Noob - Advice please

Hagar

My current phone contract is up and I'm free to get a new phone on a new package. I want email and web access and a decent looking phone.

I'm seriously considering the iPhone but apart from the hype an the obvious glamour of the device I'm not very knowlegdeable about it.
I can get the 8gb for €99 or the €16gb for €199. I think the 8gb is probably enough. The package also includes streaming tv so there's plenty to keep me amused. I can get unlimited web for €39 subject to fair use. Plus there's lot of places with free wifi to keep my limit from going over the top.

I'm concerned about using Apple iTunes, I'm used to drag and drop, and I've heard the battery can be a problem.

Is the iPhone really so much better than the competition?
Are there alternatives I should consider?

Thanks.

Reoil

Consider the Blackberry Bold. Depends on your needs though.
I tried the the iPhone but at the time, the battery and a lot of the software restrictions were deal breakers. I prefer having a keyboard too.

Doctor DooM

How important is your camera on your phone? It's pretty poor on the iPhone.

Also, iTunes is very intuitive on a mac, and quick to boot, but not so much on a windows machine (admitteddly it's been some time since I used it on one though).

My personal opinion of the iPhone is that it is a good sized device with a top notch UI and OS but is let down by it's lack of expandability, poor camera and restrictions placed by apple on several features.

I don't count the poor battery life as a bad point because if you get a device with a large screen, you get a poor battery life. Just have to accept it.

If you want us to tell you what device would be right for you, you need to tell us what kind of things you intend to use it for!

Hagar

I'm self employed and I work from home, when I'm out on a job I get calls from clients, they always start with "I just sent you an email, did you see it yet?" so email is very important for me. Either a webmail or relay to a specific phone email address.

I need web access for finding product suppliers and addresses. Plus Boards of course.

I have a separate digital camera that I carry all the time for work so if the iPhone camera is good enough for quick "snaps" that's fine. I can take the quality shots with my real camera.

I understand big screens eat batteries, my digital camera eats batteries. As long as I get a full day out of a battery I don't mind charging nightly.

It would be great to pump a few tunes into my car radio when I'm out and about. I spend a lot of time in the car. Would I have to re-rip all my cds specifically for itunes? As they stand they are all in a Zen in standard Mp3 format.

Excel is very important to me, is there any compatible software or reader available?

A car charger would probably be a good idea as an optional extra.

What sort of restrictions are there?

Dades

Hagar wrote: »

The package also includes streaming tv so there's plenty to keep me amused.

I could be wrong here - but I suspect a streaming TV package is useless to an iPhone user. I think the only streaming you can do is within specific apps, or You Tube.

Standard MP3s can be added easy to iTunes.

I like the email interface, but until the new update comes out in June it's limited in that you can't cut and paste. After that it's usability should be much improved. I assume you know there's probably a new model coming out this summer, too!

Tom Dunne

Hagar wrote: »

My current phone contract is up and I'm free to get a new phone on a new package. I want email and web access and a decent looking phone.

E-mail and web are where the iPhone excel. You simply won't get a better web browser on a mobile phone. The e-mail client is quite intuitive, straight forward to use. There is, however, no Java and no Flash on the web browser, so this may limit some sites. Personally, I have not found this to be a limiting factor.

Hagar wrote: »

I can get the 8gb for €99 or the €16gb for €199. I think the 8gb is probably enough. The package also includes streaming tv so there's plenty to keep me amused.

The streaming tv may not work in the iPhone - you would want to check with the operator if it does. Most likely down to the software not being available for the iPhone. Then again, if it is an advertised feature, they may offer it.

Hagar wrote: »

I'm concerned about using Apple iTunes, I'm used to drag and drop,

TBH, iTunes is grand. There's nothing major wrong with it, but the interface can be a bit clunky. Not a top-notch, slick piece of software, but not the worst.

Hagar wrote: »

and I've heard the battery can be a problem.

As the Doom says, any unit with a big screen will eat the battery. I get about 2 days on my 1st gen iPhone by turning down the screen, turing off WiFi and bluetooth and turning off push e-mail.

Hagar wrote: »

Is the iPhone really so much better than the competition?
Are there alternatives I should consider?

And there is the burning question.

If you want a slick user interface, plenty of eye-candy, with excellent media playing capabilities, great choice of downloadable software via the App Store, with a basic camera, and basic phone, then the iPhone is for you.

If you want a full-feature phone, with all the bells and whistles, such as decent camera, memory card slot, MMS, text forwarding, then maybe the iPhone is not for you.

