[Closed] One for the geeks: iPhone 3G or N97

I'm in the same boat as you. My e61 is out of contract and slowly dying, and the iPhone 3Gs has come along at just the right/wrong time.

There are a number of sportstracker-esq apps out there though. If you do a search on the App Store for the mapmyrun apps, they have one for just about everything. Running, hillwalking, cycling etc. There are free versions as well as the micropayment type.

The keyboard is a legit worry. The one on my e61 is fine for using two thumbs on and I rarely make typos, but the iPhone is clumsy for my fingers and, unless I use a single finger, I make mistakes. Maybe I will get used to it, maybe not.

If it's any help, the iPhone is very shiny.

iphone - shiny, great UI

N97 - if it's anything like the rest of the n series then software updates will be appallingly slow to come along. Nokia's support is truly terrible

I've had the N95 8GB for over a year now and it is truly the worst phone I've ever had. Well, I'm sure there have been worse, but this thing was never a joy to use. Mrs deadly's had iPhones since they came out (Apple fangirl) and I've had it now...I'm getting one when my contract's up.

Nokia n series - disappointment on all fronts.

Nokia e series - Wow, they CAN get it right!

E71 for me, well pleased.

Not an iPhone competitor really, but a damn fine phone.

The iPhone is shiny and big, so useful as a weapon if you need to fight off some folk armed with sharpened guava fruit.

I really like my N82, the only issue I have had over a year an da half is that I have cooked my battery but other than that the features gps and camera etc have been brill.

I would need a homer simpson style dialing wand to use the iphone, when I have tried friends I just dont get on with the keyboard.

🙂

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Unsures: not sure if it does cut and paste

The 5800 does cut 'n paste, it's the same OS and (I think) screen.

It really boils down to if you are a superior being or not.
[url] http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/06/12/forrester_iphone_survey/ [/url]

Well that decides it 🙂

FWIW, I quite like my N95 - can't say that I've any real issues with it other than the screen is relatively small compared to either the N97 or iPhone.

I've had the iPhone 3G for about a year now. Its decent enough. The UI for the most part is good, but its limitations such as copy/paste and lack of MMS have had me annoyed quite a lot.

( Yes, I know that's being addressed soon, but it really should have been there from the start. Considering that you can select a phone number on a web page and say dial ... that must imply that the data has been copy-pasted to the phone application ... so why not across the rest of the OS ? )

The other things I get frustrated at is being tied to iTunes so much, no sort of file system ( I'd love to stick PDF's etc onto it for viewing later )

The web browser is great, no doubt about that.

but in all honesty, I think i'll be going back to a Win Mobile device further down the line.

Does anyone know if such a thing as an eBook reader exists for it?

I know there is Stanza, but the comment about the lack of fliesystem is now making me concerned that my pile (?) of ebooks will be redundant if I get an iPhone...

Can't you convert your ebooks to pdf's? I'm sure there's a pdf reading app.

I would need a homer simpson style dialing wand to use the iphone, when I have tried friends I just dont get on with the keyboard.

The main reason people cant do it is they dont realise its touch sensitive not pressure sensitive, you dont need to 'press' anything (like you do pressing buttons) you just lightly touch the screen to select a button/letter/number. If you jab the key to type then youll press 3or4 keys with your squished finger, if you just use the tips of your fingers it means you can type really quickly with 1 or 2 hands once your used to it.

STATO - That could be considered a design flaw then that doesn't take into account real world users.

Its natural to 'press' keys on a keyboard, many of us do it daily on our work/home keyboards, hey I'm even doing it right now.

If I press down on the keyboard of my 5800 it produces one letter, no more.

You may be able to do the conversion... Then I guess it would just be a case of creating a filesystem chunk on the iPod part to store them on.

I'll have to see.

( Yes, I know that's being addressed soon, but it really should have been there from the start. Considering that you can select a phone number on a web page and say dial ... that must imply that the data has been copy-pasted to the phone application ... so why not across the rest of the OS ? )

What? Do you think that all data in an OS gets from one place to another via copy and paste???

