Yes, but the n95 is a vastly better phone.

On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:05:37 +0000, David Kennedy
<davidkennedy@nospamtodaythanksverymuchforthekindofferyoubastard.invalid>
wrote:

Am I likely to get £176.24 less for the n95 than the iPhone?

SNIP

The iPhone will still be locked to O2 and unlocking ain't easy, whereas the
N95 won't be locked if bought on contract.

How much will it cost to add the WiFi and other missing features to the
iPhone?

MMS is about much more than picture messaging - it can be used very
effectively for data transfer at no cost to the recipient. MMS costs in the
UK are also fairly cheap and, when roaming using say Virgin, it can be a
very cheap way of transferring data internationally too. It's odd - in terms
of market localisation - that Apple released the iPhone in Europe without
MMS functionality. Surely it would be easy to add the feature via a software
update?

Arguing away the benefits of 3G access is also a bit strange: most people
who use it to transfer/receive data (even web browsing) view 3G access as a
very positive thing. Comparison reviews of the N95 and iPhone (using Opera
browser on the N95) comment on the clear and significant speed difference
which the iPhone isn't able to tap in to.  Accessing 5 MB of data on the
move (during a train journey) with the N95 is a sinch. With 2G connectivity
and the increased risk of time/distance signal drop outs it's more
problematic on iPhone. The lack of a decent camera on the iPhone is very
poor.

Major kickstart in touchscreen technology? Cluttered desktops full of icons
don't lend themselves to effective use of a small touchscreen. The iPhone
keyboard is a bit of a joke too: every time I've used it I've encountered
problems with the iPhone's touch screen location accuracy. The iPhone also
looks suspiciously like the Sony PSP (having used an iPhone for 2 weeks I,
yesterday, instinctively tried to move an icon around a PSP screen). It's
not that innovative - the Viewty, with its 5 mega pixel camera and
conventional phone/modem functions - is a much better deal in terms of value
for money and innovation. Have you used the Nokia N95? If you have don't you
think it allows for a more intuitive and effective use of assorted programs?

Some people would buy an "iTune" comprising Steve Jobs farting in synch,
poorly in synch at that, to a Powerbook start-up tone. I mean, sh.t, people
pay silly amounts of money for Apple Macs (with very similar processors to
those included in top spec Windows PCs available for a fraction of the
price).

I think the iPhone is crap (specifically a pile of under specced and over
hyped crap compared to N95 or Viewty) but I guess I don't have as much money
to waste as most Apple fans surely must have (maybe if I did I would see the
light). Still, the vanilla out of the box product does look good - but as
soon as you start to add icons to the desktop (or use the "key board") the
whole thing shows itself as unwieldy, badly designed and lacking in
refinement. The system is also notoriously locked down by Apple to prevent
the use of third party software - wouldn't Nokia's approach to Symbian (or
Apple's approach to the mainstream Mac OSs) have been more sensible or at
least more fair?

Instead of taking the knockout punch that has been swung by clever hackers
on the chin (like M$ has been doing for decades) Apple has been content to
threaten paying users with bricked devices. The contempt shown by Apple for
the French court (interpreting the judgement as referring only to the
country code sim lock) is something that would make even M$ proud.

Gareth.