Two promising new non-iPhones

Cell phones with iPhone-like design are garnering most of the attention as manufacturers begin to roll out their 2008 models. But we're also impressed with some conventional handsets that are taking more original, if not subtler, steps toward better cell-phone design. Here are two of them:

LG enV2 by LG. The original enV, with its tiny, hard-to-see keypad didn't impress us much when it debuted a more than a year ago. But, based on an initial look, this second incarnation, available this month from Verizon for $130 with a 2-year contract, seems to have fixed the problem. For one thing, the keypad is wonderfully large—roomy enough to accommodate the widest thumbs. It's also noticeably thinner and smaller, measuring just 4 in. x 2.13 in.  x 0.65 in. (For a closer look at the enV2, click on the image at right and the one immediate below.)

Like the old enV, it opens up like an eye-glass case to reveal a 2.4-in. screen, stereo speakers, and full QWERTY keyboard to satisfy heavy texters and multimedia addicts (though the keys did appear to be a tad more narrow than those on the original). Other niceties include support for GPS navigation and stereo Bluetooth headsets.

(Complete details of the original LG enV are found in our Ratings of cell phones, both available to ConsumerReports.org subscribers.)

Motorola MOTO Z9. GPS navigation, while flourishing on the Sprint and Verizon networks, has not been an option for most AT&T customers, save for a select group of smart-phone users (that doesn't even include owners of the iPhone, which lacks true GPS). That changes with the Motorola MOTO Z9, available now from AT&T for $250 with a 2-year contract. (Click on the image at right for a closer look.)

This GPS-enabled phone, which is compatible with AT&T's 3G data network, has a large, 2.4-in display that promises comfortable viewing of real-time, turn-by-turn directions offered by the extra-cost service. The Z9 is also compatible with AT&T's Video Share, which lets you stream live, one-way video of your special moments to another compatible phone. You can also download content directly music from eMusic and sideload tunes from Napster To Go. Other features include support for microSD cards up to 8GB and stereo Bluetooth headsets.

—Mike Gikas

Send in the iClones

Last week at CTIA 2008, the biggest tradeshow in the U.S. devoted to cell phones and other things wireless, key manufacturers Samsung, LG, and Sony Ericsson didn't even try to deny that the upcoming models they eagerly trotted before us bore a strong resemblance to the iPhone.

The newcomers unabashedly borrowed from Apple's hit multimedia smartphone in looks and ergonomic design. Like the iPhone, the Samsung Instinct, the Sony Ericsson X1 (click on the image at right for a closer look), and the LG Vu have a large, dark touch screen (about 3-in. measured diagonally) framed by a shiny metallic edge. Their interfaces, though distinct, all provide a quick way to jump in and out of their many functions, from phone calling and text messaging to media playback and Web browsing. And like the iPhone, if you select the wrong application icon, pushing a home key brings you right back to the main menu.

Pending our thorough tests of these pending pretenders, we can't say how well they stack up against their inspiration. But used briefly on the tradeshow floor, their performances seemed quite impressive, and some even add useful features the iPhone lacks.  Here are my first impressions:

Cell-phone spam: How to curb it

Cell-phone spam still trails computer spam, with the typical cell-phone user receiving at most a few spam text messages per year rather than the thousands that may bombard their computer-based e-mail accounts. But in some ways, cell spam is more annoying. It can cause your phone to ring or vibrate at inopportune times and possibly cost you money—typically 10 to 25 cents per message if you don't have a text-messaging plan.

Since 2005, the CAN-SPAM Act (Controlling the Assault on Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing) has prohibited commercial e-mail and text messages to be sent to cell phones without "express prior authorization." Unfortunately, the law leaves commercial entities lots of loopholes. For example, it doesn't prevent your carrier or its partners from sending you upgrade offers or account notices. Also, non-commercial organizations such as charities and political campaigns can shoot you all the messages they want on your dime.

Sprint’s unlimited talk—and data—is cheaper

Talkative cell phone users got a buzz last month when major carriers, Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile began offering $99.99 unlimited calling plans. Now Sprint has also announced its own unlimited plans.

Like its competition, Sprint's "Simply Everything" plan offers unlimited voice calling, free nationwide long distance, and no domestic roaming charges. But for the same $99.99 per month, subscribers also get unlimited text/picture/video messaging, mobile Internet, and walkie-talkie style push-to-talk service.

That's a better deal than, for example, Verizon's Unlimited plans, which charge $99.99 for voice, $119.99 for voice and messaging, and $139.99 for voice, messaging, and mobile Internet.

However, as we previously advised, before getting a pricey unlimited plan you should first consider less costly somewhat unlimited plans.

In the case of Sprint, its new "Everything 900" anytime voice minute plan also comes with unlimited messaging and Internet (as well as unlimited voice nights and weekends and mobile-to-mobile) for only $89.99 per month. If you can live with 900 daytime voice minutes per month—still a hefty 40 minutes or so per weekday, after all—you'll save $120 annually over the $99.99 "Simply Everything" plan or up to $600 per year over competing carrier unlimited plans.

