What's the best iPhone 3G alternative?

by Darren Murph posted Jul 24th 2008 at 9:20PM

Hey, Mobile readers -- Engadget Classic has an "Ask Engadget" that will surely get your motor running this week. Eager to give some advice on what the best iPhone / iPhone 3G alternative is? Then head on over and deposit your two cents, will ya?

Filed under: Handsets, Others, Studies, Apple

Tags: 3g iphone, 3gIphone, ask, ask engadget, AskEngadget, cdma, gsm, iphone, iphone 3g, Iphone3g

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Neutral

Randy G @ Jul 24th 2008 9:46PM

considering there are no phones with the same screen size as an iFone, there are no alternatives

Neutral

ToniCipriani @ Jul 24th 2008 9:53PM

I'm reserving my judgement till the Nokia Tube arrives. S60 with touch capability sounds awesome.

Neutral

derX @ Jul 24th 2008 9:54PM

Yeah, I really think the best competitors will be Nokia's Tube or Blackberry's Thunderbird. If any of the major cell phone manufacturing companies would produce a good alternative, I have no doubt it would one of them.

Highest Ranked

Razor1973 @ Jul 25th 2008 10:18AM

You mean BlackBerry Thunder. The Thunderbird was a twice ill-fated Ford.

Neutral

derX @ Jul 26th 2008 12:24AM

Hah, thanks. What a n00bish mistake of me. xD

Neutral

yode @ Jul 27th 2008 3:00AM

you mean the "Storm"...

Highly Ranked

m.carroll @ Jul 24th 2008 10:12PM

There really isnt a reply till Q1 2009, with HTC's first WinMo 7 entry, hopefully with a capacitive touchscreen. I'm holding on to my 3 year old HTC Wizard to see what's in store. Until then, keep an eye on the Android phones and the Touch Pro.

Neutral

Randy @ Jul 24th 2008 10:23PM

Until an Android or a Nokia Tube Device materializes, there really isn't any alternative.

The Omina and the Xperia are just more of the Same WM stuff.

Highest Ranked

ScooperJay @ Jul 24th 2008 11:16PM

It's a matter of context.

Evaluating the iPhone from the perspective of a business manager there are several alternatives that far exceed the iPhone in the context of business performance.

In contrast if I were a casual to moderate mobile phone user, interested in an intuitive, multimedia mobile phone device, the iPhone the best game in town.

Highest Ranked

Christian Walters @ Jul 24th 2008 11:26PM

You sir have just said the truest thing ever posted on Engadget! Props to you my friend!

Neutral

lejupp @ Jul 25th 2008 6:32AM

Yeah, but if your phone usage was only casual to moderate, would you really want to pay for an iPhone plan?

Neutral

amnigo @ Jul 26th 2008 10:07AM

Wouldn't you assume moderate users would want to send picture messages?

Neutral

derX @ Jul 26th 2008 12:48PM

@lejupp
You're probably just thinking about your carrier's plans; they're not uniform so they might actually be quite affordable elsewhere.

@amnigo
I view that as being a negative, but I really don't think that's so unforgivable. Is it a stupid oversight? Unequivocally so. But the lack of that and such features as copy and paste don't render the phone unusable and people have created fixes for them. I'm certainly not an iWhore, but I would certainly agree that when viewed holistically, the iPhone is the best phone for said demographic.

Highly Ranked

Gregg W. Smith @ Jul 24th 2008 11:40PM

How dare you question the use of anything other than the Jesus Phone!
I call it that because Jesus my gardener stole my iPhone and he scares me.

Neutral

John @ Jul 25th 2008 2:33AM

The best phone would be a Sony Ericsson S60, SE coolness and usability combined with Nokia technology. A dream?

Until then I'm holding out for the Xperia X1.

Highest Ranked

KilgoreTrout @ Jul 25th 2008 6:54AM

In my hose can be found The iPhone 3g and the Nokia N95 (8GB) and I'm ready to swear that the N95 beats the Iphone hands down.
Whenever I have to be away from my home base for some time I want the N95 with me among other reason because:
1) The 5mpxs camera is a valid substitute for a dedicated device , the iPhone's 2mpxs is not even worth using.
2) I do use video calls & MMS . The Iphone's single cam makes it impossible.
3) The GPS on the N95 is a valid GPS which is more than it can be said for the iPhone's.
4) The stereo speakers on the N95 (excellent also if used for speakerphone, GPS etc.) can't be described to anyone who did'nt actually experienced. I Phone's sound? bah...
5) The N95 is a usable video cam. The iPhone? No no no.
6) While to write an SMS on the iPhone is actually possible, to write the same SMS on the N95 takes less than 1/2 the time.
7) the N95 is easier to sync (on a win PC at least).
8) some functions that are "one touch" (after a minimum of coustmization) on the N95, I have'nt yet found a way to make use of on the iPhone (voice recordingand bar code reading among them).

and... I'm sure there's something more that i can't remember now.

Come on now fan boys!
Rip me apart.

Highly Ranked

huh @ Jul 25th 2008 9:11AM

I have an n95 and my gf has an iPhone, and I agree with you. But the iPhone's big touch screen and design consistency and flourish, with the n95's high end features, running Android, with an open source App store like repository (open source had centralized app finding and updating long before Apple) would be heaven.

Highest Ranked

Gregg W. Smith @ Jul 25th 2008 2:43PM

How do you fit that all in a hose?!

Neutral

Niz @ Jul 28th 2008 9:27AM

The best counter argument is a spelling mistake of house? well im convinced iPhone wins hands down!

Neutral

Daniel @ Jul 25th 2008 9:31AM

In my book, there's nothing that can do what I want. I have Verizon Wireless until 2010 (my wife upgraded her phone at the beginning of the year and locked us in), and I currently have a VX6700 for the Bluetooth Activesync, Voice Dial, iSilo, and a bunch of other things. Plus, I can install my own ringtones and use any Windows Mobile software I find.

