Yes it does, no it doesn’t. The debates have gone on since the iPhone was announced. What can it do, and what can’t it do? Well, here’s what the iPhone can’t do:
Video recording
Instant Messaging
Any flash support
Games
Songs as Ringtones
Picture messages (MMS)
One-size-fits-all headset jack (May have to buy an adapter for certain headphones)
Wireless Bluetooth Stereo Streaming
Voice recognition or voice dialing
Personally, I think the feature I’m most disappointed to hear about is the lack of video recording. Even the cheapest camera-phones nowadays can record video, albeit sub-par quality, but sometimes that’s all you need.
Apple has just announced the cost of each rate plan and what get for your iPhone. Many are surprised that it’s not that expensive, however, adding the cost of the iPhone + the 2-year contract, you’ll be paying a MINIMUM of 1,939.75 after all is said and done. ($59.99 x 24mo. + 499.99 4GB iPhone)
Showcasing nearly all the features of the iPhone, including interface, maps, SMS text messages and message conversations, video, photos, iPod and music, weather, and much more, the Apple iPhone guided tour shows it all.
Check out Apple’s official site to see this slick video presentation.
Most cellphones sell for less than their actual production cost, with the cellular network paying the difference as an incentive to buy. In exchange, customers promise to use the service for a set period, usually two to three years. When subscribers cancel early, phone companies charge a cancellation fee, usually citing the need to recoup the cost of the subsidized phone.
Though AT&T isn’t subsidizing the iPhone’s weighty price of $499 to $599, depending on the storage capacity, the company will charge a $175 termination fee for iPhone users who want to break their two-year contracts.
AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel said that termination fees pay for more than phone subsidies.
“There are certain fixed costs we incur in serving every customer who establishes service with us.”
AT&T has had to substantially beef up their network in preparation for the increased bandwidth traffic, spending more than $50 million dollars to network upgrades.
Without officially testing each of these phones, but rather running off of the manufacturers’ websites, here are the cold hard facts about the iPhone against other leading smart-phones today:
Only a week before the iPhone is released! Here are some last-minute iPhone facts that will hopefully help you to make your purchasing decision before the countdown is over.
1. The iPhone will support IMAP, POP3 and Yahoo Push email. It will automatically recognize phone numbers in email messages and provide one-click access to dialing them. However, it will not support Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), so users won’t be able to send text messages with pictures or video to other mobile phone users. The iPhone will not let users chat with friends directly via instant messaging (IM).
2. When watching a video on the iPhone and a call comes in, the video will automatically pause while you take the call, then resume when you hang up.
3. The iPhone does not offer GPS capability.
4. Third-party applications will be allowed only as web-based applications loaded from the internet on the iPhone’s Safari web browser. Apple will roll out a Windows version of Safari, which should drive support, application development and awareness of the browser to improve the Safari-centric iPhone experience, especially for Windows users.
5. As demonstrated in the latest iPhone ad, featured below, the iPhone will be compatible with Youtube. As earlier reported on iPhoneStuff.org, a spokesman for Apple confirmed Youtube, and yet said that Youtube does not necessarily mean Flash support. The last time I checked, Youtube does require Flash to work, so it seems that the iPhone comes equipped with a specialized version of the Flash player that works only with Youtube, and not in the built-in Safari browser.
This brings me to the next point:
6. The iPhone will not support Flash in it’s Safari browser. Running off the heels of the last iPhone fact, it would appear that the iPhone has a limited version of the Flash player built into it, so it will more than likely be only a matter of time before Apple releases a fully-fledged Flash player for the iPhone’s Safari browser.
7. In order to use an iPhone, buyers will be required to first set up an account with the iTunes store using their credit cards, even if they have no intention of buying anything there. This is in addition to the required carrier contract with AT&T. Current iTunes account holders will be able to use existing accounts.
8. We already knew that iTunes would provide sync capability between iPhone and email, contacts, calendar, photos and other data on both PCs and Macs. We learned this week that the synchronization is automatic when the iPhone is plugged in.
