[MW Forums]

Computerworld offers a sampler of three mobile phones that enjoy at least some competitive advantages over the iPhone. more

[fribhey]

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And it doesnt handle streaming video or multimedia messaging.

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oh really? so when did youtube be considered nonstreaming video? the ipod can handle streaming video fine. it can also stream video from apple's movie trailer site.

[teddy_wexler]

I've personally used the UpStage at work, and I've found it quite clumsy and hard to use.
Plus, I would never switch back to Sprint. :P

[vfx2k4]

Where's the Crackberry- that and the Treo are the only serious contenders to iPhone. And even then...
Noah

[timbck2]

I don't give a toss about playing music on my phone. For me, the iPhone feature I'd really like to have is Wifi access, and the standards-compliant (more-or-less) browser. The visual, "random-access" voicemail is nice too.
AT&T coverage really stinks in my area; with that and the cost of the iPhone, I'm not likely to become an iPhone owner anytime soon.
If a mobile device existed in a reasonable form-factor (not too thick, not too heavy), that has WiFi capability, a decent web browser, and used Verizon's or Sprint's CDMA network, I'd probably buy it.

[JakeT]

The iPhone display is barely big enough to browse the web. These screens are a lot smaller.

[BobAtk]

Hmmmm... so many deficiencies, so little time ...
I've looked at all of these phones, and they come nowhere NEAR the iPhone a stack of ways ...
> None of these alternatives have WiFi, which is where you get get the fast web surfing done.
> None have real keyboards, which is the ONLY way to type more than a ransom note.
> All have much smaller screens (the Samsung screen is microscopic)
> None of them has a REAL web browser -- I'd long given up on web surfing with crappy WAP browsers (or ridiculously slow conversion browsers like Blazer). Safari on the iPhone (especially on a WiFi connection) is the first mobile web browser worth using. No more WAP crap !!
> All have lower-res cameras.
Not that the iPhone is perfect -- no Flash support, no good / IM chat software, crappy AT&T Edge network speeds, etc .. - but give it a little while ... and wait for RIM's full-keyboard / media-rich followup to their 8300 Curve ...
- BA

[rameeti]

If these phones are comparative, could you please do a comparative review that shows the significant features of each? I'd like to see how battery life, screen size, memory size, song capacity, etc bare out on each phone in a table or such.

[John_Vestal]

And what about iSync compatibility? As far as I know, the Sprint and Verizon Wireless phones don't let your contacts by synced on a Mac. Not sure about the PC.
John

[Grapho]

Good point, to me that right their in in self is a deal breaker. I have a pretty crummy phone but at least I can sync it with my Macs via bluetooth. To me it was one feature that carrier+phone had to have. After a year in a half with it, I will probably exchange it for in iPhone in December.

[MacTel]

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It has an FM radio

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Wow, that's a real bonus! /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
In this day and age streaming radio from the internet is clear choice over crappy FM reception.
Has anyone tried streaming radio to an iPhone? Is it possible?

[maineguy]

Let me see... that's 3 possible choices with bad interfaces and lousy software. I bet there's plenty more products that are clumsy and difficult to use that would certainly be alternatives to the iPhone.
If lousy useability is a feature, than why build an iPhone in the first place??? Or did I miss the point? /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[sundoggy]

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And it doesnt handle streaming video or multimedia messaging.

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oh really? so when did youtube be considered nonstreaming video? the ipod can handle streaming video fine. it can also stream video from apple's movie trailer site.

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The iPods do not STREAM video or audio from the web. They can synch web video or audio that has been downloaded/transferred to iTunes, but not synch in real time.
I am looking forward to both the iPhone and Apple TV being able to stream net radio. But then net radio may not be around next month, so maybe that's a stupid idea.
The iPhone will stream YouTube video, and on a wifi network this is amazing. However, on EDGE it is sometimes unreliable and totally dependent on the network quality and bandwidth availability where ever you happen to be. I've seen really good youtube on EDGE and unusable youtube on EDGE. In both cases, it helps to let the iPhone buffer as much as possible before playing.
Now the next version of the iPod may be different, if it picks up some of the iPhone functionality, but today it can't stream anything.

[Mac007]

1.) They don't work on Cingular(aka AT&T) which is the network most of my family is on.
2.) Their ability to use faster internet access is useless to one like me who lives where there is little WiFi and no 3G access.
Nope, the iPhone is still the best choice for me at least until the other carriers get access to the iPhone which probably won't be for quite awhile.