- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 581 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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19 out of 44 people found this review helpful
1.5 stars
"missed the target all together."
Pros: 3G!!!, gps, 16gb
Cons: no bluetooth headphones, no mms, no video record and much more
Summary: I am a smart phone person. The reason why I like them is because they do what most Phones cannot. However, in comes the IPhone. It isnt a smartphone but its a multimedia phone and its very good at it.
I give my bad grade not because of what it can do but rather what they failed once again to do with the IPhone. I will not discuss the pros because I do not need go over that 3G is awesome more memory is obviously good and GPS is a live saver amongst others. moving on. I want this phone SO BADLY however, Steve jobs and his infinite wisdom has once again decided to not let the IPhone release with its full potential. I love music and surfing the web that is why I want this phone but since it cannot do basic things I cannot buy it and here they are.
MMS; I know many say "who does that anyway etc etc I never do it yadda yadda" The truth is MMS is basic, simple and convenient I have a wife and we are often apart thanks to our military careers. being able to send a pic can make our days much brighter. with the IPhone I could not do that without having to make it an email and go through all that jazz. (please dont lecture me on how i might just be lazy etc etc.) my old 30 dollar BB pearl 8100 could take pics and not only send them i could put them on facebook, send them mms, send it via email, or even blackberry messanger. once again a 30 dollar used phone. (not only that how cool would it be if there was a IPhone messanger. that would be rad)
Bluetooth headphones: come on! this is another basic feature when Im working I hate being tethered to my MP3 player! with bluetooth headphones I wouldnt even have to touch it i can change songs right there. but again none of that with the IPhone.
video recording: again many say "who needs that" and are blinded by the shock and awe of the IPhone interface. again pictures and videos are a great feature and if you say " i have the iphone but i never need that stuff" well that is because you CANT you have gotten used to the fact its not possible. to go from being able to do that to not being able is very inconvenient.
expandable memory: idk what it is with apple but this feature even on IPods should be available. seriously speaking it is a huge lifesaver when I can just put some music, docs or whatever file necessary on a Micro SD and store it inside my phone. never-mind being able to expand the 16 gigs to 24 gigs and soon with the oncoming 16 gig micro sd all the way to 32 gigs please tell me that is not worth adding to an IPhone.
All of those things are needed for the ultimate media phone. Maybe Iam asking too much for steve jobs and his hooligans over at apple. either way it would be nice if they stopped selling us out by giving us a phone that is only living up to half its potential.
there are several others that I could mention but these in my opinion are what are necessary for the first kick ass media phone.
- 24 replies to this review
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How can you review something when you dont even own it. Thats like me commenting on a Att Tilt when I dont use it everyday or even own it. Plus this review was posted before the new 3g Iphone came out. Your opinion is based on what you know of the 3g iphone and not of your everyday use of it.
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if you don't own it don't review it. why would anyone read all this from some no one who doesn't even own the product in question... yea I don't know either...
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it does pic email, who wants MMS, its very limited. email can go anywhere. Bluetooth headphones work with mine so they should work with yours. The video comment is correct, i'll give you that. 16gigs, what smartphone is expandable to that??
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This phone is missing so much, no document transfer, no saving attachments (only pics), terrible copy, no cut/paste, select, absolutely no PIM function. This phone is a video, picture and ipod device...period. Email with exchange is turtle slow...except it has great HTML, the device gets pathetic battery life even with wifi off, BT off and 25% screen brightness. The device gets incredibly grimey and filthy. I really tried to like it but it cannot do justice to complete with any blackberry or even windows mobile for business...nice try Apple but you are years behind except in resolution,ipod, video!!
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I'll say it again for the cheap seats...IF YOU DON'T OWN AN IPHONE YOU ARE NOT QUALIFIED TO POST A REVIEW! Since you still posted a review about something of which you know nothing about then you are an idiot. For that reason, whatever spews out of your pie hole is worth about as much as a lot of people's 401k!
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Please go back to the 7th grade - finish it- and complete the next 5 grades. Your typo and grammatical errors show the value of your opinion. I'm amazed you have a job that lets you afford a computer - or are you using the McDonald's without permission. I also bet that if you're registered to vote - you're voting for O'bama= only in America!
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Some people just love to trash Apple. This rating was issued without even seeing the iPhone 2. Give me a break. For the price and quality a great consumer/business product with more innovation to come.
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Why can't Apple just make a phone that has everything? It wouldn't be that hard to add MMS, Bluetooth, etc. I'll be skipping this phone. Apple haters vs. Apple Fanboys it doesn't get any more childish. Just buy it or don't. Want to be the cool kid with an Iphone good for you(I'm clapping for you) if you buy a different phone instead. I understand your reasons too.
