iPhone 3G review

It's hard to think of any other device that's enjoyed the level of exposure and hype that Apple found in the launch of the first iPhone. Who could forget it? Everyone got to be a gadget nerd for a day; even those completely disinterested in technology seemed to come down with iPhone fever. But the original device was still far from perfect: its limited capabilities (especially in the 3G department), high price of entry, and the small number of countries in which it was available kept many potential buyers sidelined. Until now -- or so Apple hopes.

The wireless industry is a notoriously tough nut to crack, and it's become pretty clear that the first iPhone wasn't about total domination so much as priming the market and making a good first impression with some very dissatisfied cellphone users. With the iPhone 3G, though, Apple's playing for keeps. Not only is this iPhone's Exchange enterprise support aiming straight for the heart of the business market, but the long-awaited 3rd party application support and App Store means it's no longer just a device, but a viable computing platform. And its 3G network compatibility finally makes the iPhone welcome the world over, especially after Cupertino decided to ditch its non-traditional carrier partnerships in favor of dropping the handset price dramatically. $200? We're still a little stunned.

So now that Apple finally stands poised for an all out war on cellphone-makers everywhere, will the iPhone 3G stand up to the competition -- and higher expectations than ever? Read on for our full review.

Update: Updated with more tests from our battery, MobileMe, and enterprise supplemental.

iPhone 3G review - hardware

The hardware
No one will have any trouble recognizing the new device from its face -- it's essentially identical to the original iPhone. Thankfully, the bright, high quality, high resolution 480 x 320 3.5-inch display that's just so easy to love, hasn't been changed a bit. Unfortunately, it's still every bit as much a magnet for smudges and fingerprints -- in fact, even more so now that the rear of the device has dropped its chic matte aluminum in favor of black (or white, optional on the 16GB model) plastic. Hey, at least now it's more symmetrical.

The move to plastic seemed almost inevitable now that the iPhone has so many radios, frequencies, and antenna needs (GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS), but while we do prefer the original aluminum, the plastic does feel pretty solid and not at all flimsy, which is more than we can say for a hell of a lot of handsets. There's no doubt about the fact that we'd have preferred a matte or soft-touch finish to the glossy plastic, but that's all a matter of taste.

The body of the phone is slightly thicker at its center than its predecessor, although the edges are tapered and thinner than before, which is always a good way to make a device feel smaller than it actually is. (Palm learned this a long time ago.) There are a couple downsides to the body shape, though: first, when you're tapping off-center on a hard, flat surface, the phone wobbles (but only a little, oh well).

Second, the new shape means you won't be using it in your original device's dock. This really wouldn't be all that bad if Apple included a dock with the 3G like they did with the first iPhone, but now they want you to buy that separately. Did we mention they're asking $30 for it? Way lame. That absurdly small power adapter kind of makes up for it, but only a little.

One thing Apple was keen to talk up is the vastly improved call quality of the iPhone 3G. Those in the know understand that 3G call quality is often better than regular GSM -- but it turns out Apple made a huge improvement on both sides. iPhone 3G calls made over 3G and GSM both sounded significantly better than calls made on the original iPhone. If you're upgrading your device iPhone you may not necessarily notice it, but on a side by side it was pretty obvious.

Of course, call quality most often depends on coverage, and coverage varies between 3G and GSM networks depending on where you are. 3G calling also requires more battery power. Where are we going with this? Well, despite many of the painstaking measures Apple's taken to preserve battery power, the iPhone 3G doesn't do any real time signal detection to help determine whether you currently have better 3G or GSM voice coverage. If you suspect you might get better coverage either on or off 3G, it's up to you to dig down through a few settings menus to flip the switch. Not a deal breaker by any means, but it'd make for a welcome fix.

Apple's numbers on the iPhone 3G's battery life peg it at 10 / 5 hours talk on GSM / 3G (respectively), 5 hours 3G data, 6 hours WiFi, 24 hours music and 7 hours video. Pretty much everything we've found in our testing jibes with Apple's claims, if not exceeds them. (Our early results testing video early on skewed low because we had mistakenly left on push and fetch data, which dropped the battery life by almost 25%. After re-testing, they're back up to spec.)

All our tests were conducted with 3G on, WiFi on (not connected), Bluetooth off, no data fetching enabled (unless specified otherwise). Media tested with stock headphones, medium volume, and medium screen brightness, auto-brightness disabled.

