iPhone v. N97 v. Google

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  1. #1

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    iPhone v. N97 v. Google

    I am looking for a new smartphone and wondered if anyone had any view on whether the Nokia N97 or latest iPhone or the new launch google phone are better. I primarily want a phone that I can also pick up emails on and possibly some web browising. email attachment downloads also important as well as easy to use camera.


  2. #2

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    my biggest issue with google is the unpredictability. i think their new phone Nexus One is slick, and the OS is shaping up really nice as well. however....the problem is that some phones can upgrade, some can not. and they seem to be releasing new updates/phones very frequently, making your model outdated much quicker. also...they are treading into dangerous territory by competing with their partners...but we will see how it pans out. overall i just see them as more chaotic and unpredictable.

    not a fan of nokia myself, but i know others like it much.

    iphone 3Gs is super quick, and sleek, and has the app store to back it. to me thats still the winner, but i would keep an eye on google in coming year. they may be able to really pick up a storm.


  3. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by toastandjam:
    Quote on the new Google Nexus One
    This initial unlocked phone won't work with Verizon or Sprint in the U.S., nor on AT&T's 3G network, only the latter's slower network.

    So it won't work as it says on the box, in the worlds biggest(?) phone market with the major players. Would you build a car without seats and try and sell it.
    Google - Nexus ( means - a connected series or group ) Nice name - shame it doesn't actually live up to it and smacks of desperation. Maybe they meant ( Nexus - was an acid jazz and funk band based in Sydney, NSW, Australia. )

    Not doing what it says straight out of the box is something you don't see at Apple............. sorry of course you do because mobile phone buyers are as gullible as models believing truck drivers can enhance their potential. Geeks just want to rip the back off and play digital Meccano to brag to their mates that they have made an espresso machine out of it.

    Phones make phone calls to people ........ swoon ... those good old days where so simple.
    nexus one, i assume this name was derived/borrow from blade runner/do androids dream electrionic sheep as this an andriod platform phone, therefore, to name a phone after robot from a film make sense.

    there again, if they start release phones with names such as r2d2, bishop, cyberdyne model 801 or alita, it may get a bit silly...

  4. #4

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    For me, (incase Nokia Marketing happens to read this), I'd happily abandon my iphone for a N900 and an E72.

    T&J - If you want a phone to call .. carry some coins and use a pay phone. They never fail.

    I personally tend to use the phone for email, browsing, messaging and GPS. Most people who know me, know its better to SMS than to call...


  5. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by toastandjam:
    Quote on the new Google Nexus One
    This initial unlocked phone won't work with Verizon or Sprint in the U.S., nor on AT&T's 3G network, only the latter's slower network.
    So it won't work as it says on the box, in the worlds biggest(?) phone market with the major players. Would you build a car without seats and try and sell it.
    Not entirely true and, in case, pretty irrelevant for people in Hong Kong.

    Also, the "worlds [sic] biggest phone market"!? By what definition, please?

  6. #6

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    Not sure if calling them Nexus is a good idea. If you go by the novel or the Blade Runner movie.

    The Nexus 1's where way down the food chain. The ultimate Androids where the Nexus 6. Conceptually you have to wait 5 more generations to wait until you get a decent one.

    Also the Nexus had a life span or expiry where they shut down.

    Will the phones be the same?


  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by pong li:
    I am looking for a new smartphone and wondered if anyone had any view on whether the Nokia N97 or latest iPhone or the new launch google phone are better. I primarily want a phone that I can also pick up emails on and possibly some web browising. email attachment downloads also important as well as easy to use camera.
    Right now I'd go for iPhone 3GS - why?

    Email - the iPhone standard email app is pretty good, allows HTML viewing and is simplicity in itself to set up. It rocks on IMAP as well. The N97 used Nokia's standard crap email app which looks no better than a standard text screen on most phones. Doesn't support HTML, except as an attachment. Nokia does have a messages app you can download and pay for, but in no way is it worth the money and still doesn't touch the iPhone.

    Web Browsing - the Safari built into the iPhone again works great. Very clear to view the web, quick download of pages and easy to zoom in / out. The N97 again uses the standard Symbian browser. Slow and clunky. You can download Opera which makes things better but even trying to enter URL's is a painful process.

