Posts by Ben Bufton

I have all 3...

... but I'm not buying ANYTHING online unless it's marked up in pounds and pence...

Gamer points? What a con.

C'mon you lot

After seeing what he did with MI3 + the delay in release (due to the studio wanting to hit a Summer 2009 release) which always gives the film makers some time to tweak + a kick-ass trailer (and it does look cool to me) and you gotta think that JJ might just pull it off.

I hope so. If you really think about it, the best they could come up with in the last movie was Data's "heroic death" - as, basically, a tripod.

And please - no singing.

The G1...

... it just isn't really that good is it?

75%?

Hmmm...

Pros and cons

I have all 3 of these devices (well, an iPhone not iPod Touch - but basically the same) and they all have pros and cons - but the iPhone wins for me for a really small reason - I tend to actually have it on me.

The PSP has a great screen and is such a nice shiny object - but slow load times, short battery life and bulky media (well, Sony had to do something with mini-discs i guess!) makes for a less than stellar experience.

DS is awesome - the best games (IMHO), great design (folding design is so elegant) and fun to play (touch screen etc..) but, well, it's a bit dull as technology. It's cheap, kinda feels cheap and just doesn't really excite me to want to get it charged up and carry it around with me for the day.

iPhone / iPod Touch - pretty sexy, no additional media required (as games are built in), good battery life, easy to use, a fair mix of games (though I agree not quite the dizzying heights of Nintendo) - but ultimately wins because... I tend to have it on me.

And as the quote says: "if you don't play the game, then how are you going to win..?"

I'll get my coat.

Wow

It's stupefying the amount of inaccurate and misguided information contained in this comments thread (not the original story). I ask each of you who have posted to re-read your comment and then check your facts (and conjectures and conclusions).

Paris bcause I'm going to ask her for tech-related information before I believe most of the above...

Oh christ...

Is this the best the iPhone competition can come up with..?

Well, it's got 1 more mega-pixel camera I guess.

<sigh>

Hmm...

I seem to remember buying a Mac so I didn't have to use much 3rd party software... :s

Still, thank you Google. :)

zzzzzzZZZZzzzzz.....

<pfft>

And so it starts...

I was lambasted by some git (anonymous coward) in a previous post for mentioning that it was going to be hard (though not impossible) for the Android to catch up with the iPhone.

And so it begins.

It amazes me that there are still people in the world that think R&D can be fast-tracked... that Google or Microsoft or HTC or Nokia or whoever can "skip over" the time and resource that, in this case, Apple have put into the iPhone.

Even Apple can't - and they went from NeXT to OS X via an aborted Copeland to prove it.

Coming up with good stuff takes time - debugging, refining, testing things for security and stability (as is the case here and as was, and still is, the case with the iPhone).

I'm really excited by the prospect of a really, really cool new phone to rival or even "beat" the iPhone - and there are great, stylish, easy to use handsets out there already.

But by taking the fight directly to the iPhone (proprietary OS and all - as Mage points out above) it means you're not trying to target a different market (ie folk who love to tinker with their toys at a low level or people who just want to make calls and can't be arsed with all the bells & whistles) but you're going after a, rapidly expanding, installed user-base who appreciates the whole iTunes end-to-end user experience, the silky interface and, yes, even the hype around Apple products. How many iPods have Apple sold to date..??

It's a tough gig - and anybody who thinks otherwise either has no idea of the history of computing... or a time machine.

@James Sherwood

The story is about the availability of white iPhones at non-Apple UK outlets.

What the hell has your mini review got to do with that??

Haha!! :s

Poor Google

Christ - I can see where this one is going:

Now: "You'd be mad to buy an iPhone, it's a joke - wait for a gPhone!"

Sept: "It's official - an iPhone killer... take that iPhone Fanbois / Sheep / Mactards!"

Oct: "iPhone weep - the mighty HTC/Android phone will arrive any day and destroy you!"

Nov: "Yeah, Google and HTC do right to delay till after Christmas - the iPhone will be decimated after they add the finishing touches!!"

Feb (2009): "Just wait until it's released - JesusPhone sux!"

March (2009): "It's out - and yeah a bit buggy... but it has a 3 megapixel camera - screw you iPhone wankers!!"

Aug (2009 - 1 year from now): "the 2.0 software is coming and that will blow the iPhone to pieces - die Mactard scum!!"

etc...

It's gonna be hard for a phone that's clearly built around a concept that Apple have pioneered (ie the finger touch screen interface) to ever really catch up. I'm not saying impossible, but hard.

