Buy Microsoft Office Home & Student
No, it's not the best phone ever.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)I cringe every time I hear the phrase "iPhone killer." And in a month like this, when we've reviewed the Palm Pre, the iPhone 3G S, and the next Google Android phone that is expected to land at T-Mobile, I've heard it way too many times.
My biggest issue with the phrase is not that's it's overused--though that's part of it--it's that it implies that the iPhone needs to be killed. Calling the latest touch-screen phone an "iPhone killer" automatically elevates the iPhone to a place that it doesn't deserve. Yes, it's an excellent, innovative device that does many things well, but it's not the best cell phone on the planet. And with the possible exception of its multitouch Web browser, it's not the ultimate pinnacle of cell phone development.
We need only to look at the iPhone's 3G's latest rivals to know that other devices can pose serious competition. No, they're not perfect either, but they're certainly innovative in their own way. And despite what some Apple fans may argue, they're not going anywhere.
Palm's innovative new WebOS is like nothing we've seen before. The Pre multitasks beautifully, its Synergy feature and notifications system are incomparable, and its multitouch browser almost beats the iPhone at its own game. We didn't love the Pre's hardware, but Palm will be coming out with more WebOS devices. Who knows what round two will bring?
Android handsets like the Google Ion/HTC Magic offer a fantastic interface, great integration with Google services, and a truly user-customizable experience. What's more, since Android will run on more than one device, consumers will have a real choice of hardware. Of course, that last point depends on Google and handset manufacturers actually introducing more Android devices. I'm impatiently awaiting the follow-up T-Mobile G1.
There will never be a "world's greatest phone," though people will find the best phone for their needs. We also should remember that competition and choice are good things. We should not desire a world where there is only one kind of cell phone, much like we shouldn't desire to drive one kind of car, drink one kind of soda, or wear one brand of shoes. There is plenty of room in this world for multiple brands of phones, whether they be flashy, multimedia handsets like the iPhone or simple candy bar models that just makes calls.
So, please lay off the "iPhone killer." It's not fair, it's not accurate and it's just not right.
This is one of our busiest weeks of the year, with the announcement of a new iPhone, the launch of the Palm Pre, and so much more, which makes this show one of our longest yet.
Listen now: Download today's podcast
Subscribe now: iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video) | RSS (audio) | RSS (video)
News
WWDC
iPhone 3G S First Take
iPhone OS 3.0 revisted
All things Pre
T-Mobile HTC Magic to be called myTouch 3G?
$700 for Nokia's new phone. Are they nuts?
Casio Exilim C721 is one tough camera phone
Sony Ericsson announces C901, Naite "GreenHeart" phones
Motorola Evoke comes to Cricket
LG Neon available from AT&T
Verizon launches the Motorola Rival
Pharos 137 Traveler now available
Verizon to get BlackBerry Pearl Flip June 19
iPhone apps for airline geeks
Senate introduces Mobile Wireless Tax Fairness Act
Reviews
RIM BlackBerry Curve 8900 (AT&T)
Palm Pre
LG enV Touch
Casio Exilim C721
Motorola Hint QA30
Samsung JetSet
Samsung SGH-A177
Upcoming reviews
LG Neon
Samsung Gloss
Motorola Clutch
RIM BlackBerry Flip 8230 (Verizon Wireless)
RIM BlackBerry Storm update
T-Mobile G1 update
Pick your C905 carefully.
(Credit: Sony Ericsson)
Q: I currently have an iPhone 3G but I'm considering purchasing the Sony Ericsson C905. This would be my first time using an unlocked phone and I'm a bit skeptical that it will work. What steps do I need to take in order to make the switch go as smoothly as possible? And will I be able to use AT&T's 3G network?
- Nacor
A: Buying an unlocked phone needn't be complicated as long as you consider a couple of points. Most importantly, the phone will need to support the GSM bands used in the United States. Since the C905 is a quad-band GSM phone, you'll be able to make calls here without any problem. Just pop in your AT&T SIM card and you can start dialing. Yet, the 3G compatibility is another story. Sony Ericsson makes two versions of the C905, each with support for different 3G bands. The C905i will support only European 3G bands, while the C905a will work with AT&T's 3G network. So when buying your phone, you'll need to make sure you have the correct model.
