Apple today, Friday September 12th, 2008, made available their new software update for the iphone and iphone 3g. According to apple, the update fixes many issues users have been experiencing including…
Decrease in call set-up failures and dropped calls.
Significantly better battery life for most users.
Dramatically reduced time to backup to iTunes.
Improved email reliability, notably fetching email from POP and Exchange accounts.
Faster installation of 3rd party applications.
Fixed bugs causing hangs and crashes for users with lots of third party applications.
Improved performance in text messaging.
Faster loading and searching of contacts.
Improved accuracy of the 3G signal strength display.
Repeat alert up to two additional times for incoming text messages.
Option to wipe data after ten failed passcode attempts.
Genius playlist creation
This update also address several security issues. Apple even gives specific instructions on how to install the new firmware.
I am still testing this firmware and will get back to you with an update regarding my personal experiences.
Update:
My personal impressions of this new software is in the video bellow. Honestly, apple made a huge mistake shipping buggy software at launch and this 2.1 software update is what the original firmware should have been.
First of all, if you haven’t already seen my complete review of this Nokia device, I suggest you check it out. It’s very detailed, unbiased, and should really give you a feel of the phone. As for the iPhone 3G, you can watch my video review. Due to time constraints however my video review was split into two parts: negatives and positives.
Now for the meat of this post, the breakdown and comparison of the Nokia N95-4 8GB NAM and the Apple iPhone 3G. The phones are compared in five different categories spanning design, navigation, features, multimedia, and call quality. Although in the end one phone must win, both are quality devices and should not be taken lightly.
Design
The Nokia N95 has a very sleek look.The glossy black front and matte-black finish on the back looks quite nice. The dual slider looks good too. The screen is pretty bright and everything looks like it belongs. However, it would have been nice if Nokia updated the look of the buttons and made the device a little skinnier. As for the iPhone 3G, Apple has once again created a device which has no competition. The screen is amazingly bright, responsive, and large while the sleek finish on the back continues the unique design from the front. Winner: Apple iPhone 3G
Navigation
The N95’s weakest attribute is its navigation. Finding a particular application or function takes a while when you have to dig threw the file structure of this phone. Plus, you are limited by the button navigation that is far less efficient than a touch screen or scroll ball. As for the iPhone, everything you need is with-in a fingers tap, as you can store anything you need on the home screen. Plus, the touch screen works so well. Nothing currently on the market can match the sensitivity and accuracy of that screen. Winner: Apple iPhone 3G
Features
The Apple iPhone 3G is loaded with features. You have the app store which is an amazing resource for free and commercial applications, Eight or 16 GB of storage, and friendly support at your local apple store. (If you ever need it) Plus, thanks to the great interface, web-browsing on the iPhone is amazing. (Both phones have HSDPA and UMTS for 3G networking.) The N95 doesn't have a great service for finding application on the go however you can run almost anything on it. With the iPhone, Apple decides what you can put on it, the N95 however does not have any such limit. (It can even run unsigned applications.) The N95 also has some basic features the iPhone is missing including MMS messaging, the option for turn by turn directions (although that costs extra), and the ability to tether your phone's data connection to a computer. It even has copy and paste functionality. Winner: Nokia N95
Multimedia
The N95 has an amazing camera that rivals nothing I have ever seen on a cell phone. It’s simply great. Pictures are magnificent and video is very watchable. (The iphone doesn’t even have support for recording video) Viewing your media is pleasant too. The media viewer interface is pretty nice and you can go from viewing your entire collection to specifically one piece of media in a nice fashion. There are even convenient soft-keys to quickly pull up the camera and media viewer applications. However, mac support is abysmal. Out of the box you have very few options. When you finally are able to connect your mac and your phone, all you can do is browse the phone and download files to your computer. From what I could find, there is no sync options unless you pay a premium for a third-party application. Granted most of the world is running windows, I love how all you have to do is connect the iPhone to your computer (Windows or Mac) via the included cable and all your music, contacts, and photos are synchronized. Speaking of the iPhone, did I forget to mention it’s the worlds best ipod? Apple has had years to perfect it’s media player and man does it execute. Movies are enjoyable to watch on the magnificent wide screen of the iPhone, photos look great, and music is wonderful. I have found browsing by album art is such a fun way to listen to your music thanks to this phone. Each phone does what it does wonderfully which is why this category is a… Draw
Call Quality
The final category in this show-down is call quality. Many people forget this component but when you think about it, you are buying a cell phone. The extra goodies are nice, but this is what it’s all about. (As a note, these phones were tested on the AT&T network both running over 3G.) The N95 sounded pretty good although I noticed slight hissing and popping noises. The iPhone 3G is much improved over the original model. Voices are loud and are easily understandable. Recently, a friend of mine answered my phone and commented to me how great it sounded. He wasn’t specifically looking for the sound quality but it was so good he had to mention it. Winner: Apple iPhone 3G
In Conclusion, both phones are great but have some downside too. The N95 has an amazing camera while the navigation on the iPhone 3G is truly revolutionary. Furthermore, what carrier you have must be taken into consideration. For me, I already had AT&T, which is the sole carrier of the iPhone 3G in the USA, but the N95 is sold unlocked so you can use it with any carrier you want without having to sign a two year agreement. Overall, I would recommend both of these phones but when you look at them side by side, one has to be better than the other. In this case, I would have to go with Apple’s iPhone 3G.
