Latest Podcast



Featured Articles

Ofcom says mobile contracts should ditch inflation-related price rises

Ofcom says mobile contracts should ditch inflation-related price rises

UK telecoms regulator Ofcom wants to ban inflation-related rises in phone and broadband contracts. Instead, it says any potential mid-contract price rises should be set out in pounds and pence.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Global smartphone market is set for recovery, says new forecast

A new forecast from research specialists Canalys shows the smartphone market is set to recover next year. Worldwide shipments declined by 12% last year but that decline is expected to slow to 5% this year.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
Vodafone and Three plan to merge their UK businesses

Vodafone and Three plan to merge their UK businesses

New Hutchison/Vodafone network would be biggest UK operator

Vodafone Group plc and CK Hutchison Group Telecom Holdings Limited have agreed to combine their UK telecommunication businesses, respectively Vodafone UK and Three UK. The merger will create a large new network operator to compete with Virgin Media O2 and EE.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

UK mobile payment service Paym to close in March 2023

UK mobile payment service Paym will close on 7th March 2023. The service, which allowed users to make and receive payments using their mobile phone numbers, was launched in 2014.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
Qualcomm legal action moves forward in the UK

Qualcomm legal action moves forward in the UK

Which? seeks payout for Samsung and Apple smartphone owners

Consumer protection organisation Which? has been given permission by the UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal to represent Apple and Samsung smartphone buyers in a legal case against chip manufacturer Qualcomm.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS

Opinion Articles

Sunday, October 5, 2014

iPhone 6 journal

Spending a few days with the newest Apple handset

Mark Bridge writes:

I open the iPhone 6 box and discover a phone that feels substantial. Well engineered. Practical. Despite being just 6.9mm deep, it doesn't seem unreasonably delicate. In simple terms, handling the iPhone 6 is nowhere near as worrying as washing up wine glasses. In fact, during a week when a few iPhone users made headlines by complaining about the flexibility of their new handsets, I really couldn't see what the problem was.

If I had to grumble about anything, it would be that the restyled iPhone was less distinctive than its predecessors. Although there's no mistaking the Apple logo on the back, the original angular design has been softened with more curves, while the rear panel - once made from glass - is now metal with a couple of plastic inserts.

How did I get hold of this sleek new device?  Well, I'd been loaned a brand new iPhone 6 for a few days by Three UK. This in itself was intriguing. After all, you need to be pretty confident to do this kind of thing if you're promoting your own product. To put someone else's product on your network - and then invite a total stranger to give it a try - suggests an extraordinary level of confidence.

Anyway, into the box I delve. Handset, headphones, charging plug and USB cable. Yes, the phone uses Apple's proprietary 'lightning' connector, so I can't stick with my trusty microUSB lead. I mutter to myself for a few seconds.

There isn't a big manual in the box - frankly, there's no room - just a 'quick start' guide. "To start, turn on your iPhone by pressing and holding the Sleep/Wake button for a few seconds. Then follow the onscreen instructions to set up your iPhone."

I do, although it takes a couple of tries. It seems I wasn't holding or waiting long enough. First thing: connect to my home WiFi. What's this? The keyboard shows ALL CAPS all the time. I thought we'd moved on from the typewriter. Never mind. One of the joys of the new iOS 8 is that I can download another keyboard later.

Time to start exploring. I use the iPhone to log into my iTunes account and find a song I'd already bought via my PC. When I press 'play' the audio quality is surprisingly good, although it's only a mono speaker. Given Apple's music heritage with the iPod, I wonder when we'll see stereo speakers on an iPhone.

Incidentally, my own phone already plays its media in stereo. It's an HTC One; last year's M7 model rather than the newer M8, although I'd say it's still competing on the same playing field as the iPhone 6.

  iPhone 6 HTC One M7
Size 138.1 x 67 x 6.9mm 137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3mm
Weight 129g 143g
Display 4.7-inches,
750 x 1334 pixels
4.7 inches,
1080 x 1920 pixels
Camera 8 megapixel, 
1.5µ pixels
4 megapixel,
2µ pixels
Storage from 16GB to 128GB 32GB

Let's move to the camera; something the HTC excels at. On the iPhone 6, the camera lens sticks out the back by a fraction (barely 1mm, I'd say). This is slightly disconcerting. It gives the impression of being a compromise in order to claim the sub-7mm depth, which feels a bit like cheating to me.