Macworld 2008: Add to your iPhone; handsfree talk

Besides printers, scanners, and networked storage solutions, which you always expect to find at Macworld, the focus this year seemed to have shifted towards new 3rd-party peripherals revolving around iPhone. Dozens of new headset, headphones, and docking options have recently become available to support Apple's new flagship product.

Macally, a long time provider of Mac peripherals, offered Tune Pro and FlexTune. Designed for the iPod, TunePro is an audio minisystem with a flat-panel appearance and includes an alarm clock—perfect for the nightstand; FlexTune is a small but very versatile charger and speaker set for both iPod and iPhone. What was interesting about the latter was the way the speakers could slide laterally so the iPhone could be rotated to landscape mode for video viewing, to minimize the device's footprint on an office desk.

Skullcandy offers creative designs that appeal most to a younger crowd. They recently introduced the iPhone FMJ headset. They also offer full-featured wireless headphones. Most of their prices are under $100, except for the high-end phones, which retail for $169.95.

Ultimate Ears offered four models of high-quality headsets for iPods and iPhones: the Custom, the Triple.fi, the Super.fi, and the Metro.fi for the style conscious.

I briefly stopped by Xtreme Mac as well, and saw a wide variety of good-sounding, aesthetically-pleasing docking stations, speakers, and clock radios, most notably the Luna X2 and the Tango X2. They also offered nearly a dozen varieties of cases, pouches and protective covers for iPods and iPhones.

One of the more interesting presentations I attended was from Altec Lansing, who said their new T612 iPhone dock and speaker system (Click on the image at left for a closer look.) is the first to be "Apple certified", meaning Apple agrees to sell them in Apple stores. Apparently such certification is difficult to attain, as Apple has very tight engineering standards regarding specific emissions and GSM shielding. Capable of both desk and wall mount, the sound is very rich and clean. It is also backward compatible with dockable iPods.

MacBook Air, super-thin notebook, introduced

What may be the most talked about of Apple's four major product releases Steve Jobs introduced today is a new addition to the MacBook line called the MacBook Air. With a teardrop profile only 0.76 inches at its thickest point, it's the thinnest notebook computer ever. (You can get closer looks at the new MacBook Air by clicking on each of the embedded images.)

Apple didn't compromise much on features. There's a full-size, backlit keyboard, 13.3-inch screen, iSight webcam, large trackpad with multi-touch gesture support (similar to the iPhone's, which lets you use your fingers in more ways than the traditional tapping and sliding), plus a new magnetic latch.

There are only three ports on the right side: USB2, MicroDVI, and a headphone jack. (There's no Ethernet port for wired networking, but that's not really an issue with a notebook designed for extreme portability.) Apple says that the 1.6-GHz Core 2 Duo processor is 60 percent smaller than chips made for other models. The standard MacBook Air comes with an 80GB hard drive—or a 64GB solid-state drive for an additional $999. The standard memory configuration is 2-GB and Apple claims 5 hours of battery life. The built-in wireless capability supports 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR.

There's no internal CD/DVD burner; to use discs you need the $99 external MacBook Air SuperDrive which connects to the USB port. Also, a new custom application in Leopard called "Remote Disk" lets you wirelessly "borrow" other users' CD/DVD drives.

In keeping with Apple's environmental initiatives, MacBook Air notebooks have a fully recyclable aluminum case, displays that are mercury and arsenic free, and logic boards that are BFR and PVC free. In addition, the packaging has 56 percent less volume, to save trees.

The base model, which starts at $1,799, pairs a 1.6-GHz processor with an 80-GB Parallel ATA hard drive. A second model that features a 1.8-GHz processor and 64-GB solid-state drive starts at $3,098. Both ship in two to three weeks, but can be pre-ordered starting today.

Compared with Windows-based 13-inch slim-and-light notebooks we've rated (Consumer Reports' Ratings are available to ConsumerReports.org subscribers only), the MacBook Air is pricier and its hard drive is a bit slower and has a smaller capacity, but weighs more than a pound less. When compared with notebooks in the 3-pound range, such as the Sony TZ series 11-inch or Toshiba Portege R500 12-inch, its pricing is very competitive.

Macworld 2008: Preview

Apple goes into Macworld Expo, the annual party, love fest, and religious revival for the Cult of Mac, which opened today in San Francisco, following a year that's had a few fizzles (Apple TV, the first release of OS X Leopard, 10.5), one big hit (the iPhone) and under-the-radar sales growth of 40% for Mac desktops and laptops. The one adjective that no longer describes Apple is "beleaguered."

While analysts don’t see the same kind of explosive growth for Apple this year, they still hope a few compelling new products and services will keep the company on a growth track.

I do believe Apple will deliver. My first clue was this week's pre-event announcement of a new MacPro tower and XServe, powered by 8-core Intel Xeon processors, offering 2.3 times the speed and raw horsepower as the dual, quad-core 3.0 Ghz machines being sold only a month ago. If they couldn't wait one week to announce this, it often indicates they have so many other things to show us, there simply wasn't room in the Keynote program to hold it all.

Below is a distillation of predictions, hopes, and wishes from the amassed Mac pundits and bloggers for Keynote 2008:

Movie rentals in iTunes—Fox and Disney are reported as already signed on and almost everybody wants the "One More Thing" to be—at long last—the entire Beatles collection, made available at the iTunes Music Store (iTMS). (If that happens, no one will be crying over the loss of Universal.)

