (far cheaper) phones with more 'primitive' interfaces manage to effortlessly sync via bluetooth/wireless though, no?
 
paolo999 said:
The O2 iPhone contracts are more expensive than similar non iPhone contracts. Part of carriers deal with Apple is that they give Apple a kickback for every customer. This is why the 'real' price of the phone is upwards of £500. But if you unlock it, it's 'just' the £269 or whatever you paid for the phone. Apple admitted that 250,000 phones have not appeared on the official tariff - about 15% of sales.

Still dont get it. Once you sign up for the contract to get it, you can't cancel it, so you will pay your £35 a month if you use it or not.
 
dogmatique said:
Yeah, remember that! The reception has been considerably less fervent over here.

Can't be arsed to track back to see if this has been posted before, but here's some pictures of deserted mob stores:

http://www.dialaphone.co.uk/blog/?p=750

Absolutely no need to queue as the Apple store on Regent St was clear of queues by 6.30 - less than half an hour after launch! I walk past it every night on my way to the station, and asked one of the half dozen coppers who'd been posted there what he thought: "All this for a bloody phone, and there's no people!" Came the response with a chuckle.

Those pictures weren't taken at 6pm. It was dark outside by 6pm. Those photos were taken during the day.
 
Not saying it's not true. I was on oxford street, and virtually none of the iphones were in use in CPW. But those pictures are misleading.
 
Global_Stoner said:
Still dont get it. Once you sign up for the contract to get it, you can't cancel it, so you will pay your £35 a month if you use it or not.

You can (well, if 1.1.2 gets hacked, which is looking likely) then you can unlock it without starting the contract.
 
paolo999 said:
You can (well, if 1.1.2 gets hacked, which is looking likely) then you can unlock it without starting the contract.
But then you'll be looked into endless firmware battles with Apple.

I really can't be arsed with that kind of endless hassle off a phone.
 
How? When I've signed contracts in the past you get a few days cooling of period. If you dont want it then you give the phone back unused, if you dont do it that in the cooling of period, then you have to buy yourself out the contract. How else would they be able to give other phones away "free"?
 
Get one from France if you are that keen on getting an unlocked iphone. Me I'll wait for the centro. I can see myself using that alot.
 
editor said:
But then you'll be looked into endless firmware battles with Apple.

Indeed. It's not a route I'd personally recommend, but just recognising that a sizeable minority - 15% of US sales - have done this.
 
jayeola said:
Get one from France if you are that keen on getting an unlocked iphone. Me I'll wait for the centro. I can see myself using that alot.

Right at the moment I'm undecided, and I'm basically waiting to see what happens in February... By then there should be reviews of the Centro and (hopefully) there will be more details on the Apple SDK... (But one of the main sticking points would be moving to O2... :D )
 
paolo999 said:
And indeed, the K800i camera seems outstanding. I've seen a "just for fun" head-to-head comparison of K800i vs SLR+Kit lens, by a guy who normally does full on lens reviews, and the results were astonishing.

My 800 is the reason I haven't bought a dSLR... :oops:
 
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