Flyer

Issue date: 10/12/07 Section: Tempo

God I want one.

With the constant release of new technology, it becomes difficult to distinguish the "want" worthy electronics from the "lust" worthy electronics. No item currently draws the same kind of lust as Apple's iPhone; however, there are many aspects the buyer needs to consider before dropping $399 on this phone.

The iPhone features a touch screen, creating a convenient alternative to the usual buttons provided on most phones; however, this is not the first phone that has featured the touch screen. Phones such as the Motorola Ming and the HTC Touch have had this same feature as well.

The iPhone also contains a digital music player, which can hold up to eight gigabytes of music, while other phones with media players, like the Motorola Razr V3i and the Slvr L7, have a 100-song limit. Although the eight gigabytes is a more reasonable amount of space, the iPhone cannot download music wirelessly without the presence of Wi-Fi, while phones such as the Samsung Upstage and the LG VX8300 conveniently boast this feature.

Another feature of the iPhone is integrated support for Google Maps as well as the Safari browser. The iPhone also has the convenient feature of visual voice mail, which allows the user to choose from a list and go immediately to the voice mail that he would like to hear.

The camera is probably the most disappointing aspect of the iPhone. The phone's two-megapixel camera is above average as far as camera phones go; however, it still fails to exceed the five-megapixel cameras of the Nokia N95, and Sony Ericsson K850. One might expect a better camera for one of the most expensive phones on the market.

A great original feature of the iPhone is it's sensors. The sensors allow the display size to adjust automatically when the iPhone is flipped on its side. The proximity sensor will also turn off the display automatically when the phone is lifted to the ear for a phone call.

As of right now, the iPhone is only offered through AT&T for $399 or $299 depending on the memory size, with a two-year contract. The iPhone has already dropped $200 from its original price; however, many interested parties are deciding if the features are not only worth the initial price of the phone itself, but also worth the rather large monthly bill that accompanies this phone.

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