Improvements to iPhone: A 16GB, 3G model, with no limits on cell service provider—we can certainly dream, can't we? Also rumored is an iPhone SDK (software development kit), which would mean that there would be a market for third-party software. We might even see a demo of 3rd-party apps—something developers were clamoring for most of last year.

Office 2008—slam-dunk #2, as Amazon is already taking pre-orders. I expect someone from Microsoft will make the official announcement during the Keynote. (I'll write more on Office later in the week, when I get to see it for real.)

Leopard 10.5.2—this is almost a slam-dunk, as the Developers Cut is already making the rounds. There are at least 75 fixes and feature additions in the works, and this would be a perfect time to announce their deployment.

New Cinema displays with touch-screen and built-in webcam—possibly 24-, 27- and 30-inch models, an upgrade that is long overdue.

Blu-ray drives in some Macs—a rumor that is growing some legs, now that Blu-Ray seems to be winning the format war, and there is going to be a growing need to handle HD content.

Ultraslim notebook/touch tablet—this is the biggest rumor to make the rounds, and highly likely: Apple fills out its laptop line with an ultra-thin notebook, running on flash memory instead of a hard drive, sporting a 12-13 inch touch screen, which could possibly fold over to become a tablet Mac.

Final Cut Studio update—not likely, but definitely overdue, considering the plethora of new digital camcorders that have hit the market

Apple TV "2.0"—look for a "reboot" of this product, with new features, more storage, and built-in compatibility with iTMS movie-rental.

If you are not attending this year, here is a link to sites offering live blogging of the Keynote (SFW). Stay tuned!

—Thomas A. Olson

Thomas Olson, the Publishing Systems Administrator for Consumer Reports' Editorial, Design, Production and Pre-Press groups, has been a Mac enthusiast since 1984.

 

CES 2008: Four web sites worth a visit

The Consumer Electronics Show has become a showcase for content as well as hardware, and more exhibitors are featuring electronics-related websites. Here are four intriguing sites I learned about while browsing the exhibit booths last night—two that help you buy gear and two that help you share the content you create on your gear.

The tagline for Retrevo.com is "matching people and electronics." The site offers category overviews and product pricing summaries in real time. But its real distinction lies in capabilities built on computer algorithms. Retrevo crawls the Net to gather features data on products, which it then analyzes against a list of possible features, each assigned an importance level. It rolls those together with price data to assign a value score to each product. You can view a list or a rather complex "value map" reflecting Retrevo's judgment of the best-to-worst values in the product type you're seeking. The site also offers handy content for products you already own, including searchable manufacturers' manuals and tips on using the gear from users and expert sources.

When it comes to finding out how easy it is to use a cellphone, there's no substitute for actually holding the thing in your hand and trying it out, as we recommend in our advice on buying a phone. But tryphone.com offers the next best thing: a virtual, actual-sized version of the phone with menus and buttons you can explore by pressing your computer mouse. For now, there are only 10 phones up on the site, including the iPhone, the Blackberry Pearl, and the Samsung Juke, but tryphone says it will add three more phones a week until the site boasts hundreds. This site might be worth a visit even if you already own one of the listed phones, because there are tips on how to use them.

While there are plenty of sites for sharing and storing your photos, there are few or no such services for home videos. Motionbox.com fills that gap. There's a free service that's limited to 300 MB, a capacity you can quickly exhaust if you're a true camcorder auteur. A premium version, which costs $29.99 a year, offers unlimited capacity and the ability to download your videos in full resolution. Either service allows you to order Motionbooks, 3.5-by-2-inch flip books that animate a 15-second video clip of your choice. They're $8.99 apiece.

Finally, there's eJamming.com, a site for musicians that made a high-profile debut during yesterday's CES keynote address by Paul Otellini, the CEO of semiconductor giant Intel. The popular band Smash Mouth used this site to play together although each musician was at a different location in Las Vegas and the singer was on-stage with Otellini. The performance seemed flawless.

You can view the keynote address and performance via the CES Web site, www.cesweb.org/about_ces/multimedia.asp (scroll through the "playlist" of videos on the right) and via Intel's CES-related Web site, http://www.intel.com/pressroom/kits/events/ces2008/index.htm?iid=pr1_marqmain_ces2008 (scroll to the bottom of the page to find the link to the online video.).

To replicate the way musicians settle into a groove in a room, each adjusting their timing to that of their colleagues, eJamming's software analyzes the time delay, measured in milliseconds, among the players and adjusts it as needed. The site, which is free, allows you to post a recording of your playing and to solicit musical partners. Spokesmen say the site already has over 10,000 users and has been responsible for bringing together musicians from disparate countries to, er, e-jam together.

—Paul Reynolds

Amazon Kindle: First Impressions

In the shifting world of electronics, no one's staying neatly in their allotted corner these days. Witness the annual Consumer Electronics Show. Once strictly a hardware showcase, it's promoting the participation of movie studios and TV networks in this January's event.

