07/10/2008, 1:05am, EDT
Thursday, July 10th
iPhone 3G converts reviewer from BlackBerry
Friday creeps ever closer, bringing the iPhone to dozens of countries worldwide, and the press reviews are thus far turning out well, with one journalist claiming he is giving up his BlackBerry 8300 in favor of Apple's smartphone. Macworld Australia writer Matthew Powell gives the iPhone 3G an overall rating of four out of five, citing its ease of use, "speedy" web browsing, and great media playing functionality, but noted the Mail client needs just a bit more work.
Powell lauds the new plastic backing, which he claimed allowed him to maintain a perfectly coherent conversation seven floors down in an underground parking lot elevator. While the Blackberry allows users to assign any of the 26 letters on the keyboard to a contact, Powell did appreciate the double-tap command on the home button to bring out a scrollable list of favourites.
The iPhone's speakerphone capabilities shone out over the Blackberry, with Powell's contacts sometimes not realizing they were on handsfree mode during the conversation. He also praises Safari, saying it is superior to any other mobile browser he had previously used, that it was responsive and competent.
Powell laments the lack of Bluetooth or USB tethering – using a mobile device as a modem for a computer – and notes that the lack of a central Inbox for multiple email accounts is a small downfall, but forgivable if only one Inbox is used. He also appreciates that the BlackBerry offers complete customization of ringtones and alert bells, while the iPhone only allows users to change the ringtone, and nothing else.
Filed under: iPhone, industry
Other story tags: 3G, Australia, Macworld
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say no to central inbox
Why would anyone want a central inbox to consolidate all your accounts in?
I can see it if you have a crappy email interface. But the iPhone email interface actually works. I have 4 email accounts on my iPhone and I like them to be separate so I know right away if I need to check it or it can wait, depending on what inbox it is in.
re: say no to central...
Apple should create a "Smart Inbox"... It would still keep all email in their respective inbox accounts but just show you either a: X number of emails from all accounts or b: All unread emails from all accounts.
This would not be disruptive to the other accounts and would allow users to see recent and unread emails quickly from any account.
Hmm
I assumed that there would be smart inboxes on the iPhone. Seems like a dumb, needless missing part of what already exists in Mail.
central inbox
Um, in case you didn't notice, Mail uses a central inbox AND separate mail boxes. There should be no reason the iphone can't do the same.