[Closed] Should I get an iPhone?

I'd say the iphone would be the better device from my experiences. They are absolutely superb.

Yes

Not tried the Blackberry Bold myself, but a good mate has gone from Blackberry to iPhone and hasn't looked back.

I [i]think[/i] Blackberrys only really win out when they have corporate support (i.e. your IT department has a blackberry server).

By getting a iphone you will instantly become a bit of a tw*t.

You will no longer refer to it as a phone, and you will spend more and more time buying and playing with pointless applications, until your actual human interactions will dwindle to such an extent that you no longer talk to people on your phone, thus rendering it obsolete.

You will then find that you no longer need it for apps, as your computer already does everything the phone can do. You won't need it to be mobile because you no longer have any friends to go out with, and your employer will have sacked you for spending your whole working day playing with your toy.

The fashionistas will think you look cool in an uber-geek-chic kinda way though.

Or maybe I'm just cynical. 🙄

What Graham S said. I reckon for the internet, iPhone's definitely tops

I have a Blackberry Pearl and iPhone. The iPhone is better for internet & email, but the Blackberry is better for calls.

Wont be using it for work.

Purly texting, phoning, interneting.

My main worry about the iPhone is the durability and battery life.

Wouldn't be paying the extra £90 for the "s" either

Battery life is pretty poor (just about a day on a full charge for me) on the iphone though I don't think it's a lot worse than the N95 8GB I had before.

Durability - well mine's been ok until now though as of today the headphone won't plug in :twisted:. My Dad's one has been back three times. No great I reckon on that front.

By getting a iphone you will instantly become a bit of a tw*t.

What's worse, people with iPhones enjoying their cool gadget, or people without them (who probably secretly want one) endlessly whining about them?

I think they are great (don't own one though) with a few silly limitations. Is it right that you can't just send a file to another phone/pc via bluetooth without syncing etc?

I bought my GF an iPhone and instantly moved myself yet another place down her list of priorities. She loves the damn thing. TBH I have had a play with it and I covert hers. I will be getting one when my contract comes up for renewal.

I really like my iPhone and my wife, never before bothered with technology, is now considering getting one as she finds it so easy to use.

EDIT: Mr P - AHA!

Battery life is pretty poor (just about a day on a full charge for me) on the iphone though I don't think it's a lot worse than the N95 8GB I had before.

Are you using GPS a lot? Or loads of web browsing? If not, that's pretty shocking - I get better than that on my N95, and I use the GPS for 2 hours every day (on the commute).

iPhone is going to be a mile better than any blackberry, just because of the support from other people for it - pretty much no-one except boring corporate developers makes interesting stuff for blackberry.

The only other thing worth considering if you want an internet mobile is an Android Phone of some kind (G2 / HTC Hero etc). The Android App Store thing is also growing and has a decent quantity of developers working on things for it. For example Viewranger mapping (GPS tracking + OS maps for mountain biking and hiking) is going to come out on Android at some point soon, and I think maybe iPhone, but I'm guessing there is no chance of it coming out on the other newish mobile platforms like Blackberry and Palm.

Joe

What Davy said. The iphone is a lovely bit of kit, but it does seem they begin to take over their owners lives.

joe - yes, plenty of web browsing. I rarely do any browing on any of the 'proper' computers at home now.

Get the iphone, I love mine.

they are very good. i refer to mine as a phone, even though it's way more than that. as a phone, i think they are great too. what does a blackberry do that an iphone doesn't when speaking on a phone?

visual voice mail is excellent too (not sure if you get this on Orange).

mine is:-

MP3 player
radio (wonder radio app - listening to radio on it at the mo, or when docked to hi fi at home)
diary
internet when out and about
Sat Nav
email when out and about/abroad
ebay, train times, etc...

and the interface is sooooo good!

joe - yes, plenty of web browsing.

Don't think you can really complain too much about the battery only lasting a day if you are browsing the net all day.

My main worry about the iPhone is the durability and battery life.

Durability has been fine on mine. Survived been sat on at least once a day when i forget it is in my back pocket and it has been snowboarding with me and not suffered any ill effects.

Battery life is pants though - but that's mainly because you end up using it way more than you use a "normal" phone.

Wouldn't be paying the extra £90 for the "s" either

You should. It's much better. (I upgraded from the 3G to the 3Gs. Wife has my old 3G and it is quite noticeably slower). Plus the camera is better and the compass is useful for sat nav (not to mention augmented reality stuff).

