If you follow tech headlines, you would swear this was the Summer of Smart Phones.
While many high-profile movies have gone bust at the box office this season, the smart-phone hits seem to keep coming, with a new, high-profile, do-it-all mobile device every few weeks. Apple's iPhone 4 got most of the headlines, but Sprint's EVO 4G phone got its share of attention, as have Verizon's Droid X and others. Smart phones are attractive to buyers because they do much more than send text messages or make phone calls - many of them can shoot high-definition video, browse the Web with full-featured browsers and run thousands of different apps (programs you can download to the phone wirelessly, many of them free).
If you feel left out of the technological loop, don't worry: The number of choices (not even counting all the calling and data plans) is daunting even to tech experts. But smart phones are clearly taking over: The Nielsen Co. estimates that smart phones will account for a third of phones by the end of this year and will overtake non-smart phones by the end of 2011.
In this chart, we cover some of the summer's most high-profile smart phones, but even newer phones keep coming. If you're considering buying, you'll also have Dell's Aero, the Droid 2 (a smaller version of the Droid X with a physical keyboard), Samsung's Epic 4G on Sprint and Captivate on AT&T, and others to choose from. (These phones were released too late for us to include in our chart, G3.)
The question I get asked most often as a tech writer about practically any smart phone is, "Is it better than the iPhone?" The iPhone 4 certainly has the most passionate fans and the most widespread appeal. About 3 million of them were sold in the first few weeks after it launched in late June. It's typically the phone I recommend to smart phone buyers if they're willing to commit to AT&T and to deal with some of the voice call issues the iPhone is plagued with.
If the iPhone 4 isn't for you, there are plenty of other choices, all with varying strengths and weaknesses. Turn to page G3 for a comparison of the iPhone 4 and several competitors, all released this summer.
ogallaga@statesman.com; 445-3672
Apple iPhone 4
Price (with two-year contract): $199 / $299 depending on memory storage size. Manufacturer: Apple.
Screen size:3.5 inches.
Cameras: 5 megapixel rear camera with LED flash, can shoot HD video. VGA-quality front camera.
Data storage memory:16 GB or 32 GB, not expandable.
Current software version:Apple iOS 4.02.
Wireless network:AT&T 3G.
App availability: Apple's App Store, with more than 225,000 apps.
The pitch: Biggest hardware revision of the iPhone since it debuted in 2007. Faster hardware, thinner design, high-resolution ‘Retina Display' screen, ability to shoot and edit HD video on the phone, new ‘FaceTime' video chat feature.
Physical design: Two panes of strong glass held together in a slim, sturdy package by a steel band around the edges that also doubles as a wireless service antenna.
Best feature: The phone's display is gorgeous, but its ecosystem of more than 250,000 apps is the real show-stopper.
Worst feature or bug: The now-infamous ‘Antennagate' scandal — in which wireless service can deteriorate if you hold a finger over a small gap in the metal antenna — proved that an attractive hardware change can go horribly wrong. The phone still drops calls even with Apple's bumper-or-case antenna solution. And it won't play Flash-based videos or games, unlike some of the Android phones with recent software updates.
Our take:Despite sentimental commercials from Apple, we're not convinced FaceTime video chatting will be a feature that everyone will want to use (for one thing, it requires iPhone 4s and Wi-Fi service on both ends). Still, the iPhone 4 is the most well-rounded and full-featured of the smart phones we've seen so far. If you use your phone as a mobile Internet device more than for voice calls, it's nearly perfect. It has the most intuitive, easiest-to-use software and the widest range of downloadable apps. However, if you are a frequent voice caller and find the occasional dropped call unacceptable, you might find Apple's device too frustrating.
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