Apple iPhone Review

If you are not aware of the Apple iphone by now then get prepared !

Due to hit the shores of our tiny island this October, the Apple iPhone is set to take the UK by storm. O2 have got in there first and the iPhone will be their exclusive. Although, the handset is very likely to be available as a sim free unit in the New Year of which you can buy here when it's launched.

So what's all the fuss about then ? Well, for a start the iPod has become one of the most popular gadgets to own the world over, as has the mobile phone - so combine the two together and you have the ultimate gadget !

With a sleek interface, touchscreen design and top notch music & video capabilities the iPhone should in theory be the one to blaze a trail against the competition - but does it ?

With 8Gb of memory on board, the Apple iPhone has more than enough memory to store your music files & the enormous crystal clear3.5" display makes just using the device an absolute joy - while its 480x320-pixel resolution (160 dots per inch) translates into brilliant colours, sharp graphics and fluid movements.

In true Apple style, the iPhone's menu interface is attractive, intuitive and easy to use. Main functions are a series of large coloured icons. It's easy to find all the features quickly and easily, and all the essential features aren't buried deep within the menu

The Safari browser is different from the norm, as the iPhone lets you view web pages exactly as you would on a PC, and not as a stripped down WAP version like most mobile phones. As mentioned earlier, the touchscreen makes light work of using the phone, you just drag, swipe or tap the display to get the desired result

Other notable features include a 2Mp camera, Bluetooth, Google maps, Widgets support, Quad band, PIM.

The Downside - Boo !

The Apple iPhone will certainly appeal to a great many and deservedly so - but there are downsides to this new device in the mobile phone world.

The battery has a rated battery life of 8 hours talk time, 24 hours of music playback, 7 hours of video playback, and 6 hours on Internet use. It's also non-removable which is almost an in conceived idea for a mobile phone. Apple reckon that it can be charged 3 to 400 hundred times before it will need replacing by them - less than 2 years use ! Not good.

The sheer lack of buttons adds to the time it takes to get through a menu i.e you cannot just dial a number, you have to go into the keypad menu to start dialling, also the same for the multimedia player i.e there are no dedicated music keys - adding extra unnecessary time.

Lack of 3G services - browsing the web on the iPhone may be pretty but it sure is hellishly slow using EDGE !

And that's pretty much it ! It's not got a 5Mp camera like a Samsung G600 or a Nokia N95 - it's not got the finesse of an ultra fashion phone such as the Nokia 8600 Luna and it's not got the affordability of a Sony Ericsson music phone such as the W880i - So why buy it ? Because it's from Apple, it's cool and it's the future of the ever conquering iPod - that's why !

The Apple i-Phone is currently available on O2 & SIM Free and you can view the full technical specifications here - Apple i-Phone