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Video review
The wait is finally over. It’s here in all its multi-touch glory – at long last Apple’s eagerly anticipated iPhone is on UK shores.
Since it was announced at Macworld back in January and every tech blog, gadget mag and newspaper declared it ‘the greatest thing since oxygen’, any self-respecting gadgeteer has been clamouring after this Holy Grail of technology. And can it live up to the hype? Of course it can – in almost every way.
Hold the iPhone in your hand and it feels space age (the image of planet earth that’s set as the default wallpaper might have something to do with that) while the huge 3.5in screen and one-button front make it look like a prop from a sci-fi movie.
The wow factor
The ‘wow’ moments start at the very beginning. Unlike most phones – which require a certain combination of button presses to unlock – the iPhone has an on-screen bar which you slide to the right with your finger to be immediately plunged into its icon driven main menu.
And it’s these wonders of the multi-touch interface that really make the iPhone so special. Touchscreen tech is nothing new in itself but Apple is the first to implement it in a way that makes something as every day as navigating menus so fresh, fun and so gloriously intuitive. Browsing the web is the same and in some ways is even more pleasurable on an iPhone than a PC or Mac.
Rather than just the single-fingered prodding that we’ve seen so many times before, the iPhone’s multi-touch screen can detect the presence of more than one digit. Pictures can now be browsed with a flick of the finger while pinching your fingers together or moving them apart again zooms in and out. Reading about it can only achieve so much so watch our hands-on video to see it in action.
Despite the choice of merely 8GB or 16GB of storage, the iPhone’s also up there with the Touch as the greatest iPod ever made. CoverFlow browsing (which, thanks to the accelerometer, activates automatically when you turn the iPhone on its side) is easily the coolest way to flick through your music, and the new iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store lets you download tracks from any hotspot directly to the iPhone – you can even choose from the high-quality DRM-free fare on iTunes Plus.
Don’t believe the hype?
Any gadget that gets hyped as much as the iPhone will always have some niggling issues which let it down and with the iPhone it’s really the lack of 3G. The EDGE network that O2 has put in place is noticeably quicker than the snail’s-pace GPRS but it still somewhat cripples what is normally an awesome browsing experience. Luckily iPhone owners on O2 contracts get free access to all 7500 Wi-Fi hotspots run by The Cloud.
The much-criticised on-screen keyboard is also an issue, although we found that if you just put a bit of trust in your finger and try not to think about it too much, nine times out of ten it’ll hit the right letter. A little bit of haptic feedback would be nice, as would proper Bluetooth functionality; right now it’s limited to just pairing headsets and doesn’t support A2DP.
The recessed headphone jack is another puzzler. It means that the only buds that’ll work with your iPhone are the sub-standard pair bundled in the box. To use any others you’ll either need to hack away at the rubber on the jack or invest in a special adaptor – Griffin and Belkin both make one.
Yes, there are more powerful phones out there than the iPhone; Nokia’s N95 is a veritable Swiss army knife of features and Sony Ericsson’s K850 is a better camphone but neither have anything even approaching the incredible ingenuity of multi-touch.
You’ll want one, your friends will want one, and your dog wants one. Admit it to yourself and embrace a tech legend.
Tech Specs
- Bluetooth
- Yes
- Dedicated MP3 player software
- Yes
- Dimensions
- 115 x 51 x 11.6mm
- Main camera resolution
- 2MP
- Memory card slots
- No
- Quad band
- Yes
- Screen resolution
- 320x480
- Screen size
- 3.5in
- Standby time
- 250hrs
- Storage
- 8GB
- Supported music formats
- MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, AIFF, WAV
- Talktime
- 8hrs
- Video resolution
- 2MP
- Weight
- 135g
- Wi-Fi
- Yes
- Xenon flash
- No
Comments
pamelaann681
13 weeks ago
upto I looked at the paycheck ov $7906, I did not believe that...my... neighbour woz actualey taking home money part-time from there labtop.. there brothers friend started doing this for only about ten months and just repayed the loans on their cottage and bourt a great new Volkswagen Golf GTI. I went here, =============bit90.com=============
love spuds
4 years ago
The iPhone.... Its all about fashion & image baby!! sad but true. Yes the iphone has been advertised everywhere & maybe they`ve pinched a few ideas from other sources but its what the people wan`t,so the people have.Crusader.... Thanks for your comments but you still didnt say what phone you have?.Anyhow don`t all companies steal/borrow ideas from one another?. just a thought..