I think it was possibly more the mechanics of the copy-and-paste UI that were a bit hard to develop. All sorted from this Wednesday though.

er no, that just daft users not a design flaw. of course you don't press the screen, its glass. !!!

spend more than 5 minutes using the keyboard and it becomes a lot easier. I find old 9 key phone texting easier, as I could do that without looking. But hey ho, its a small price to pay for the rest of the functionality.

Oh, and just for good measure, the phone-number-recognition actually uses a regular expression to find the phone numbers, then makes them into a special kind of hyperlink that dials that number. No copying anything anywhere, unless we want to get into a discussion about memory management and system calls.

Haven't used either but the N97 looks nice

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Its natural to 'press' keys on a keyboard

Conventional keyboards maybe, but its a totally different feeling to using a keyboard and touch-screens are hardly a new concept! Anyway, why stick to convention for conventions sake? Apple have always done a good job of bringing something different (not necessarily somthing they developed) into the market. And hey, if my Dad can manage it (hands like shovels, had a brick of a nokia before, could barely string together 1 line of txt in about 5mins!) then 99% of the rest of the public can too.

one thing - you say '16gb is plenty' then that you're unsure about 's'. think the 16gb regular has been dropped now so if you want that memory config then whether you want the 's' or not is a bit irrelevant.

I'm in the same predicament and waiting on the N97 prices on O2 to come out before I make a decision
from the many, MANY reviews I've read on the N97, the main gripe appears to be that the processor speed (~500 MHz)is, in theory, too slow and that it may suffer from lag when opening/closing/switching apps - in practice though it seems to be ok unless you overload it.
I'm not willing to solely judge a phone on its predecessors either (N95/N96/5800).
I don't want an iPhone, but I want the best phone I can get - and with the recent upgrades, the iPhone 3G S might be it.

i would get an iphone if it held as much music as my ipod

im not too fussed about web browsing just calling people and sending texts

so i would only be carrying around 1 device instead of 2

ill only get one when i can get an iphone that holds 60gb of music
how come apple arent bringing one out is it because this way u buy 2 devices off them rather than one?

varzi,

Places still seem to be selling (off) the 16Gb model of the 3G so I don't think availability is an issue - yet at least.

how come apple arent bringing one out is it because this way u buy 2 devices off them rather than one?

More likely they can't fit it all in yet...

I am of the fat fingered variety, and have just bought an I phone. I have to say that with one finget I can typre almost as fast as with a full size keboard because the predictive typing is soooooooo good. It just works. Can't wait for cut 'n paste though, but that's meant to be this week isn't it?

Fisha - if you want a file system for your iphone, there's a free app called Files Lite on the app store that'll do the job for you.

New Iphone has horiz keyboard?

New Iphone has horiz keyboard?

Clubber - the keyboard on the iPhone should be less of an issue from Wednesday when the new software update comes out. As cynica-al says, they are making the landscape keyboard available in all the major apps (it's presence in third party apps will depend on the developer). I find the keyboard very well implemented and being virtual allows them to make it context sensitive, which is a big plus over tiny physical keyboards. System wide cut and paste is coming in that wednesday update too; well overdue and is going to make a world of difference to my use of the device!

The only significant advantages of the 3G S are the camera improvements and video as far as I can see, and only you know whether those are worth the extra dosh to you. I think I'm due a free upgrade in my contract after a while, but if that wasn't the case, I wouldn't be bothered about upgrading. All the rest of the good new stuff is the software update and will be available to the 3G.

I haven't tried the Nokia so can't compare, but the sheer variety of apps available is becoming a very compelling argument for the iPhone. It's getting to the stage where, whatever you see as a limitation with the thing can be rectified freely or very cheaply following a quick search. I was just looking for something to sort out your issue with WMA files and have found Simplify Music 2, which streams music from your PC to your device over a wifi or cell connection. It works with a variety of files and systems other than iTunes, so theoretically not only solves compatibility issues, but storage too, as you're streaming rather than storing. £3.49 and has some good reviews; I might even give that a go!

