The New Apple Macintosh iPhone Reviewed

The iPhone basically combines three products - a mobile phone, a widescreen iPod, and an internet communications device. iPhone also introduces a new user interface with a large display and pioneering new Mac based software, letting you control everything with just your fingers so no more need for a stylus that is normally lost within a week!

So does it usher in an era of software power and sophistication never before been seen in a mobile device, in short not really no. It's funky yes, but at the end of the day for most actual technical points on paper the 'Brand New' iPhone falls well below the competition on most counts. Both the XDA / MDA / SPV range and Nokia ranges are far superior, the Apple isn't even 3G enabled and has a very average 2M pixel camera.

Will this stop people buying it? Well of course not, the iPod can be unreliable and unstable, the iTunes software is useless and you are tied to the format like it or not but it doesn't stop it selling because it has style, and style counts for a lot these days.

In summary . . .
There are better phones technically by far but if you are a style guru and don't really care about the technical side you have to buy an iPhone, it'd be criminal not to. Price £269 on an 18 month £35 per month upward contract.

Click here to view the full iPhone specs and pics and Buy Online
(far easier than queuing in the cold!)

If however you want the most useful well designed and established PDA then I would recommend one of the O2 XDA series, the XDA Orbit would be my top choice, it is non brick like (phone sized and quite slim) and has built in GPS, wireless and 3G none of which apart from the wireless come with the iPhone. The XDA Orbit is available for free on a 12 month £35 per month contract.

For more information on the XDA Orbit (or others like it) click here

As a point of interest, Lynksys are poised to release their range of 'iPhones' which provide wireless access to SkyPE from anywhere, this could be interesting as CISCO (Lynksys' mother company) had bought a company in 2000 who own the Trade Mark Name iPhone. Apple could be facing a long legal battle over this blatant Trademark infringement.