On Fri, 9 Nov 2007, SomeBloke wrote:
> Ah yes, at £259 ($544) for the phone and a MINUMUM contract of £35
> ($73.50) a month with O2 I'm sure we're all going to rush out and join
> the huge queue of 12 people feverishly waiting for its launch outside the
> Apple store in London. I don't think!

Especially since that £259 phone (about £60 more than it sells inthe USA)
doesn't have 3G so it is S-L-O-W for data, and its GSM voice performance
is only mediocre.

If you want the capability of an iPhone, you can keep your existing 3G
phone with bluetooth and buy a Nokia N800. I don't know UK prices, but in
the USA it sells for about $230 (retail is $400 but nobody pays that). No
need for iTunes either -- you can download directly to the N800.

In fact, the N800 works with any Bluetooth phone on any network. Why wait
forever for S-L-O-W legacy EDGE networks, when we can use 3G on modern
networks! In the USA, Verizon with its EV-DO network is further along in
3G deployment than the GSM carriers, so the fastest data speeds are
currently with Verizon.

There is a rumor to the effect that the real reason for all the marketing
hype for iPhone is so that AT&T can get more EDGE revenue from the
suckers, since otherwise they won't be able to afford to build a 3G
network...

> What a rip-off.

As kids in the USA, "well, duh!" ;-)

-- Mark --

http://staff.washington.edu/mrc
Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate.
Si vis pacem, para bellum.