iPhone

| | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm genuinely impressed with the iPhone, it looks fantastic. Using my current Nokia 6630 afterwards felt clumsy. I'll admit it is an older phone, but Apple have done the same as they did with the iPod, started from the ground up and made a phone based on current computer centric user experience. Start with a capable multitasking device and prioritise the functionality. So it is people and communications centric, your device for you to manage your life with and talk to people. The N95 remains interesting though and will be available in March I think.

On the down side the battery life looks low, 16 hours on "standby" is short, even less than the N80. However people are used to iPods needing to be connected to your PowerBook most days so it almost fits. They've dispensed with the non-computer owning population and focused on people who are computer centric of which there are millions. The usb to doc connector cable is a great invention. Using the same connector on the iPhone means it'll also work with all the speakers out there etc too.

The camera seems weak, only 2Mpixels and not clear if it is autofocus or has decent optics. I'd guess given the iSight that it'll not be rubbish, but 2 seems low given the price point they are aiming the device at and phones like the N73.

The demos make it look delightful to use, the browser is content aware, zooming the things you click on. The mail application I can really seem myself using. In general Apple seem to have done a slick integration of the applications, being able to send a phone via email whilst taking to the person in question is just right. Touches like the accelerometer to alter the page orientation allow them to dispense with button clutter on the surface of the device.

One thought about the physical device, it seems quite thin and long (2:1 ratio), I don't have a ruler to hand but it looks slightly wider and an inch or so taller than the 30G video iPod I own. So it'll not fit in jeans pockets and it'll want one a little case to live in so the screen doesn't get scratched. more PSP delicate than mobile phone tough. My 6630 has lived in my jeans pocket for 18 months or so and has a few scars. The iPhone would need more tender care which makes usage less immediate.

From reading wikipedia, it seems that Orange are the only EDGE provider in the UK, so maybe November / December for 400 quid and an 18 month contract. A quick hunt on the web showed evidence that Orange have an EDGE network and everyone else is a bit lukewarm on it, Orange also have a big investment in EDGE/3G in France so it would be a good match for them.

0 TrackBacks

Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: iPhone.

TrackBack URL for this entry: http://betageek.net/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/2139

Leave a comment

Pages

Powered by Movable Type 4.1

About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by Gavin Bell published on January 9, 2007 10:07 PM.

links for 2007-01-06 was the previous entry in this blog.

links for 2007-01-11 is the next entry in this blog.

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.