So it's almost unsurprising that the newest e-book reader, the Amazon Kindle (click on images for a closer look), bears the name of a retailer rather than an equipment manufacturer. The branding actually makes sense, since a seamless link between the Kindle and Amazon.com is the most interesting aspect of the device, which Amazon began selling last week for $399. I tried it out over the Thanksgiving weekend.

The Kindle comes preloaded with your Amazon account information and with software that links, automatically and at no ongoing cost, to Sprint's high-speed cellphone data network. If all goes well, Amazon says, you simply turn it on and start browsing and ordering. Even when your account doesn't appear, as mine didn't, signing on took only seconds.

[Nov. 28, 2007 Update: We corrected the reference to the network Kindle uses; as a reader noted, it's Sprint's data network not its cellphone network. —Ed.]

(While I had no problems with the service when using my Kindle these past few days, Sprint was among the worst providers of cell phone service in our survey of Consumer Reports readers in 20 cities. If you're a ConsumerReports.org subscriber, you can check our Ratings of cell service providers to see the details.)

Then I was off and "kindling" (yes, Amazon really does "verb" the name of the device), using the Kindle's unique rolling wheel navigation device and next- and last-page bars on each side of the 6-inch screen. Orders bill seamlessly to your Amazon account—maybe too seamlessly, depending on your self-control; there isn’t even a checkout to slow you down. Downloading a book to the device took me less than a minute, as Amazon promises. There’s no ongoing monthly fee to use the Kindle.

The Kindle doesn't offer all of Amazon's features; there are no extras like author's videos or search capability. But it offers free sample chapters, which download in a matter of seconds. And it's more natural to read book pages on the Kindle than on a computer, where you must scroll through them using a cursor and read them on a screen that isn’t designed for prolonged reading.

In a fantasy world where books were read mostly on computers, the Kindle would be a must-buy. In the real world, where books remain stubbornly analog, using the device falls well short of the pleasures of holding and reading a book. The type, charcoal-colored on a light-gray background, lacks the contrast of typical book pages. The screen briefly turns black during page turns. And the display is monochrome only, and lacks the grayscale variation even to render, say, black and white photos as accurately as in print. (The Kindle shares the use of patented eInk technology with its main competitor, the Sony Reader, $299, which has been updated since we tested it last year on ConsumerReports.org.)

So is the Kindle worth $400 to you, or anyone on your gift list? An obvious pre-qualifier is a willingness to try new technology that's almost bound to drop in cost, improve in performance, or both in subsequent iterations. Then there's mobility; a book reader probably makes sense only if you often read on the move. Beyond that, here's my initial take on prime candidates for the Kindle:

Heavy hardcover buyers. It costs $9.99 to load a hardcover best-seller to the Kindle—an all-but-unbeatable price, in any format (most older titles cost more, though some venerable classics go for as little as a dollar or two). So, if you buy more than 40 hard-covers, you'll more than make up the cost of the device. But, the Kindle is also significantly smaller and lighter (at 10 ounces or so) than a single hardcover book (see image). And it holds up to 200 books, Amazon says, and so would free up some serious luggage space for a serious reader on a long trip.

News junkies. The Kindle offers subscriptions to 11 newspapers, including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, and a number of magazines. And there's free access to a host of bookmarked websites, including those of BBC Radio, MSNBC, and ESPN.

Kindle critics have bashed the cost of the subscriptions—$5.99 to $13.99 a month for each newspaper, for example—when the publications are mostly available for free online. But the Kindle allows you to view news on a screen, albeit a black-and-white one, that's bigger than any smart phone and on a network that's faster than the sluggish AT&T network the iPhone uses. And there's no requirement to pay for a monthly high-speed data plan.

[Nov. 29, 2007 UPDATE: As a reader pointed out, some newspaper subscriptions are available to Kindle owners for $5.99 per month. —Ed.]

A caveat for the free sites: They're part of the "Basic Web" functionality, including a rudimentary browser, that Amazon lists under a link titled "Experimental." Translation: Web browsing, and access to the news sites, may not be a permanent feature of the Kindle, and so is a risky reason to buy one.

A final note on gifting: As of today, the Kindle is "temporarily sold out" on Amazon (the device’s only vendor, unsurprisingly).

We'll have more on the Kindle, probably next week on Consumer Reports' Electronics section, as our testing continues.

—Paul Reynolds

Apple's new iPod -- an iPhone minus the phone

The iPhone now has a non-telephonic sibling. As part of a revamp yesterday of its iPod players, Apple unveiled the iPod Touch (see photo on the right. Click to enlarge.), a multimedia player looks like the iPhone and has the same features and capabilities except it lacks a phone, a camera, and the iPhone’s text messaging and e-mail applications. A Touch with 8 gigabytes is $300; one with 16 gigabytes is $400. The players will be available later in September.

The Touch also led Apple to touch up the iPhone, launched just two months ago. Effective now, they have discontinued the 4-GB iPhone and cut the price of the 8-GB model by $200, to $400. (In addition to making the iPhone more affordable, that means those who already own the device have essentially paid a premium of around $3 a day to be among the first iPhone users.)

These images (click to enlarge) show how similar in appearance the new iPod Touch (on the left) is to the two month old iPhone (on the right).