Whiteroom
5 years ago
Wahts all this **** about? If you want to pose and experience the best "user interface" so far devised, its the i-phone. If you want the best allrounder its the Nokia N95 8GB. I personally use my phone for listening to music and FM radio, for taking pictures on occasion and even video (rarely)and, of course, for phoning. The rest is incidental though fun to play with. Its an N95 of course because the i-phone cant step up to the mark. Stuff got it wrong but, hey, its not going to change history. :-)
Free iPhone 4u
5 years ago
In response to some reviewers I must say that the 2MP camera is a hell of a lot better than it sounds. I got mine for free on PAYG from http://www.freeiphone4u.co.uk and the camera is remarkably good - better than the picture i've seen on some 5 MP cameras, I think quality of picture is not just down to number of MP. As the music player is basically an iPod it is much better than most mobile's music player's. Yes the internet could be faster and hopefully the next generation will have 3g, but I still find the speed perfectly acceptable and I find myself using the internet on it a lot. It is sleek and sexy and very well designed as you would expect from apple. I wouldn't pay £270 plus an 18 month £35 contract - I think that is too much - but as I got mine for free on PAYG from http://www.freeiphone.co.uk I really think I got a great bargain and aboslutely love it!!
sir spimalot
5 years ago
A truly brilliant phone to use. It might not have 3g but the web browsing is still lightyears ahead of the competition, and the whole phone is a joy to use. (except the camera, which is a bit rubbish) Nonetheless this is the best phone I've ever used. By miles. Don't knock it until you've tried it!
TechoBoy
5 years ago
Poor old CrusaderUK! You clearly have never used an iPhone. Why so bitter? I have had many phones and I can honestly say there has never been a phone like it. It is in a different class. Every feature is SO easy to use I use them all regularly (unlike the other phones I have had). I also don't understand this idea that it is expensive. 600 minutes and 500 texts for £35 AND FREE data! Compare that to a Blackberry! There are the odd things I would like to improve, the camera resolution and internet speed but these are minor in comparison to the benefits. I really is an awesome phone. CrusaderUK buy one and you'll fall in love too.
Chukkaboy
5 years ago
You do amuse me CrusaderUK, you're so bitter! The iPhone is awesome, i've just bought one, its not even here yet....boiling over yet Crusader? I also bought the Sony UX 1XN the minute it launched for £2k and I didn't even flinch, when it dropped to £1k a few months later. You see Crusader, people with money aren't scared of risk, people without are. Saying the latest iPhone isn't hot, is like saying if you were offered a Ferrari or a Mini you'd choose the mini! My advice, stop being bitter Crusader and celebrate the fact that some people can afford to just drop silly money on gadgets, then perhaps one day you'll be as successful as the rest of us! Go iPhone........bang (Did Crusader just explode?)
vgrahame08
5 years ago
I have read the review. The statements " revolutionary interface" instant tech icon" the five star rating and hot buy recommendations tend to indicate that its a good purchase. Also it retails at a very modest price point to boot. Band wagon jumping apple bashers. Tut
CrusaderUK
5 years ago
My advice is ignore anyone who spends that amount of money of something so technologically inadvanced Stuffs review ? why don't u take your own advice and try it yourself ? Apple fanboys tut.
vgrahame08
5 years ago
Seems there's only one idiot here, trying to start a flame war rather than a constructive review. My advice would be to ignore reviews from those who can't afford/wouldn't pass the credit check and try it for youself and make up your own mind. As for the viewty, I agree it would be good, if it had a decent touchscreen and a better interface. The following is taken fron Stuff's review of the Viewty. The touch-sensitive arrangement works fine on simple selection taps (each prod is greeted with a feedback pulse) but trouble brews when scrolling down menus or web pages. Response to your stroking is erratic at best. Similarly, when selecting specific links within a website your finger suddenly becomes as unwieldy as a Cumberland sausage. Another concern is typing text messages using the virtual keypad. The layout is like a standard phone but the keys feel less reactive when speed texting and its reaction time is prone to the occasional lag. The Viewty’s touch UI just doesn’t appear as fluid as the iPhone
BoLoa90
5 years ago
I have to say i bought the iPhone thinking it would have been overhyped etc but i have to say it is a truly awesome piece of kit, i can sit in common room in our school on youtube through the edge network(I live in northern ireland where 3G is quite unheard of) or on bebo, MSN Messenger and that.. The Syncronisation with the macbook is brilliant all email accounts are automatically set up just by plugging it in... WiFi is so simple in comparison to my old N80 which took me ages to set up and only lasted about an hour before no battery... Screens top notch perfect size for watching videos.. Safari interface is brilliant... I did have to cut of the rubber surrounding on the jack of my creative in-ear headfones but they fit perfect now without an adaptor:) I suppose the biggest thing about it is that it just works! Plug and Play... there isn't anthing else like it on the market... i often find critics either just dont like it because of the price or havent actually used one... for example the camera is actually pretty good even tho 2MP doesnt sound great... and as for the 3G well its really limited and generally expensive... if i used a rival phone on 3G as much as i use the iPhone on edge and in free Cloud wifi in mcDs id pay far more than the £45 a month im paying atm. Only thing i HATE about it is you daren't take it out of your pocket unless you have a few bouncers to hold back the crowd... it was kinda cool for a day but every time you want to check a text all you can here is a crowd whispering... they have an iPhone! it gets annoying... lol.
