The iPhone: so much more than simply a phone

Tag : Mobile Phone Pack

Talk is not the apple of your iPhone, writes Alex Kidman. Music,video, GPS and the entertainment delights of the internet are alljust a touch away.
 
Apple's iPhone 3G ignited public interest in a way that no othermobile phone handset has done. As a phone it's entirely functional,and its online capabilities are pretty well documented elsewhere.It doesn't hurt that Apple's thrown its savviest designers at thething, either; this is undeniably a pretty looking smartphone, andwhen you consider that the Blackberry is usually held up as thearchetypal smartphone, that's somewhere where designers couldreally only go upwards.

Still, beyond the basic telephony, there'sa lot that can be done with the iPhone 3G that both enhances itsfunctionality and its appeal. Not all iAccessories are equal.
 
There's an issue with many mobile phones and external AV equipment;while it's often possible to output to other devices (most notablyspeakers), this often requires the use of a custom connector. Saidcustom connector does have accessories, but inevitably they'reproduced only by the phone vendor in question - so often, say, yourSony Ericsson phone will work only with the Sony Ericsson-suppliedheadphones, because they're the only ones using that connector.
 
The iPhone is technically no different in this regard, except forthe fact that it uses the standard iPod connector dock, and asyou're probably aware, there's no shortage of iPod dockingequipment out there. If you do need to refresh your memory, our guide to iPod speaker docks is a good start.