Once you get the phone, you'll also need to program it with the correct multimedia settings to send picture messages and browse the Internet. The settings are unique to every phone and carrier but you should be able to download them from the support section on Sony Ericsson's Web site.
Q: I'm new here in the United States, and I would like to know if I can use a prepaid SIM from Verizon Wireless. Is that possible?
- Chaya
A: Verizon Wireless is a CDMA carrier, which means that its phones don't use SIM cards. Verizon does offer prepaid phones, but you'll need to purchase a phone from the carrier if you want to use the service. And in any case, Verizon does its best to downplay its prepaid service.
... Read more
The iPhone 3G still warrants an excellent rating.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)When you review an Apple product, you can be sure that readers will say one of two things: either you didn't rate it high enough or you rated it way too high. Rarely, if ever, is there any middle ground.
Just take the review of the original iPhone, for example. Soon after we posted it last June, letters from CNET readers started pouring in. As veteran Apple reviewer Donald Bell had predicted, the letters fell into the aforementioned camps. However, after some time, I noticed that most readers felt we were too hard on the iPhone, which received an "excellent" rating of 8.0 (or four stars out of five). From our perspective, the rating was justified: although the iPhone was a gorgeous device with a fantastic display, a great user-friendly interface, a top-notch media player, and a breakthrough Web browser, it suffered from variable call quality and a lack of basic cell phone features. That's why Donald and I withheld the CNET Editors' Choice award.
Now fast-forward a year to our review of the iPhone 3G. Since the second-generation iPhone brought a host of added features and better call quality, we assigned a higher rating--an "excellent" rating of 8.3, which also equals four stars under CNET's new rating system. This time, however, we left the possibility of an Editors' Choice award on the table and decided to wait for full battery testing results to make that decision--on the first day of use, I had noticed the battery depleting too quickly while using the 3G network. So we posted our review and waited.
While we waited, I got a different set of letters. As concerns about the iPhone's dropped calls, battery life, and shaky 3G connections grew louder, I received many letters complaining that we had been too easy on the iPhone 3G. Readers asked me to reconsider the rating because of the problems that were affecting so many iPhone customers. Of course, the problems concerned me, but I wanted to see them for myself before I took action. (It would be irresponsible and a disservice to CNET readers if I adjusted the rating based solely on reports I had heard from other people.)
It took a while to put our review iPhone 3G though the battery drain paces and get it back from CNET Labs, but once I did, we performed more usability testing. And gradually, we did notice a few problems. Dropped calls on our phone remained rare, but the 3G connection issues were apparent. Specifically, I noticed the weak connection and the sloppy hand off between the 3G and EDGE networks. Also, while the official CNET Labs battery testing results fell within the promised times, our iPhone's battery came close to running out after a long day of heavy multitasking. I added the new observations to the iPhone 3G review and spent time questioning whether they warranted a rating change.
Ultimately, we felt the issues that we experienced on our review device weren't reason enough to reduce the iPhone's 3G's rating. We are, however, withholding the Editors' Choice award once again. We agree that these problems are significant, but the iPhone 3G remains a landmark product in many ways. It still offers a great design, the interface and display are no less lovely, the music player and Web browser remain top-notch, and we admire the App Store. Even the sometimes-frustrating Microsoft Exchange e-mail support merits a few points. But more importantly, we want to see whether Apple successfully fixes the problems, as the company said it is planning to do on Friday, September 12 with the 2.1 software update. If the problems continue to persist over the next few months, we'll revisit the issue.
Kent German, CNET's cell phones guru, answers your questions about cell phones, services, and accessories and reports on the state of the industry. Send him a question.
- prev
- 1
- next
Bonnie Cha reviews the
latest smart phones, PDAs, and GPS devices, helping CNET readers get
their hands on the latest mobile electronics. 
Kent German is CNET's
cell phone editor and has been following the wireless industry for
seven years. He's embarrassed to admit he can name almost any cell
phone he sees on the street. 
Nicole Lee reviews cell
phones and their accessories for CNET, thus satisfying her love for all
things small, shiny, and digital.
