[Archived] New - Iphone 3gs

[Tris]

First, my apologies......(i`ve hardly read any of this thread)

My 18month orange contract is up next month & i can upgrade to an iphone 3gs for £189.99 (i only have £25-£30 a month plan) or just get an ordinary phone for free.

Is the iphone worth the shelling out?

I currently have a Nokia N95 8gb. It`s a good phone & i`ve no problems with it. I could sell the N95 to recoup some of my outlay.....but is it really worth it?

Many thanks you techno guys.

190 quid?? Don't go near it!

I'm also on Orange, just upgraded from a Nokia N82 to an HTC Desire which is a way better phone than the iPhone - see this earlier post. - free handset and I reduced my monthy bill from #20 to #17.50 ... get on to their retentions department and tell them you intend to move network, you'll get a better deal than your current plan (make sure you get unlimited internet to take full benefit from the phone).

Both the HTC Desire and the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 have left the iPhone 3GS trailing. My wife also upgraded (on Orange) last week and went for the Xperia, it's another really great Android phone - she also got a very good monthly deal with unlimited internet and paid a nominal amount for her new handset.

We looked at some "favourite" apps with iPhone users last night after a nice Italian meal in Chorley (Bellamy11 and Tugay4England off this mb as it happens ) ... and we later found all of them on the Android app market - which is growing by the day.

I was astonished to discover that you can't change the battery on an iPhone ... these things need a lot of power especially if you run GPS / WiFi / Bluetooth. First thing I did with my new handset was get a genuine spare HTC battery off of Amazon - 20 quid - why would you spend 190 notes on a handset which dies if you can't get to a plug socket for 24 hours??

Sometimes in my job, i`m sat around waiting for a fare. I`d love to be able to read on-line papers, watch the news or just surf my favourite websites

If that's the case, you don't really need any of the above handsets - older and slower phones will do all of that. But you certainly would be wasting 190 quid on a fruit shaped logo if you went down the iPhone route.

[Hughesy]

Get the iphone - but get a slighty higher contract and get the phone for either free or much cheaper...

Perhaps - £35 a month on 02 over a 24 month contract....16gb phone for £89.

Whilst other phones may be slightly ahead on some things...It wont be for long when the new iphone comes out in June....

[Guest Kamy100]

I have had the Iphone (3G Version) for the last 18 months, and it is very good. If you are not using it for Business purposes then it is great for playing games, internet, very useful apps and e-mails.

I am out of contract now but am holding on and not buying the 3GS version, the new Iphone should be out in June. I would hold fire until the new one comes out, you maybe able to get it cheap as part of a contract deal or the 3GS will fall in price so you can pick it up cheap.

[Paul]

I was astonished to discover that you can't change the battery on an iPhone ...

True you can't change the battery on the iPhone but there are plenty of little gizmos for extending battery life by anyhting up to 11/12 hours

[Flopsy]

I love my iPhone. And I came from an HTC Touch & N95.

IMHO the Iphone kicks ass, mainly for the speed of navigation. The battery life is indeed bobbins, but does recharge bloody quickly

[Hughesy]

It is the 1st phone I havent been fed of, or wanted to get rid of - and iv had it for 10 months. Usually by 6 months im either bored of my phone or annoyed by something.

Previously I had a blackberry & N95.

[koi]

I'm not a phone person at all but I took the plunge and ordered a 3GS when the works contracts came up. I love it! It took a while to set it up with exchange etc but not it's done it's a dream and so simple to use. Occasionally the software freezes and the likes of Safari wont open but it does clear after a few minutes. Apart from that, I recommend them highly. Oh, get a good case, they are slippy when in the nuddy!

[Glenn]

I decided the iPhone was far too pretty to hide in a case, so got one of these for it instead.

http://buyth.at/ptyyu

Mind you, I won't name and the the forum user that keeps his new Android in an old sock

[Hughesy]

I decided the iPhone was far too pretty to hide in a case, so got one of these for it instead.

http://buyth.at/ptyyu

I use that too - although on ebay they usually go for 3 for £5....