• Music (continuous playback, large library, occasionally turning on screen): 31h 23m
• Video (continuous playback, no push/fetch data): 7h 5m
• Video (continuous playback, with push and 15 minute fetch data): 5h 24m
• Daily data use (browsing, email, and GPS / maps): ~6h 30m

Those numbers definitely are not bad, but if you're anything like us and you kill time on your phone reading feeds and checking email like a fiend, by 3 or 4pm you'll likely be wondering if you'll even make it home with any power left -- especially if you leave on the 3G data. So be warned, because the kind of prolonged usage you used to get away with on the original iPhone probably isn't possible with the iPhone 3G. For some, this may be an issue. Others may never notice.

There have been a number of other fixes to better the device as well. For example, the phone now has two proximity sensors to better detect when it's held to your ear. We also found that while the camera was essentially identical, we were getting images that were ever so slightly sharper and crisper than the original iPhone on 1.1.4 (check it out below). Still, knowing that HTC's Touch Diamond -- which features a 3.2 megapixel sensor and mechanical autofocus -- could pack such a great camera in an even smaller form factor than the iPhone's left us pining for something a bit more than the same 2 megapixels from the first time around.

iPhone 3G review - camera test

What we're probably the most excited about, though, is that two of our biggest hardware-related gripes from the original device have finally been addressed: first, the headphone jack is now flush, which means any standard (3.5mm) headphones will work in the iPhone without the need for an adapter. The new jack has a solid, confidence-inspiring feel that won't leave you worrying about damaging the device or your headphones. To this day we still have no clue why Apple pushed the jack in -- it was kind of funny hearing Steve pitch the flush jack as a feature at WWDC. It's the simple things, you know?

Second, the speaker volume has been jacked up significantly, giving your calls (or music) a much more workable volume level if you're not blessed with superhuman hearing. It's not the loudest speaker we've ever heard on a device, and unlike many Nokia Nseries phones, it's still mono. But it's definitely a step up compared to the first iPhone, which was not only quiet, but also seemed to distort at much lower volumes.


Speed and location
At the end of the day, it's the 3G data that's important enough to become part of the new iPhone's namesake. Speed testing the iPhone 3G hasn't been disappointing in the slightest. We've seen speeds between 300 - 500Kbps in the US (roughly equivalent of other HSDPA devices we've tested), and in networks abroad where the data rates are even faster, we've gotten consistent data rates of over 700-800Kbps. It's pretty clear the iPhone 3G isn't hitting hardware limits right now, so much of what you can prepare to see in terms of speed in the US will depend directly on reception with AT&T's network -- which doesn't have the most outstanding reputation, nor the broadest 3G rollout.

Interestingly, in one test, our iPhone 3G had worse reception on AT&T than a Nokia N78, yet managed speeds of over 100Kbps faster. So ultimately, where 3G coverage is decent, you should be seeing speeds that will no longer have you tearing your eyes out, as was so often the case with little mister sometimes-takes-minutes-to-load-a-small-page first-gen iPhone.

GPS acquisition has also been surprisingly fast for a cellphone. AGPS devices use traditional GPS receivers, but help speed up location acquisition and accuracy by using cellphone towers to triangulate. As far as we know, the iPhone 3G is the only device out right now that not only has AGPS, but takes advantage of Skyhook's proprietary WiFi-based location system, giving it a total of three ways to help find where you're at. We were able to acquire GPS in as little as a second or two, although depending on your location and reception, you might see that take longer. It's important to note, though, that the iPhone's was clearly intended to be a location-aware smartphone -- not a dedicated GPS device. There's a big difference.

That said, there's an enormous amount of interest by people hoping they can add one more to the pile of devices their iPhone has taken over for. It's pretty clear why people might want the iPhone 3G to replace their car's dedicated GPS nav, too. It's not just a location-aware device with a large, bright screen -- it's also connected (with service you're already paying for), thus able to get traffic updates, routing information, and so on. The Google Maps app doesn't provide turn by turn route guidance, though, so while it does provide directions, you can only use it as a stand-in -- and not as a full replacement -- for a proper GPS device. This problem might be solved later by some intrepid 3rd party developer (like, say, TomTom or Telenav), but there's been some confusion as to whether this might actually happen, and what Apple's official stance on GPS nav actually is. And even if this GPS software does eventually come out, the speaker on the iPhone 3G simply won't be loud enough to be heard over most road noise, so you'd also have to make use of a line-out. In other words, don't sell your GPS device just yet, okay?

iPhone 3G review - software

The software
Anyone that's used the original iPhone knows what a delight the device can be to use -- except when using the old mail app -- but the hardware is only one part of that. An accurate capacitive touchscreen and well optimized mobile processors form the basis of that experience, but the iPhone continues to derives its real power in usability. The iPhone 3G and the second release of mobile OS X have given the device numerous useful new features while keeping in line with expectations that they not slow down the experience, nor overwhelm new or experienced users. So far, so good.