Also, as Apple promised when the iPhone debuted, sometime this month the iPhone will be able to download iTunes content via their Wi-Fi connection. (The Touch will also have this capability.)  iPhones already in circulation will need to download a patch. Among the available downloads for the iPhone will be song-based ringtones. The catch, you’ll have to pay iTunes 99 cents for the privilege, even if you already own the song.

Other iPods have been revamped, with these new models available as of this weekend:

The largest-capacity iPod ever. The hard-drive-based iPod, now called the iPod Classic, is getting a minor facelift and a major boost in storage. There will now be a 160-GB (40,000-song) iPod, the biggest capacity ever for an iPod, at a price of $350, the same as the previous 80-GB model. The new 80-GB model will be $250. The Classic will come in black or white.

A Nano with video. A new Nano (see photo left, click to enlarge) will be able display videos on a screen that’s been expanded to 2 inches in diameter. It has a new squarish shape (2.5 in x 2.06 in. x 0.26 in.). There’s no longer a 2-GB Nano. The new 4-GB version costs $150 and is available in silver. The 8-GB model costs $200 and is available in silver, blue, red, green, and black.

More colors for the Shuffle. The Shuffle is available in more hues, including silver, blue, red, green, and purple.  Otherwise, it's unchanged -- it still lacks a screen, and there’s still only one capacity, 1 GB, and one price: $80.

-- Mike Gikas

iPhone Hacking Raises Security Concerns for all Smartphone Users

Security analysts have long predicted that hackers who routinely pester computer users would eventually target smart phones, whose advanced network connections and operating systems continue to become more computer-like. Indeed, smart-phone virus outbreaks have been reported in Europe and Asia.

This week Independent Security Evaluators (ISE), a U.S. independent testing lab, dramatized the looming danger by piercing the defenses of the much-vaunted iPhone. (ISE is the lab whose help Consumer Reports seeks for our evaluations of security software. See our report on how we test antivirus software and look for our 2007 State of the Net report, which posts to ConsumerReports.org in early August.)

See our complete coverage on:

• Apple's iPhone
• Internet and online security risks

Some telecom experts believed the iPhone was relatively immune from such attacks because of the limited access Apple granted third-party developers to iPhone's operating system (a stripped-down version of the one that runs on Macs), and because iPhone's Safari Web browser lacks the ability to use plug-ins, such as Flash, a primary entry point for Web-borne attacks.

Yet ISE was able to hack into a New York Times reporter’s iPhone when it (voluntarily) visited a special Web site they created, which uploaded malicious software and gave the "hackers" unlimited access to files and phone functions. (Note: The embedded link will take you to the New York Times Web site, which may display an online ad before presenting its story on hacking the iPhone.)

Besides downloading contact information and recent text messages, ISE claims it was able to seize control of the phone, and program it to dial any number, send any text message—-even turn the iPhone into a bugging device to eavesdrop on anyone within earshot. More important, while ISE’s focus was the iPhone, their main point is cell-phone providers need spruce up their security act. More details of ISE’s iPhone effort are available on http://www.exploitingiphone.com/.

ISE has sent its recommendations for security patches to Apple. In the meantime, it offers these tips for iPhone and other smart-phone owners to minimize risk:

• Only visit Web sites you know
• Only use Wi-Fi networks you trust
• Don’t open Web links from e-mails

--Mike Gikas

iPhone, the camera phone

Despite its high price tag and innovations such as its touch screen, Apple's iPhone doesn't break new ground in all features and functions. Sometimes it's merely competent--as with its built-in camera, which is fine but nothing special.

The iPhone's camera does have a 2-megapixel (MP) sensor. That's more than most camera phones (at least in the U.S.), which are limited to no more than 1 MP of resolution. But other phones, such the Samsung SCH-a990, Sony Ericsson K790a, and Nokia N95, offer 3 to 5 MP.

But resolution is only one ingredient of image quality. The iPhone's camera yielded photos that were comparable in overall quality to those from our tests of those high-res cameraphones. Which is to say images were better than those from most cameraphones we've tested but fell short of those from a typical digital camera.

The iPhone's dynamic range (which is the difference between, or ratio of, the lightest and darkest elements of a displayed image) was especially good, with minimal visual noise in the resulting images. Also images taken in low light were passable, which they aren't from all cellphones. On the other hand, color balance was only fair, with many daylight shots bearing a bluish tinge.

The iPhone: Some issues to consider

With the initial clamor about Apple’s first phone now over, non-Apple-aficionados can ponder whether to pony up $499 or $599 for the device. As our tests wrap up, here’s what to consider if you’re still on the iFence about the iPhone:

• How important is phone performance? As we mentioned previously in our video review, the iPhone offers superb multimedia functionality via its unique touchscreen and integration with services like YouTube and Google Maps. But, as we've also said: As a phone, it’s only so-so in voice quality and AT&T’s service has some issues.


• Is your present phone under contract? If so, you’ll need to pay out the contract or pay its termination fee of up to $200. (If you have a contract with AT&T, the termination fee will be forgiven. Read Consumer Reports' recent report on the high costs for changing your cell service for other money saving tips.)