[Glenn]

The first cheap ones I bought were just simple pieces of sticky plastic that still got scratched and needed replacing every few weeks, where as the ones I linked are still looking good after 6 months.

[Hughesy]

The first cheap ones I bought were just simple pieces of sticky plastic that still got scratched and needed replacing every few weeks, where as the ones I linked are still looking good after 6 months.

Perhaps its just pot luck then - the one I purchased 9 months ago is still going strong on my phone now!

[Ewood and I Would]

Hi guys I'm after the phone and I'm wondering whether the I-phone will suit me mybe you can advise. Basically what I want from a phone is..

* restricted to using an in built battery… I've just lost the batteries of previous phones, why do they make them so you can change them?

* no expandable memory… No I want to be forced to manage my files and delete stuff I don't need all the time please (it cleanses my soul)

* a crap camera… I'm sick of all these new phones with decent cameras, I want one that is at least 3 or 4 years old in terms of spec and tech

* apps that I can only buy from the phone maker… I think it's sick that people like Symbian have been letting people make apps (open source) for years before the iPhone came about and they made no profit from it.

* No ability to mulitask…I'm a man, why would I need that?

* No flash... why would I want an internet tool with Flash?

* Finally, my phone must be the size of a house brick. Remember before Apple was a massive phone was a bad thing? Thank God Apple came along with their funky Franz Ferdinand ads which has managed to convince everyone that it is actually cool to have a phone the size of a book.

So will the iphone cover all these requirements?

[BuckyRover]

You can spot the anally retentive geek a mile off.

My people prefer usability over supposed performance gains. Geeks prefer the opposite.

[Tris]

You can spot the anally retentive geek a mile off.

My people prefer usability over supposed performance gains. Geeks prefer the opposite.

I suggest you advise "your people" to try out the new Android handsets mentioned in this thread recently. HTC and Sony Ericsson have both put user interfaces onto these latest phones which are equal to or better than the iPhone.

Plus of course they are way cheaper, lots more powerful, look better, don't need jailbreaking to achieve their full potential and when the battery runs out you can put a spare one in and carry on, rather than being cut off from the world until you next find mains electricity.

Better to be a price conscious "geek" with the best smartphone currently on the market than an anally retentive slave to Steve Jobbs via his fruitily logo'd rip off range.

[Ewood and I Would]

You can spot the anally retentive geek a mile off.

My people prefer usability over supposed performance gains. Geeks prefer the opposite.

You're wrong, people want to feel part of the crowd and the iPhone does that for a lot of people.

I will give their marketing department its due; I can see why people are drawn in by their modern ads with the latest flavour of the month pop song on it and I can also see why people think they're great going by the claims they make in their adverts (most of which I don't know how they haven't been sued for, i.e heavily implying that apps and the internet is only on the iPhone and that the concept of both was invented by Apple).

Have you read about Steve Job's reality distortion field by the way?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality_distortion_field

Apple is just big gimmick of company that somehow brainwash people into theinking their equipment is somehow 'magical' and vastly different to the alternatives.

the iPhone wan't even around when the mobile phone boom happened and I'd be very suprised if you could find many people who refused to own a mobile until the easy-to-use-iPhone came out.

The 'ease of use' thing is a smokescreen for people who don't want to admit they just think the iPhone is 'cool' and they have one because their mates have one. As Tris said, there are plenty of easy to use phones out there?

Anyway, doesn't geek generally mean someone who is into and know about technology? If so, shouldn't you listen to us geeks on the subject of tech?

P.S. Do you regard people who prefer to drive manual cars over automatic ones, 'geeks' as well? Seeing as people who drive manuals are choosing the 'supposed' performance gain over ease of use.

[Glenn]

12 months ago, I'd have been in agreement, but the truth is I got fed up with bleeding edge tech that "almost" worked brilliant, if you fiddled enough and were willing to put up with the annoyances and wanted something that just worked, no tweaking, no bios reflashing, no awesome-features-with-horrible-uis.

Maybe it's an age thing, I used to do homebrew console dev and modded most of them by hand, but now my 360 (yup, Im a MS sell out too) sits there unaltered too.