Easily the most significant addition to the iPhone 3G (as well as the original iPhone and iPod touch) is the App Store, which finally enables users to trick out their phone with whatever programs make it through Apple's rigorous developer screening and software testing process. We've got as many mixed feelings about that closed-but-open model as we do about many of the programs that launched with the device -- especially the AIM client, which we were most excited about, but that kind of flopped. (Disclosure: Engadget is owned by AOL / TimeWarner. Sorry gang!)

Although the App Store isn't open to any developer, it's worth noting that Apple's implementation wrests all control from its carrier partners, which typically expect 3rd party applications to be either side-loaded (i.e. more for the power user set), or simply want complete control of sales through their own walled garden. It's easy to argue that the App Store just trades one walled garden for another, but what the hell, we'll happily take Apple's over AT&T's.

The applications themselves vary in price, and are purchased after you've logged in with your iTunes account. (Yeah, you'll need one even if you're only downloading free programs.) Apps under 10MB download over the air, and are immediately deposited in your first available slot, where they can be moved (or removed) as you see fit. As new versions of the apps become available, the App Store notifies you of updates and manages the downloads. Yes, it's a new kind of walled garden, but the App Store is also a category-redefining experience. We've already heard a radically open version will be making its way to Android, and we hope it will eventually find its way to platforms like Windows Mobile and Symbian as well.

Another new addition is character recognition support for logographic-based languages, such as Traditional Chinese, as well as localized keyboards for nearly two dozen languages and markets worldwide. But the touchscreen keyboard can still be a major sticking point for some -- ourselves enthusiastically included -- and Apple hasn't given any more of its default programs (like SMS) the increased ease of typing that comes with using the keyboard in landscape mode. There's simply no question that in terms of efficiency, on an iPhone we're nowhere close to where we can get on a spacious (or even not so spacious) QWERTY keypad. To their credit, though, Apple's made a few tweaks over the last year that have made typing a little faster and easier (like letting you pre-type the next letter before your first finger has lifted). But the fact is this defining feature of the iPhone remains one of its biggest drawbacks.

After nearly a week of testing MobileMe, we still haven't really had a positive experience with it among our editorial team. One editor, who had fewer issues than anyone else, still had difficulty syncing his 1,300+ contacts. MobileMe would choke on sync and require disabling / re-enabling to keep that sync moving. Another problem we saw was that email deletes weren't synced to other devices, requiring the same message be deleted in multiple locations. In some cases, a deleted email that wasn't properly synced would actually repropagate to back out other devices. Nothing better than zombie email.

Another thing we (and a lot of people noticed) is that MobileMe on the desktop is faux-push -- it only gets updates every 15 minutes because it's actually pulling them, unlike the iPhone's proper push. (We're, like, totally sure someone's going to sue.) You can edit a certain .pref file (details here) to make it fetch every minute -- but fetching every minute isn't push, now is it? Apple has since acknowledged this issue (among others). We also noticed on the phone that if you have synced MobileMe calendars, your calendar subscriptions (like, say, shared iCal or Gcal or what have you) are disabled.

All in all, as of the time of this writing, our feeling is that MobileMe still feels like it's in beta -- when it's up -- and is generally falling way short of what was promised by Apple. We believe they're earnest when they say they're trying to get it all up and running to fulfill their commitments, but for the time being we think it's best to steer clear until they work out the kinks.

On the other hand, we found the Exchange support to be simple enough to set up and use that you may not have to bug your IT dude. Some hardcore enterprise users will miss the full Exchange suite, including synced notes and tasks, but the core functionality (email, calendar, contacts) work very well, and if you need to take your iPhone into the locked-down office, we tested and confirmed that it will play fine with your company's WPA Enterprise / 802.1x with PEAP network. But our biggest gripe with Exchange isn't small: the system is unable to let enterprise contacts and calendars coexist on the same device with personal contacts and calendars. (Personal and corp email get along just fine, though.)