CrusaderUK
5 years ago
Envy of anything made by Apple erm.. No. Like i said Apple makes stuff for idiots its not technologically advanced its just advertised more and many idiots go and buy it. Apple are Innovators give me a break i think you'l find theres not 1 usefull thing they actually came up with first. Apple Computers get Outdone by Microsoft and Linux Apple Ipods get Outdone by Sony And Samsung and creative all of which have far superior sound quality over apple. Apple Iphone like i've already said all your getting for £900 or whatever the stupid price is. Is a phone with a big touch screen and wifi wow flipping wee. This is the 21st century apple needs to take a look at the latest Nokias and Samsung Phones which have more features than you can shake a stick at and just as stylish. Idiots like the reviewer above me have been sucked into all the hype that apple is and now act like a flock of sheep.
muka5001
5 years ago
I purchased my Apple iPhone on the day it was released in the UK and I'm compelled to tell you its absolutely fantastic! Firstly its design is beautiful, its really thin but remarkably solid and has a reassuringly weighty feel, the screen is the most scratch resistant glass i have ever seen in a mobile device, in essence as a product design it just oozes quality, and is perfect design solution you would expect from our British Jewel in Apple's crown, industrial product designer Jonathan Ive . Moving on to the software side of things, the Apple's Multitouch interface is just a joy to use, its instantly responsive and is visually slick you can tell its has been carefully thought about. PHONE ----- The primary function is of course as a phone and it excels in this field, the phone hasn't let me down on its connectivity, i've had no loss of signal since i've used it, my friend has an o2 blackberry which struggles to get a signal in our office. The visual voicemail is really cool, you can play voicemail back in any order and see immediately the messages from important contacts. SMS --- using the keyboard for the first time is a bit weird as you find yourself typying really slow and watching for mistakes, the key here is to just 'Use the Force!' keep typing and it auto corrects you its amazing how accurate and quickly you can type using this method. The only feature i miss from other phones is the ability to send a single message to multiple recipients. I hope Apple introduce this in their next update. WEB BROWSER ----------- This is the 1st of two killer features, its the first browser i've used on a mobile that renders web pages in their true form, if you want true internet on your phone, this is it, it doesn't get any better than this at the moment! EMAIL ----- I'm using POP3 email on the phone it was easy to setup, it renders email really well and PDF attachments can be viewed. IPOD ---- Its the best iPod experience available today in my opinion its even better than the click wheel ipods, cover flow is great, music videos are fantastic i just can't help downloading them!!. Apple's iPod rules the online music seas for good reason and the iPhone works as seamlessly with iTunes and the iTunes stores as all the other iPods. The iPhone is expensive, its core features aren't new it does them so much better than anything else out there, the multitouch interface is truly innovative and the slickness of the visual experience is stunning, you are paying a premium for owning a piece of the future. I've owned a number of Windows Mobile phones, and nokias of course, non of them come anywhere near to rivaling the iPhone. Apple has promised updates to the phone when you sync to iTunes so some feature missing now will be released as and when. Remember this is Apple's first generation iPhone! One last point I think a couple of the other reviewers here have phone envy, i can't blame them, i'd be gutted if i'd bought the LG Viewty. For the record Apple are true innovators and i think if you do your homework you'll find its most other tech companies that are copying them!
michaelg
5 years ago
Well I think some of the comments are justified to an extent. I've had a Windows Mobile device for 5 years and found them to be a good piece of kit apart from usual Windows problems of crashing and freezing. I must now say that the i-Phone is the best piece of kit and leaves Windows Mobiles standing and I was quite happy to sell my MDA Touch only having purchased it a month ago before buying the i-Phone. Yes there is no copy and paste and no forwarding of things. You can get apps to do this already and I'm sure that Apple will update the phone to do this and much more. I think they have taken a soft approach to things to keep unlocking features to keep people coming back for more however the o2 contract isn't worth the money and it will sell bucket loads if they open it up to others. Well done Apple, just give us the updates. Michael.
veronica
5 years ago
haha true say
CrusaderUK
5 years ago
Is Stuff Funded by Apple ? Because you seem to be constantly licking Apple's Behind. The Fact is the Apple Iphone really is Over-Hyped Crap, All that money and it has no 3G and a crappy 2mp camera and it can't even do basic functions like foward text messages or copy and paste lol. Apple are good at copying other people and good at marketing to idiots but at the end of the day the LG Viewty makes the IdiotPhone look even more stupid than it already is.