    Email attachments - The iPhone will display these as well as adjust for viewing. The Nokia does pretty much the same but on first opening spreadsheets will be tiny!

    Camera - well the N97 just about edges ahead, and I mean just edges ahead. I have no idea what Nokia did with their camera but images and video are poor compared to the previous N95 / N96. The new 3MP camera on the iPhone is better than the previous ones but cannot match the size and clarity of the lens on the N97.

    I haven't mentioned the Google phone for one reason. It's a work in progress. I've played with a couple of Android phones and the OS is beginning to look slicker but there are some things that just make you scream. Funnily enough the one thing Android has given is the opportunity for China companies do develop their own Android mobiles and some of them I have seen (in development) are pretty slick. There is still some way to go though.

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by hk.com:
    Not sure if calling them Nexus is a good idea. If you go by the novel or the Blade Runner movie.

    The Nexus 1's where way down the food chain. The ultimate Androids where the Nexus 6. Conceptually you have to wait 5 more generations to wait until you get a decent one.

    "Also the Nexus had a life span or expiry where they shut down"

    Will the phones be the same?
    this is not iphone bashing, does not iphone have a non user replacable battery with a lifespan (about same duration as the contract) which virtually expires after 2 years.

    also not related to phones, but has the same point, can apply to most pmp/mp3 players, electric toothbrushes and ps3 joypads.

  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by jaykay:
    Right now I'd go for iPhone 3GS - why?

    Email - the iPhone standard email app is pretty good, allows HTML viewing and is simplicity in itself to set up. It rocks on IMAP as well. The N97 used Nokia's standard crap email app which looks no better than a standard text screen on most phones. Doesn't support HTML, except as an attachment. Nokia does have a messages app you can download and pay for, but in no way is it worth the money and still doesn't touch the iPhone.

    Web Browsing - the Safari built into the iPhone again works great. Very clear to view the web, quick download of pages and easy to zoom in / out. The N97 again uses the standard Symbian browser. Slow and clunky. You can download Opera which makes things better but even trying to enter URL's is a painful process.

    Email attachments - The iPhone will display these as well as adjust for viewing. The Nokia does pretty much the same but on first opening spreadsheets will be tiny!

    Camera - well the N97 just about edges ahead, and I mean just edges ahead. I have no idea what Nokia did with their camera but images and video are poor compared to the previous N95 / N96. The new 3MP camera on the iPhone is better than the previous ones but cannot match the size and clarity of the lens on the N97.

    I haven't mentioned the Google phone for one reason. It's a work in progress. I've played with a couple of Android phones and the OS is beginning to look slicker but there are some things that just make you scream. Funnily enough the one thing Android has given is the opportunity for China companies do develop their own Android mobiles and some of them I have seen (in development) are pretty slick. There is still some way to go though.
    Some interesting points. While I do not consider the iPhone to be a true smartphone (although the 3GS is getting close), I agree that it is very good for the uses listed by the OP.
    However, I think are being a little unfair to Android. While I am by no means a Google fan, I do think that Android is by far the most dynamic mobile platform at the moment and Android devices are already quite competitive for many users.
    Last edited by beachball; 06-01-2010 at 02:50 PM.

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by toastandjam:
    Imparanoic-- I see what you mean. In this article it is described by Google thus ...
    The Nexus One is named after a type of ‘replicant’ cyborg in Ridley Scott’s science-fiction film Blade Runner. It has a sci-fi looking two-dimensional bar code capable of identifying each individual handset on the back.

    So fantasy begets fantasy.
    Read this article Google Image Result for http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/01/05/article-1240477-07C324FB000005DC-42_634x286.jpg

    Does it mention actually making phone calls other than mentioning a bi microphone for noise canceling.????
    'iPhone killler'? That term is thrown around everytime a new smartphone comes onto the market (many of which copy the iPhone's features/functions), yet none of it has ever lived up to the hype.


    Quote Originally Posted by imparanoic:
    this is not iphone bashing, does not iphone have a non user replacable battery with a lifespan (about same duration as the contract) which virtually expires after 2 years.
    Battery life-time depends on a lot of factors, it may last longer or die earlier than 2 years.
    Actually I will let you know next month when my iphone turns 2.
    Last edited by Raccon; 06-01-2010 at 03:06 PM.

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