Even more disappointing is the discovery that O2 charges extra if you want to use the tethering ‘bolt on’ option: £14.68 per month with a 3GB monthly download cap, or £29.36 for 10GB cap. That strikes us as disgraceful given that the existing monthly tariffs are supposed to include ‘unlimited’ internet access. It shouldn't matter whether the content's being viewed on the handset or a laptop.
Cut'n'paste... at last
The one bit of good news on the pricing front is that the old iPhone 3G is still available and is completely free on all but the cheapest contracts – it costs £96.89 otherwise — effectively giving Apple a ‘new’ low-cost model to draw in less well-heeled customers.
Verdict
If you don’t already own an iPhone then the iPhone 3GS might well be the model that finally wears down your resistance. The lack of a camera zoom is a glaring omission, but the iPhone’s great strength remains the sheer variety of features and software that it offers, and which make it vastly more versatile than most of its rivals.
The faster processor and graphics chip will further encourage developers to create new apps that will continue to enhance the iPhone’s versatility.
The only real drawback is O2’s monopoly stranglehold on the iPhone in the UK, which has certainly affected our overall rating of the iPhone. It means that O2 can charge pretty much whatever it wants - including that extortionate tethering tax.
Even so, that £34.26 monthly tariff is probably pitched at just the right point to ensure that the iPhone 3GS maintains that handset's juggernaut momentum. It’s undeniably the phone that sets the pace at the moment - just look at all the clones. We only wish that Apple would make it available through a wider range of networks and get some real price competition going. ®
More Phone Reviews...
LG Arena |
HTC Magic |
Orange Vegas |
HTC Touch Diamond 2 |
Apple iPhone 3GS
O2's iPhone 3GS page
COMMENTS
Multitasking
@ AC 16:44 GMT
The iPhone and iPod touch DO multitask.
Phone, Mail, Safari, iPod continue running in the background, in some fashion, memory permitting. And how else could you continue listening to music while using another app?
What the iPhone doesn’t allow is background processing for third-party apps.
Expensive Apples
lol, sounds like everyone is getting screwed over on the amount of money they have to pay to have this phone. Let alone that its made by a company who feels they must restrict any freedom of using your phone the way you want to! I think i'll laugh at the next person I see with an iphone 3g s because now I know how much they pay per month!
@LS
I thought I had and saw no mention of it anywhere on Apple's site nor in any of the pages and pages of reviews. I now see a few mentions on a website or too so I take it back. I think I'll still wait now though and see what the next revision is like. Contract not up until November and then I'll just wait either a month until the rumoured surprise device shows up or seven months until the next WWMC. Roll on a 800x480 OLED iPhone with 64GB;). Erm, I'll take one;).
Caravans
"The boss rolled his car and caravan last month and his iPhone took a tumble out the window along the motorway"
Reminds me of that infamous Bosnian Serb leader, Karavan Stukinadic