I have had an iphone 3g for about 6 weeks. Bloody fantastic! Can't fault it. Not had a problem with the keyboard. Does everything and more. (at least it will come the 17th). Very happy.

Also when I couldn't work out how to get it do something 02 iphone help desk sorted me out straight away.

Biggest problem is not playing with it all the time! 😀

Matthew

What? Do you think that all data in an OS gets from one place to another via copy and paste???

I think it was possibly more the mechanics of the copy-and-paste UI that were a bit hard to develop. All sorted from this Wednesday though.

No I dont think it goes via a plain copy-paste, but it does show an ability to pass data between 2 seperate apps within the OS ... i.e. its written a chunk of data into memory to then be re-used elsewhere outwith the process that stuck the data into the memory in the first place ... a bit like a copy/paste behind the scenes. Or is it just passed as a parameter when calling the phone app ? ( I don't know the iPhone SDK language/syntax )

I do think you're point on the mechanics is fair though it probably did take a while to sort it out ... but 2 years since the release of the original ? Surely not that long.

Trailbreak-Martin: I'll have a look at that ... cheers !

kimbers, you're gonna have to wait 'til next June. This year's upgrade, apart from increased battery life, proper digital compass to improve navigation, faster processor, double the RAM, video, improved camera with user select autofocus, doubles storage to 32Gb. The next iPod Touch will be 64Gb, so next June, when my current contract ends, the new iPhone will have 64Gb, so your wish will come true. FWIW, my current 16Gb iPhone, which is truly a stunning piece of kit, has around 1100 songs on it, at 320Kb. I also have several dozen ebooks on it from Stanza, and as I understand it, if you have already paid for the books on another device, then you can download them again onto the iPhone free. When you sync with iTunes, everything then gets backed up, so if you have a disaster you can restore a new iPhone from the backup. The camera, even on the current iPhone still knocks spots off of the one on my previous N95, which sucked bigtime. Twenty minutes trying to take one pic in focus of a stationary bike? Crap.

i'm in the middle of updating my iphone to the 3.0 OS. I'll tell you how good it is in about 20 mins hopefully....

So? 🙂

yup. its pretty good so far.

although its just let me send a MMS, but 02 have sent me the usual notification that I've recieved an MMS rather than sent it to me.

guessing its something on their network they wont activate until wednesday

cut/paste works well, spotlight is pretty cool and i'll test the AD2P tomorrow to see how well it works with the headunit in my car.

I had a Touch Diamond for a couple of weeks, and wasn't sure about the whole touchscreen thing, of which it had one.
I tend to do quite a few things from finger-memory on the buttons of a normal keypad, so having to use the touchscreen meant having to look at it & concentrate on what i was doing. Whereas before I could chuck out an email or text message quickly without really having to look at the screen to see what i was doing.

Did put me off changing over for a little while, until I can check out the N97 at least...

Well I've used a touchscreen previously (LG Viewty) which was ok but not as easy to use as my N95. I do think that a proper keyboard is easier than a touch screen in general but the iphone's one is done very well.

64gb iphone

im sold!!!

that gives me plenty of time to get saving, i doubt they will be cheap, how easy will it be to use with voodafone as ive gota wicked deal with them at the moment that costs me peanuts !!

Kimbers, I think you might end up being out of luck wrt Voda... O2 have exclusivity and they are likely to milk it for all they are worth.

My best guess is that you might have to bite the bullet and transfer to O2 if you want the latet iPhone toys.

Well I think I'm looking more likely to get a 3G now - reviews I'm reading all seem to suggest that the N97 isn't as well integrated as it could be which is always going to be annoying and that the touchscreen is a bit laggy/inaccurate compared to the iphone. I had enough finger stabbing frustration with the Viewty to not really want it again.

Can't see the justification for the 3Gs price though since the changes aren't that great and there's likely to be a bigger upgrade around xmas time which would probably be much more worthwhile.

Is there going to be a shortage of 3GS come Friday? Do You really need to pre order?!

I think not. I heard horror stories about the carphone whorehouse's pre-order status at the launch of the original 3G and the guys here at work just trotted along to the Apple shop and queued for a bit.