Add into this the whole "Company A does OS, Company B does hardware and Company C does applications" and whichever way you cut it, Android could be in for a bumpy ride.

It's great to see more innovation in this market - and Android HAS to be better than Windows Mobile...

Surely!

As the saying goes...

You can please all of the people some of the time...

:)

Comments.

This just never ends.

The only thing I know is this - I'm pretty tech-savvy and I have never bought a phone application in my life... I couldn't even tell you where to start. Do you get them texted to you or can you just go to some website? I have no idea.

But the iPhone... :)

iPhone is a platform. I think Apple sees it as "a new Mac", but a Mac for the 21st century. Pocketable, connected and easy to use. Oh, and fun as well - there's no harm in "shiny toys". ;)

And as for there being a limited market for software - what a dolt. If that's so, what have Adobe being selling the last 20 years?

Lighten-up people.

@Aditya Krishnan

Yeah... you're right. Macs are cool...

pfft

Webster's gone freaky!

So I make one little comment about the "!!!!!!!1!!!!!!" and Webster makes one of the most balanced and considered posts I've ever read on the Reg - pro Mac??!

I'm not sleeping tonight... I'm going to sit with the duvet, huddled in a corner, rocking whilst clutching a shotgun saying "Webster has changed... he'll be coming for me now" over and over again...

Brzzz

One more thing...

The camera is entirely a personal choice... but what's really good about the iPhone 3G is the hardware.

The first device wasn't 3G and had no aGPS - hardware. This one does. The bulk of the other "flaws" are actually merely omissions that software can "fix". MMS (although seriously - email is better), cut-n-paste, file storage, video recording etc... can all be added (and some have already been) by software.

And because it has iTunes - you do! And you manage your music and video content (the iPod mini and nano are the most popular iPods despite their smaller capacity due to the convenience - and when you're watching a movie on the train and the volume fades down and you take a call... trust me ... that's convenient) so you don't need to carry memory sticks around with you.

But it's the hardware that nails this release - it feels much more future-proofed with those key inclusions... and that's why we're seeing so many people buying it i think.

And, it always gets said on these iPhone threads, but I am going to say it again. If you want MMS or memory sticks - buy a phone with them on. But why come here and post how much you despise the iPhone? Knowing its benefits might sway somebody who is thinking of giving it a go, but having a comment like "Yes this really is the mother of all shit eating turds!" (as very funny as it is) is just gonna make think that people who hate this thing so much are sad losers who need to stop posting such miserable comments and go out get laid.

And that's just not true, now is it...

@Rob

... because if something is free... it's ok to be crap.

I see what you did there.

Garath's point

I'm not entirely sure - but I think Garath might mean that, as you have to sign up for a contract to actually get an iPhone 3G in the first place, what's the point of then being able to unlock it?

You're still paying the monthly tariff you had to agree to (complete with handing over card/bank/proof of identity details) anyway.

It's a fair point - and I suspect one that might see "old style" iPhones commanding quite a price on ebay for a while yet.

@pctechxp

Hardly a review, more an observation - but I'm glad I can assist in your (all be it not wholly traditional) weight loss program...

Early adopters...

Are any of us surprised that it was a struggle on the first day (or few days)?

I think it's awesome that so many people want an iPhone 3G, but seriously, if you want to keep your blood pressure down, leave it a few weeks and then stroll into your local O2 or Apple Store one weekday afternoon and upgrade/buy then. So much easier.

It's like leaving work at 6pm and then complaining that the undergound is too busy!

And yeah - enough with the "iTouch" (third-ed)... it's iPod Touch or Touch... pfft.

Believe the hype?

A year ago, just before the iPhone was launched, the whole "it's an over-hyped piece of junk" rant (Anonymous Coward, Darren B, gautam) had the potential to be a valid concern.

But a year on the iPhone has one of the highest approval ratings of any consumer electronics product ever released... people desire it (hype), they buy it (hype), they use it (real) and more often than not they fall in love with the damn thing (real).

You guys may think you have the "exclusive" on what constitutes a fantastic product - but you don't, and the very high (even from my immediate experience) positive user feedback on the iPhone just makes you all sound like bitter jack-asses.

Perhaps you could quit your jobs and go work for Nokia or RIM so we have some genuine competition to the iPhone instead of sounding-off like pathetic "back seat" journos...

Paris so I can finish by talking about someone with a slightly higher IQ.

HD?

Wow - HD is such a misused term!

Truth be told, if you watch a Blu ray (or the now defunct HD-DVD) you'll see some of the most amazing visuals you've every witnessed. Pirates 2 + 3 on Blu ray or the later Harry Potters on either format will simply blow you away.

