iPhone FAQ's

Answered by Our iPhone Guru, iExpert

Most asked iPhone questions concerning UK iPhone users. Feel free to submit more questions to our iPhone expert (iExpert) in our very easy to use iPhone forum

1) Can the iPhone be unlocked and used on any UK network?

My advice here is to assume that the iPhone cannot be unlocked, not at the moment anyway. It is technically possible to unlock the iPhone using only software and there are a lot of companies claiming they can do that, but the risks attached to doing so are significant.

The main risk is that Apple will update the software on the iPhone and turn unlocked iPhones into the most expensive paperweight you've ever had. This is not an abstract idea any more; Apple introduced new firmware with the UK iPhone as well as an update for existing iPhone users in the US (deployed via iTunes) and the results were disastrous for UK companies who hoped to make a killing unlocking iPhones and iphone users in the US who had already unlocked them.

Apple have hinted that they will be continually looking to counteract the unlocking procedure. That being the case, it is hard to imagine ever being comfortable with an unlocked iPhone, even if those offering unlocking say they will look to undo any moves by Apple along the lines suggested.

Unlocking the iPhone also means you lose out on some of its impressive technical features, like Visual Voicemail, and some unlocked iPhone users are known to have trouble using YouTube on their iPhones and other features.

2) What sort of wireless connectivity does the iPhone offer?

The iPhone has proven to be hugely successful in terms of the wireless connectivity options it offers, but there is a lot of room for improvement too. On the most common and useful level it offers great wi-fi connectivity; assuming you have an O2 account this gives you free access to something like 8000 wireless hotspots throughout the UK, as well as your own wi-fi networks and those you have access to at your workplace, etc. I'm very impressed, personally, with the speed at which wireless connections are secured -- within seconds of switching the iPhone on you are connected.

When you are not in range of a wi-fi hotspot or hub you can use the EDGE facilities that access is granted to as part of the O2 bundle deal. EDGE has been criticized widely as being slower than 3G, and it is, but I agree with Apple's concern that 3G uses a lot of power and would impact on general usability in terms of draining power from the iPhone. So, yes, EDGE is not the fastest way to surf the web, send and receive email, etc, but it is definitely adequate. Moreover, all of the O2 bundles include unlimited data downloading using EDGE (within reason) and this compensates sufficiently for the lack of 3G connectivity.

Another connection option with the iPhone is Bluetooth. Apple have imposed some limitations on the iPhone's Bluetooth facilities, like not being able to connect to bluetooth stereo headphones, but, there is an expectation that this will be addressed soon (in actual fact, it is know that Apple intend to address this with a software update at some point in early 2008).

3) What's the iPhone like for surfing the Web?

Generally speaking, surfing the Web on mobile devices is bound to be a bit difficult as a consequence of the smaller size of their screens. The iPhone makes the experience better than most, though, thanks to the handling of its Safari browser.

With the iPhone, most websites will load into the screen as they would with a normal desktop system, maintaining their essential shape and design, only much smaller. Other mobile devices tend to break websites down into long lists of text, links, and images which you are required to scroll through -- shape and design are sacrificed completely.

The problem that Apple and the iPhone technicians faced as a result of shrinking web pages whilst maintaining their design and structure, quite obviously, was that text and images would be too small to read. Apple addressed this with an intuitive zooming system whereby users tap on articles or parts of a web page that interests them and the screen zooms in. It works very well, most of the time, although, speaking from experience, you do quite often tap links by mistake when you simply wanted to zoom in on the text surrounding them.

All in all, surfing the web with iPhone is a pleasant enough experience and it certainly compares favorably with over mobile devices (the best, in my opinion).

One major failure of the iPhone, however, is found in its inability to handle Flash and Java plugins . Consequently, any websites that rely too heavily on Flash or Java are not worth visiting but there are rumors around that Apple have a solution for Flash that will be unrolled early in 2008. It is worth mentioning that Apple cleverly made sure the iPhone would be able to work with YouTube which depends heavily on a variation of the Flash format (Apple devoted a whole button to YouTube on the home screen of the iPhone and it is viewed outside of the Safari browser).

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iPhone FAQ's Answered by Our iPhone Guru, iExpert

iPhone FAQ's

Answered by Our iPhone Guru, iExpert