• Are you shopping for an iPod? The iPhone’s 4- or 8-GB iPod is the best MP3 player built into a phone that we’ve ever tested, and offers a new and appealing interface. However, we’d be surprised if new iPods with those features didn’t arrive later this year.


• Do you now text a lot on a keypad? The iPhone’s text-entry interface is fine, and easy enough to learn. But it’s very different from sending text messages on the QWERTY keyboard found on most smartphones. Speed texters on that type of keyboard may want to stick with it.


• Do you need PDA functions? The Palm Treos and most Blackberrys are better at these. With the iPhone, you can’t edit or create documents, nor can you enter or edit calendar appointments on the phone itself--you can do that only through iTunes on your computer.

[July 9, 2007 Update: As blog reader Shawn Duncan notes in this post's comments, we goofed on this. There is a way to create and edit new documents and calendar entries on the iPhone. --Ed.]

More next week from our continuing tests of the iPhone. But please add your own comments here and in the iPhone thread of our online discussion forums. (Our boards are free to read, but registration is required to post messages.)

--Mike Gikas

iPhone, the cell phone

With all the attention given to its multimedia features and innovative touch screen, it’s almost easy to forget the iPhone is, well, a phone. And some of our initial tests of Apple’s first cellphone suggest that telephony may not be its strong suit.

In voice-quality tests, the iPhone’s performance has been undistinguished at best. Quality when listening to a call was fair. Calls from the iPhone heard on another phone were good in quality. By comparison, among the AT&T-compatible smartphones in our current Ratings (available to ConsumerReports.org subscribers), only the Palm Treo 680 scored that low in voice quality. The best-sounding AT&T-compatible phones, the Samsung BlackJack and Cingular 3125, scored good and very good respectively in listening and talking modes. And all those phones cost $100 to $200, compared with the $499 and $599 price tags for the iPhone.

Other ways in which the iPhone could use a little more polish as a phone: It has no voice-activated dialing and offers no easy way to access frequently called numbers. On the other hand, its visual voice mail (see image) offers a unique advantage over other phones. As we demonstrate in our video First Look (Macromedia Flash required to watch our review of the Apple iPhone), its interface allows you to skip listening to every message in sequence. Instead, you view a list of calls (Click on the image for a larger view) and tap the one you want to hear or click on it to return the call. The feature even allows you to retrieve messages you’ve deleted by plucking them from a deleted directory, much as you retrieve e-mail messages from your computers’ trash.

Got your own iPhone experiences to share? We appreciate the comments you’ve been sharing in response to our blog entries. We’ve also now opened an iPhone thread on our cell phone discussion forums. (You don't need to be a ConsumerReports.org subscriber to read our free online discussion forums. But you do need to register to participate in our online discussions.) And our testing continues, with more results expected later this week.

--Mike Gikas

iPhone display shines in early tests

On most phones, the display is important enough. On the iPhone, it’s paramount because it also serves to control the device, which has very few buttons or other controls.

Display quality, then, was our first order of business in our iPhone tests, which began today. Our initial findings:

Brightness and legibility. iPhone’s 3.5-in., 480 x 320-resolution display proved to be excellent in readibility even in bright sunlight, a setting that washes out many screens. In fact, this may be the most legible cell-phone screen we’ve ever tested. Most notable was how readily we could read details--the numbers of incoming and outgoing calls, and signal and battery meters, for example--even in the midday sun. One quibble, however: The chrome-like frame can produce annoying glare when you hold the iPhone at certain angles in bright sunlight.

Surface issues. The iPhone’s mirror-like surface does draw smudges. However, the smears weren’t distracting on most functions, though they were quite noticeable where the screen was dark. (Click on the image above for a larger view and you'll see what we mean.) The iPhone comes with a chamois-like cloth that effectively wipes off smudges with a light buff. And in a quick scratch test--placing the iPhone in a pocket that also held four sets of keys--the glass screen came out unscathed.

We continue to assess other aspects of screen performance, and will report on those and other tests through the coming week. Meantime, if you’re among the new iPhone owners, we invite your impressions of the device in the comments below.

--Mike Gikas

The iPhone Launch: The Countdown Begins

Now just a few hours from the its retail launch, Apple’s iPhone continues to engender the kind of blatant material lust we haven’t seen since Gollum’s pursuit of the Ring in the Lord of the Rings movies (“We wants it, we needs it. Must have the precious.”)

Since our own plan is to buy a number of iPhones immediately and work through the weekend performing a hands-on evaluation of the phone, in the interim we thought we’d recap what’s been already said by the four journalists who received evaluation units a few weeks ahead of the rest of us. (The policy of Consumers Union, the non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports, requires us to purchase the products we review).

The reviews by all four of the reporters--Walt Mossberg from the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times’ David Pogue, Ed Baig from USA Today and Newsweek’s Steven Levy--were predominantly positive. But all acknowledged some drawbacks, most notably the comparatively slow AT&T EDGE network. Many of their assessments echo issues we raised in our earlier coverage.

• Complete iPhone coverage in this blog
• Interactive: Inside the iPhone

The iPhone and AT&T Wireless: A match made in, well, not heaven?

While the iPhone itself might live up to its considerable hype--we’re still a few days shy of getting our hands on one--Apple’s exclusive deal with AT&T Wireless for cellular service could leave some users happy they can also use the phone to listen to music or watch YouTube clips.

