The iPhone
The iPhone is a brand of phone that is designed by Apple. The same Apple company that designs iPods. Apple announced the iPhone in 2007. And it immediately grew in hype, because everyone was expecting a killer phone especially because they already had a killer media player (iPod). iPhone started its sales in June 2007. And immediately it was awarded Time Magazine's Invention of the Year award in 2007. So far only 3 models of iPhones have been in the market and it already captures 50% of the American smartphone market. The iPhone is a fully touch oriented phone, with no keypad.
So what is so magical about the iPhone?
The biggest advantage the iPhone has over its competitor is its Operating System / User Interface. Apple has simplified the way you interact with your mobile. All the settings and features are well laid out. Even a first time handler of the phone can get used to the phones interface in minutes. And the user interface is smooth and fluid. Navigating your phone makes it much more fun than a normal menu based smart phone.
So the Interface is only good. Nothing exceptional?
The most exceptional feature of the iPhone is its Application base. As of today, the Apple Store has 101,635 applications for its iPhone. With applications that increase productivity, some very good looking games , and some down right funny applications for occasional laughs. There are some functionality adding applications as well and these applications will enable many new functionality that the iPhone didn't have when you bought it.
For Example;
It has a magnifying app, which uses the camera to magnify objects or text.
It has a barcode scanner app
It has a remote app that lets you control your computer from the phone via WiFi
Apart from that, the iPod service, which is so popular for music lovers, is embedded into the phone. So you have a phone and an iPod in 1 device.
Can the iPhone retrieve my E-Mails like the BlackBerry?
If you are using a web based mail like Gmail and Hotmail, then you can retrieve your mails just like the BlackBerry. But you will have to configure the internet manually in any country that you visit so as to have access to the mails. Unless if your network supports roaming of data services, then you will not need to re configure.
If you are using a corporate solution then the iPhone is not so easy to configure in the corporate environment. Its only possible if your company uses Microsoft exchange server as their E-Mail server. Anything else, and the iPhone cannot receive the emails.
Interesting, How about Movies?
With a large 3.5" LCD screen which displays 16Million colors. Movie watching is extremely enjoyable. But its only 3.5". So its mostly helpful to travelers or places where there is no electricity and you want to enjoy a few movies to kill the time. It has definitely helped me during blackouts in Dar.
With a large 3.5" LCD screen which displays 16Million colors. Movie watching is extremely enjoyable. But its only 3.5". So its mostly helpful to travelers or places where there is no electricity and you want to enjoy a few movies to kill the time. It has definitely helped me during blackouts in Dar.
Why doesn't the iPhone loose its value like other phones in the market?
As i mentioned earlier, the iPhone is a software oriented phone. 3 Years ago, with the first iPhone, it came with the iPhone Operating System v1.0. Today the current Operating System version is 3.1. BUT you can install v3.1 on the old iPhone. Making your 3 year old iPhone as good as the latest iPhone. Apart from a few hardware upgrades. The new iPhones aren't that much NEW! Hence the old phones don't drop in price.
So the iPhone it is..?
NOT REALLY The iPhone has its downsides.
NOT REALLY The iPhone has its downsides.
2. The phone needs you to install their own iTunes software to be able to put songs, pictures, applications.
3. Most of the important applications will cost 1 dollar.
4. The large screen is likely to scratch or break easily if not careful.
5. The Camera is the worst i have seen in a smart phone.
6. The reception is sometimes very unstable. I get 1 or 2 bars in places where my nokia gives me full signal
7. The battery life is very poor. A power use who browses, calls, texts will have to re-charge the phone everyday. I have to recharge it twice a
day.
day.
8. It only has a built in Disk. No external memory is supported. So if you drop your iPhone and damage the disk, you are out of luck.
9. The iPhone is only available in contracts in selected countries. And if you need an unlocked version, you either pay a High premium for a sim free phone, or get it illegally unlocked to support all other networks.
Summary : The iPhone is a very nice multimedia phone. Focussed for people who browse the internet alot as the large touch screen makes browsing really enjoyable. And those who want a phone that can hold their music and movies collection so they can listen and watch at their leisure.
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