Also, if you pre-order with the Carphone Whorehouse, you get their customer service, not O2's thanks to them having a nice reselling deal. Not that I don't trust them, but I would rather talk to the organ grinder than the monkey.

I thought the iPhone>O2 marriage had a finite timespan, maybe 2 years, after which other providers would get to offer it?

Has it? How long has it been now?

Not that I am worried... All providers are equally rubbish near my house

I thought the iPhone>O2 marriage had a finite timespan, may2 years, after which other providers would get to offer it?

Only if Apple or O2 decide it isn't worth keeping it locked to them. Which seems a bit unlikely right now.

Joe

the internet says the current arrangement will run until 2011

i though the EU were gonna try and take on apple for locking you into just one network?

frak ive just taken a look at the cost of an iphone and monthly charges

wtf????

why do you lot pay these prices is it really worth it??

the 32gb 3s is 540 quid, plus calls
or u can pay up to £80 a month and get it for a mere 100pounds

my ipod of similar size £150, my phone free and i pay 20 quid a month rental/ charges

thats an extra 720 quid a year i can spend on bike bits!!

iPhone 3G is probably great as a personal phone. Good interface, lots of applications, slim design.

as a work phone, its crap. That nice touch screen that you want to play with drains the battery. That 3G network connection, drains the battery. That wifi connection drains the battery. It can't do calendar appointments properly. I can't get through a whole day on one charge (mail on pull, BT on, 3G off, wifi off). Oh and the GSM/3G radio is crap as well. Next to an old Nokia, my iphone shows no network, the nokia shows 3 bars (same network).

Mines going back tomorrow.

Richardk: agree the battery life isn't great, but mine does make it a full day on a charge. Several in fact if it only gets light use. The battery on the new one is supposed to be better.

Calendar works fine too. I have mine setup to sync via Google Sync, so I can seamlessly see all my google calendars and make appointments either on my PC or on the iPhone.

I think he means invites to meetings from outlook etc. It dosnt handle them very well.

Kimbers: you can also pay £274 upfront and the £29 a month for calls and unlimited data. Which isn't too bad. Or if you can live with the 3G version: pay £34 a month and get it free.

Still pricey, but worth it IMO. It's the most used gadget I've ever owned.

STATO: ahh fair enough, I've not had to deal with meeting requests on it.

Correct Stato - Outlook invites etc

3.0 handles exchange stuff much much better.

People at work hav them and use Outlook all the time. Not only does ther mail synch well enough, but they also have no issue with the calender stuff, or at least not that I have heard.

Dammit, _still_ can't decide to take the plunge or not...

Odd one, I actually found my N95 by far the best phone I've ever had. What did people find bad in particular? Even the UI speed I found miles better than other similar smartphones. Also:

The camera is top notch for quick snaps, I can upload to my flickr instantly as well. No chance would I take a proper camera out with me biking.
The wealth of apps means I can do what I want with it, it's got little bits, Sports Tracker, a Gmail client, joikuspot (use your phone as a wireless router), Geocaching stuff, loads of bits. All free.
The built in GPS genuinely works like a proper in car GPS. We've let it guide us all over the place, it gets used about once a month minimum I'd say.
I tether it to my laptop when we're away from the house and have mobile broadband, it's fast enough for browsing and streaming vids/small downloads.

I'm a bit lost as to what I want next as well, the iPhone wins on ergonomics but loses on lots of other fronts. The tethering stuff is a pain, the 3G S supports it now but O2 charge £15 EXTRA a month if you want to do it. Did even ponder trying out a random Windows Mobile device like the HTC Touch HD which got decent reviews. If I can have my same contract with an N97 though I'd guess I'd go that route for all of the above.

The tethering stuff is a pain, the 3G S supports it now but O2 charge £15 EXTRA a month if you want to do it.

Tethering is part of the OS 3.0 update (I believe... soon find out as I'm downloading it now) if so then you don't need the 3GS for it.

Also you may be interested in:

http://www.iphonealley.com/news/tethering-activation-039hack039-found-once-again-for-iphone-30?