That’s because for several years, AT&T Wireless--formerly known as Cingular--has been among the least satisfying service providers, according to Consumer Reports’ annual customer satisfaction surveys.

In fact, in our latest report, from January 2007, AT&T had  “middling to low” customer satisfaction, with static and busy circuits cited as widespread problems (as they’ve been in our previous surveys). Frequent service-related problems were compounded by the company’s relatively low marks for helpfulness in handling customer questions and complaints.

In addition, the iPhone will run on AT&T’s “2.5G” EDGE network, rather than one of the faster “3G” networks available from the major carriers, such as Verizon or Sprint’s EVDO, or even AT&T’s own UMTS/HSDPA network (Don’t worry about the acronyms. The upshot is that EDGE has much lower bandwidth than true 3G networks.). Reportedly, AT&T has been working to upgrade the Internet capabilities of some of its towers to ensure higher minimum data speeds than were originally reported.

And some journalists who received models of the phone in advance have said that AT&T’s  wireless service is a potential weak point. David Pogue of the New York Times' Technology section highlighted our survey findings while Walt Mossberg over at the Wall Street Journal's Personal Technology section has called it "a major drawback" for the sleek device.

(We expect to buy the iPhone on Friday--just like you would. After testing by our reporters and engineers, we'll report our findings here on the Blog as well as on ConsumerReports.org. In the meantime, check out our interactive guide to the iPhone.)

But the combination of slower network speeds and poor customer service might not bode well for early iPhone adopters (there are already rumors that a second-generation iPhone will be 3G-capable), especially since Apple’s deal with AT&T is a five-year exclusive. And AT&T’s just-announced service plans for the iPhone require a two-year commitment.

The good news is that the pricing plans, announced on Tuesday, appear to be competitive. Three versions will be offered, ranging from $60 to $100 per month, and there’s a one-time $36 activation fee. The basic $60 plan includes 450 minutes of voice time. An $80 step-up plan bumps voice time to 900 minutes.  The premium plan, priced at $100 a month, includes 1,350 minutes of talk time. All three include 200 text messages, unlimited data services, and “visual voicemail,” which lets you see the types of voicemail you’ve received and access them individually, rather than in the order in which they were received.

In addition, unused monthly minutes can be rolled over to the next month, and there are unlimited calls between mobile phones.

iPhone ads: Glimpsing the newest Apple

The anticipation and speculation surrounding Apple’s iPhone, on sale June 29th,  is being stoked by a barrage of commercials. The 30-second spots — four thus far — offer snippets of the iPhone’s cool touch-screen, Web browser, GPS functions, and music player in action.

For example, one commercial shows a hand “flipping” through a virtual parade of 3-D  album covers before tapping the screen to make a selection; another shows a similar pair of fingers gliding  over the touch screen to surf the Web on the iPhones full-featured browser, while the display constantly readjusts its orientation.  They typically end with the iPhone switching to phone mode to take a call.

Apple watchers are scrutinizing these spots to glean iPhone insights. They’re noting details that escape casual viewers. For example, some have noticed a mysterious 12th button that appears briefly in one of the commercials. What does it do?  The spots are also fueling predictions about the iPhone user experience. The biggest debate centers on what it will be like to peck out messages on the device’s virtual keyboard. (An historical note: Remember that Palm’s first smart phones had touch-screen-based keypads, but customer complaints about tactile feedback forced them to add the tiny chiclet-style keys they sport today.) 

These speculative blog discussions are akin to reviewing a movie based on its trailers. But if you do want to follow them, type “iPhone commercial” into your search engine of choice. Have some iPhone comments and insights of your own? Add your comments below. 

Previously:

• iPhone: Why you may not want to answer its call yet
• iPhone: The Reality Check

— Mike Gikas

iPhone: Why you may not want to answer its call yet

With the iPhone’s long-anticipated debut just weeks away, the buzz that greeted its January announcement has risen to an ear-splitting roar. A Google search of the term “iPhone” turns up hundreds of articles that in one way or another predict the transformation of cell-phone life as we know it, beginning on June 29.

You can’t yet buy the iPhone, but you can already buy screen protectors, chargers, and other accessories     for it. (For example, see this press release on PR Newswire.) There are also at least 10 iPhone books in the works, such as “How to Do Everything with Your iPhone” (from publishers McGraw-Hill Osborne) and “iPhone for Dummies,”with publication dates as early as August.

All this for a phone that’s been actually held by, like, a dozen people, most of whom work for Apple, and that you can’t even pre-order it yet -- though some AT&T stores are taking names of would-be buyers for a waiting list. (In fact, our test folks have already pre-ordered five in that manner.)

True to Apple’s flair for high style, the iPhone may be the coolest-looking cell phone ever. And as we've previously noted, its specs -- including a 3.5-inch-wide color screen and WiFi connectivity -- are impressive.

But, as we also pointed out a short while after the iPhone’s MacWorld preview, several issues threaten to scuff this glistening Apple. These include a screen that might smudge, a data-network that’s slower than others, and the iPods’ track record for battery life.

A Smart Phone for Every Lifestyle?

