Gadget Addict

1. The iPhone is simply the iTouch, with some extra features. You get a phone, a camera, a microphone, and 3G. If all you really wanted was the iPhone's UI (User Interface, or what the phone looks like when you turn it on, and how you use it, etc.), just do as i did, and get a nice iTouch and a cell phone.

2. The iPhone is no longer the best smartphone out there, as it is now competing with the Motorola Droid (which I own). The Droid is superior in some aspects. It has a physical keyboard and the virtual keyboard. It has a much bigger screen with many more pixels (so you see more, and images are crisper, and websites are easier to read, etc.). However, Apple's App Store is one of the most attractive things about the iPhone, with more than 100,000 apps available for purchase/download, Apple is appealing to every potential iPhone user. Nevertheless, Android (the software running the Droid) has its own Marketplace (its version of the App Store), complete with more than 10,000 apps, which isn't too bad considering how much longer the iPhone has been out. The Droid also has a stunning camera (5 megapixels), complete with 2 LED flash, and video capabilities, which is way better than what iPhone has to offer. Both play games, and both have accelerometers.
The Droid is also a lot better for social networking. You will get a notification (like a text message, except not) when anything important happens on Facebook, Google Talk, or if you get EMail.
The Droid is also the first phone which runs Google Maps Navigation, which acts as a GPS.

3.AT&T vs. Verizon
AT&T has horrible coverage compared to Verizon. My dad has the iPhone, and he rarely gets full reception, whereas I (Verizon w/ Droid) rarely *don't* have full coverage. If you live in a metropolitan area, you should be fine, but with Verizon, there are many less chances to lose coverage.

I personally love the Droid, and the iPhone as toys, but only the Droid as an actual phone. Hope my review helps!

So the iPhone 3G S is finally out in the UK and we can look forward for the next version now. Like a Swiss watch, Apple will almost certainly release the fourth version of its celebrated and revered smartphone, the iPhone in June 2010.

And unlike other mobile manufacturers, it is quite easy to guess what Apple will add to every new version because there's only one version of the iPhone released every year (so they better get it right).

Now that the iPhone 3G S has been outed, let's have a look at what the next version of the iPhone may bring in next year.


(1) 64GB Storage
That's a dead cert. Every year, Apple doubles the storage size of the top end iPhone model. This is set to happen in 2010 as the price of Flash memory drops down and manufacturers move to 32nm mass production.

Whether this will influence the buying decisions of customers remain to be seen though as many potential buyers may choose to stick to cheaper, lower capacity models.

(2) 5-megapixel camera with flash
By June next year, 12 megapixel camera phones will have already conquered the top end of the market, leaving the iPhone's 3.2-megapixel lagging well behind. Expect Apple to boost the pixel count to 5-megapixel and to add a flash as well.

That said, the manufacturer could also decide to stick to the same resolution but significantly improve the quality of the camera by adding features found only on standalone cameras.

(3) Higher Screen Resolution
The screen resolution of the iPhone remains stuck at 320x480 and has been so for 3 years already. Could the iPhone 4G bring in 800x480? Maybe. A number of iPhone competitors, notably the Toshiba TG01, the HTC Touch HD and a couple of Acer, already offer this resolution.

Even the cheap Nokia 5800 XpressMusic comes with a 640x360 resolution screen. Obviously, a higher screen resolution will mean more content displayed, support for high quality videos and sharper images.

But it will have a negative impact on the battery life. That said, the iPhone could also have an OLED screen, a rumour that has been circulating around since last March.

(4) Touch Charging
Palm has introduced touch charging for its Pre smartphone and this is one cool thing that is sorely lacking from the iPhone. It is not that expensive to produce - Crunchgear puts the price of components at $5 - and will certainly be replicated by other manufacturers before the next iPhone is out.

(5) More "Feature" Peripherals
We dearly hope that Apple decides to build a coherent peripheral ecosystem around the iPhone. The App Store is working wonders and MobileMe does its job.

However, wouldn't it be wonderful if the company launched something like the wireless HDMI base unit our April fool was based on.

Feature peripherals - which would add more features to the iPhone - could significantly add firepower to the iPhone and help it finally crack the couchpotato market where the Apple TV had limited success.