Recent Comments:
Autoblog takes iPhone 3G's navigational abilities for a spin {Engadget Mobile}
Jul 17th 2008 10:51AM GPS sensor != navigation.
Google Maps is not (yet) capable of providing turn by turn navigation, and because the iPhone SDK terms prohibits certain software categories from being released for the iPhone, there is no guarantee that it ever will be capable of this.
As a matter of fact, in terms of capabilities, the iPhone is still pretty mid-to-low range as far as phones go. For instance, it still has a severely crippled Bluetooth stack, and does not support such basic profiles as A2DP/AVRCP (stereo audio), OBEX/FTP (transfer files to/from), PAN/DUN (to tether the phone w/something like a laptop, and allow the laptop to connect to the Internet through your cellular data plan, despite the plan being more expensive than for other phones). Even the otherwise crappy MotoRAZRs (e.g. the v3xx) allow these things. Then there is the fact that there is no J2ME, so standard mobile applications (such as e.g. the excellent and free AmazeGPS turn-by-turn navigation software that's available for nearly every other cell phone) do not run on it.
The iPhone's appeal is its user interface: Screen size, multi-touch gestures, animations/transitions, and so on. So for the average non-techie, it probably IS the "best" phone there is. OTOH, if you are more into capabilities, you'll tire of the iPhone after less than a week.
First iPhone 3G caught in the wild, unboxed and handled {Engadget}
Jul 8th 2008 2:22PM @matt
I don't think there is much difference in terms of safety. The ground connector in European sockets (if used) is exposed, so if you happen to be touching an unshielded AC device plus ground, you'll get about 150-170V (ground to peak). Not that I think such devices exist any more though...
I did get the full 220V through two points on my right palm at some point (I was using a screwdriver inside a switch, and had forgotten to unplug the plug beforehand). Got some minor internal burn, and was a little bit shaken for a few minutes, but nothing major. (Would be different if the two points were on different hands, I guess...)
German "Future Store" lets you grocery shop with your cellphone {Engadget Mobile}
Jul 7th 2008 1:21PM Perfect for IKEA!
Scan stuff on the second floor, and rather than going through the end phase of actually picking up the stuff, why not have it auto-delivered to you at the cash register?
Everex readying 10.2-inch Cloudbook with 3G WWAN? {Engadget}
Jul 2nd 2008 2:07PM Precisely. The title of this post is erroneous.
Nokia dishes out OS2008 Feature Upgrade for N810 / N800 {Engadget}
Jun 24th 2008 6:27PM Several aspects of OS2007 were actually superior:
* Opera browser (faster, despite a slower clock rate on the device; no AJAX though...)
* The fact that home screen applets stayed in place until you entered "layout mode" prevented accidental mess on your idle screen
* Longer battery life
On the other hand, OS2007 did not work with the EAP/802.1x configuration at my work, while OS2008 does..
I keep going forth and back between OS2007 and OS2008 regularly, since the grass is always greener on the other side. :)
Nokia dishes out OS2008 Feature Upgrade for N810 / N800 {Engadget}
Jun 24th 2008 6:23PM If you haven't sold it yet, you can still cancel the auction.. :)
Just saying..
Nokia buys Symbian, turns software over to Symbian Foundation {Engadget}
Jun 24th 2008 3:37PM Maybe you missed the point where they said they would create the Symbian Foundation and release the code as "open source". Of course, the devil is in the detail, but the whole point about doing that would be precisely to INCREASE the platform's use (across vendors, carriers, etc). Since "Open Source" is a trademark (see opensource.org), the use of the term implies some very specific requirements about access not just to view, but to adopt and modify code.
So, Motorola, SE, Samsung, NTT etc should be generally happy about this. (As should we all.. :)
iPhone 3G: everything you ever wanted to know (but were afraid to ask) {Engadget}
Jun 13th 2008 2:02AM Oh, and one more comment..
Ryan wrote:
>The funny thing about a $200 3G iPhone is that it makes it pretty difficult to sell
>your original iPhone. Unless you know someone who doesn't need the 3G, we'd
>suggest keeping it as a backup, or even jailbreaking and unlocking for use
>when traveling overseas (in places have GSM networks).
I am not so sure I agree. With the original iPhone, you pay $20/month for unlimited data + 200 messages; with the iPhone 3G, you pay $30/month for only data.
If you live in an area without AT&T 3G coverage, the original iPhone (which is no longer in AT&T or Apple stock) might look quite attractive..
(Presuming, of course, that you don't know much about phones and how mediocre the feature set in the iPhone really is).
iPhone 3G: everything you ever wanted to know (but were afraid to ask) {Engadget}
Jun 13th 2008 1:58AM About unlocking:
It's clear that Apple and AT&T are treating the "iPhone 3G" in a more traditional way than the original iPhone:
* Subsidized purchase price, AT&T pays the difference, subject to upgrade eligibility (as if you were buying any other phone from them)
* Subscription revenue goes entirely to AT&T (and is more expensive than their regular voice + MEdiaNet unlimited plans, but less expensive than e.g. a Smartphone plan w/unlimited data)
However, a couple of questions are seemingly unanswered:
* The original iPhone was locked not just to AT&T, but to that special iPhone SIM (you could not simply swap it out for your existing AT&T/Cingular SIM). Is this still the case? Now that you have committed to a 2 year "iPhone 3G" plan, do they really care if you go back to your old phone and sell yours on eBay?
* Is there a way to unlock the phone? With other phones, so long as you have an international roaming feature in your calling plan, all you have to do is to call AT&T customer service and they will provide the unlock code for you. Is this the case with the iPhone 3G as well?
Just curious. (I'm not looking to get an iPhone, let alone one that would translate into a more expensive data plan; turns out the difference between the iPhone 3G and the "MEdiaNet Unlimited" data plans are more than enough to cover the cost of a *real* and unlocked phone, such as the N95-4).
iPhone 3G from AT&T: unlimited data for $30 {Engadget Mobile}
Jun 11th 2008 4:31PM It kindof makes sense that this would be the case, now that the iPhone 3G is subsidized in a more "normal" way like other phones.
AT&T pays a substantial portion of the cost of the iPhone 3G to Apple, and so will only subsidize one of these every 20 months (like they do for other phones).
OTOH, they no longer do any revenue sharing with Apple from subscriptions, and so you might ask yourself why they need to charge more ($30) for an iPhone data plan, vs $15 for "standard" unlmited MEdiaNet, or $20 compared to the original iPhone plan (w/200 SMS included).
Look no further than to their "smartphone" plans, such as the one for BlackBerry devices. Users of certain AT&T-subsidized phones (typcially the ones they subsidize the most) do pay more for data plan.
Also, with 3G access, iPhone users are bound to be, at large, pretty heavy data users (and thus bandwidth-consuming users) on their infrastructure.
I don't see the big wolf here. I may have felt differently if I had an iPhone (or BlackBerry, Treo, etc), but as it is, I am perfectly happy to pay a bit more for the phone itself ($650 in the case of a N95 8GB) to get far more features, fewer restrictions, and a cheaper data plan to boot. :)
