Rob Barnes, Head of Broadband and Mobile Phones
Pre-orders mean there's already a waiting list for the new iPhone 3G, but is it worth adding your name to, or are there better alternatives available that you can take advantage of now without the delay?
It was only in November last year that the first Apple iPhone was launched. Around 1.4million handsets had been sold in the US by the time of its launch in the UK and stores were expecting strong sales. However, with a retail price of £269 and a minimum monthly contract of £35 a month, sales quickly dropped off, leading to a price cut of £100 earlier this year.
The iPhone was widely criticised - yes it had a number of unique features, but there were competitors on the market that were arguably offering just as much for a lot less.
Now a revamped version of the iPhone has been launched - the Apple iPhone 3G. So does this device deserve your attention?
What it has to offer
There's no doubt the iPhone 3G is a significant improvement on the original model. It features the same intuitive interface, allowing you to access your information by touching the screen, and it still functions as an iPod giving you access to all of the latest downloads on Apple's iTunes network. Its battery life hasn't suffered either with up to 10hrs for 2G calls and five hours for 3G calls.
Significantly however, it now has 3G capabilities - meaning it can download information three times faster than the original model making internet access sleek and effective. This should hold particular appeal to gaming fans who can now enjoy crisp graphics and faster downloads - it is also predicted that developers may soon sell games on the iTunes platform.
Another notable addition is that the phone now has global positioning system (GPS) functions. Its clever technology means that the phone can guess your location based on how close you are to a mobile phone mast, making mapping more accurate. It also has support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, which provides over-the-air 'push' email, contact and calendar synchronisation making it ideal for business use.
Perhaps most crucially, the device is much cheaper than the original. If you choose a model with an eight gigabyte (GB) memory, it costs £99 on a £30 a month O2 package whereas a 16GB model will set you back £159. This package also includes 75 minutes of call time and 125 free texts a month.
The 8GB model is available for free on a £45 a month contract with 1,200 minutes and 500 texts, whereas the 16GB model is reduced to just £59. Both handsets can be acquired for free with a £75 a month contract, which incorporates 3,000 call minutes and 500 texts. You can view full contract details here.
What it doesn't offer
Although the iPhone 3G is unquestionably an enhanced version of the original, there are still a number of criticisms regarding the model.
In particular, there has been no storage capacity increase - many were expecting an increase to 32GB - and the iPhone's 3G radio does not offer support for High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) speeds, which means you can't upload pictures or emails as quickly as you can on other phones. Perhaps the biggest criticism is the lack of upgrade on the camera, which still offers just two megapixels with no flash or auto-focus. In addition, there is no video recording or video calling.
Are there any alternatives?
Fortunately, if any of the features missing from the iPhone 3G are important to you, there are other attractive handsets to choose from.
The Nokia N95 8GB is arguably a better handset in a number of areas. It has 100 megabits (Mb) of internal memory for messages, as well as up to 8GB of internal flash memory for multimedia content and music. It also boasts an excellent camera - with five-megapixels, Carl Zeiss optics and a Tessar lense making it perfectly suited to both mobile photography and video. You can also use both Bluetooth and Infrared technologies with the Nokia N95 - something still missing from the iPhone 3G.
The Nokia N95 8GB is also available for a lot less than the iPhone. If you take out a Vodafone 18month contract you'll pay £35 a month, get 600 free call minutes and unlimited texts and pick up the Nokia N95 8GB for free.
With the incorporation of Microsoft Exchange features, the Apple iPhone 3G is more like a 'smart phone' than ever before - however, if you're looking for a phone for business use, there are good alternatives elsewhere from the likes of Blackberry and HTC.
For example, the Blackberry Pearl includes an expandable memory, digital camera, quad-band support, text and instant messaging, as well as numerous organiser applications. It is available for free on the T-Mobile Flext 35 18month contract, which costs £35 a month and comes with 1,000 free minutes, 2,000 texts or any mix you choose.
Check out our mobile phones section to compare handsets and tariffs - remember to pick a contract that suits your usage so you don't pay for minutes or texts you simply won't use.
Have your say: Have you got your hands on the new iPhone? What's it like? Is it living up to it's hype or are you disappointed? Perhaps you think there's already a better phone on the market. Make your opinions heard in our forum.
Disclaimer: Please note that any rates or deals mentioned in this article were available at the time of writing.
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