Will any of these options fit as well as what I currently have? I'm guessing "no". Although i'd love a device with Wifi, GPS, Windows Mobile, Verizon, and a huge screen. 64GB of space for movies/mp3s would be great too. Someone gives me that - they can have the $499 I set aside for a 64GB ipod Touch.

Neutral

Razor1973 @ Jul 25th 2008 10:20AM

What I do want to know is why these clearly phone-related stories are "hosted" primarily on engadget and not engadgetmobile. Why "head over to engagdet classic to comment" instead of the other way around?

Neutral

Sarig @ Jul 25th 2008 2:39PM

This one was an Ask Engadget feature. Otherwise, it's because it's got iPhone mentioned, which means it's automatically on the front page of main Engadget ;)

Neutral

Jason A Howie @ Jul 25th 2008 12:20PM

Where's the LG Vu in all of this?

Neutral

mikecicchetto @ Jul 25th 2008 1:08PM

I work out 5-6 times a week and the YMCA and drop my 3 daughters off at the Y-daycare. Can anyone tell me why I do not see anyone using the IPHONE as their IPOD at the gym? I see half of the people using their IPODS, but wasn't that the point? To have an "all-in-one" device? I use my Phones as my MP3 players (blackberry curve until I just switched to the Palm 800w) and work out just fine with my STEREO BLUETOOTH? Is that why? No stereo bluetooth or is the IPHONE too big? Just a thought

Neutral

Razor1973 @ Jul 25th 2008 2:12PM

I agree with you and think it's a combination of 3 different factors:
(1) People are still not used to the idea of their phones and music players being one and the same
(2) The iPhone is definitely bigger than any iPod (save the Touch, of course) or almost any music player people normally take to gyms
(3) The iPhone is considerably more expensive than other music players (iPod classic and nano included) and having it break while working out would mean you also loose your phone, not just your music player

When the iPhone was a novelty and only a few people had it, I saw it more in gyms than now that there's millions of owners. I guess it was the look-at-me showoff factor. If this is true, the same thing is probably happening with the 3G.

Neutral

Xavier-X @ Jul 25th 2008 12:49PM

iZune Phone

Neutral

C.Fitz @ Jul 25th 2008 8:24PM

Definitely the HTC Touch Diamond, and its not an alternative it is MUCH better. And no I'm not just an iPhone hatter, just look at the specs yourself.

Neutral

Za @ Jul 26th 2008 2:40AM

For mediacentric, really, the iPhone is the way to go. The fact is the iPod's the most popular mp3 player for a reason - UI/usability, and the iPhone does not end that. However, for a business user, the Blackberry Curve is the better phone. I use a Curve on Verizon, but even if I were an ATT user, I would still have gone with the Curve over an iPhone despite pricing on the phone and plans being virtually identical. The qwerty keyboard and better email support makes the Curve a clear winner, though I will likely splurge for the Thunder/Bold in the not-so-distant future.

Neutral

Welsh Dog @ Jul 26th 2008 6:35PM

You'll find the new Samsung Omnia i700 is an iPhone beater hands down... and the HTC Diamond is a close second.

For features and practicality, both models beat the iPhone into a corner.

For business use the Diamond might be the best bet, but as a personal media machine... for me the i700 is the *clear* winner - especially because I don't have to rely on iTunes or iAnything to get it functional!

Check the reviews and you'll wish you'd never rushed out to get that Apple Pie!!

Neutral

Welsh Dog @ Jul 26th 2008 6:42PM

Ooops... silly me. It's 'typo time'. The Samsung is an i900... and from the DixX codec to the 16Gb onboard + 16Gb micro-sd card it's still a winner!!

Have a look at http://samsungomnia.com/

Neutral

jekpopulous @ Jul 27th 2008 12:07PM

i have an iPhone, and right now im playing with my partners iPhone 3G. i feel the same way i did about the original model. The big multi touch screen and "pinch" system is awesome. The OS is by far the best mobile platform for app development...but there are two reasons i wont buy one. the same reason i use an ATT Tilt instead of my old iPhone.

1) No A2DP bluetooth, and one you go A2DP you can never go back to wires. really outrageous. makes me so mad!

2) No plans for flash support. Opera 9.5 will release with flashlite 3. Skyfire will have full flash support via a proxy server. flash is the most popular software ever made, and apple wont support it.

That being said...i love iPhones. But until they get A2DP and Flash, I'll stick with my Tilt w/ SPB Mobile Shell.

my answer...ATT Tilt w/ Mobile Shell.

Neutral

amanda renner @ Sep 5th 2008 3:51PM

I've owned the LG Voyager, the LG Dare, and the Samsung Instinct - all trying to get the touch screen experience without having to get into the IPhone world. Don't know what I was thinking. I've now settled on the Iphone and am amazed that there is even a discussion of comparing these phones. None of them compare to the experience of using an Iphone. You can't click on links in email and go to a webpage on any of the other phones. The internet experience can't even be compared. You can't save pictures simply by touching them on the other phones. The Instinct, Voyager, and Dare all use pressure to sense touch, so you have to push pretty hard (relatively speaking) to get response, and don't get me started on accidental clicks versus trying to scroll. Nothing compares to the Iphone. On Verizon I was paying $99.99/month to get unlimited data, 900 minutes, and unlimited text. Sprint was the cheapest at $99 for unlimited minutes, unlimited data, and unlimited text. But on ATT, I'm paying $105 for 900 minutes, unlimited data and 1500 text messages. It's comparable. The only feature I liked better on those phones was the navigator functions. It will be interesting to see who can get close to this phone - they'll have to work hard to make it as much fun to use.