RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Games and Tech iphone vs. blackberry storm vs. G1 vs instinct...

I have an iphone and love it. There is nothing it can't do. If you already have an itunes account that is the way to go. You can put all your music in there and watch movies and videos. Plus it's like having a computer in your palm.

If you are home at all in the next few weeks let me know and you can play with mine for awhile.

I think the bottom line is how much you actually need to use it for work and to what extent you need it to sync seamlessly with your desktop. The more your "work" needs the more I think you need to use a blackberry.

iPhones are well known for being shitty gimmick phones.

If you are not fussed about touchscreen, and dont want something as "computeresque" as a Blackberry, then you cant go wrong with a Nokia N95 (the N96 is just out, but I am not sure whether its widely available outside Europe). The N95 black has 8gig built in, and a 5mp camera plus all the usual smart phone features!

I think Sneaky has praised N series phones too, but I don't really want to speak for her.

The N95 is well worth the 500-700 tag.

Don't go with the iphone. As cool as it is, AT&T/Cingulars customer service is shit.

Over here, you generally pay nothing for your phone if you are going onto a contract, and pay an optional (minimal) fee per month so that if your phone goes wrong, its fixed or replaced for free (well not really free as you are paying insurance, but you know what I mean).

they have free phones you can get with contracts, but they're always garbage. figure, if our best phones are the phones you guys had two years ago, the free ones we can get are the ones you had 5 years ago.

and there is insurance you can get, but like doog said, its a scam -- you typically still have to pay to get the replacement or the shipping or whatever, and its always a refurbished or garbage deal. one giant trap.

it'd be limited to email, only. anything else i use for work needs a giganto monitor, so a phone wouldn't help, regardless. in which case, i think iphone can sync up to email in a fashion similar to crackberries. i think.

it's $200. ...if you're new, or available for an upgrade. $400 if not.

if they're not willing to budge on that, and it doesn't seem like they're too willing to play ball, that could be my decision maker right there.

well i wont, nowhereman. you hear me?! i wont!



they blinked!

i am now iphoned. the honeymoon period will last several hours, so i'm going to enjoy them!

I've seen people like you before, but I had to pay admission!

you won't regret it.

When did the random chat forum become robs blog? Is the gaydiation spreading this far?

It's his message board. It was inevitable.

Rolling back prices is what Wal-Mart does best, but will the super retailer roll back prices for Apple's iPhone as part of its Operation Main Street promise to cut costs for Christmas?

Holiday shopping for hot items at a bargain price took on a new form this week as rumors flew on the Web about a 4GB iPhone to be available at Wal-Mart for $99. That phone was initially to be rolled out at a $399 price tag.

The tip about the 4GB iPhone and rumors of Wal-Mart shoppers being trained in activating iPhones was posted on the Boy Genius Report. The site also featured photos of a training manual with the Wal-Mart name and logo on the manual.

No Official Comment

"We have made no official comment on offering the iPhone," said Kelli Cheeseman, a spokesperson for Wal-Mart.

"A $99 iPhone could be an extremely important product as Apple continues the drive to grow market share and Wal-Mart would be the perfect place for that device to land," said Michael Gartenberg, vice president for mobile strategy at Jupitermedia. "It would also set the stage for the phone to begin to fragment into devices, with different features at different price points. Much like what happened with the iPod."

Currently, the company has more than 80 iPhone-related products, including carrying cases, chargers, protective film, and antennas available on its Web site, but the products are not shown to be available at retail stores.

The rumored $99 price tag for the 4GB iPhone is expected to come with a two-year agreement, but that may not be enough even for Wal-Mart shoppers.

"Although leading mobile operators are subsidizing more smartphones to reach lower prices, they tie the device to two-year contracts with monthly data-plan rates, which remain too expensive for the mainstream user," said Roberta Cozza, a Gartner analyst.

Still, Gartenberg said most subsidized phones come with a contract.

"The key is what the service plan for that device might look like," Gartenberg said. "In addition, to many customers, the cost of acquisition of the device short-term is more important than monthly fees."

Slowing Growth

Worldwide sales of smartphones to end users totaled 36.5 million in the third quarter, an 11.5 percent increase from the same period in 2007, according to Gartner. While Nokia took the lead, with RIM's Blackberry in second, Apple took third place.

Apple improved its market share to 12.9 percent in the third quarter and shipments during the third quarter were nearly seven million, according to Gartner. Apple's sales increased more than four times compared to the same period in 2007 because of its geographical reach, availability in more markets, and the decrease in prices.

Still, analysts say sales growth will begin to slow.

"The current economic climate is negatively impacting sales of higher-end devices," said Cozza. "Going forward, we should expect the smartphone device market to continue to grow, but at a slower pace."