iPhone 3G: The Old & Crippled!
Apple, Samsung, Technology July 9th, 2008With all do respect to Apple and their great looking UI, I have to say that this whole “3G” thing going on around is just really, really overrated; I mean seriously! 3G and A-GPS only! that’s all they can do to a crippled device since its first launch and after more than 3 years of research, development and implementation?!
This device needs a lot of things to be added to it, and I mean A LOT, not only because the people need more, but because technology has evolved big time, it is cheaper and better than what the iPhone has offered in its first version and the 3G version combined!
For me this year the winning smart phone is and must be the Samsung Omnia which is a very good example of a really good smartphone device that you can depend on. It literally has everything (EVERYTHING) the iPhone 3G has and more! a 5 MP camera packed with functions you find in great cameras around the world, with flash and video recording and smile detection, a front camera for some real 3G network usefulness, tilt detection, full keyboard in wide mode in any area that needs typing in a letter or a word, MMS, mail and IM, Bluetooth Stereo Headset (A2DP), WiFi, 3.5G (3G = 3.4 Mbps, 3.5G = 7.2 Mbps), vibration feedback, 8 & 16 GB versions with an extra memory card slot allowing up to 16 GB of extra space (and a free 1 GB card in-box), a not-bad UI I mean it is really bearable and better than a lot of the smartphones out there; Touch and pointing screen (iPhone has no pointing screen, meaning no pen, stylus or nails ever can be used), a 6 hours battery life -with 3G ON- of talk time. DivX, XviD, H.263, H.264, WMV, MP4 video playback (That is crazy!). Video editing where you can trim video, do audio dubbing & live dubbing then upload your clips straight to YouTube, right from wherever you are, no that is real useful 3G technology. FM radio, MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, OGG & AMR audio support and playback, TV OUT, GeoTagging, Opera Mini 9.5 built-in and ready to use, copy and paste. All of this is over Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional with a bundle of Microsoft Office software right inside, and ready to use! And many many more other features that I can’t cover all right now!
I mean seriously people, where did your brains go? If you keep supporting Apple with their crippled device you are just encouraging them to give you even dumber devices for the years to come! I mean I can already guess what will the next iPhone be: A 3.5G with Copy & paste in July 2009! God Damnit!
Show Apple some serious actions, tell them that UI is great and all, but hardware is really overrated and old! This is very wrong you guys! tell them that an unlocked iPhone 3G with such technology in it should be only $200, “unlocked” and without any plans. With these plans and a $500+ price tag of unlocked 3G iPhone the equation becomes ridiculously stupid and fool! Apple supporters: if you really love Apple you would tell them to give you better products.
I say Bye bye old-tech Apple iPhone 3G, and welcome Samsung Omnia 3.5G, and such devices.
My intention wasn’t to advertise the Omnia as much as to show you how far the iPhone 3G from real world smartphones is.
July 9th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Whats iPhone got that Samsung doesn’t, APPLE!!
July 9th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
Well, I agree with most things you say… The reason that will make me buy the iPhone 3g is just the Me.com management, since I don’t have exchange and I find it very handy to use between computers… as far as hardware yea, my 2 year old motorola has better features (no GPS though) than the iPhone…
July 10th, 2008 at 7:02 am
I like my iPhone. I can say that after about a year of using it, it is not perfect but I still like it. It does everything I need it to do and it is pretty reliable although not totally reliable. It does crash from time to time. Anyone who tells you otherwise is either lying or lucky. It’s a great media player. I often watch movies and listen to music with my iPhone. I love the internet functionality but the lack of Flash is a sticking point. As little as I need the keyboard, the software keyboard is fine but I have to believe a hard keyboard would be much easier to use. The problem with a hard keyboard I think would be increased size. I like the thin form of my iPhone. It’s not perfect and it certainly isn’t perfect for everyone but it’s pretty damn good.
(Hi there Saad, happy_penguin from Engadget. Nice site!)
July 10th, 2008 at 7:11 am
Oh, I should add that I agree that the 3G is way overrated but I don’t consider the iPhone to be “crippled”. It does what it does and people should understand that when they are shopping for a smart phone. The one thing I would love to have is 3G but I don’t need it and I am not willing to spend the extra money on the plan it requires. I also wish that the camera was better. It’s inadequate. But I do not miss not having video. The main purpose of my iPhone is a phone which it does pretty good but not perfect, and a media player which it does very well. It’s an internet device as a secondary function for me and it does that fine but 3G would be better.
July 10th, 2008 at 7:35 am
I totally understand what you mean, I guess for the USA market it is not of a big deal to have the latest technology in internet speeds; I’m really generalizing my talk to other countries and especially my country and city (Where 3.5G is available with no extra charges).
It’s more of matter of opinion and how some smartphone fits the market.
Thank you again for the comment. :)
July 10th, 2008 at 8:23 am
Oh trust me, we would love to have faster internet on our mobile devices but first of all, it just is not available and second even if it was most of us are not willing to pay for it. Take myself for example. I’m satisfied sticking with EDGE for now because 3G is going to cost me $10 more per month with the iPhone after I buy the new version and I’ll give up my 200 text messages per month unless I pay another $5 per month. This isn’t a function of the iPhone as much as it is a function of our carrier services. Apple can’t control that although they do influence it a bit. You’re lucky to have such a progressive network.
