iPhone Canada

[Lazybones]

http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/340/C13667/


Contest leaks info on the release.

[Shayne]

Exciting times

[Lazybones]

$800 ouch so much for the strong dollar, or perhaps it is an unsubsidized price.

[Shayne]

Though that $800 price tag has gotta include some airtime or accessories or something.  How can it be twice the price up here as none of their other products up here are so highly inflated?  Gonna have to wait and see I guess.

Jan 2008...just in time if its true.  Im heading to Vegas at the end of Jan, if their isnt one by then, I will probably just score one there and unlock it when I get back.

[Mr. Analog]

The iPhone is just a massive waste. The price, the features, the bricking, why would anyone want an iPhone?

Apple has intentionally borked the European launch by making the iTouch available there before the iPhone (not to mention all the mess about contracts in France and the UK). The tinfoil hat in me says this isn't by accident. I don't think we'll see many generations of iPhone, in fact I think Steve Jobs is kicking himself for getting into the stupid world of telecom.

[Shayne]

Price isnt that bad considering what it is, the features will be huge when the SDK launches this winter, and the bricking is caused by people unlocking their phones to allow homebrew which will hopefully be cured by the upcoming SDK.

To me its the perfect device.  Mobile Internet, Phone, Video & Music Player.

[Cova]

I have to agree with Mr. A - the iPhone is a waste and not worth buying.  It's feature set sucks ass and its price is rediculous.  The only good that may come from it coming to Canada is that Rogers may end up being forced to finally offer a semi-reasonable data-plan, though they'll probably make it iPhone only or some dumb @%&#.  IMHO a proper data plan would sell a lot of Blackberries.

[Shayne]

With all this negativity what is there available that can offer equal or better features in a similar form factor?  Im very curious because this is what Ive been wanting forever!

[Lazybones]

There are some aspects about the iphone that make it better than most similar devices:
- True responsive figure UI (the HTC products to date just don't work that well with fingers)
- One of the more powerful mobile browsers.
- Largest screen (but not resolution)
- Largest built in storage
- Some of the best music / video playback

However
- It still uses older generation wireless
- Does not support corporate PUSH email
- 3rd party app support is still only in the future stage

[Cova]

With all this negativity what is there available that can offer equal or better features in a similar form factor?  Im very curious because this is what Ive been wanting forever!

Which features are the ones important to you?  While I have to admit that the iPhone does have the most functional web browser, thats really not that important for me (especially without unlimited data plans).  On the other hand, "mobile outlook" features are very important to me - everything outlook does (calendar, contacts, mail, notes, etc.) all syncing wirelessly and automatically to my handheld.  Openness of platform is also a significant factor for me - and Steve claiming an SDK is coming doesn't convince me that it'll be useful at all.

[Mr. Analog]

Steve claiming an SDK is coming doesn't convince me that it'll be useful at all.

Agreed, until there is an SDK it's not even worth mentioning. The data plan availability is the killer for the iPhone in Canada. Pretty much everything else you can get with a Nokia E-series phone.

[Shayne]

I want the features of the iPod Touch with a Phone   Ive been after a portable video/music player for a while and it was just a matter of time before such a device that met my needs came out.  I dont mind the Zune to fill this role but Microsoft decided to not launch it in Canada.

The mobile internet is important to me and probably the most important feature.

Ive actually be leaning towards getting the iPod Touch and sticking with my RAZR but I dont get internet on the road and thats where I think I would find a lot of use for it, even over the slow speeds that would be provided.  Data plans are important obviously and my decision might ultimately rest on that.

[Cova]

I want the features of the iPod Touch with a Phone   Ive been after a portable video/music player for a while and it was just a matter of time before such a device that met my needs came out.  I dont mind the Zune to fill this role but Microsoft decided to not launch it in Canada.

The mobile internet is important to me and probably the most important feature.

Ive actually be leaning towards getting the iPod Touch and sticking with my RAZR but I dont get internet on the road and thats where I think I would find a lot of use for it, even over the slow speeds that would be provided.  Data plans are important obviously and my decision might ultimately rest on that.

Well I've never even found the features of iPods to be worth mentioning.  They have the funky UI to get at their features (which I don't like either), but features were never the strong suit.  My cheap-ass 512MB flash-based samsung MP3 player can do more things than an ipod (not counting video features obviously) - it can do things like record any of its inputs (am/fm radio, built-in microphone, or 3.5mm input jack) to MP3.  That said - I think most phones now have basic audio playing capabilities and many can do video.  Mobile internet is also very common now, and though none of the mobile browsers are quite up to the iphone's one, without unlimited data plans you probably don't want to visit sites that a regular cell can't render - a single YouTube video would likely drain most or all of your monthly data allowance.

Personally, I don't think there's really a much better device out there right now than the high-end Blackberries, which now have full multimedia capabilities.  I'll take a full physical keyboard over a soft-keyboard any day.  I also prefer using removable media that I can buy as much of as I want instead of a device with built-in storage - in the case of the blackberry you get MicroSD - 2GB cards are as low as $50, and you can share them across other devices eg. digital cameras.  The built-in web browser isn't the most advanced - but its integration with a BES server means allows it to get by at a fraction of the data usage (the BES downloads the page, removes stuff that the handheld can't render, re-sizes images to handheld-screen size, then compresses everything left before sending it over the cell network).  If you want a more advanced browser, third-party java ones are available (eg. mobile opera).  Hands down the best email support on any mobile device, and imho as good as PocketPC for the rest of the outlook integration (calendar, contacts, etc.).  And it's an open platform - anything written with the java compact framework will run on it.

[Shayne]

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/patterson/7551

...sorta interesting, I guess its just a matter of time.

[Lazybones]

The touch is really old news in the WM world.. finger support is really rough since the screen sensors where designed for hard small stylus contact not large soft fingers.

Still interesting.