When you turn on Exchange-synced contacts and calendars, you're notified that it's a one or the other kind of a situation, and your personal data will be removed from the phone. Though that data isn't purged from your host machine, of course, you do immediately lose the ability to change contact or calendar sync settings. This effectively means that your device can only serve as an enterprise device OR a personal device, but not both at once. Kind of defeats the purpose of convincing your boss to get you an iPhone in the first place, you know? Can't all our calendars and contact lists just play together on the same device? We think they can (and should).

Some other new and noteworthy features:

• As mentioned, Google Maps now shows a pinging blue locator that can track your movement. As of right now there's no way to convert this to KML or anything usable for geocaching.
• The camera will also now ask you permission to use GPS to geotag photos with your current location. Once you grant that permission, it will add the necessary standard EXIF data to your photos. Trés useful, but you can't refer back to those geotags to bring up a location in Google Maps.
• Side note: there's now an option to reset location notifications, if you accidentally granted permission to an app you don't want knowing where you are.
• The iPhone can now read PowerPoint, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote documents. It's still incapable of editing or creating new documents, however, and outside of sending yourself these files via email, there's no accessible file storage.
• You can now save images from the web to your camera roll by tapping and holding.
• The calculator goes into scientific mode when the device is tilted sideways.
• Entering passwords is a little easier -- the last character you entered is temporarily shown at the end of the string. Keeps things safe but makes sure you know if you mistyped.
• One of the very first things we ever requested the iPhone see fixed is finally fixed: calendar colors are now supported, meaning you can finally visually tell your appointments apart based on calendar.
• You can now control email, contact, and calendar fetching from system settings, giving you granular control over push and pull data on your various accounts.
• You can also enable parental controls if you got the device for your kids. Or you just want to curb temptation to constantly watch Charlie the Unicorn on YouTube or buy Lil Wayne tracks on the WiFi Store, weirdo.
• Screen captures can be taken by holding home, then pressing sleep. They're dropped in the camera roll.
• Doing a hard reset now fully purges the device's memory, thereby making it much more difficult to recover the kind of data you don't want someone else recovering. (More on that here.)

We'd also be remiss if we didn't namecheck a few of the things missing from the device, some likely to be inconveniences, others outright dealbreakers:

• Easily-replaceable battery -- especially being that 3G is much more demanding on battery power than EDGE data. We haven't popped the back off, but even if replacing the battery were as simple as unscrewing the two screws at the bottom (and it's not), that's still not what we'd call easily replaceable.
  
• Copy / paste. As if we even needed to mention this.
• MMS. Ditto.
• Expandable memory still isn't in the cards (har). 8 and 16GB capacities are very decent, but the ability to go further with microSDHC would be welcomed by many. As would be a 32GB model.
  
• A2DP (stereo Bluetooth). If this was an unlikely addition before, it's all but written off now. A2DP is a notorious battery hog on devices like cellphones, and the iPhone is already pushing the limits on power conservation and efficiency. It pains us to say it, but we just don't see A2DP happening any time soon.
• Push Gmail. Hey, if Helio can have it on the Ocean, and Samsung on the Instinct, why is Apple stuck with only push Yahoo mail?
• Service-independent device to machine wireless syncing. Exchange and MobileMe are nice, but even nicer would be a way to easily sync data directly to your machine without having to pay or have some kind of service.
• Tethered data. Hey, you're paying $30 a month for data (likely more if you're using it outside the US), your laptop should be able to use some of it too.
• No way to open a link in a new tab in mobile Safari. We also wish the browser was still a bit better about caching data, too -- it'd be nice not to have to do so many reloads when switching between tabs or moving back and forward through history.

And for the enterprise users in the audience, the shortlist of ActiveSync / Exchange bits that didn't make the cut:

• Folder management
• Opening links in email to documents stored on Sharepoint
• Task sync
• Setting an out of office autoreply
• Creating meeting invitations
• Flagging messages for followup

Wrap-up
If you're an avid Symbian, BlackBerry, or Windows Mobile / Exchange user, chances are you might think the iPhone 3G is Apple playing catch-up -- and you're not wrong. 3G, GPS, third party apps, enterprise messaging, these are all old hat. But even the would-be iPhone killers being churned out weekly haven't yet found a way to counter the iPhone's usability and seamless integration of service and software, desktop and mobile, and media and internet.