Well, as an owner of an N95, I'd like to know just how toasty managed to get his to work. Mine was ok at best. The camera was largely useless, I spent twenty minutes trying to take a photo of my bike propped against a tree, and the camera wouldn't focus, and even if I got a green box, half the time the pic was blurred. The GPS worked, but only with an external BT receiver, and the screen is too small for meaningful use in a car. The music player ran the battery out in less than three hours, and to get ViewRanger to map any significant ride I had to buy a larger battery with a new back that wouldn't hold the battery against the sim holder so it kept dropping off the network. Web surfing was just plain frustrating with such a piddly little screen and the browser isn't up to much either. The iPhone is just so far advanced in every way it just not true. It gets used for many things that I used to use my PowerBook for, to the extent that the computer stays unused for days, weeks even. At the moment it has over five hundred photos on it, many taken at gigs, and I've taken pics, sat in a pub garden and uploaded to Flickr and Facebook with no issues whatsoeverr where I doubt I ever took more than a dozen or so with the Nokia in the year I had it. The iPhone I've had six months...
I'm afraid that the iPhone just beats the Nokia into a cocked hat, and now that TomTom is coming, well, who could want anything else.

I'm not asking for comparison of the n95 and iphone. That's silly.

It sounds like you had a dodgy n95 though. Mine's fine with the camera as are mates' ones.
The default browser is ok but not great. I use opera mini (now in fact) which i do find decent.

Not sure about your battery issues either. Mine just lasts a day with lots of browsing and usually gps use. From other iphone users that sounds about the same.

The gps was crap until i did a firmware update but it's great now.

Tethering is part of the OS 3.0 update (I believe... soon find out as I'm downloading it now) if so then you don't need the 3GS for it.

True, unless you're really trying hard to hide what you're doing though it's easy to see it's a laptop and not a phone using the connection though. They have data bolt-ons set up for that:

[url] http://shop.o2.co.uk/update/internet.html [/url]

Absolutely nuts pricing. I'm on a £35 (well £30 tarriff + £5 to tether) contract at the mo and can tether with a wire or via wifi. Takes the pee a bit that these phones offer this and we've already paid for data usage, yet these companies see this as another avenue to fleece a bit more cash.

Oh and on the N95 note, we use a car charger when we're using the GPS. It's a small screen but big enough to see an arrow and you get the voice directions telling you which turn to take etc. The GPS works well, I don't use it for sports tracker when I'm in the woods, through a Camelbak and tree cover it seems a bit patchy. On the road though it's fine, the newer firmware spots where you are much faster as well. The iPhone hasn't had ANY guided GPS since release anyway, I'm pretty lost as to what it thinks people use GPS for, wasted feature.

Image wise:

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They're not perfect, it oversaturates quite badly if you take shots into the light, bright photos like the last one can come out grainy too. It's a mobile phone camera though, could do a lot worse. Due to the micro-SD slot I've got a good few GB of storage on there as well.

The iPhone is just so far advanced in every way it just not true.

Well, except for the above I guess, I still think the GPS is leagues behind. Yes, it's got a bigger screen but aside from that it seems to do less 😛 It's also literally a newer phone, it must be a year newer than the N95? And this is the original model, 3G must be a couple of years newer.

Can't really argue with the browser, it is a bit of a pain, it does render everything well though, even a lot of Flash stuff. Hence thinking the N97 with a big screen might be good 🙂 Once the 30 day novelty of wasting money on apps had run out I think I'd feel a bit cheated on the old tech with a spangley UI approach of the iPhone. 😛

Takes the pee a bit that these phones offer this and we've already paid for data usage, yet these companies see this as another avenue to fleece a bit more cash.

Completely agree. I'm on the £35 a month contract too. That includes "unlimited data" so I was a bit miffed to discover they meant unlimited for the iPhone but data for a tethered laptop is "special" and is charged by the GB. Cheeky ****ers!

Once the 30 day novelty of wasting money on apps had run out I think I'd feel a bit cheated on the old tech with a spangley UI approach of the iPhone.

Had mine since Xmas. Still waiting for that 30 day novelty to wear off. I'll let you know. 🙂