WSJ: Mossberg reviews the iPhone
 

Sounds nice...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1182...oo_hs&ru=yahoo

Re: WSJ: Mossberg reviews the iPhone
 

You are in the wrong forum.

Re: WSJ: Mossberg reviews the iPhone
 

Not so possitive on engadget

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/26/i...first-reviews/

Mossberg sounds like he's in love with the iPhone, almost every fault he identified had a "saving grace" feature which meant it was the best thing since sliced bread... I wonder how much Apple paid him! ;)

An iPhone will $2000 (when you factor in the cheapest AT&T $59.99/month contract before tax) - a lot of money for a phone which needs the battery replaced after 300 cycles, has no cut & paste, a dodgey contact manager, no A2DP support (it's a 4/8GB iPod for crying out loud!), no Flash support, no video recording ability, no MMS and the OS takes up 700MB memory (WOW! That's insane!!)

All these faults on such an expensive phone make it sound somewhat less appealing - I'm sure it will sell to the fanbois but I don't see how the eye candy UI can make up for some of these gaffs which will no doubt be addressed in the v2 product, along with improved mobile phone connectivity (3G and HSDPA is a must).

Re: WSJ: Mossberg reviews the iPhone
 

No A2DP, cut & paste, mp3 ring tones, video recording, voice dialing, 3G, GPS, removable battery, expandable storage, Adobe Flash... and above all no instant messaging!!!

Can you hear the sound of deflating enthusiasm?

I bet they don't support mp3 ring tones so we can all start recognizing (and getting annoyed by it) iPhone's ring sounds in couple of months.

Re: WSJ: Mossberg reviews the iPhone
 

Does anybody know if you can use the Iphone as a modem for your macbook (or N800)? If people are forced to buy a unlimited dataplan, I would like to use it on a laptop also.
If not, can you remove the AT&T simcard and put it in a normal Edge phone that allows modem usage? The Iphone comes with the simcard pre-installed, but it doesn't say if you can remove it and use it in a different phone.
I understand that you need to activate the iphone (=buy a two year AT&T contract) before you can use it. But is it Simlocked? (so could you put in a different card if you are in a foreign country for example?)
Most providers in Europe don't sell locked phones to people that buy a service plan. Mostly Prepaid phones get locked.
Does the Ipod/webbrowser/email/camera part still work if you remove the AT&T card (or put in a different sim card if locked)?
What happens if your service plan stops at AT&T? (can you still use the device?)

I think it would be absolutely criminal if people need to keep paying an insane $60,- a month just to use it as an Ipod.

the reviews don't say yet.

Re: WSJ: Mossberg reviews the iPhone
 

It's locked to AT&T and you can't remove the simcard.

Re: WSJ: Mossberg reviews the iPhone
 

thanks, that was fast :-)

Any idea if you can use it as a modem for your laptop?

Re: WSJ: Mossberg reviews the iPhone
 

You can't use it as a modem as well. If you want your laptop connected, carry a second phone with you :(

And according to the review, you can't exchange the battery? Throw the device into the junk after 100-200 of recharging???

Re: WSJ: Mossberg reviews the iPhone
 

This whole "factoring in the plan" cost stuff is ********. Nobody says that about free phones.

If you pickup a free Samsung Sync, you still sign a 2yr contract, and if you want 3g data... you pay for that as well. Please stop being ******ed. The phone doesn't cost $2500.

That said. Why the hell doesn't the iPhone have copy and paste.

I do foresee ichat, Flash, A2DP and video recording coming in an update. Apple stated that they will add features for free as time goes on.

Edit:

Sorry millhouse, my anger isn't directed at you... I was just annoyed with all the blogs stating "omg $2000 because the plan".

If everyone wants to get technical, you can cancel the plan for $175 30 seconds after you activate and you'll be left with a nice Video iPod and Safari.

Re: WSJ: Mossberg reviews the iPhone
 

I think that device sucks!

-$500 - $600 bucks is really expensive for any phone
-AND you need to pay at least $60 a month for 2 years to AT&T for calls and data

-battery can't be changed (need to send it to Apple after 300-400 charges, and buy a new battery!)
-you can't remove the sim card (insane roaming costs)
-Memory isn't expendable, so you are stuck at 4GB or 8GB (Since flash memory is evolving really rapidly, that is very little: Samsung even released a 8GB MicroSD card not so long ago)
-No 3G support, Edge really sucks when compared to UMTS (I know I had both)
-The device doesn't have a flash, so the camera only works well outdoors
-it has a navigation system, but no GPS (manual position input)
-no stereo Bluetooth headset support

-you can't record videos
-You buy an unlimited dataplan but you can't use it as a modem
-you have a 'full' webbrowser, but your don't have Flash, Java, Real or Windows media support (and it is only 320x480 pixels, very little compared to the E90 or N800)
-You can't add any programs of your own: completely locked, only "Web 2.0"
-no bluetooth printing support
-no editing Word or Excel files (read only)
-no hand writing recognition (only a virtual keyboard)
-no MMS (I don't know anyone who uses it, but all other phones support it)
-no voice dialing
-no instant messaging/chat (no IRC, no MSN, no Ichat)
-No Voip over Wifi (no SIP, no Skype)
-no copy paste support

The Iphone is probably the most limited smartphone ever produced!
I agree that it does a lot of things well, but simply doesn't do all the other stuff.