There are always things that could be improved, features to be added, fixes that should be applied -- but from first to second gen, from year one to year two, Apple has proven itself a relentless upstart in the mobile space, and is showing no signs of slowing down. All those new features give the iPhone even more appeal than ever, but the price is what really seals the deal.

For our money, you're going to have a hard time finding a better device for two hundred bucks -- or maybe even for any price. But that doesn't mean you ought to toss your original iPhone, either. With the release of iPhone 2.0, Apple's given early adopters every possible new feature for free, meaning the iPhone 3G's biggest roadblock to adoption in the US may be its still very worthy predecessor. But as Steve says, "If anybody is going to cannibalize us, I want it to be us." As for the rest of the world? Things are about to get interesting.

More iPhone 3G
iPhone 3G questions answered
The iPhone 3G international launch lineblog!

Note: the original iPhone continued loading the page for another two minutes or so.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2008 9:57AM]

My god i have seen more Iphone advertisements on this website then all of the media in the world put together , does endgaget get a kick back ? pretty obivous i mean its a cell phone nothing amazing lol

[SOOPERGOOMAN Posted Jul 11th 2008 9:57AM]

I agree, this is already obsolete due to the fact that South Korea is already developing 4G and 5G at the same time. It's all Hype for CRAP! It's a bloody phone from a Jerk who only wants his vision seen. Hitler esque if you ask me The ipwn, the ipud and the icrac. You know what I'm talking about. The hype, gotta be a Jonse's or else you fail, right? WRONG! I am pretty much fucking sick of hearing about ole Stevie Jobs and his Cuppertino gang of cronies. Pack it in already dude. Most of are gonna stick to what we like.
I think all Apple fanatics are full of it, so go take a crap.

I AM APPLE FREE! and PROUD!

[xValentine Posted Jul 11th 2008 10:05AM]

No "No-iPhone-Topic" ?

So we can get rid of those haters and find their own place.

Nice review and photos Ryan.

Can't wait to see the review of the White :D

[sandmanfvr Posted Jul 11th 2008 10:09AM]

Seems like the iPhone 3G (as been pointed out) is over hyped. With a 2G iPhone and the 2.0 software, you really only miss the new GPS. Other than that, nothing other than 3G that some could care less about.

So this release is the really about the iPhone 2.0 software, which is cool. I wonder how many decided from going 3G and just got the new OS?

[Squid7085 Posted Jul 11th 2008 12:33PM]

I was originally planning to get the new 3G iPhone but decided against it, as you said the only "true" benefit is 3G and GPS. I have a GPS and there is no 3G in my area. Aside from that, its just like the original iPhone. I don' t know that this new version is so much to get old iPhone users to upgrade as to bring in new people. Thats how I see it. If you have an iPhone, the new one really isn't that big of a deal, if you don't have an iPhone and wanted one. $199, there is no reason not to now. I am holding out for the "true" next generation iPhone in a year. This one is just and upgrade, I presumer we will see a return to innovation in the third model.

[SinChase Posted Jul 11th 2008 10:10AM]

If I want to buy one online will i find it under Fashion Accessories or Mobile Devices?

Wait, dont bother answering, I wont want to buy one online, or offline, or anywhere else for that matter.

Hurrah for common sense.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2008 10:19AM]

I read an article today that claims that the iphone or idrone as i like to call it, is for "fashionista's and hipsters because it makes them look sexy". I would like to say the name idrone is a perfect fit for these unoriginal people thinking that being a follower is that "cool".
There are so many nicer phones out there. I bet most of these people would stroke Steve Job's dong if he offered.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2008 10:38AM]

Ironic that you talk about unoriginal, and use a wholly obvious and inane term like "idrone".

[cycomachead Posted Jul 11th 2008 10:21AM]

Look. I dont get all this complaining. Mobile data is expensive and the only way to change it is to not pay. Unfortunately thats not always possible. Anyway I wanted to chime is that Im using my xv6800 (mogul) on wifi in )anera bread because 3m not paying Vzw more than $45 per month for unlimited data that caps at around 5GB. $20 was the right price for data. Its sad to see it go, but Apple's place is understadable. Anyway I wish I could be in line instead of wait for stupid summer school cuz my stupid school won't give me time to take classes I want.

PS Engadget: I'd love your review much more if it you had used the phone for more thab 24 hours. Maybe a follow up in a week or so? oh and sorry for the typos from a small keyboard!