While $350 and up (with a two-year contract) is the going rate for the superior e-mail and organizer  features of a top-of-the-line smart phone, newer consumer-targeted models promise many of the same advantages for as little as $200 (also with a two-year contract). These consumer smart phones also tend to be smaller, lighter and more phone-like in appearance than their pricier siblings.

They earned their smaller price tags and slimmer profiles by downgrading or outright eliminating one or more of the features that help make smart phones smart. These include touch screens, QWERTY keypads, data-network access, and multimedia. The end result is a variety of “specialist” smart phones geared toward specific lifestyles rather than one smart phone that promises to do it all.

Two examples of this trend are the Palm Treo 680 and Samsung SGH-i607 BlackJack. Both phones are available from AT&T (formerly Cingular) for about $200 with a two-year contract.  And both have very good e-mail and organizer applications. But they have very distinct personalities. The Treo 680, which retains the touch screen, full QWERTY keypad, and full document editing, is clearly intended for productivity-minded folks looking for an inexpensive laptop stand-in. Conversely, the BlackJack, which complements personal management applications like Microsoft Outlook with the ability to download tunes from AT&T music store, seems geared toward those who value entertainment and organization equally. 

But as with all consumer smart phones, the tradeoffs are just as noteworthy.  For example, the Treo 680, despite its advanced PDA features, comes with a puny VGA (640x480) camera. It also lacks high-speed Internet support, which almost guarantees longer waits for e-mails with large attachments. The BlackJack, on the other hand, does have high-speed Internet and a higher-resolution camera. But it won’t allow you to edit Word and Excel files, and its cramped QWERTY keypad makes dialing a challenge.

It’s not clear how long this “lifestyle” trend in smart phones will last. Apple threatens to upset things in June with its $500 and $600 iPhones. Though they’ll be much more expensive than their closest competitors, the iPhone's radically new design, built around an immense 4-in. color display that shape-shifts into various control panels, has already generated strong interest among consumer and business users alike. But whether you willing to wait for the iPhone or need a phone right now, check out our Ratings and Buying Advice.

-- Michael Gikas, Telecom and Mobile Reporter

Macworld: "Ars longa, vita brevis"

An ancient latin expression, referring to the art of healing, goes:  "Ars longa, vita brevis, occasio praeceps, experimentum periculosum, iudicium difficile," which, when forcibly converted into English, comes out, "Art is long, life is short, the opportunity fleeting, experiment perilous, judgment difficult."

Building technology in today's world is also, in my view, as much an "art" these days as a technical endeavor, as we continually strive to make the machinery more human-like and intuitive.  I also believe the above expression best describes my overall impression of this year's Macworld.

"Art is long..."

It has been claimed that Steve Jobs' ultimate dream (one he shares with others in his industry) is to build a handheld device that will allow whoever uses it to find any piece of information, from any part of the world, at any time of day, in any format, repurpose that information to the user's unique need, then retransmit it to anyone, anywhere, in any format, at any time. To that end, his company has built increasingly elegant and functional laptops, of which MacBook Pro is only the latest. The announcement of the impending iPhone is but another strategic step in the evolution of that vision.

Of course, the iPhone is already gathering critics, and it's still a half-year from release. Some don't like the cell and wireless protocols, the closed system (read: the battery), the choice of Cingular/ATT as a partner, the price, etc. This is all well and good, but perhaps too narrowly focused - there is a larger picture to consider.

Macworld: Gadgets, lawsuits, and Microsoft's micro-presentation

When you attend a show like Macworld, it's very unlike the CES experience because there is a different focus. Despite the Apple name change, and the firm's gaining ground in the consumer electronics market, the Macworld Conference itself is still very much about software — innovative, creative application solutions for office, home and play. This is what one sees most on the show floor at Moscone Center, lean and hungry developers vying shoulder-to-shoulder with established software giants for the Mac consumer's dollar. Then, of course, come the hardware peripherals and the "accessories" for Apple products, from Mac hardware "modding" (see picture) to protective cases for your iPods, to designer bags to carry them all. There's tech books, there's food, there's even a place to get a massage. "Gadgets", as we've come to understand them, are fewer in number here than at a trade show like CES (unless of course you think an external hot-swappable 4-disk mini-RAID unit counts as a "gadget" — I might). But with diligence, one does run across the occasional gem.

However, with all the news late yesterday and much of today being dominated by Cisco's lawsuit against Apple over trademark infringement, I spent my morning yesterday asking the Mac faithful their collective take on the whole business. There were people stopping by the Mac user groups tables and other public areas only too happy to talk with me. Most of those I spoke to, however, barely suppressed a yawn over the story. To them, lawsuits come and go; it seems to come with Apple's territory (remember "Rendezvous" that later had to become "Bonjour?"). While many were willing to concede a legal point or two to Cisco, I sensed no general hostility toward the company. But would anything blow up in Steve Jobs' face? Probably not, opined most. There would be some more legal posturing and press releases, then the back-room dealing would begin anew, papers would be signed, some money might change hands, and it all quietly goes away. If Steve ends up renaming the thing, he'll make everybody think that was his idea all along, another example of the Jobs Reality Distortion Field.