I heard mixed messages about the text input. (it seems to work Ok)
And How is the screen? Is it transflective ? (I was under the impression that that wasn't possible with touchscreens). Does it work well outdoors? (The Prada can be difficult to read outdoors, as is the 770 and N800 is very bright sunlight, the N95 is perfectly visible in any condition)

Re: WSJ: Mossberg reviews the iPhone
 

I usually do calculate my total costs. I don't make may calls, so I don't need 450 minutes or something. (I stay below 100 minutes a months)
So I think $60 a month is a lot of money, because I would ony want the data plan and the Ipod features.

Re: WSJ: Mossberg reviews the iPhone
 

My reading of the review is that the SIM card is hard wired. In other words there is none to remove. Couple this with being unable to open the device anyway and I would say the current model is unsellable in Europe. Even in the USA it's just a very expensive iPod for posers.

Maybe the Mk2 version will come over here and actually live up to the hype . . .No, it may come over here but it will never live up to the hype!

Re: WSJ: Mossberg reviews the iPhone
 

$2000 is the minimum cost if you want an iPhone - it's not available SIM free so if you want an iPhone you have to pony up $2000 (not including taxes). Let me know if you can buy an iPhone without a contract and use it on any other data plan - cos if you can't, the cost of the iPhone is as I stated, $2000.

Never before has a mobile phone had such restricted availability which is why it's never before been necessary to consider the cost of the plan as part of the overall cost.

No problem :) In the UK, all contract phones are subsidised by the contract which is usually 12 months so over the period of the 12 months you pay off the phone - eg. a £50/month contract will get you a "free" £600 Nokia N95. But since the iPhone is locked into a 2 year contract you can consider that in order to own an iPhone you have to shell out the full cost of that two year contract plus the $599 for the 8GB device - you can't own the phone any other way. If the iPhone were available for $599 and without a contract then the cost of the iPhone would be $599, but it's not possible to buy at that price. Only for $2000.

While possible to do this, you won't be able to use it on any other plan or network - the iPhone needs back end servers on the carriers network in order to work. No contract == expensive ($599+$175) brick (I doubt even iPod functionality will work!)

Re: WSJ: Mossberg reviews the iPhone
 

it s scary. All this could end up being a major blow to Apple. "How to destroy the Ipod success 101"

Re: WSJ: Mossberg reviews the iPhone
 

Ah so you aren't a cell phone user. In that case I understand :)

Though I do remember hearing "You can apply any phone plan to the iPhone". Unfortunately, their smallest package is $39 for 450 minutes, with no data...

I do see where you're coming from, I would love a video iPod with Wifi and all the same features minus the phone.

Edit: In regards to the plan stuff, I believe you can cancel out of the contract and apply the iphone data plan alone, which is $20 a month. Edge sucks badly though :)

So $599 + 175 to get onto a $20 a month data connection (although very slow). Its also stated that it just needs activation once, so the iPod features should work just fine without voice services. I'll try to find the link that cites that, but it was pretty clear.

That said, I wouldn't get the iPhone if I wasn't using its voice capabilities. I'd prefer a device similar to my N800 or Foleo.

Re: WSJ: Mossberg reviews the iPhone
 

errr...I m a heavy cell phone user. I don't have an Ipod. I like the way Apple bounced back with the Ipod. I mean that if they launch it so massively and if it turn out to be a flop because of all what is being said herabove, then the financial bonanza will have been a short ray of light.

- I d better purchase a E90 as a competitor (it does everything), but with a n800 already, i d better have a N95.

Re: WSJ: Mossberg reviews the iPhone
 

This is why I am waiting for v. 2.0 . I am an Apple user/fan, have a Macbook Pro, Treo 755p (use it as a modem) and a Nokia 800.... I am sure these short comings will be addressed soon.

I would get an iPhone once these things are addressed but I would like to replace my iPod and phone into one device... but I need at least 30-40 GB for my existing music, videos, etc. It will get there in time.

I an eager to see the device especially for surfing the web and compare it to the N 800 (quality wise).

Re: WSJ: Mossberg reviews the iPhone
 

"I an eager to see the device especially for surfing the web and compare it to the N 800 (quality wise)"

Me too. I have a strong feeling from what I've seen in video and heard in reviews that the Iphone's browser has nothing on the N800. The X-factor, of course, will be the creativity and diversity of "Web 2.0" apps that the community develops.

Re: WSJ: Mossberg reviews the iPhone
 

One reason I got the N800 is there is no monthly charge that comes with it. I have a Tracfone, with a cost of something.like $100 a year. I already have a Vonage phone, for about $30 a month. The iPhone would be way out of my budget.