[splicitysplat Posted Jul 11th 2008 1:49PM]

Yes.. one step in a good direction. Apple is going to take over the world one college kid and teenage girl at a time muahhahaha.

[cycomachead Posted Jul 11th 2008 10:29AM]

the battery in the iphone is now larger than before and it's not soddered in. Yes Apple will have to replsce it but the process should be much quicker with only a few screws.

It has its shortcomings too, but it all depends on who is using the phone. Me it might be underpowered, but for my mom who hasnt only rarely used smartphones its pretty easy and has a lot of useful things.

Also its not as elegant but hasnt anyone realized that you can send an MMS using the mail app? Just use the person text email address and save it to your contacts.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2008 10:34AM]

Why are you involving 4G and 5G when only a limited number of nations has this?! It's unfair to use them as judgment since you might as well diss most other phones released elsewhere than Asia. And by your comment, you are full of it too.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2008 10:37AM]

Bare with me for a while on this ...

It is summer, you walk to work in the morning and where you used to see busy people hurrying about you see an ice cream van surrounded by kids getting their ice cream fix. Walk further down another of those ice cream vans same story, kids and adults alike having ice cream. You turning the corner and one more of them shows up while you can definitely hear the silly songs of another one going right past you. What do you do? Go to the ice cream man and tell him to get lost cause there are too many of them? Start slapping the kids around cause they annoy you with their screams and noise? Don't think so...

You just walk right past it ignoring it if you dont want ice cream or joining the fun if you do.

That's what is the iPhone. An ice cream van in a rather sunny day. If you don't want any just walk by and let the rest of us enjoy it, if you do want some join in and be happy!

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2008 10:39AM]

If I bare with you, I'd get in trouble.

[Prasand J Posted Jul 11th 2008 10:37AM]

Aside from everyone's relatively quibble-ish replies ... I thought this was an excellently written objective review, in tone, tempo, neutrality, etc.




.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2008 10:44AM]

too late to correct it now so I gotta play along!

You might get in trouble, then again you might not.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2008 10:52AM]

No MMS?

Camera is still a 2 megapixel with no flash?

No flash safari mobile browser

ATT's network?

3G Network that doesn't even cover most of the USA?

$10 more per month data plus no free text messages?

lol, no thanks. I'll stay with reliable Verizon and my lovely new LG Dare and use their widespread, far faster network.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2008 11:50AM]

LG Dare?

LOL. Just... lol.

This may shock you but I buy a phone to use as a phone. Not a camera. I have an actual camera to use as a camera. I'll let you wrap your head around that concept for a few minutes. Also, I like having a phone with a good UI and flawless interoperability between software and hardware. You don't, obviously.

[darex Posted Jul 11th 2008 10:52AM]

Basic question for reviewer:

Are the buttons on the music player in portrait mode any larger than before?

All the screen is wasted on stupid, worthless album art, but the actual controls are tiny and easy to miss while driving. Likewise, the song title display is ultra-tiny. Not cool with the iPhone sitting it its dock, while driving on either count!

Given that it's a touch-screen, they could literally take up the full bottom half of the screen for good effect, but they are so tiny and hard to hit, it's silly. Get your music player controls right, Apple. It's an IPod, after all!!

This is actually one of my most major gripes about the iPhone.

It's so easily fixed too via a software "skin" addition.

Album art is sily. There should be an option to get rid of it, and to let all the important components on the screen take over the space it vacates.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2008 11:45AM]

Hey, good to see you've got Cat Empire on your playlists, even though you don't know them. Get to know them!! Aussie Melbourne Bands rock!

Everyone go listen to The Cat Empire, they're great.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2008 11:05AM]

iPhone: great product, demential marketing.

Marketing mistake #1 reducing the iPhone retail price from $599 to $399 - a 33% rebate - after only 3 months from the product launch.
This way Apple betrayed the iPhone early adopters - and their most faithful costumers.

Mistake #2 – now – knocking the iPhone price down to $199 – 66% less than the product launch price, just 12 months after.
Will the iPhone price be $10 on December 23, 2008?

Mistake #3 - Forcing costumers in signing with AT&T as exclusive carrier.
Result: slowing down sales of the iPhone.

Mistake #4 – Late launch in European markets. US launch: June 2007.
In Nov. 2007 the iPhone was launched in UK, Germany and France.
on July 11, 2008 – 1 full year after - the iPhone gets launched in most of the other European countries: Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Netherlands, Belgium. And in Japan and Australia.

