Tulsa World: New iPhone: Best tweak is the price

MAKE US YOUR HOMEPAGE | Saturday, November 21, 2009 | WIRELESS

Home > Business

Newspaper View Print this story

Comment

RSS

Bookmark

New iPhone: Best tweak is the price

By ROBERT EVATT World Staff Writer
Published: 7/27/2008 2:06 AM
Last Modified: 7/27/2008 4:20 AM

With the massive coverage of the latest version of Apple's iPhone, you might expect reviews of the device to paraphrase Stephen Colbert: great phone or greatest phone?

After trying out the 3G iPhone myself I'm impressed, though my honest thoughts aren't quite wall-to-wall praise.

First, a recap of what made the first iPhone so interesting. The touch-screen controls are just plain handy and fun, and use the speed and direction of finger flicks to quickly get you where you want to go. I haven't seen another cell phone interface this sharp.

The iPhone's Internet interface is nice and detailed, the iPod capabilities are Apple's best yet, the camera works fine, and you can even use the device as a phone if you're so inclined.

So what's new with the revised iPhone? The ballyhooed 3G network capabilities really do make a big difference in download speeds, though it seems 3G data and calls drain the battery a little bit faster than before.

The embedded GPS also works well, as it calibrated my location on a map of downtown Tulsa within seconds. You won't be able to use this as a constant driving tool though, as the GPS doesn't give directions or refresh often enough to take multiple turns into account.

Then there's the app store. I'm floored by how much downloadable stuff has appeared in so short a time. Not only are there the usual games and work applications, but there's creative things like language translators, multiple applications that turn the iPhone into a lantern and something

called "PhoneSaber," which makes lightsaber sounds when you swing the phone around.

And that's about it as far as internal changes go. While helpful and welcome, they're not the big revolution we got with the iPhone itself last year. Then again, the iPhone is still a great experience, so Apple didn't fix what isn't broke.

There are still a few odd limitations, though. For the love of Steve Jobs, why can't we use the phone to send photo messages? Especially when the crummiest phones can.

Actually, there was one other change, one which ultimately trumps them all — the price. At $400-$500, the phone was out of reach for many people. But a $200-$300 device is much more reasonable for the mass market.

Yes, I know rates for data have effectively increased from $20 per month to $30. That's annoying, thought it's the same price many other smartphones demand.

All in all I'm happy with the revisions, even if it's mostly the same phone. And the price is a godsend. Now I just have to wait six long months for my contract to run out so I can finally buy an iPhone and avoid paying the $200 early upgrade penalty.

I'll review a few of the iPhone's competitors — yes, there actually are some — in the near future.

Robert Evatt 581-8447
robert.evatt@tulsaworld.com By ROBERT EVATT World Staff Writer

Newspaper View Print this story

Comment

RSS

Bookmark

Reader Comments

Show: Most Recent Comment First

Add your comment

0 comments have been made on this story so far. Tell us what you think below!

Reporting Comments

If you see a comment that violates our terms and conditions, please help us by clicking the "Report this Comment" link next to a comment. That will alert the web staff to review the comment. Thank you. -- Web Editor Jason Collington

Add Your Comment
In order to post a comment on this article, you must sign in to Tulsaworld.com. If you do not have a site account, you can create an account for free.