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Guys, just one example. You're being offered Porshe for the price of Hunday. But this Porshe doesn't have power windows, power steering, seats don't recline, your carry-in luggage doesn't fit in its trunk, etc, though it looks great (Porshe!) Also it takes so much more fuel you have to refill the tank every 50 miles. You could give it 10, 11, 12 or whatever, be proud first in your block. And after couple of weeks is your score remains the same? Some people are always lucky, no matter what. Forgotten, what are they called.
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I think a 3 is a bit downrated for a phone as the IPhone indeed does offer new stuff. The new stuff is in turn good for competition which makes other brands spit out gorgeous phones that ARE complete. I also agree with many of the posters that this lack of features is a deal breaker (looking at my HTC Touch Diamond being my perfect blend between IPhone and Blackberry, the two I opted between in the past).
I WANTED the IPhone. Then it came out, and it just didn't feel right. I use a MacBook Pro 10 hours a day for work. Its amazing and does everything I need, so I know that a phone does not need to have EVERYTHING to be perfect. A Macbook Pro has no graphical power like an Alienware but I do not need it, so it can still be perfect for me.
But, back to the phone. I must conclude, after months of researching my next phone, that the IPhone is too much of a multimedia gadget and too less of a smartphone. This is not a bad thing if you need an IPod that can make calls, but the real difference for me is not really in the features such as MMS and video, I don't miss them either.
It's the usage as a smart phone. A gadget's value is not defined simply by listing the sum of its features -- 3g, camera, bluetooth, wi-fi, gps, yay nice. The key of value is how it is laid together to perform as a whole, making everyday life a lot easier: a good smartphone/organizer.
Blackberry got this right in their phones and I have never used a phone that did this so elegantly. However, my interest in business is as great as my interest in multimedia, and I did not want to sacrifice either in my latest phone. When the IPhone came out, it dissapointed me, although I can see how multimedia minded people can really appreciate it, but I simply could not take it serious feature-wise. And that is not because it cannot MMS or record a video (which is odd since it really is a multimedia phone), but because the software just does not help me save time on a daily basis. I went with a HTC Diamond which I love so far because it does both really well, now it's just a matter of time before I can conclude if it indeed can replace my Blackberries when it comes to the perfect and optimal way in which RIM can lay together organizer features. So far, no regrets, and every time one of my IPhone toting friends tries to make their phone do simple stuff all my other smartphones could do I can only say I don't regret putting my IPhone purchase off for another generation as well.
Maybe in the future they will make their phone as good as their laptop range, but in the meantime, I have many answers to the 'question' I posed 1,5 years ago: Yes, the IPhone is very interesting, but it would be foolish to think that this will be the be-all, end-all of phones. What interests me more is how other manufacturers will respond to this. How they will think beyond and not only try to imitate.
As I said... competition is good
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"Phones" are able to send mms, connect bluetooth, record video, take pictures, change battery. Most important: be small and thin, and be wearable. It does not do most of the things above. Alex.
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How can u call this phone perfect when you cannot use it as a modem? Especially considering this is a 3G phone, tethering should have been possible out the gate. Other smartphones and 3G phones allow u to do this, why not the mighty IPHONE 3G? That right there was a DEAL BREAKER!!! I always have my laptop with me and the ability to get online anywhere I have a signal is something I'm finding out to be very nice. Infact, I am using my TREO as a modem right now and moving about 50 MPH while at work. SWEET!!! Wifi is also overrated because u have to be in a "hot spot"; So that does not impress me at all. Another thing I find of convience is the ability to replace my battery with a spare batter when it's low. A spare battery is nice because it gives me the abliity to go from low to FULLY CHARGE in an instant. Sometimes I don't have time to sit and 'wait' until it's charged because I can be very busy and on the go sometimes.
Another thing I didn't like was how they supposedly drop the price of the Iphone but then AT&T try to make the money back for the monthly cost it takes to run the phone. Why drop the price of the phone, but then go up on the service plans? I guess they think we are stupid. But I won't do like how some people are doing, by rating it with low scores with 2's and 3's when the phone is still clearly a high end phone. But for my personal taste, I can't rate it higher than 7 because the phone cannot be used as a modem which is very important for me. -
dude, your complaints, while seemingly justified, demonstrate how ill informed you really are.
(1)MMS: although the iphone does not technically support MMS, as a smart phone it CAN E-MAIL PICTURES!!!!!! you don't need to waste texts (or potentially have to pay more MMS, knowing ATT). You can simply snap your picture, and using the integration you're allegedly so infatuated with, E-MAIL THEM TO WHOMEVER YOU LIKE.
(2) lack of a video camera: dude, there are at least 5 free applications out there you can download which will enable your iphone to record video
(3) bluetooth: the majority of smart phones provide only limited bluetooth access. the blame lies with bluetooth, not apple. bluetooth writes different proprietary interface software for each system it supports (thus, while your bluetooth might work in your BMW, odds are it doesn't work in a Jag or Hummer). Blame bluetooth for setting up their system like morons and for being too profit-hungry for full disclosure.
all in all, if you really love integration and multi-platform capability, the iphone is your best bet. not some stupid blackberry -
Nokia n95 8gb...One of the most powerful smartphones out there...if not, the most powerful.