But on broadcast (or download) you're always going to get significant compression - and for all you "shut up about Blu ray - BBC HD looks amazing!" folk out there, it's true it does look much better than SD channels but your argument could be simply transposed up from the "HD looks like SD to me" brigade.

Places like LOVEFiLM do monthly rental packages that included Blu ray, which would, for now, definitely be my preferred way of getting the very best HD experience for movies.

I also have Apple TV (very cool) and Virgin+, both of which give you this kinda middle HD which is fine for some films and great for TV (Lost season 3 in HD on Virgin was awesome - especially as so many of us had it cut off mid-season when Virgin and Sky fell out!). But Virgin desperately need more HD - C4, ITV (back again after it was taken off!) and more TV on demand as part of their high end subscription package, if they want to stop Sky from running away.

Still - if you want the very best for your shiny new telly... a PS3 and a stack of rented Blu rays sounds like the perfect high definition weekend in to me - now, where did I put that Pizza Hut menu... :)

Windows Hell

It can't be fun for the guys at Apple who are having to develop Safari for Windows - it's a really important product (iPhone and MobileMe are both very high profile projects which benefit from having this app) but it must feel like plugging a dam just to keep it safe... let alone actually implementing improvements!

And it cracks me up the immediate assumption that Safari "breaks" Firefox... maybe Firefox breaks Safari? On Windows - who knows...

@James Grinter

Everybody read James' post and get then get back to work!

Nice one James.

Amazing

It's one thing to sell computers by the truck load (and Apple sure are doing that lately) but then to be there if they go wrong is the sign of a really great company.

Now - where's my share broker... I'm feeling a bulk-buy coming on... :)

"utterly gorgeous"

Hahahaha!! WTF?!

Hard drive upgrade

Hey - thanks for the heads up those of you who replied to my comment about the hard drive size... really appreciate it. :)

My point stands though - I'm game to take a screwdriver to my PS3, but I'm not fancying my 7 yo nephews chances! It amazes me that Sony would expect you to mod your console just to play a few games.

Thanks again for the comments and links though...

@Neil Alexander

"The moment that operators realise that people are using this very expensive (and therefore, heavily subsidized) tool to make calls over their data network for what is more likely less expensive than their own network, or even free, then suddenly there is nothing in it for the operator and they'll stop carrying the handset. That'd be the end of Apple iPhone, in Steve Jobs' eyes."

Talk about getting your wires crossed. It's because Apple HAVEN'T subsidised the phone that it's EXPENSIVE. Duh!

I'm sure Apple loves the extra income that the Network subscription provides, but if you told Steve Jobs he could sell 10 million new Macs in 1 year, to many current non-Mac using customers, back in 1976, don't you think he would have chewed your arm off?

And if you think of the major gripes (no 3G, no user installable software (inc VoIP), locked to single carrier and limited capacity) - many of those, it seems, may be disappearing over the next few months - and then what will we all have to gripe about I wonder? :)

The iPhone is, like it or not, an amazing product, and you gotta think that with a few tweaks it's gonna be very, very hard to compete with.

Whether that's good or not, well, we only have Nokia, Sony etc... to blame. What have they been doing all these years...

And here comes the iPhone...

I have a bit of a problem with all this 3G stuff - I live just outside central London and commute into the West End every day... in 4 years if I get a call (and this is Vodafone and O2 on all sorts of different handsets) at Wateroo, I have to redial at least 3 times by the time I get to Surbiton (about 8 miles). IN 2008, IN CENTRAL LONDON, I CAN'T KEEP A PHONE CALL FOR A 15 MINUTE TRAIN TRIP!!

And everybody goes on about 3G - wtf?? Let's just have a network that says - forget 3G, here's a system that let's you use your mobile phone as a fucking phone!

It's total bullshit. And if that wasn't enough, how are those creaking 3G networks going to cope when the iPhone starts to actually use them?! I tell you how - really well, coz nobody's ever going to be able to get 3G reception in the first place...

And another thing - bread is so expensive these days... I'll get my coat.

Never ending...

This is never ending - they rush something out that doesn't work so well... they get a panning - they take the time they need to get it right... and they end up with this kind of nonsense. <sigh>

We should all be praising Sony and Microsoft for NOT just sticking link to the iPlayer site and running around telling everybody that they now have BBC content. Instead people just can't see past the fact that it's still a while off on their particular platform. Insane.

Anybody with an iPod must know that the way iTunes works, all integrated and smooth, is just so much better than loads of bolted on Frankenstein-like additions.