Still, I like the way it takes pictures. There's a little icon to warn you when the automatic flash is on, there's a time lapse mode for DIY cat videos and there's a self-portrait timer as well. Later, I look online to see some people getting very excited about the iPhone's 'selfie timer'. My own phone's been doing it for well over a year, although admittedly without offering a burst of images to choose from. A 'recently deleted' option even lets me recover deleted pictures that I later wish I'd kept. It's a good idea, although I can see it might result in an embarrassing outcome for some people.

Siri, Apple's voice-controlled virtual assistant, generally works well. It's natural and intuitive. This makes any failures - either misinterpretation or simply "I'm not sure I understand" - all the more disappointing. If ever sentient machines turn against mankind in a Terminator-like uprising, I'm sure they'll be led by Siri saying "no more weather forecasts, you puny humans".

Soon, I've added Twitter, Dropbox and Evernote apps, I've synchronised my Google contacts, calendar and email, and I've even installed the free SwiftKey keyboard app. (I have Swype on my Android phone but didn't want to spend 99p on an iOS version I wouldn't be keeping.) A friendly security-savvy email from Apple warns me that I've linked my ID to a new device.

After a few days, I realise that I'm getting on with the practicalities of the iPhone 6 rather nicely. That lightning connector is pretty convenient, as it can be inserted either way up for charging, unlike microUSB. Everything's running smoothly. Occasionally my lack of experience with iOS frustrates me - it takes a while to turn off those annoying noises in the Twitter app - but it's no worse than getting to know Android.

On the last day before I need to send the phone back to Three, I bump into a couple of my iPhone-owning friends. They're most impressed. They like the bigger screen and love the rounded edges. They'll definitely be upgrading their iPhone 4s and iPhone 5s to an iPhone 6 as soon as they can, so they tell me.

So, in summary, if you're in the market for a new Apple smartphone, this is likely to be everything you'd hoped for. And if you're looking more generally for a high-spec handset, the iPhone 6 - or its larger iPhone 6 Plus sibling - should definitely be one of the phones you consider. Personally, I was sad to say goodbye to my loan iPhone from Three. Still, I'm sure it'll be fine. It's tougher than it looks, you know.

Print
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Rate this article:
2.0

Leave a comment

This form collects your name, email, IP address and content so that we can keep track of the comments placed on the website. For more info check our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use where you will get more info on where, how and why we store your data.
Add comment

Recent Podcasts

Reviewing our 2015 mobile industry predictions... and looking forward to 2016

Podcast - 15th January 2016

Iain Graham, James Rosewell and Mark Bridge return to review their mobile industry predictions from last year. Which mergers, partnerships and developments did they forecast correctly... and which didn’t work out as planned?

Later in the programme, the team anticipates some of the topics that will be hitting the headlines during 2016.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Podcast from Mobile World Congress 2015

Podcast - 6th March 2015

Mark Bridge learns about the mobile technology trends at Mobile World Congress 2015 by chatting to James Rosewell of 51Degrees, Dr Kevin Curran from the IEEE and Chris Millington of Doro.

They talk about wearable devices, wireless charging, mobile operating systems and much more... including some of their favourite products from the exhibition.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Looking back at February: from security scares to multiple MVNOs

Podcast - 27th February 2015

We're taking a look back at the biggest mobile industry news stories from February 2015, including allegations that the UK's security service tried to breach SIM card security by hacking into one of the world's biggest SIM producers.

We also talk about the planned BT and EE merger, the creation of two new UK virtual networks, some acquisitions in the mobile payment arena and a new Ubuntu smartphone.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Interview with Chris Millington of Doro about mobile retailing, wearables and technology for older consumers

Podcast - 24th February 2015

In today's programme Mark Bridge talks to Chris Millington, who's Managing Director for Doro UK and Ireland.

They discuss the state of mobile retailing in the UK, the future of wearable devices and - as you might expect - smartphones for seniors.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

A month of mobile: O2 counts on 3, Microsoft counts to 10 and Apple counts its profits

Podcast - 30th January 2015

We're back with a month of mobile industry news, including takeover talks and takeover rumours. O2 and Three are said to be discussing a merger... but is there any truth in the suggestions that BlackBerry could be up for grabs?

We also discuss Apple's record-breaking quarterly figures, the highlights of CES and the launch of Microsoft Windows 10, as well as saying farewell to the current version of Google Glass.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS
1345678910Last

Follow thefonecast.com

Twitter @TheFonecast RSS podcast feed
Find us on Facebook Subscribe free via iTunes

Archive Calendar

«March 2024»
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
26272829123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
1234567

Archive

Terms Of Use | Privacy Statement