Is it right that you can't just send a file to another phone/pc via bluetooth without syncing etc?

There's an app for that. Several in fact. But yeah, you're right - you can't just decide to send someone your entire Backstreet Boys collection over Bluetooth. Apple discourage that for some reason.

By getting a iphone you will instantly become a bit of a tw*t.

Worse still you'll be judged by tw*ts that think that the technology you use somehow defines you as a person. The kind of tw*ts for whom being fashionable is so desperately important that they will strenuously avoid anything popular. 🙄

Don't think you can really complain too much about the battery only lasting a day if you are browsing the net all day.

I'm not browsing all day - mostly in the evening. Other phones do have better battery life. Seems reasonable enough to comment on it (not complain, I knew it wasn't great when I bought it).

Anyone know when the next version is likely to be announced? I'm looking at an iPhone 3GS but as it's been out for a few months, there's bound to be a better/faster etc one on the way.

June apparently

Anyone know when the next version is likely to be announced?

http://guides.macrumors.com/iPhone_Buyer's_Guide

wont be until the summer. Just about when I come out of contract on my 3G...

I was in the anti iPhone camp but decided at last minute to get one having had a shot of the GFs. So glad opted for it over nokia N97 which IMO is a poor substitute. Go 3gs it's quicker, camera better, and battery life supposed to be better. Only gripe, a minor one is how the hell can't you use your music library for ringtones. Daft.

Sent using Bri's iPhone :op

If you get one, can you disable the special alarm that sounds every 2 minutes and makes iphone owners take them out to ensure we all know they have an iphone?

Davy you're a fool. My life wouldn't be complete without friends and colleagues who own iphones telling me all about the 'how much toilet paper will that sh1t require' app.

My iPhone contract runs out in May...
There is one app that has popped up recently, which may be of interest to those who communicate a lot with other iPhone owners. It's called Whatsapp, (stupid name), and there's a similar one called Ping. Basically you can text other iPhones anywhere in the world free that have that app, via your contacts list. Ping uses a username system. A workmate who's just got back with his ex was moaning about the extra cost all the txts were adding, so I suggested he try it. He's chuffed to bits with it, and it seems you can call from it as well. It's like an IM system, but uses the Apple visual mail style layout.
It's worth getting ereader and Stanza and downloading ebooks as well, the iPhone display is good for that.
Regarding the OS mapping, I understand ViewRanger are developing for other platforms as well as Symbian, and they were advertising for an App store developer, but that may become moot if the OS open up their digital maps for free, like the USGS, so there may be a bunch of apps appear that allow usage of free OS maps. The ViewRanger App would offer all the extra bells and whistles, though.

HTC Hero - much better than an iphone or a Blackberry.

You could check out some of the Android phones. Got my HTC Hero a few days ago and not been off it since, love it 🙂

Worse still you'll be judged by tw*ts that think that the technology you use somehow defines you as a person. The kind of tw*ts for whom being fashionable is so desperately important that they will strenuously avoid anything popular.

I think Blackberrys only really win out when they have corporate support (i.e. your IT department has a blackberry server).

Worse still you'll be judged by tw*ts that think that the technology you use somehow defines you as a person. The kind of tw*ts for whom being fashionable is so desperately important that they will strenuously avoid anything popular.

How very, very true. That puts it much better than I ever could. I'm keeping that quote for future use, if it's ok with you?

You mean you've not got the SmugApp to keep that for you? 🙄

There were actually a couple of nice articles about the 'droid on "iPhone Therefore I Blog":

[url= http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/iphone-therefore-iblog/2009/10/verizon-droid-review-android-iphone.html ]Droid: Is it an iPhone killer?[/url]

[url= http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/iphone-therefore-iblog/2009/11/confessions-from-a-droid-switcher.html ]Confessions of a Droid switcher[/url]

Sounds pretty good.

My mate's just got one. I can't get over the size of the thing.

I think I've still got an old [url= http://www.retrobrick.com/16102.html ]Nokia 1610[/url] around somewhere - might take it to the pub Friday evening and compare.

while the new android phones are looking good since android 2.0 has come out, I still think that it's a year or so away from being able to compete with the iPhone.

Get an iPhone, jailbreak it (www.blackra1n.com) and then have access to all the apps you could ever want.

