iLove it

I'm starting to obsess over the iPhone.

Many many months ago when it was released I thought it was an attractive bit of kit and like everyone else I wanted one, but the price was ridiculous and so it wasn't to be. Not too off-put I carried on with my normal life and my normal phone.

Present day, they have become affordable (I guess) and finally within the realms of possible ownership - but now I'm torn over whether to pull the trigger or not! See, now that's it been a little while the competition have started releasing comparable devices with a host of similar or in some cases superior features. So effectively rendering my previous no-brainer decision a now potential reflex decision with drastic gadget related consequences!!

Well... ok, so maybe it's not quite that bad. In fact, surely having comparable devices to investigate makes the whole experience a bit more fun and a lot more valuable to us the consumer. Right? Wrong. Now there's too much choice! I'm not precious about phones at all but in this instance, when realistically I'll have to shell out of some dosh to get one, I need to consider my needs carefully. I also realise that whatever I buy will be obsolete in 6 months making the 24 month contracts seem like unbrakeable chains of telecomunitive restraint.

So with all this in mind and a little research later I've gotten it down to a few phones I'm interested in. The iPhone, the HTC Hero, and the Palm Pre. All attractive, all innovative, all feature heavy, and all realistically obtainable.

Now if you thought this was going to be a break down of pro's and cons you were wrong. I've gone over that enough in my head and in almost every area each has a case for why it's superior. No, what I'm talking about is money, plain and simple.

I'm with Orange who rather nicely carry the HTC Hero. With a £5 increase in monthly payments I could lay my hands on one for FREE! Put that in the plus column if you must. The iPhone on the other hand is not only on a different network but would also see and increase of £10 on top of what I currently pay monthly to (a) get the 3G version for FREE or (b) stick on £90 for the new and shiny 3Gs version. Yum yum. I've absolutely no quarms about changing provider if it gets me the device I want, and you can even carry your numnber so that is a moot point. But the facts stand:

- HTC for a meagre £5 increase per month
- iPhone for an extra £10 a month and potentially £90 initial expense.

Lets break down the iPhone options. 3G or 3Gs. I've pumped questions into google along the lines of "is there really any point getting a 3Gs over a 3G version" and all I ever get back is "depends". The 3Gs certainly is faster, every resource I've plucked through agrees with that, but is that really important to me? No. The 3Gs is capable of recording relatively low quality video which, with a baby on the way, could provide not only hours of fun but a good way for me to share little triumphs over the net for my family to revel in. Awww. That's a plus. Other features like being able to voice dial people sounds useful for car journeys and for being flash at any opportunity but ultimately they don't interest me enough to be a must. Just find contact, dial 'em, right. So I'm not moved by that stuff. But the video, I'll admit, I'd get a kick out of that.

Is that feature worth £90 to me and an inflated monthly payment....

The other extenuating factor is my wife also wants an iPhone. Should I advise her to get the 3G one for FREE and then allow me to drop £90 on my one? Hardly seems fair. So are we now talking about £180 for a couple of phones and £20 more per month on phone contracts? For 2 years!!!

Ok this is where I normally start to get hazey and pass out. We're not talking unsurmountable quantities of money here, but I can think of hundreds (well... a couple) of things that kind of money could be put towards.

And that's when the HTC Hero slips into view once more, sporting a low cut dress, and ridiculous looking chin. There is however no denying that it's an attractive prospect, and I hear good things about if from a friend of mine who regales me with it's possibilities but laments its current sluggishness. (soon to perhaps be altered in a patch?)

I know a great number of people with iPhones and I occasionally snatch them from their now touch screen happy dexterous hands and navigate it's menus with that "not trying to be intrusive to your private data but I must inspect every aspect of it" sense of purpose. I know it's the prefered device. I know getting the 3Gs over the 3G means I get increased speed in applications and a onboard movie maker to exploit my childs daily triumphs with and share with everyone I know for no other reason that its so damn cute! But...

...the HTC keeps making eye contact and it's availability and comparable cheapness is very VERY endearing.