Should I get an iPhone? Or some other device? Or just wait?
 

I was going post this on HowardsForum first but I figure this would bemore interesting and I could get one viewpoint before I get the other. Hopefully people who own both devices can comment (as well as those who own the tablet + a data plan. Is the iPhone for Me?

I have a Nokia n800 Internet Tablet. It is NOT a phone, it was sold by Nokia as an internet web-browsing device for use with WiFi or tethering. It could also do media to a certain extent. But thanks to its Linux core and a great community it quickly expanded to be able to run various operating systems and have a great variety of applications from GPS to Office Programs, etc..I can even use it as a phone due to a variety of reasons (SIPP, Skype, or Google Voice [formerly GrandCentral] as long as I'm near an access point. I have it up to 32 GBs of storage thanks to two 16 GB SDHC cards so I rarely have memory space issues from the music, pictures, video, maps, etc.. I have on it.

However, like I said. It's not a phone. A major problem is that I'm reliant on WiFi. Which isn't bad right now since I'm an undergraduate and the campus has complete WiFi. And the graduate school I will be going to in Fall also have complete WiFi. Another problem is the hardware is quite dated. The next-generation tablet is coming out with 3G (but it won't be a phone) and much better specs. While the n800 is showing its age against modern smartphones (though surprisingly it holds up pretty well still functionality wise).

But I feel the iPhone can fill that gap that my n800 has. If I plan on taking photos I usually bring my Canon along with my tablet. But there are occasions where I forget my camera or I didn't bring it. It was a built in GPS compared my n800 + bluetooth GPS situation. Which works just as great but again data connection problem. I can't plan a new route without the help of one. While the iPhone can do that (as long as it has an internet access.. I'm guessing without it, it'd be a fish out of water since it doesn't actually download the maps). I also use Google Voice's SMS so I can't check it without an internet connection.

I'm 100% sure that if I got an iPhone I would have to jailbreak it to install the useful applications for me (the ones that Apple doesn't like) such as OpenSSH. Also there are some interesting programs that Apple just doesn't like. Another interest I have in the iPhone is Evernote. Can you clip information from the web? Or is that not allowed due to Apple's forced system of one app a time (which is one of the things I don't like about the iPhone?) Also how much multi-tasking can you do without installing an app like backgrounder. Can you chat, listen to music, and surf the web at the same time for example? I've browsed through some applications for the iPhone (and I've used one myself since my cousin has one thanks to the University of Maryland [he's one of the people in the program that got one]). Some applications seem impressive, some games seem impressive (though I can't imagine myself playing them often since I rarely play any of the games I've installed on my tablet). Most application lists I browse online (like top ten, fifty, hundred, or useful apps) I already have on my tablet in some shape or form.

Another issue I have is that I usually am in Ubuntu on the Ubuntu/Vista side of my laptop. And Ubuntu on my Ubuntu/XP side of my desktop. So iTunes integration is pretty much a no go (I'd boot into it just for updates and what not).

I think what I might just do is tether the iPhone to my n800 over Bluetooth. But if I do that then couldn't I just get another phone say the Android G1 and do that? Both the iPhone and Android seem to have location aware applications for restaurants and what not. Or I could wait for the next-gen tablet which has 3G support and more modern specs.

Re: Should I get an iPhone? Or some other device? Or just wait?
 

For me, the iphone is just too locked down. Even jailbreaking has its drawbacks. Once I clear my groggy head I might come back with more thoughts.

Re: Should I get an iPhone? Or some other device? Or just wait?
 

I don't know how spendy you want to be. To me -- but I ain't you! -- your needs that exceed the N800 sound minor.

You probably know this, but if you don't ... If you don't use the phone much, the prepaid T-Mobile "non-plan" is very cheap. If you buy your time right, it's 10 cents per minute, pretty much however little you use it. (I spend only about $100/year.) And the phone is cheap, too. It would cover your picture-taking needs, but not your other needs, like wifi-less gps.

This isn't at all what you asked about, but I thought I'd throw it out there. Maybe you just don't have a great enough need to make the cost of an iPhone or G1 monthly plan worth it. And the savings you would make would be more than enough to pay for a new RX-51 when it comes out.

Finally, do we know for a fact that the RX-51 will not double as a phone? Since Nokia is equipping it with G3 it seems strange that it would not be provided with a cellphone option.

Re: Should I get an iPhone? Or some other device? Or just wait?
 

My 2 cents worth (and that's about all it's worth!) - ;)

I had a n800 and replaced it with a n810, mostly for the keyboard. I find it does all of the things you mention above quite well. I use the device on a daily basis for web, email, and reading rss feeds.

For a cell phone I have a Blackberry Bold. Wonderful device. Wifi, 3G, camera, KEYBOARD, gorgeous screen, etc. Because of the two radios (3G amd WiFi), I can take it pretty much anywhere and still access all the information I need. The screen is not nearly as big as the n8X0's, but it gets the job done when there is no WiFi available.

