Hi
My phone contract is up in a couple of weeks and heard lots of good things on here about the iphone2.
I know there are a few limitations to the current one eg the camera, lack of bluetooth and no picture messaging but they dont bother me that much really.
On another thread on here someone said the iphone3 is due.
Anyone know when that is and what has been improved/changed if anything?
My other options, if I decide to go for a normal phone, are a SE905 or a Samsung Tocco.
Any thoughts or other recommendations?
(Dont really fancy Blackberry/Nokia E71 type of device though)
Cheers
Steve

If you have played with an iphone, I don’t think any other device even comes close in terms of the touchscreen (perhaps apart from the G1?).

Use google, I think there’s an irumours website. Not heard anything about a new iphone tho.

http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/

has iPhone as updates soon.

Probably in a few months.

There is also a rumour about an iPhone Nano.

As an iPhone user I’d say, if you just need a phone, then get a “real” phone.

If you want a very usable mobile internet device with large library of user applications and games, and the ability to listen to mp3s or watch movies, that also happens to be a phone then get an iPhone.

i.e. it’s not the best phone in the world, but it is a fantastic “device which includes a phone”. Compromise is the nature of convergent devices.

I know there are a few limitations to the current one eg the camera, lack of bluetooth and no picture messaging but they don’t bother me that much really.

The camera isn’t too bad actually. This was taken in low-light in the pub.

Click through for bigger version

Also it does have bluetooth, but only for connecting to headsets.
And there is a third-party MMS app if the lack of them bothers you.

Cue caption competition

The Darkroom app helps the camera a lot – doesn’t do anything the camera doesn’t already but monitors camera shake and picks the right moment to release the shutter. Makes it far more usable in low light.

But yes, if you *REALLY* care about 5MP cameras, flash, MMS messaging then for god’s sake buy something else rather than buying an iPhone and moaning about it.

At the minute I am more bothered about the overall package of “stuff” that comes with the device, hence why I am attracted to the iphone-i was thinking about buying an ipod touch anyway so thought I would combine the two.
One thing that does appeal is Wifi which is why I was also considering the SE905.
Realistically I only take the odd photo and send the odd MMS which is why I siad I wasn’t overly bothered about the “shortcomings”.
Cheers
Steve

WiFi is good, especially since the O2 contract includes free access via TheCloud or BTOpenzone wi-fi hotspots.

It also includes unlimited data, so half the time you end up using 3G instead of Wi-Fi anyway.

If you go for a different smart-phone then look for nice things like these in the contract as they make a huge difference to how you use it.

im waiting till it can hold as much music (or more) as my ipod

until then it seems a bit pointless really

saying that is it tough enough to throw in my camelback and use as a phone while im out biking??

Have any of you loaded the trails application on to the phone, its like a poor mans gps that track your routes etc.
Any opinions?

iPhone G3 will be out June or July, if Apple keep the same release schedule as many people believe they will.

I have a 1G, camera is pretty crap in all but perfect conditions. Love the phone otherwise, has stood up to a lot of abuse in the last 16 months and is a pleasure to use.

worth noting that you’ll probably be able to run the iphone 3 software on your iphone 2 anyway.

so seeing as it already has the bluetooth hardware in it they should be able to sort that out. and the MMS/video issue.

im waiting till it can hold as much music (or more) as my ipod

I’ve had mine since Christmas and I’ve yet to use it to listen to music.

so seeing as it already has the bluetooth hardware in it they should be able to sort that out. and the MMS/video issue.

There is no real MMS issue. That restriction was placed on the iPhone by the networks who were worried about too much data. There is no real reason why it can’t do MMS, so yes a firmware update could add it.

I have a 1G, camera is pretty crap in all but perfect conditions.

Pic I posted was taken in a dimly lit real ale pub (using the Darkroom app). Far from perfect conditions. I’ve seen “better” camera phones struggle in the same conditions.

Still waiting for caption suggestions 😉

I’ve had mine since Christmas and I’ve yet to use it to listen to music..

if im getting one i want it to replace my ipod and my phone and as i listen to my ipod daily its not up to the task yet

All but the biggest current iPod don’t have enough space to hold all my music at once. Some smart playlists (a couple of “recently added” type ones, plus some random good stuff) does me fine on my iphone, plus the podcasts I subscribe to.

I went for non-fancy phone with a decent camera, gps (N82) and a ipod touch separately.

I’d prefer not to have a £350 device in my pocket when I’m out, I want a decent phone, and I reckoned one device doing all these functions is going to have sh*t e battery life.

I have about 67 albums on mine and 4 feature films, and the thing still has lots of room left…

How much do you need to carry at one time, and syncing to itunes is hardly hard of you need a change.

The device is fabulous, best user interface ever, such a pleasure to use.

I pondered this for months, never doubted my decision to get one yet..

I got mine from O2 by phoning them, got the 16gb for the price the 8gb is in the shops, as it was a refurb one, i.e returned within 14 days by someone and sent to Apple to clear data and reinstall. Not a mark on it, well pleased!

i take my ipod everywhere plug it into my stereo, car, computer etc i do have all my music backed up on my removable hard drive but dont store it on the computer itself as there is too much

I have a 130gb one i think either way about 7000 songs and its still not enough!

when the iphones big enough for me i will be getting one straight away

I’d prefer not to have a £350 device in my pocket when I’m out, I want a decent phone, and I reckoned one device doing all these functions is going to have sh*t e battery life.

Well true, if you listen to music via Bluetooth headphones while simultaneously browsing the web via 3G then the battery doesn’t last that long.

On that note I just bought a Kensington Rechargable battery pack (£35 from amazon) which is basically a 1800mAh battery with a USB connection. This should more than double the battery life (the iPhone battery is 1400mAh) which will let me watch my own movies on a long haul flight this weekend.

Have any of you loaded the trails application on to the phone, its like a poor mans gps that track your routes etc.
Any opinions?

I have trailguru and really rate it. The only downside is that if you get a text or a call the tracking stops and you have to restart it. If you don’t hear the text or call you find you have a 15 mile hole in the recording. The trailguru website is ace and allows you to track all manner of info on your riding and even sends you a weekly email on your totals etc. Even though I now use a Garmin I still use the trailguru website to log my training history. try http://www.trailguru.com. I love it

Have any of you loaded the trails application on to the phone, its like a poor mans gps that track your routes etc.

Nope but I have stuck on “iTrailMap 3D” and “Snocator” which are skiing/boarding apps that show me where I am on the piste map, how fast I went down that run, where the nearest bar is etc

The only bad thing about the iPhone is the way you can’t store SMS conversations (beyond a certain point), or download them to your computer.

Other than that, it’s just an essential part of existence – sad to think that there are people in the world who are unlucky enough not to own one.

While these two are obviously fake, I’m sure Apple’s got something pretty sleek and secy lined up for the next model.