iPhone 4 can't keep up, looks dated compared to WP7
So Apple announced the iPhone 4 earlier this week. Jobs proclaimed it was the biggest upgrade since the iPhone came out. To which the Apple fanboys cheered. Perhaps somewhat exposing how disappointed they had been by the iPhone 3G, which added 3G support bringing the iPhone up to the same level as smartphones that had been shipping for years prior. And showing how lacklustre the iPhone 3GS was which was the same thing, only a bit faster.
Essentially the form factor is the same. The huge ugly bezel is still present, and with the design of the sides being a bit more chunky it is only going to feel more like a brick. They've finally added a front facing camera - again a feature that shipped on original 3G phones back 5 or so years.
Most importantly they have increased the screen resolution. Anyone who had used any Windows Mobile phone back when the iPhone first came out saw instantly how low resolution the screen on the iPhone was. They've finally caught up with the old Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 in having a display over 300 DPI. So that at least puts them up with 2008-era screens.
However the screen is the same size, 3.5 inches is pretty average nowadays. Most high-end smartphones today offer larger screens without making the handset larger by having a smaller bezel and having more of the phone taken up with screen. Also disappointingly it is the same old 4:3 aspect ratio, when other smartphones have been shipping with widescreen displays for a couple of years now as the standard.
Here's the iPhone next to the HD2. The HD2's screen is almost an inch bigger, yet the device is only slightly larger. You can really see how much space is wasted on the iPhone. Look at all that black empty nothingness top and bottom of the screen.
The HD2, or the Nexus One or the Desire etc show how a smartphone should be done. The front surface of the phone should be as much screen as possible.
The other much touted new feature is video calling. Yes, apparently the old iPhone didn't support that along with dozens of other features that other phones support. Worse yet it only does video calling with other iPhone 4s and you need a Wi-Fi connection. Apple blame this on mobile providers. Despite the fact the first generation of 3G phones supported video calling. Apple of course in their attempt to get mindshare give this feature a hip name FaceTime. Amazing. Once again Apple are attempting to re-write history, and too many people are letting it pass.
More importantly as Microsoft showed some newer builds of Windows Phone 7 at TechEd this week and announced that some developers (on a case by case basis) would be getting their hands on Windows Phone 7 devices next month for free. It is becoming painfully obvious just how out of date the iPhone is looking compared with WP7.
Here's the AP application running on an iPhone, and underneath an AP application running on WP7.
The screens really don't do it justice so here's the video:
In my opinion the iPhone definitely looks dated in comparison. Steve Jobs' little features here and there aren't going to make up for it. iPhone applications just look stale.
9th June 2010 14:05:46, 543 words, 1142 views
6 comments »
6 comments
Windows Phone7 combined with HTC Technology is the bundle of joy, the end of suffering, the end of desperation.
With windows phone7 in your hand; you can (for the first time in history) keep your notebook at home and fly far as far as china while keeping your files, your family pictures, your videos, your emails and your toys right in front of you.
The best thing about WP7 is you don’t have to take permission from Microsoft if you want to reset it or if you want to change the background image, once you bought it; it’s yours. If you are an IPhone user; you know exactly what I mean. And for those who don’t know the story let me explain:
Apple Iphone sold to you but still considered property of Apple Co-Finder Steve Jop, meaning you cannot install or uninstall any applications on your IPhone (not even a little calculator) unless approved by Apple and bought from Apple. Then of course you need (a credit card).
If you are in a Honey moon and (God Forbid) your IPhone Jammed; you are screwed, in such case you will have to purchase Apple IMac (a Computer-like gadget) and you will need an Internet access to run some diagnoses on the IPhone, you will have to download 500Megabyte firmware and an ITune (Apple Spyware) but this is just the beginning, you will have to cancel all your meetings, your pride’s requirements and to disconnect yourself from society for 3days and 3nights then if you are a computer junky like me you may end up with a half working iphone. I have watched people (on UTube) hacking there iphone with a hake sow, some hammering it with snitch hummer, some drove over it as an expression of frustration. The End
I'm for WP7 100% and totally dislike Apple but most of what you said in your comment is wrong. Windows phone 7 will be locked down like the iPhone and the only way to install applications will be through Microsoft's marketplace. I disagree with you saying "once you bought it; it’s yours," because when compared to WM6.5, WP7's customizability is extremely low.
For customization; I am sure there will be some way around it, although I am happy with it as is.
I just wish WP7 Allow us to plug it in and use it like a mass storage device so we can drag and drop different sort if files and then open them through their corresponding apps.
Most people have a good feeling about this device and I do wish MS a good luck, I travel a lot and surely it feels great to fly for the first time without my Laptop.
You're the WP7 equivalent of a raging Apple fanboy. In fact, you're worse. You're trying to sound technical without any technical know-how to back up your ridiculous claims.
An Apple iPhone is fully functional out of the box. It has social networking and all the everyday things that the layman will be able to use, and use well. That's why it's so POPULAR. You can't customize WP7 anymore than you can the iPhone, and you're locked down into the Microsoft Marketplace ecosystem just like the App store. WP7 will need its equivalent form of jailbreaking due to this lockdown.
The iPhone sucks, and I'm all for seeing Android and/or webOS succeed, but the ridiculous BS that you spew here disgusts me. What a f*cking idiot.
I understand you frustration when you are not allowd to use Your Iphone with your left hand, but hay look at the bright side about it; you can still use it as an MP3 player. I mean who needs to make or receive phone calls?
Good luck…End
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