During the WWDC keynote apple introduced the app store. They specifically demoed several games including a racing game based on tilt of the iPhone. (Also in the mix were an amazing monkey ball game based on tilt and a physics game). There will be many more games in the app store after it launches. Since there are no physical buttons on the iPhone it appears the gaming experience will be similar to gaming on the Nintendo DS as the DS uses a touchscreen to breakaway from conventional gaming.
Since games on the iPhone will be downloaded from the app store game prices will be lower than the ds because there is no need for extensive marketing and all copies will be sold digitally so no transportation costs of the physical game will be incurred. Based on the control scheme of both devices we will definitely see an overlap of games. For the iPhone, this is truly a good thing.
One of the better games on the DS, brain-age, could easily be ported over to the iPhone. Now what would be more attractive to you; bring a ds with you on a train or plane while traveling or whipping out your cell phone and playing the same game with ease? Look at another example. Trauma center, another amazing DS and Wii game, could be ported over to the iPhone. Any time during the day you could take a ten minute break and play.
Thats not to overshadow currently announced iPhone games. When the app store launches for around $10 you can purchase super monkey ball. For ten bucks you can enjoy 100 levels based in several worlds with all four monkeys. This fully packed game will take advantage of the touch screen and accelerometer for a low price compared to the troublesome ds version of super monkey ball.
The DS is a great platform and I’m not trying to take away from it. I think that both systems can work together to boost sales of mobile gaming. The DS has a very large install base and so many people would never give up their DS. However, with more and more people owning an iPhone it’s clear gaming on apple’s device will expand. Apple may try competing with the DS, but like the blackberry, I think apple will stay away from directly comparing the platforms and continue to work to better their amazingly powerful, functional, and unique device.
Overall, apple’s iPhone will probably never be able to overtake the nintendo ds in this stage of it’s life. However, being able to conveniently acquire a lower priced game which will always be right in your pocket, ready to play is a very attractive model. I have a DS but my brother uses it more often than I do. However, being able to play similar games on my cell phone for a few minutes when time permits is an amazing option and one casual gamers should not overlook.
Just to summarize, WWDC was yesterday and apple announced a few interesting things. First of all, apple announced the new iPhone. iPhone 3g will obviously include 3g data along with a larger battery and GPS. Apple also announced mobile me which will eliminate .mac and introduce many new features. Think of mobile me as a way to keep all your macs, pc’s, and iphones all on the same page plus most of the features of dot mac. Apple also introduced mac os 10.6 snow leopard which will focus on security and stability. Look for snow leopard in around a year.
To watch the entire keynote, as I did, click here or google wwdc 2008 keynote. I suggest you do!
With WWDC approaching fast, it’s time for my predictions. Granted, apple is tricky to predict but I feel pretty strongly in my predictions. However, I would recommend waiting until after WWDc before buying anything from apple. As for my predictions, I’m pretty sure we will see a new iPhone considering apple and at&t have sold out online. Also, I expect a new version of the iPhone/ iPod Touch software to support the app store and the ability to download 3rd party apps (on unhacked phones). I also think apple will refresh the mac mini and mac pro lines.
Enjoy