Mistake #5 – absurd pricing of the iPhone in European countries
Result: killing big slices of potential sales of the iPhone in Europe.
And making a big favour to Nokia and Motorola.

see http://www.vertygoteam.com/iphone_marketing_strategy.php for details on the iPhone marketing strategy
and http://www.vertygoteam.com/iphone_price.php for iPhone price in Europe

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2008 11:41AM]

The charts you sent if anything show that the pricing in the US is similar if not more expensive than the European countries. Only the italian market is more expensive and that is probably because just like NZ ripafone got the deal.

In the UK specifically as I have pointed out the contract is around US $1250 inclusive of the 200$ price of the handseat as the contract with O2 is 18 months and not 24 months. I don't know about other European markets but I would be surprised if 24 month conctracts was the norm.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 12th 2008 9:46PM]

Wow...hard to believe Steve Jobs hasn't hired a genius like you to be VP of Marketing at Apple.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 21st 2008 9:40AM]

I think this whole debate is stupid. The article clearly stated what the author(s) liked and disliked about the new iPhone. Until I play with one in person, I'm inclined to trust the reviewers because I can attest to their judgment in other articles, Apple or not. If you want to buy an iPhone regardless of its shortcomings (EVERY product has them), go ahead, it's your money and your choice. If you refuse to ever buy an Apple product for whatever reason, then take your money and buy something else. Please, I implore both sides of the debate to make your points and back them up with facts or at least anecdotal evidence. If you're going to post just to bash fanboys or to ridicule Apple haters, just know that it's a complete waste of both your time and every reader's.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2008 10:19PM]

Hey! I'm a WM user too and I hate the ifone. Well, my WM is really just a rock with a winderrs logo on it cuz that works as good as my HTC did that crashed all the time. It costs nothing a month and I make calls by throwing it at people. BANG! "HEY, I'M TALKIN' TO EWE!"

[Rattle Posted Jul 11th 2008 11:37AM]

Sound is mono?!
Even with headphones in when listening to music??

Am I getting confused or did I read that correctly?!

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2008 11:44AM]

Gorgeous device. This will be the device that other will inspire their "me too" product with. Expect the usual to produce products that emulate the unique aspects of the iPhone.

[MysticMaven Posted Jul 11th 2008 12:01PM]

God Engadget, how many times before you figure it out, it doesn't matter HOW MANY features a device has, it matters how well it works. I use my iPhone 10x more than I EVER used my treo or Dell pocket pc. Man you 'feature geeks' are annoying.

[Tenny Posted Jul 11th 2008 11:51AM]

Nice UI, but that's about it. I'll keep looking forward to the HTC Diamond / Touch Pro.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2008 1:57PM]

TLDR

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2008 11:58AM]

I don't understand why people are complaining that iPhone, a phone meant for the State of Art telecom tech in the US (which is barely entering 3G), with services mostly only available (in a functional form) outside US.

MMS is nearly non-existent in US
3G speed is 700kbps, if you're lucky (barely 1/5 the capacity of the iPhone), so the bottleneck is in the network.
Video recording - see MMS
Video calling - see MMS
Bluetooth - works, just no A2DP for battery concerns
Flash - I'd take a functional browser over flash capability anyday. What, your phone can only browse WAP?

The only one that has merit is the copy-paste.

[tastypotato Posted Jul 11th 2008 12:01PM]

I hope we see a review that is so complete and in depth for the HTC Diamond when it released. Until then I'll be jealous of you guys on AT&T with your damn iPhones. :P

[Dan12345 Posted Jul 11th 2008 12:03PM]

Wow, why are so many people here so threatened by the iPhone's success? So weird. It's just a phone people, chill out!

Because of people like you, the media is actually UNDER hyping this launch. People lining up across the nation for a product should be much bigger news than I see in today's papers. So knock off the childish whining.

You like other phones better? Awesome! Skim past the articles about the iPhone, nobody's forcing you to read them. Keep your nasty little comments to yourselves.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2008 12:05PM]

I still do see other news on engadget, would you like me to give you the links?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2008 12:07PM]

Well, the fact that they still can't do basic functions such as copy and paste is definitely pathetic, as well as no improved camera.

On a side note I would like to say how pleasantly surprised I am that Ryan Block kept this review somewhat unbiased, especially from what I expected with the lead-up to this review coming over from Engadget Mobile. Please keep up this better form of journalism, it makes Engadget a lot more legit.