Battery life as already said seems crap until you realise how much you're actually using the damn thing.

There are a load of knobends with iPhones, just like everything else, (the bloke I sit opposite is particularly bad at taking it out for no reason to tell someone how great it is) however the majority just appreciate what they do and the reason they're seen so much is not because people want to show off, but because they're extremely handy (or not) and people are using them more than other phones.

It really does change the way you use a mobile phone (as it's much more than a phone).

Personally I'd get the 3GS, as when you put it next to a 3G the apps seem so much slower. Depends on how much you think you 're going to use the additional apps (other than the phone\ipod etc).

You mean you've not got the SmugApp to keep that for you?

Likewise I have no idea why iPhone owners would appear smug - we didn't design it, we didn't build it, we just bought it. Anyone can do this - there is nothing to be "smug" about.

I think more likely is that enthusiasm for a good product is mistaken for smugness.

If I'm using my iPhone on the train opposite you then I promise I'm not doing it to show off or feel smug - I'm doing it to entertain myself on the train journey.

You mean you've not got the SmugApp to keep that for you?

my work in this thread is done.

*smug*

Really cant see the point of having an Iphone unless
your in graphic design or useing the Apple computer on a
work/professional level.
The tariff for these are stupid and there are other mobiles that
near equal it for half the price.

Yes you should get an iPhone, had mine for 2 weeks now, and use it more than my laptop.
Yes the battery life isn't the best, but that's only because I use it so much.

Posted from my iPhone.

went to scotland, a few days of riding/pics and video etc at dalbeattie/glentress-brilliant. we shared via bluetooth in the evening,brilliant...the iphone owner sat and watched a film...
lovely interface though imo

Really cant see the point of having an Iphone unless
your in graphic design or useing the Apple computer on a
work/professional level.

eh? Graphic design? It's a phone/internet-device - not Photoshop.

For what it's worth, I'm not in Graphics Design and I don't use a Mac (for work or at home) - but I really like my iPhone.

(sat here using it to read this forum while I watch Stargate Universe on telly 😀 )

i've had the iphone for about 17 months now. I bought it for phone/mp3 player uses. In that respect its done its job fine, but for the bulk of the time, there were some annoying issues ... copy/paste and MMS as a couple of main examples, but now they are sorts.

Further down the line, there are a few main things which still bug me quite a lot. iTunes, general file storage and how locked down the phone is. I've never really got on with iTunes, just seems to bulky and cumbersome, even on my Core i7 rig. I'm finding it more and more frustrating about not being *easily* able to store files on it and use it as a general USB mass storage device and be able to view stored files on the phone when out and about. The apps ... some are good, but I only have a few on it. I'm just not into the tat thats out there.

In general use, its actually pretty good for the most part I must admit. The web browser is good, no doubt about it. I think maybe only the very latest other phones will contend with it ( like hte HTC HD2 etc ).

Call wise, no issues for me. Texts, now MMS is sorted it helps. The only issue I have with the texts is that bubble pish. The texts use a realitvely small font in speech bubbles ... nice and cute, but after a while you realise that it wastes a lot of screen space, and the inability to increase the font for easier reading, and have a more normal layout is a bit of an frustrating. The keyboard input is ok once your used to it. My wife doesn't like it, but i find it fine.

Wear and tear, i dont have a cover for it. It scratches on the back, but not terribly so. I have a couple of scratches on the front but it doesn't stop the screen working. Its held up well i would say.

Will I get another on in a couple of months when my contract is up?

I dont think so. The iTunes / files issue is just too much annoyance for me. I want something more open and less locked down in that respect.

I'm finding it more and more frustrating about not being *easily* able to store files on it and use it as a general USB mass storage device and be able to view stored files on the phone when out and about.

Yeah this is the main thing putting me off as well.

I use the iDisk app to view files stored on my mobileme account. Works fine for what I want.

Really cant see the point of having an Iphone unless
your in graphic design or useing the Apple computer on a
work/professional level.

Where do I begin ... ?

I just use email to store files - works just as quickly and makes it easy to share with other people if I want to.

It would be nice if they were a bit more easily accessible though.

There are loads of apps that let you store files on it.

http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/iphone-gems-every-file-storage-app-reviewed/
http://appadvice.com/app/289943355

Or you can just use it to access your dropbox files:
http://www.dropbox.com/iphoneapp

+1 for Hero. I'm chuffed with mine.