Once upon a time I'd have been the perfect target for an android, but frankly, I've got used to the slick polish that apple give me.

[Ewood and I Would]

Ha Glen well age gets to us all.

Although I wouldn't claim the iPhone is error free, otherwise Apple wouldn't have set this up...

http://www.apple.com/support/iphone/troubleshooting/phone/

..and Google wouldn't have this autotyped due to it be a popular search

My friend in fact cut me off the other day and blamed in on not understanding her new phone (which is an iPhone).

[Ricky]

Tris is always going to be anti apple. That's why he's comparing an android handset that has just been released with the apple 3GS which is now a 12 month old handset.

The New Iphone will be out in a couple of months, compare that to the new android phones and it'll blow them away.

I'm with Glenn, I have never bought any apple products in the past, I always had Nokia and HTC phones, I always had sony MP3 players and would do everything in my power to avoid Apple products. I am however now an Iphone convert. It's perfect for everything I want it to do and I certainly wouldn't revert back to anything else.

[Ewood and I Would]

Tris is always going to be anti apple. That's why he's comparing an android handset that has just been released with the apple 3GS which is now a 12 month old handset.

The New Iphone will be out in a couple of months, compare that to the new android phones and it'll blow them away.

I find it funny you accuse someone of always being anti-Apple and then go on to say the new iPhone (which hasn't been released yet and therefore untested) will 'blow everything else away'.

If making predictions of World domination for a device that isn't even out yet and you haven't used isn't 'fanboyism' I don't know what is.

I'm with Glenn, I have never bought any apple products in the past, I always had Nokia and HTC phones, I always had sony MP3 players and would do everything in my power to avoid Apple products. I am however now an Iphone convert. It's perfect for everything I want it to do and I certainly wouldn't revert back to anything else.

Your final line saddens me. What you have said is now that you have found Apple, you will totally ignore all other phones past and future and won't even look at anything else?

Your phone isn't your girlfriend mate, unfortuantely Apple has a way of making people think of their products like that. You are living proof...

Every time I buy a new phone I will look at ALL the options. If the iPhone suits my needs (unlikely as I hate the size of it) then I will buy it, if it's an HTC or Nokia then I will buy them. Then, when I next come to buy a phone a repeat the process but I'd neveronly look at one make (let alone one model of that one brand) and disgregard everything else out of hand.

[Blue n White Rover]

I'm a big iPhone fan, have had it since it first came out and upgraded to the 3GS. However, after using it for several years, I am now bored of it. I have loads of apps that I don't even use, and only use it now to surf the internet, text and call.

I am getting the Blackberry 9700 Bold as soon as this contract expires in June. Smaller, smarter and allows me to do what I want without much hassle.

The iPhone is still a good phone, but it gets a bit boring after a while.

[Tris]

Tris, I knwo you're a nokia fan, you've made it quite clear lol.

Tris is always going to be anti apple.

"Nokia fan" ... "anti apple" ... if you're going to make statements like that Ricky at least only do so if they're true!! My first laptop was a Mac and my new phone isn't a Nokia!

Tris is always going to be anti apple. That's why he's comparing an android handset that has just been released with the apple 3GS which is now a 12 month old handset.

No - read the question Cletus has asked. Should he spend #180 on an iphone 3GS on a 35 quid per month contract, or is there something better out there? If he gets the same deal as I did, then it will save him 500 quid on an 18 month contract, with a better handset.

The New Iphone will be out in a couple of months, compare that to the new android phones and it'll blow them away.

I'm with Glenn, I have never bought any apple products in the past, I always had Nokia and HTC phones, I always had sony MP3 players and would do everything in my power to avoid Apple products. I am however now an Iphone convert. It's perfect for everything I want it to do and I certainly wouldn't revert back to anything else.

Your loss to be quite honest ... I'm sure you and many others will rush salivating to get your hands on the iPhone 4 once it comes out, but anyone who does so without even having tried the alternatives is absolutely crazy, and has spare cash to throw down the drain in pursuit of a brand name.

