Apple iPhone 3G

The iPhone it seems has risen to a status above its true station in life. The iPhone is perceived by many as gift from god (which may be why it garnered the nickname The Jesus Phone). However, it’s still just a phone, and so in this mini-review (which was performed over a period of 2 hours at Square One in Mississauga) I attempt to look solely at this model’s suitability as a phone. I will however comment on auxiliary aspects of the phone where applicable.


One would normally expect a 3G mobile device to have the ability to tether a computer to the phone so that it can use the 3G connection to access the internet. This is yet another feature that the phone is apparently capable of (with a bit of effort, this can be done on a jailbroken iPhone), but Apple has decided that regular folk don’t need or want this.


For me at least, the Apple iPhone is both a desirable product and a letdown at the same time. However, I’m rather picky, and thus the negative aspects of the phone (such as low earpiece volume, mediocre camera, no video recording, closed application development environment, so-so speakerphone phone, lack of tethering, and poor Bluetooth support) just don’t seem to outweigh the positives in my mind.


Perhaps part of the problem for me was the Nokia N95 I was testing at the same time. While certain aspects of the iPhone leave the N95 in the dust, such as its gorgeous user interface and big & bright high-resolution screen, the now-equally-priced N95 is a geek nirvana by comparison. So before you run out and buy an iPhone 3G, make sure that you can live with the restrictions placed upon you. If you can, then the iPhone will certainly please you, because the positive aspects of the phone are quite amazing.