Excellent browser, with Flash

Seriously customisable, plus apps/widgets for managing:
Facebook
Twitter
Flickr
RSS feeds
podcasts
MP3s
videos
Dropbox
Exchange/Gmail
combining mixed calendars
GPS
sports tracker stuff
BBC iplayer (and live BBC channels)
youtube
loads more

Battery issue aside (which is sporadic), it's a great phone.

Try them both.

Is the Hero battery life any better than the iPhones?

That's the only real bug bear I have with the iPhone.

iPhone looking like the favourite at the mo but ill have a play with the HTC Hero sometime this week.

2 weeks ago I was set on the Palm Pre but have gone right off that now.

I don't have problems with my battery life on my 3GS, work email pushed, WiFi on in the evening, 3G on all the time. I usually get 2-3 days (i have had 5 days) before re-charging. Friend is lucky to get 2 days out of his HTC, but I would say the battery life is pretty much the same.

Go & try an iPhone & Hero. Friends wanted an Hero until they held it, and didnt like the bend near the bottom and are waiting for the HD2.

I usually get 2-3 days (i have had 5 days) before re-charging.

Blimey. I have to charge mine every night. It's just coming up for midday now and I'm sitting at 77% battery. Home and work email is set to Pull Hourly. 3G on. Wifi on. Screen brightness turned down to reasonable level.

So far all I've done is surf for maybe half an hour on wifi, 10 mins on 3G, watch a couple of videos, read some emails and get a couple of texts.

I've never really got on with iTunes, just seems to bulky and cumbersome, even on my Core i7 rig.

Is the Hero battery life any better than the iPhones?

That's the only real bug bear I have with the iPhone.

On a good day with average use, I can get 24 hours. On a bad day it can be half that.

No-one seems to have found a fix for this in the UK. HTC won't admit it's a fault, blah blah.

Have kind of given up trying to work it out (you can manage/monitor apps/CPU usage/etc to see what's happening), because no obvious pattern has emerged.

At the end of the day it works, and as a piece of kit it's brilliant.

Just carry a charger or USB cable with you if you're out for most of the day.

it gets track details and album art, (sometimes incorrectly, but that's down to Gracenote's database)

Highly recommend getting hold of http://www.tuneupmedia.com/

It's an add-on for iTunes that does a really good job of identifying music and getting the right album and track data for it.

Whaaat? Sorry, but that statement makes no sense to me at all. It works perfectly well on my six year old Powerbook, with nearly nine thousand tracks at 320Kb. iTunes is certainly no slower or 'unwieldy' than any other app on my Mac, so what are you doing wrong.

iTunes doesn't work nearly as well on PCs ime - it was really buggy and slow on my old PC. Works nicely on my Macbook.

itunes works perfectly well on my XP driven PC. Certainly no worse than any other interface. Bit's of it are a tiny bit annoying, but that's true of any other system that's out there...

Wait til near the end of the year to get one, Tesco Mobile are going to start offering them soon and you can bet they'll be the cheapest option.

Wait til near the end of the year to get one, Tesco Mobile are going to start offering them soon and you can bet they'll be the cheapest option.

will that come in a blue/white color option?

itunes works perfectly well on my XP driven PC.

Same here. Worked fine on XP and is fine on Vista too.

My only (slightly geeky) issue with it, is that it installs a whole bunch of extra services, which I'd rather not have running all the time, wasting resources.

The UI is less than perfect in several areas (podcast management for instance) but it does the job.

HTC Hero user here, I think it's brilliant. It's not an iPhone, but it will do the same things and will do other things as well. The whole package is not as seamless as the iPhone but is totally customisable so you can have a phone that does exactly what you want it to rather than someone second guessing what you might want.

As far as battery life it seems pretty straightforwards; the more stuff you do, the quicker the battery will go down, and the trick I use is to set the phone up to do stuff when I want it to, so the GPS is off unless I want it on, the mobile internet is off unless I want it on, etc.

The most useful app is the taskiller or whichever variant you use; it shuts down all the programs you don't want to leave running, again part of the customisability of the Hero.

Better than an iPhone? No, honestly not, but it's not an iPhone, it's something different and well worth a look...

...and you can get aftermarket bigger/better/more long-lasting batteries too.