August 13th, 2008 at 6:23 am
I think a lot of the debate about the iPhone simply comes down to pesonal preference. While technically it’s missing some features common to smartphones that have been on the market for some time now, who’s to say that Apple won’t release a second-gen iPhone in a year or so that will quite literally blow the rest of the competition away? The original was a hit, the 3g version is more of a sidegrade, and perhaps it’s the formless integration and the sleek design that Apple is (now) famous for that keep people drooling over the iPhone. Whatever happened to simply liking the way a device felt in our hand? It’s a powerful feeling when you hold an iPhone. It feels sexy. Maybe there are other phones that can do more out there, but the iPhone certainly appealed to the masses. Let them have their fun, and in a year or two Apple will probably have a true all-in-one device that will floor the non-believers.
~Paltonae
PS Saad your pic is sexy.
August 21st, 2008 at 12:51 pm
2 Saad
2 Dale
I believe crippled is too much even for a metaphor. I believe too i-Phone is no revolutionary phone. It’s just a revolutionary Portable Media Player with call capability and voice mail skipping ability (WOW!). It’s so because of two things that Characterize Apple: hunting for new patented hardware innovation to buy and packaging it in “super stupid user” - friendly interface for anyone to use. No offence, I truly believe if you want to sell software, you must KISS = keep it stupidly simple. But ever since it was announced I thought it will not meet my standards: carrier-locked, no keyboard or even keypad, and above all no expandability. Yes that what I call it for more software to add on and more hardware to plug in. Now that i-Phone 3G eased on many fronts I guess it’s going in the right direction but is not there yet. I still recall a phrase about Sony memory sticks: “If you buy Sony sticks you will stick to Sony”. I value open standards or at least widely manufacture/customer-wise based standards.
On the copy-paste issue, I wonder how no body in the USA sued El Jobso for misrepresentation: What would mean that he used OS X in i-Phone: would it mean if I bought a software for OS X it would work on i-Phone as on Mac, or it’d mean that the same capabilities in the OS x will be in the i-Phone. Heck, there is no multi-tasking, no two open programs not even cut and paste. Apple lawyers are sure sharks that no one went at Steve(Osten) Jobs with that.
I’m not an Apple or Microsoft fan because they try too much to leach their customers and tether them to closed standard. You can say that to other software or hardware manufacturers as well. Actually I used to be a Palm fan because of their ecosystem of open SDK/Efficient hardware but they went with the wind when let go with their OS. Actually I wished they matured their LifeDrive or the TX HalfVGA (480×320) PDA into a phone so that I’ll go for it but Apple did it and took its Newton back from Palm. Palm was my favorite but again sticking with proprietary sockets (same for Nokia, Sony/Ericsson and Samsung) was the deal breaker. Yet if you are #1 or #2 in the industry you’re pretty much the standard and that goes now for NOKIA and SAMSUNG.
However as a communication engineer, I care much for the hardware specs provided there is always room for software enhancement. And ever since HTC hiddenly put QuarterVGA (320×240) screens in iPAQ’s I said that should be standard, however ETen proudly featured their Glofiish M800 with all the hardware I wish for including VGA screen (640×480) , then iMate came along with the Ultimate 9502. So although Omnia (with WideQuarterVGA 400×240) beats iPhone 3G in every aspect, except the screen, I consider them inferiors to the above two unsubsidized models. You may consider HTC’s Touch Pro too but the lack of separate stereo headphone is quite a drawback. Also RIM’s BlackBerry Bold (BBB) and his elder brothers lack for software store.
Well if for this 2008 smart Phone: Yes SAMSUNG Omnia is the king for now. But if you want to know the best smart phone till 8/2008 that may vary to your taste but these are my candidates:
ETen (soon Acer) Glofiish M800
iMate Ultimate 9502
Samsung Omnia i900
Apple iPhone 3G
I would include OpenMoko neo1973 for complete openness and VGA real estate but still no 3G, and HTC/Google Android G1 and Palm treo Pro but those still are neither specs confirmed nor released.
Saad, there are a lot other non GSM or non Smart phones that are tech high but I guess no one phone manufacturer reached my possible dream phone or you may say communicator. If one’s eager to be the top smart phone manufacturer just drop your Egyptian brother a line. I promise to dazzle the one who hires me with consumer/carrier extra appealing tech/patents for handsets. Or I may wait for Android release to manufacture my own handset brand provided Android change their monster robot mascot.
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Hi Saad,
Just one thing: Both 3,6 Mbit and 7,2 Mbit is HSPDA (or unofficially 3,5G), 3G is actually just UMTS (384 Kbit), but onofficially everything.
I really can’t argue with you, since I haven’t tried the Samsung yet, but oh my god I love my iPhone not for being af pointing device, just like HTC Diamond which is a pain to use ;)