Don't get me wrong, the Wii is an amazing games machine, but if you're under the impression that sticking a link on the front menu to the BBC website is the future of on-demand TV - you're nuts.

That PS3 on the other hand - I don't mind going out on a limb here (as I did with its integrated Blu-ray) and say - watch this space... the PS3 is a monster and in 3/4 years time we'll look back on some of the seemingly strange decisions Sony made with it and go: "Ahhh... now I get it"

Rock'n'roll

The Air's awesome - and anybody who doesn't think so is an idiot... :p

<uh-huh>

Hey - I liked the SE P910i as well... before it got all slow when they replaced it with the 990 - oh dear.

Anyway, whatever you may think of the iPhone, you have to concede that Nokia think it's amazing - so amazing they're going to try and make a handset just like it.

What's sad here is that Sony, Nokia and the rest had to be shown that a touch screen could work before they had the balls to make one themselves (and Sony were sooo close too).

Love 'em or hate 'em Apple have come up with a product that will only do us all good - and that's why they get a heart from me.

On a side note: It's funny when I read my posts back they always sound so balanced and reasonable - it always makes me wonder why half the posters here at Reg make themselves sound like such angry jerks...

Hmm...

No wi-fi, so-so battery life, so-so screen and Windows Mobile = 85%?

It sounds borderline unusable to me.

C'mon...

They're both cool... have fun!

Some confusion...

This is a survey of people who work in the branding industry and it's what they consider to be the most successful BRAND not COMPANY. Two different things.

It's totally pointless anyway - these are all graphic designers and the like, who are all Mac addicted, so who cares what they think.

Having said that, there's no denying Apple have got it going going on when it comes to their branding... I have a stack of empty Apple boxes I just can't bring myself to throw away.

Pitiful. :)

And I predict...

... that in 2 years time, computers will be twice as powerful, 10,000 times bigger and so expensive that only the 3 richest kings of Europe will be able to afford them...

Hmmm...

Some people just have too much time on their hands.

iPhone - there, I've said it!

So, what I don't get is how something like this (and I've had a play on it) which has a pig of an operating system, is bulky, costs over £300 and is crippled to the point where you can't even make phone calls on it, will be regarded by most as OK?

Then on the other hand, we have the iPhone which is small, beautiful, has an amazing OS and is a pretty good phone too (but no 3G) gets hammered up-hill and down-dale!!

I appreciate that these are slightly different devices, but I can see nothing on this to make me want to "upgrade" my iPhone - in fact when I had a play on one of these it baffled me how a once great company like Nokia (remember the original Nokia Orange here in the UK? - awesome) could release a device like this with a straight face.

The iPhone might not be right for you (and that's ok) but if we're all hoping that at least it's gonna drag the overall quality of mobile devices up, I for one, am not seeing the evidence here.

Nokia: D- Must do better

It's obvious...

... they just want to keep the money. ;)

Nah...

Makes the iPhone look like a bargain... and we all know Mac OS X is sweet. :)

PS3 - watch this space

I've got a feeling that we're going to be seeing a lot more from the PS3 over 2008. Sony have definitely taken a long-term approach with this generation of hardware and I suspect that Microsoft have played a big hand last year (2007) that we won't/can't see sustained in 2008.

2007 saw the HD-DVD add-on for Xbox 360 and some really amazing games, but Blu ray is clearly coming of age this year, coupled with lower hardware prices (the PS3 frustratingly has always actually been pretty good value for money when you add up the cost of extras) and, of course, those elusive big games that are finally happening this year on PS3 - I think Sony are going to do all-right out of 2008. We're also looking at strong PSP sales (not like DS though!) and PS Home and it will be interesting to see how Microsoft fit in. First to market for sure - but is the 360 just looking a tiny bit dog-eared compared to the PS3 at the moment..?

The Wii is something unto itself - Nintendo are a simply amazing company and although the software sales are drip fed - when they come, boy are they worth the wait!

Coupled with amazingly strong DS sales, the Big N are gravy all the way... and we should all celebrate that.

I think it looks cool...

... it's not cheap, but I'm not cheap - can't wait!

:)

@Greg & @Andrew

Greg - The price is currently 79p not 99p

Andrew - If you make music for a living (or edit video, do graphic design or wish to surf the internet in a virus free environment) you might find that it's all about the "pretty colours" ;)

Never mind phones...

... I've still yet to figure out what happens to my money in the FIVE DAYS (sometimes more) it takes to transfer it between banks!

There are a few people in this world making a shit-load of money off these "gaps" when of course the reality (with phones as with banks) is it's no more complicated to port this stuff than it is to send an e-mail.

Thieves.