Having just read this article on my iPhone, one thing stands out, the iPhone has nearly twice (~80%) the screen estate. Double the screen size of my N95 and you then have the mythical "iPhone killer"
Why can't my S60 phone do that?
Does anybody here remember their first encounter with a Psion device? The pleasure of using an electronic device that has been well thought-out and that can be used in an intuitive way? Despite having owned a Nokia 9300 and a SE P1i in the meantime, I didn't experience the same pleasure until I bought an iPhone. S60 devices will probably beat it in all possible technical benchmark tests, but despite some obvious shortcomings, the iPhone has a user interface that leaves other contemporary devices behind. For me, it is the true heir of the glorious Psions.
Hey Steve,
U failed to mention a strong key point to Nokia S60 webkit. I was hopin on readin it here, because so many people miss this point. The fact the S60 browser will pan the text to fit ur screen, while i try an iphone it is the key point that drives me away from it, to to repeatidlly re-size the screen an pan it around. Unfortuniatly this feature seems to be lost in the s60 5th edition, but wont know for sure till first hand trials.
Raven wrote: It's possible to use Wi-Fi to transfer files to and from a computer though - something S60 phones can't do. I also don't like the fact that it is reliant on iTunes for a lot of things, even though I am a Mac and iTunes user.
You can actually transfer files from and to a computer using a third party application called SymSMB, and it does it perfectly. Now I rarely even use USB transfer since I can get anything I need from my computer to the phone wirelessly and with the same speeds.
About your other points, I disagree with many of them, Youtube isn't the only video sharing website in the world, and using vTap or the built in browser you can access tons more flash content.
Another thing is that applications for the iPhone haven't outnumbered those for S60, and a lot of them aren't anything but fun apps that don't make you any more productive. Of course, S60 has those kinda apps, but are out numbered by the actually useful ones.
And you missed to mention the biggest iPhone handicap of all, Multitasking. You simply cannot call a mobile device a smartphone unless it has that feature built in to the OS. Sure you can do that on the iPhone, but it requires jailbreaking it, and I for one would probably prefer not to go that route.
So to sum it up, here's what I think about the iPhone: it's a great device, good for viewing web pages and not anything else "for example you can't download since you don't have file system access", great for viewing videos and photos and such, but when it comes to real power users, it simply doesn't cut it.
Most of iTMS music is still encumbered with DRM; you have to be careful to buy only 'iTunes Plus' music. This can be a hassle, especially if you are looking for something popular from the 1990s or 2000s that were added prior to their DRM-free quest.
I usually end up buying from amazonmp3.com instead, where 100% is DRM free. The selection is also en par (for some genres, even better) than iTMS.
Unregistered wrote:You can actually transfer files from and to a computer using a third party application called SymSMB, and it does it perfectly.
Right. I forgot about SymSMB. Still, it is payware. 😉
Youtube isn't the only video sharing website in the world
The iPhone will play flash videos from other sites than Youtube just fine.
Another thing is that applications for the iPhone haven't outnumbered those for S60, and a lot of them aren't anything but fun apps that don't make you any more productive. Of course, S60 has those kinda apps, but are out numbered by the actually useful ones.
Sorry, but that's just bullsh!t. I suppose you've browsed Handango and counted all the S60 themes, ringtones and other multimedia stuff? The actual number og S60 apps available is somewhere around 550 - 750. My-Symbian shows 550 S60 apps available, but they are sure to have missed some, so I'll be generous and give you 200 more. (http://my-symbian.com/s60v3/software/index.php). I have no idea about the actual number of iPhone 3G apps available right now, but it is at least five times more.
As to what apps are "actual useful ones" - who are you to decide what people find 'useful'? Some of the most popular apps on App Store are wikipedia apps - where there is a bundle to choose from. Does S60 even have ONE decent app for viewing Wikipedia content?
Not to mention that many iPhone apps are ten times cheaper than the S60 equaliant.
And you missed to mention the biggest iPhone handicap of all, Multitasking. You simply cannot call a mobile device a smartphone unless it has that feature built in to the OS.
Of course it is a smartphone. The widely accepted definition of a smartphone is a mobile phone with the ability to install native apps. The reason I didn't mention multitasking is simply because it hasn't been an issue for me. You exit an app to move to another, and when you move back to the previous app it will open just where you left it... Music and such can be played in the background of course.
Sure you can do that on the iPhone, but it requires jailbreaking it, and I for one would probably prefer not to go that route.
That would be your loss. Jailbreaking takes 5 minutes and it doesn't void any warranties as you can just restore it in iTunes.
So to sum it up, here's what I think about the iPhone: it's a great device, good for viewing web pages and not anything else "for example you can't download since you don't have file system access", great for viewing videos and photos and such, but when it comes to real power users, it simply doesn't cut it.
The fact is that you can actually do much more 'tinkering' on an iPhone than with S60 phones, and as such it is much better for power users. However, if we're talking about business users, an E90 or E71 may be more suited.
And yeah, you can, in fact, download stuff from Safari.