Alternatives include the Blackberry Storm, which, having tried, I believe is complete and utter turkey, or the Nokia 5800 (haven't tried it, but there's a bigh thread on the Mobiles/PDA forum about it).

As a side note, there is an new version of the iPhone coming out in the next couple of weeks. It would be worth waiting to see what, if anything, Apple do to the hardware. Oh, and when it is released, the older 1st and 2nd generation iPhones can be upgraded to the new operating system, version 3.

Hagar

Sorry I should have said I'm in France.
Both SFR and Orange offer the standard 22 FTA TV channels as part of the iPhone deal.

Edit

Thanks Tom, I've heard bad things about the Blackberry. A friend has had two of them give up the ghost. They were company supplied phones so he wasn't upset. It's a whole different ball game when it's coming out of your own pocket.

3DataModem

Hagar wrote: »

Sorry I should have said I'm in France.

Then perhaps consider a trip to Belgium to pick up an iPhone that is not encumbered with a SIM or country-lock, and pick the provider of your choice.

It makes the up-front cost a lot higher (about €500 for a phone) but you can move networks / countries at will without any of that locking / baseband / yellowsnow / warrantyvoiding stuff. And you can pick your own tariff.

Although if you are intending to stay in France and stay with an iPhone provider then you'll probably get a better deal that way (especially for data).

Cheers,

Dave

Rob_l

Tom Dunne wrote: »

E-mail and web are where the iPhone excel. You simply won't get a better web browser on a mobile phone. The e-mail client is quite intuitive, straight forward to use. There is, however, no Java and no Flash on the web browser, so this may limit some sites. Personally, I have not found this to be a limiting factor.

Have to quote this I have seen other phones if it is general web access and browsing like tom says you simply wont beat the iphone.

Tom Dunne

Hagar wrote: »

It would be great to pump a few tunes into my car radio when I'm out and about. I spend a lot of time in the car. Would I have to re-rip all my cds specifically for itunes? As they stand they are all in a Zen in standard Mp3 format.

The iPhone will play mp3's without problem. When I got my iPhone last year, I simply dragged and dropped my mp3 collection from Windows Media Player to iTunes. Also, if any of them are in .wma format, iTunes will convert them for you to AAC, Apples format.

Hagar wrote: »

Excel is very important to me, is there any compatible software or reader available?

I believe there is, can't say for certain as it's not something I would use.

seamus

Hagar wrote: »

I understand big screens eat batteries, my digital camera eats batteries. As long as I get a full day out of a battery I don't mind charging nightly.

You should get most of a day out of the battery, and there are a few tricks you can use to limit battery consumption such as not leaving WiFi on, but if you're in the car a lot, you'd do well to get a dock for it with a charger (and perhaps an FM transmitter).

Excel is very important to me, is there any compatible software or reader available?

I use http://docs.google.com - fnckin fantastic when you have a whole pile of different machines and devices and you need to be able to access your documents from them all. Works great from iPhone, though I think it's read-only. Obviously it also requires you to have coverage to see your documents.

SDooM wrote: »

is let down by it's lack of expandability

Although that seems like the case, the fact is that by and large if you want to be able to do something, there's probably an app you can download which will do it for you. Unless you were referring to something else?

whiterebel

It will open Word and Excel docs. Either by email or docs transferred with an app like AirSharing.

vinnycoyne

There definitely is an app to edit Excel docs by the way.

Tom Dunne

Just sent myself both a Word and Excel document and the iPhone opened them without problem. And I know it also opens pdf documents too.

You learn something new every day.

mobius42

Hagar wrote: »

I'm concerned about using Apple iTunes, I'm used to drag and drop, and I've heard the battery can be a problem.

iTunes supports drag and drop. You just have to enable "manually manage music" in the iPhone settings.

Hagar wrote: »

Excel is very important to me, is there any compatible software or reader available?

Here's two Excel editors: (iTunes links)

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=305946854&mt=8

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=310723177&mt=8

It can read Excel files natively.

faceman

You can download an Office app from the App Store called QuickOffice for €15.99 (In Ireland) which allows you edit and create Office files (Word, Excel etc) Im sure there are cheaper equivalents tho

Hagar

Thanks for all the great info, much appreciated.

Hagar

Well I got my iPhone today. I'm pleased as punch.

I haven't figured out the TV bit yet but sure I'll be up all night playing with it.

Logged on through my wireless router and I've already made my first post with it.

Happy days.