I recently bought an iPod Touch. I resisted for a long time, and I refused to get an iPhone (or any phone without a real keyboard). I have had several in the past (a Siemens WinCE for instance) and the lack of a real keyboard really sucked for me. I have to say I love the Touch for it's simplicity and it really cool touch screen. The availability of apps is amazing (even if a lot of them are useless - how many fart apps does one need?). It does many thing remarkably well, including play music and videos, and YouTube videos. However, it is far from perfect, and only reinforces my decision NOT to buy an iPhone.

The first demerit with the iPhone/iTouch is the virtual keyboard. In a word, it sucks. Most of the time you are forced to use it in portrait mode, which causes the "keys" to be really small. Predictive text, while it is there, never ever seems to help me. Ever. Also, depending on the app, the keyboard is not always the same layout. In some apps this is good, but in others I think "why is the other layout not here?" I constantly have to retype things --- and passwords are especially bad since it hides the text rather quickly. Typing fast is almost impossible.
The other thing I have noticed, is that programs crash on it rather frequently. It is a fairly graceful crash, with the app just closing back to the main menu. With no explanation, error code, etc. iTunes does offer to send the logs back to Apple upon the next sync.

Over all, I like it as an internet device. The screen is much smaller than the n810, but zooming is fairly easy (it could be improved). The keyboard sucks (would much rather have the n8x0's virtual keyboard's predictive text feature --- which actually works pretty well).

For a phone, I cannot recommend an iPhone. I have many friends that have them and like them, but for me a good keyboard is a must. I live with email and texting more than voice calls. The BlackBerry, the Palm Pre or one of the high end Nokia's fit this bill to a T for me.

For an mobile interenet appliance, botht the n8x0 devices and the Touch work well in their respective ways. The Nokia seems much more business like and has a much larger/higher res screen. I can actually do work on the device.

The Touch is great for a quick web visit, or if there is an app, then you are in business. But the screen is small (but very responsive) and using it to do work (without a custom app) can be frustrating with the tiny screen. It has some really awesome games however.

Well, that's my two cents worth... hope you find something of value in there! Good luck!

Re: Should I get an iPhone? Or some other device? Or just wait?
 

I just got a G1 to replace my Nokia 6680. I think it compliments my N800 very well. It has a great little keyboard and checking email/ maps is VERY FAST, but at the end of the day, the interface is built to be a phone. However, the N800 is better at being a computer and I feel that the browser is better b/c of flash plugin and rendering like a desktop browser; also, apps like Canola, gFTP, Abiword and Skype rock the socks off of the G1.

In regards to G1 vs. iPhone: The G1 is also "hackable" and is not as locked down as the iPhone; e.g., apps can be downloaded outside of the market directly from the developer, the device itself can be turned it into a wifi router, you can run alternate operating systems, etc. So, since both Maemo and Android are "hackable", I think they make perfect mates.

Re: Should I get an iPhone? Or some other device? Or just wait?
 

Tether it. Go to a phone store and try to get online with a demo phone and when you find one that works and costs the least, go for it. One thing though. I went from a touchscreen phone to an LG shine. For texting it was the worst thing I could do. Even the most rudamentary onscreen keyboard is faster than a non qwerty keypad on a phone. I rarely send texts now because of that. Too bad phonelink wont work with the phone.

Re: Should I get an iPhone? Or some other device? Or just wait?
 

Thanks for the opinions and feedback people! I agree with you abond that I'm not a fan of the screen keyboard myself. It's something that has bugged me on both the n800 and the iPhone (from what I've used of it). I guess I just prefer a hard keyboard versus a touch screen one. I've tried the n810's keyboard in stores and it's a bit to small though for my liking.

Another reason why I've generally stuck with a "free" phone (the ones cell phone companies give you) is I generally don't call people that often. I'm on my parents' family plan (the only reason why I'm bringing this topic up is I'm not sure if I'll be eligable to stay on it as I'm graduating college soon and moving onto a graduate school.... yay independence.. at least I get to stay on my family health's insurance). When I do call people I just try to go through Google Voice. So if I did go the tMobile route I would just route phone calls thru Google Voice. I'm more interested in the data plan side of things.

Re: Should I get an iPhone? Or some other device? Or just wait?
 

i'd love to have an alternative for iphone.
the touch and safari zoom compensate enought the screen resolution.
rss reading is easy and lots of other very cool things and easy to use (read ergonomics).
indeed too locked down and an update to 2.2.1 can brick it.
on-screen-keyboard sucks enough, but one can get used to it.
nothing standard: microSD, mini/microUSB, bluetooh it's a pain (but duable).
the camera with 2mp it's a little outdated.

overall it's very tempting, however i'll go in a minute for a NIT with gsm, even
if i would look like Dumbo when using it to talk as a phone ;)

Cheers,
-Mihai

Re: Should I get an iPhone? Or some other device? Or just wait?
 