I could have upgraded back in November but kept reading the reviews, kept an eye on what would be coming out, checked out the Nokia N900, checked out what would happen with Windows Mobile, saw the reports on the UIs under development ... and decided the HTC Desire would be the phone of 2010 and was worth waiting for - 6 months of waiting as it happens.

The reviews are bearing that out, the forums are bearing that out - and many of those opinions come from users who have defected from the iPhone.

[Eddie]

I don't think you're anti-apple or a fanboy of anything else, but I do think you fall into a category of people that is on the grow; that being that they feel like anyone who chooses Apple does so only because it's the cool thing and that they don't understand that there are serious competitors, are overpaying and don't even take full advantage of what a lot of apple products offer. I've used a ton of phones and I've never had one I like better than my iphone. I've tried out just about every HTC, Nokia, Palm and Blackberry have to offer at the moment and just don't think they are as good. They're close and they are probably a better match for a lot of people, but for me, and a lot of others, the iphone is great. Is it worth spending 180 on? Well if you're really going to use it, yes. I have about 6 ipods (4 classics from different generations I think and then a touch and a nano) and my iphone means that I rarely use them now. My ipod is solely a gym and cycling thing. Before I would take it to use on the metro going to work, now I have about 15gb of music, straight from itunes there and ready. I know other phones hold music, but you struggle to beat the ease of itunes and the fact that you can then make one set of playlists easily and have them on everything you own (not to mention other things like podcasts and videos).

I totally agree with you when you say that you should look at all of the options, but for plenty the iphone is the best option. If you want to save money then get the 3G, you can get that for free on a ton of 30 pound 18 month contracts now, maybe even 12 months if you shop around I don't know. There's not a huge difference between the 3G and the 3GS, so that's an easy way to save the 180.

[Ewood and I Would]

I know other phones hold music, but you struggle to beat the ease of itunes and the fact that you can then make one set of playlists easily and have them on everything you own (not to mention other things like podcasts and videos).

So because Apple restrict their products so only stuff made by them works on their devices (like playlists) that is somehow all other phone manufacturer's fault? Any phone company could make a phone that accepts ipd playlists only Apple wouldn't allow it, just like at first tunes bought from itunes could only be used on the iPod.

It's like when people say Macs are better because you can use both Windows and OSx on it. Obviously when you think about it that makes Microsoft better as their product can be used on any computer unlike Apple who simply won't allow it to be used on anything but the Mac but somehow Apple customers don't think this way.

Steve Jobs is brilliant at getting people to think 'outside the box', the only trouble is he keeps you out there...

[Ricky]

That was an easy bite tris, thought you'd take a bit more winding up than that ;-)

I didn't go into buying an iPhone 3gs without any research, in my opinion at the time it was the best option. Googles platform had only just got up and running and windows mobile was... Well... Windows mobile!!

I've looked at the desire and the nexus one, I've played with the pair of them at the gadget show and read full reviews in t3, t3 incidently still rate both behind the iPhone 3gs. I know it's just a magazine but it's still a fairly well respected one.

I suppose saying I wouldn't consider anything else wasn't really the right thing to say, at the moment I wouldn't consider anything, I've tried the others and didn't like the interface as much as I like the iPhone. I've not tried the Sony tris so can't really comment on that. The girl in our office has one and she seems to like it.

I seem to have become public enemy number one on this thread lol. I have no problems with people slating the iPhone if they've tried it, just don't like the opinion some have of the iPhone when they've never even picked it up. I don't know of too many people who hav had an iPhone and decided to swap it for something else. I know someone on here said they were swapping for a blackberry but that's a first for me.

[Ewood and I Would]

I have no problems with people slating the iPhone if they've tried it, just don't like the opinion some have of the iPhone when they've never even picked it up.

I tried once but I hadn't been to the gym that week

I don't know of too many people who hav had an iPhone and decided to swap it for something else. I know someone on here said they were swapping for a blackberry but that's a first for me.

That's probably because Apple tie you into long contracts, they haven't had the chance to swap! My friend is on a two year contract with his iPhone.....

Give it a few more years, the iPhone has only been out for 3 years and as I said most people are tied to really long contracts so I would guess 95% of iPhone owners are first time buyers commited to keeping the phone.