Re: WSJ: Mossberg reviews the iPhone
 

David Pogue does an entertaining and informative video review
http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_stor...3940afb8a3f7c8

Re: WSJ: Mossberg reviews the iPhone
 

What I don't quite get is how Apple get to call this device a smartphone? Phone, sure. Smart? not so sure. Isn't a smartphone supposed to verge on being a mobile computer? A computer is by definition a device where the user gets to decide what it must do and what apps it should run. Contrast the iphone with the little 6120 Classic Nokia just launched; runs s60v3 fp1 same as their top of line devices, supports HSDPA (30 times the dl sped of edge?)! for heavens sake, can be used as a modem (hmmm ideal companion phone to the N800...) via bluetooth, camera, soon 8g microsdhc? Suddenly all the iphone offers is a snazzy touchscreen interface it seems to me - and even that seems to be getting some flak. The perfect phone AND fashion accessory - for my teenage sister maybe.

Re: WSJ: Mossberg reviews the iPhone
 

I really wanted an IPhone, but after thinking about it (and checking my bank account) I bought my N800 instead. So far, I think I made the right choice. I don't make a lot of phone calls, am usually near a wifi hotspot, and am not tethered to ITunes DRM. I still think the IPhone is going to help move Internet tablets to the next level. So much mainstream attention, and likely a high volume of sales should do for the tablet what the original IPod did for mp3 players. IPod is nowhere close to the best mp3/pvp on the market. Competitors have expanded the boundaries of what mp3 players were while Apple rested on its laurels. I'm thinking/hoping in a year we see not only IPhone2, but a ton of cheaper, evolved, competitive products.

I think Nokia has positioned themselves well to be at the head of that class.

Re: WSJ: Mossberg reviews the iPhone
 

You guys might enjoy some of the hysterical anti-Phone whining at the Seattle Times!

Brier Dudley, sock puppet of a firm based in Redmond, WA, has been shrieking about the iPhone each day this week. I especially liked his analysis of Mossberg and Pogue, where he blockquotes all their reservations about the iPhone and barely mentions their praises.

On the other hand, you might prefer the "analysis" of the iPhone he solicited from a Redmond-based firm (that could probably have him beheaded on a whim).

For myself, I prefer the steadfast pronouncements from the noted iPhone experts on this forum. So blather on!

Did any of you happen to develop Canola, by the way? That's the one app on my N800 that looks like it was designed for the N800. I'd seriously be curious about what that person has to say about what makes a good device.

Re: WSJ: Mossberg reviews the iPhone
 

I think this forum has actually been really fair to the IPhone, and for the most part optimistic about what it will do for the industry. It's going to be a nice device... but not perfect. There are definitely a few software things that Apple could (and probably will) do to make the IPhone a great device. Three off the top of my head...

1. Flash (even bad flash is better than no flash.) There's going to be a million teenagers buying this thing that will be pissed that their MySpace slideshows won't play.

2. Streaming/Downloading Audio from home. This for me would be the killer app. I don't need to buy music with the phone, but I'd like to be able to hop on any WiFi and get my audio from ITunes. It would make up for the relatively low storage from an MP3 player standpoint. I don't know if ORB works... but somehow I doubt it will.

3. Bluetooth Keyboard support.

I'm not concerned with how pretty it is. I do like the notion that it's easy to pick up and play with. My wife is scared of my N800, but I have a feeling she'd be right at home on an IPhone.

Re: WSJ: Mossberg reviews the iPhone
 

Read what he's got to say here. :)

Re: WSJ: Mossberg reviews the iPhone
 

Yes, this is the main item I want, and what finally made my N800 viable as a laptop replacement on pleasure trips. The main things I want/need on those trips are e-mail and web browsing. On-screen keyboards may be fine for a few words or a URL, but not for writing sentences and paragraphs.

(Is there confirmation yet that Bluetooth keyboards will not work on the iPhone? I suspect they may not, but I'm also sure that accessory makers are hounding Apple to enable such ASAP.)

Once that comes available -- and yeah, we probably need Flash and support for a couple other major Internet technologies to enable a broader range of sites -- then the iPhone really will have the potential to be the Walk-Around Web I lust for.

I do look forward to a couple software updates and a 20 GB iPhone 2 (which will comes in the the $600 price and bump the others down, and will have some of the features not yet available to iPhone 1.0). Hopefully by Christmas.

Re: WSJ: Mossberg reviews the iPhone
 

... so, this is basically a high end iPOD that happens to have a phone.

After watching Pogues vid

(LoL. Thanks Reb!)

It occurred to me that all the demos seem to show the same web page... a link is never clicked to show a page loading.

3 things can make or break this thing.


1. Page loading with AT&T's edge.

2. The WiFi connection app.

3. How the memory is managed. Will it slow down considerably after a days worth of cached web content or a boatload of email attachments?


We shall see I guess. :)