I have been a loyal customer of T-Mobile for many years because I get the best bang for my buck and great customer service. However, they have recently been locking down tethering abilities; TM506 firmware updates have removed this ability, and they recently asked Google to remove tethering apps from the market. So, I would be careful or think ahead before making a decision. You'll definitely need the technical know-how to tether with the G1.

In regards to having a physical keyboard: again, I recommend the G1. The thumb keyboard for the N800 drives me nuts, but the G1 physical keyboard is awesome.

To compare, here are my initial comparisons between my Nokia 6680 and the HTC G1 (what one does, the other doesn't):

Nokia: Tethering out of the box
Nokia: Shoots video
Nokia: Faster camera with flash
Nokia: Ability to shoot video
Nokia: Battery life better
Nokia: Can send files (like photos) via bluetooth (G1 can't!)

G1: Better support for maps
G1: Does 3G on T-Mobile
G1: Slower camera, better quality
G1: Keyboard
G1: Industry-standard plugs (USB for power and connection)
G1: OS hackable

Re: Should I get an iPhone? Or some other device? Or just wait?
 

How much technical know-how? Like Linux terminal stuff? I know that Google recently removed tethering apps but you can always install it by hand. And I'd only be using the tethering for basic things like downloading a route for MaemoMapper, chatting on Pidgin, or just updating FeedCircuit. Not torrenting or download maps for MaemoMapper. So the traffic should be unrecognizable right?

Re: Should I get an iPhone? Or some other device? Or just wait?
 

I'd never paid the physical keyboard any attention (I'm an N800 user), but just looking at the two keyboards you gotta ask yourself: What was Nokia thinking?

http://cache.gizmodo.com/assets/imag...oidevent83.jpg


http://img.cifrovik.ru/images/publis...10312/nokL.jpg

Is it just the differences in spacing that makes you prefer the G1 or are there additional tactile qualities or what?

Re: Should I get an iPhone? Or some other device? Or just wait?
 

For me (I don't have an n810, I have an n800) it was the spacing. It also just felt slightly uncomfortable typing (could also be of the location of the kiosk I was at though).

Edit: The more I look, the more likely it seems for me to be going the TMobile G1 route rather then AT&T and iPhone. Especially since my girlfriend is already on TMobile and she said we can get a family plan together.

But since I could also just tether it with the n800 and I can wait till the next tablet comes out then that would give me the best of both worlds. Haha the only problem is having to use one Google account (since I use two different ones for different purposes). I'm guessing you can't just log in and out?

Edit2: Haha and I wonder what Android phones will be out when I'm off the family plan.

Re: Should I get an iPhone? Or some other device? Or just wait?
 

YES! You should get an Iphone! :rolleyes:

Re: Should I get an iPhone? Or some other device? Or just wait?
 

I have been enjoying tethering with my Sprint Centro as host for my N810. The Centro needs a software program called USBMODEM to support tethering, but it works very well. The Centro battery life sucks, so I carry an extra one, which doesn't cost much. Unfortunately, the plan I use, which costs $30 a month for practically everythng unlimited, is no longer available. Sprint doesn't support tethering without a costly fee, but I am pretty sure there is no way they can tell I am using the N810 to do the same things but better than the phone can do.

Re: Should I get an iPhone? Or some other device? Or just wait?
 

Basically, you have to root your g1. This involves downgrading the firmware, hacking it with files copied to the sdcard, turning off autoupdates, upgrading to newer custom firmware and finally installing tethering app. Some of it is via a linux terminal.

In regards to the keyboard, it definately has to do with the spacing. Plus each button has a little bump... something that canlt be done on a touch screen. Btw, I wrote this all on my g1 keyboard.

Re: Should I get an iPhone? Or some other device? Or just wait?
 

I find the iPhone's UI snappy and responsive. Tethering in Canada is not an option because it's still ridiculously expensive; even if you buy 6GB of data, they insist it's on device only.

The camera is pretty decent albeit doesn't have a flash. Many of the free apps are quite useful. Web browsing isn't bad at all, you can have multiple browsers open. No flash yet but there is a youtube app that comes with the phone that works quite well. Obviously the music playing functionality is just as good as the iPods...

Overall, it does what I needed the tablet to do. I miss the 'frontier' nature of the tablets but I don't wanna carry around a bajillion devices. I also think in retrospect, that Nokia really screwed up by not bundling a GPS program that didn't expire. The iPhone GPS is pretty quick (I think it uses cell tower triangulation for it's inital fix) and makes a little blue dot travel along a google map image. I guess that's the bonus, being connected it can DL tiles... but still. The nav software wasn't bad... until the trial ran out half way to our destination. Now GPS is all but useless because I don't have an active data connection unless I'm stationary and on wifi.

All in all, try the iPhone out and see if it suits your needs. If you want a phone that also acts as an internet appliance, give'r. Please be aware that you can't have apps running in the background. If you're running IM+ (a multi-protocol messaging client), you can't leave it on in the background after you lock your phone and chuck it in your pocket or go into another app.)