Just please don't hype up this phone being big on the enterprise level, because unless you are some business in California trying to be "hip" and "trendy", no real corporate user is going to buy this phone without copy and paste.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2008 12:45PM]

Excellent review. What's exciting is that Apple is pushing the industry. We're seeing devices like Touch Diamond from HTC, Samsung Omnia and Instinct, Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1, new Opera Mobile browser, rumors of S60 and BlackBerry touch screen, and all of these things have happened in the last year, largely a result of Apple aggressively charging forward. It's also causing some operators to realize that users will consume data...a lot of it...if the plan is reasonably priced and the phone has a great browser or compelling applications that leverage the data channel.

The iPhone 3G may not be a radical improvement from 1.0, and there will be hundreds of millions of customers around the world who are going to purchase other phones with similar features (or better especially in terms of camera quality) and carry them proudly, but with the phone refinements, non-operator App Store and MobileMe, Apple is raising the bar for the industry around what else you can do with your phone that will entice response from competitors, and that will ultimately be good for consumers. It's kind of like when iPhone 1.0 came out and Steve Jobs talked about Google Maps. It seemed that most people were literally in shock at the idea that you could have Google Maps on your phone, but to anyone who is into phones knows, that was obvious, and Google Maps for Windows Mobile and i think even J2ME had been out there for at least a year.

Apple, its innovation and the marketing buzz it drives helps the industry as a whole - it helps build awareness of what smartphones are capable of, and how they can benefit everyday life; and it pushes competitors to raise the bar, or look at how they are currently doing things in a different light.

[brianPaz Posted Jul 11th 2008 3:45PM]

I would buy it in a hot second if it were on SPRINTS NETWORK... just for the fact I have better coverage, faster data, and better plan options with them.

3...


2...


1...

Sprint Haters begin!

[jep10221 Posted Jul 11th 2008 12:54PM]

i want it

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2008 12:58PM]

Loud noises!

[ndrwzheng Posted Jul 11th 2008 1:10PM]

Finally it's here! In canada the base price is only $60/month for service (phone and data), but it's limited data, only 400MB.

[Carney Posted Jul 11th 2008 1:33PM]

I can't believe there's no iPhone knock-off for T-Mobile USA subscribers. Both of the other major US carriers have been hard at work lining up "good enough" knock-offs to keep their subscribers in the fold. Sprint users have the red-hot Samsung Instinct and the HTC Touch. Verizon offers a wealth of choices: the LG Dare and Voyager and the Samsung Glyde. AT&T users of course get the real deal.

What about us T-Mobile subscribers? Where's our love? We got none.

[jawash22 Posted Jul 11th 2008 1:37PM]

Is everybody freakin' dumb or blind? Is the public really dumb enough to ump all over a phone simply because they spend more on ads than other companies? Apps are no big deal,I had them on my Sidekick 4 years ago and I use handango.com for my Blackberry now.I get games, productivity tools,themes,etc....jeezzz! Calm down fanboys! We understand you guys are all used to old school flip phones and have no experience with real smartphones.

[jawash22 Posted Jul 11th 2008 1:36PM]

T-Mobile will get the best by November...Android!!

[pintweaks Posted Jul 11th 2008 1:48PM]

Mr. Jobs,

The only company that can cannibalize Apple is Apple... that's the meaning of cannibalism.

[jawash22 Posted Jul 11th 2008 1:52PM]

If you buy an iphone you probably don't need a smartphone I guess. You guys are like a woman who buys a "cute" car and doesn't know what is under the hood. I admit, it's a sexy phone...but woud you buy a car on looks alone or performance...ooops I already answered that! Sorry to offend you guys driving Mini's and VW beetles.....

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2008 2:56PM]

Um, maybe you should actually drive a Mini first.

[Gray Posted Jul 11th 2008 1:57PM]

It's still being retailed for $800+ in Australia, We're being ripped off at everything down here. Electronics once it lands in Aussie just gets their prices bumped by a huge percentage..

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2008 2:06PM]

Does anyone know where I can see a good picture of the white iPhone?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2008 2:06PM]

@steve

you're an idiot

3G has been out on AT&T for a while now. Don't know what rock you've been living under...

[Sepirioth Posted Jul 11th 2008 2:19PM]

Call Of Duty 4, Lvl 38 Perk.