The much anticipated iPhone from Apple will finally be launched in the US on June 29. It will pack a phone, audio/video player, a 2 megapixel camera, internet capabilities and intelligent touch screen operation onto a single device. It will cost approximately $599 for the 8 GB version and $499 for the 4 GB sibling.
While US consumers will get their hands on the iPhone this June, Europe will have to wait till the end of the year. The rumoured launch date for Asia is early next year. As for the Indian launch date, on contacting Apple India, all we received was silence. So if you plan to buy an iPhone during your next trip to the US or order it from there, there could be a problem. The phone feature might not work at all in India, as Apple plans to launch the product with specific service providers in mind. For example, it has tied up with AT&T in the US and might tie up with Vodafone in Europe, though there is no confirmation on the latter. That said, with a high price tag and touch-screenonly interface, will it be able to woo buyers?
It’s all in the details: It has a 3.5-inch ‘multi-touch’ screen, that lets you operate the device with just your fingers. The software that works in the background ensures that inputs from more than one finger are understood and acted on effortlessly. How it would actually behave in a realworld scenario remains to be seen. The iPhone also features a predictive QWERTY touch keyboard, where you type by tapping at the screen with your fingers. Again, while this enables the iPhone to have a
larger screen, how comfortable it will be to use remains to be seen.
Power talk: The battery has
enough juice for five hours
of talk, video or browsing. Apple promises up to 16 hours of audio playback, which is on par with the top MP3 players. Videos will look good, thanks to the 320x480 screen resolution. Though, the constant finger tapping on the touch screen is likely to take away some of the gloss pretty soon. The device features a proximity sensor that turns the screen off when it is close to your face, say to make a call.
To make a call, simply point your finger on the name in the address book. The iPhone can synch your contacts from a PC, Mac, or internet service automatically. It also supports IMAP, POP3 email and Yahoo Push email. With POP3 you can download mail and contacts from the server on to your device, while IMAP will allow you to access your email directly from the server without having to download it. Via push mail service, you will be updated about your emails as you receive them.You can even use the onscreen display to make three-way conference calls or manage calls from two different sources. To browse the web, the iPhone will make use of Safari browser.
Hold on to your wallet:
On the negative side, it is rumoured that the iPhone won’t support MMS messaging for pictures or videos. Plus there is one thing that has always bugged even iPod users: not being able to play say a DivX or any other video file other than what iTunes supports. The iPhone too will support content that is compatible only with iTunes. Then, for Indian users, the biggest limiting factor as of now is that the phone function will work only with the service provider Apple has tied up with. So hold on till the India launch.
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