Apple iPhone 3G Review

Overall Rating

Superb graphics processing capabilities, great for games, the App Store.

No video camera, only recently added cut/paste, can't save particular files to internal memory (music files, videos, MS Word docs etc...), only recently added tethering (for £15 extra per month if you're with O2, and that only includes 3GB of data!), often locks up and doesn't open so you can make a call (too bad if it was an emergency and you needed to call the police), no reliable Bluetooth implementation (can't be discovered, doesn't discover anything other than Bluetooth headsets).

I bought an iPhone 3G from Italy where they come factory unlocked. At first I was very impressed. I simply inserted my UK 3-Network SIM card and I could use my free minutes and Internet allowance (I have heard rumours that 3-Network have now stopped this, hope it's not true).

I was totally blown away by the amazingly smooth graphics, and the contents that was available on the App Store (including some very cool free apps).

Unfortunately, after a few months of owning the unit, I soon grew tired of the repetitive and restrictive nature of the iPhone. I often attend business meetings at cafes and restaurants, and I need to be able to demonstrate software that uses the Internet. Because I couldn't use my iPhone as a modem (tethering), I had to carry around a secondary phone in my laptop case, take out my SIM card, insert it into my old Skype phone, pair it with my laptop, then connect to the Internet (this is on a £70 phone - a £70 Skype phone that includes HSDPA!!!).

I then attempted to write apps for my iPhone. The first app I wanted to write would need to utilize Bluetooth. No such luck! Bluetooth does not work properly on an iPhone. A standard PC with Bluetooth is unable to discover an iPhone, and vice versa.

On many occasions I have felt the frustration of not being able to copy/paste from an SMS, or even forward an SMS!!! I've also had occasions where I've been in a data centre and wanted to take a snap of some equipment/wiring and then MMS this to a techie - again - no such luck (until recently, when MMS was added with the iPhone 3.0 firmware update).

Overall I am thoroughly disappointed with the iPhone - perhaps not so much from a technical aspect, but more so from the marketing angle. Apple went into partnership with various network service providers, locked people into 18 month contracts with no opportunity to upgrade, disabled features that have been de facto standards on handsets for over 10 years (and only recently have started enabling such features via firmware upgrades).

Now the new iPhone 3G S is out, and it has this amazing new mobile phone feature - the ability to record video! Yaay! Will I be rushing to an Apple store to buy one? HELL NO!!!! I will never touch anything Apple again. Instead, I now have my eye on a new (unlocked) Android handset - probably the HTC Hero. I may wait a little longer (suffer a little longer with my iPhone) and see what other Android handsets are going to be released this year (there are going to be 20 or so from what I've been told). I strongly believe that Android's Open Source architecture is the way forward.

If you want a phone with great graphics that's a brilliant gaming handset and you don't mind being tied into a ludicrous contract where you can't even use your phone as a 3G modem without paying an extra £15 per month (here in the UK) and you don't need general purpose Bluetooth functionality, then I strongly recommend an iPhone. If you are a little patient and wise, and you want to experience total freedom from your handset, then I would recommend you look at the number of Android handsets due to be released this year (including the HTC Hero).