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Since the scoring is so low, I would like to know where iPhone would stand as compared against other products. It seems like lobo had scored this product mainly based on the quality difference between 3G and the previous rev, it's hard for me to see whether to go with iPhone or other Media phones. Does the score of 3 mean I should go buy another phone? Or does it only mean that there's not much difference between 3G and original iPhone. I looked at AT&T Tilt and Blackberry that are about ~300 bucks and received 8.3 review. Where would this new iPhone stand compared against these? Is it still 3? Thanks!
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Just because the iPhone may not have "everything" YOU think is important, it does not negate the good features of the product. Learn what it means to write a review; reviewing means evaluating; NOT whining...
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yeah - the best browser ever on a phone, by far, is totally degraded by not being able to: record video and send mms...
right... loser! -
The original iphone already had amazing features never seen before in any other phone and now they're putting in even more features for HALF THE PRICE. Why does everyone only look at the bad things in every product when half of the things they pry on not having are things that nobody needs! Just reconsider your review and don't skip over the good parts.
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I guess the whole problem is people don't agree on what features to receive what percentage of grading out of maximum score of 10. But 1 thing I can say is though, I can't agree with the score of 3/10 even if they re-released the same exact iPhone with 3G upgrade only.
Let's assume that you rated the rest of the features with no dissatisfaction, your rating of 3 indicates that MMS, Bluetooth, and whatever other thing you said that iPhone is missing constitutes 70% of what you want to see out of smart phone / multimedia phone. Is this really true? For me and many others, it's definitely the quality of sound, ease of use, GPS integrated with google map, and just the plain coolness (not to mention how cool the touch screen function is even on the first generation product), and future strong software roadmap on this product that makes up the majority of iPhone features/quality. Deducting 7/10 points for not meeting your request is probably a over-kill. I think people who are reading review of products want to see overall quality of the product being rated. If you say an average person expects the features iPhone is missing again to be 70% of the overall quality of the product, OK I can't argue with you. That's your opinion of the product. But don't you think you are giving too much weight on the features you want?? I would suggest maybe deducting 1-2 points or 3 points at max for missing these functions for now. Once you get the phone, you can rate the rest of the features / general quality of the new iPhone with the rest of 7-8 points you have left. That would be my suggestion. And it will benefit the people who are serious about buying this phone wanting to know the review of it. Thanks -
The new Iphone did not even came out into the market and you are already trashing it?
You seem t be a real apple hater or work for Microsoft "Maybe I am asking too much for steve jobs and his hooligans over at apple". That is neither very professional nor unbiased. -
If you are a smart person like me, and I'm in the military too, you would know that besides the expandable memory, everything you listed are software upgrades. Yes they are basic, but if you have an iPhone that is Jail broken, you would know that there is an MMS program for it. That being said, it probably will show up in the app store maybe as soon as the release date. Stereo bluetooth isn't exactly an exact science on cell phones so Apple chose to leave it alone instead of having to worry about complaints that it doesn't work right. That too may be a third party app. I say this because well sometimes when I have my phone plugged in to charge, I do get music coming through my blue-tooth. That tells me the hardware is there, they are just not releasing the software until it works the way they want it. Now as far as the expandable memory, on the only phone in the world that 8GB and 16GB, do you really need to expand your memory? I mean I myself put movies and new CDs that I want to listen to, and I find that with that, and my Apps, I'm only using half my memory. I don't need my whole CD collection on there because I'm not going to listen to most of the albums throughout the day. Word Docs. take up almost no space at all, and having SD cards for a phone is bothersome on it's own. Yes they could add that but it would make the phone more bulky, and having at-least 8GB is plenty of memory. With the price of the new iPhone's now, I think you are crazy to give this a 3.
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It's amazing that these same complaints/suggestions were heard with the first iPhone. I was very excited about the upcoming 3G model but now that I'm seeing features like MMS, Stereo Bluetooth and expandable memeory are missing it just means I'm going to stick with my Blackberry.
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Not only has it not been released yet but you have not even had a hands on demo.
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If they didn't keep features from the public, no one would buy the iPhone 3, which _will_ have video and multimedia messaging*.
It's sort of like creating a children's show (sorry Apple fans), and selling toys of the show. Then when sales drop off, change the cast and characters and sell the new toys. Lather, rise, repeat ad nauseum.
So I guess to be more succinct: If they made the perfect multimedia phone, they're afraid the subsequent phones' sales would be tepid.
*tongue in cheek comment - I do not have insider info
Where to buy
Apple iPhone 3G - 16GB, black (AT&T):
$149.99
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