Perhaps the best overall review by anyone on the web
http://anandtech.com/gadgets/showdoc.aspx?i=3027&p=1
I'm generally a fan of AnandTech's reviews, but I honestly think Engadget did a better job with this one, as I mentioned in
the other thread. It felt much more thorough, and more importantly, it felt more balanced.
For instance, Anand says that "the iPhone email client is one of the best applications on the device," whereas Engadget states - "There's no other way than to come out and say it: we are extremely disappointed in the iPhone's email app." After trying it out in person, I definitely agree with the latter.
There's a fine line between "simplicity" and dumbing something down to the point where it becomes tedious because of oversimplification. The iPhone doesn't support multi-selects, so you have to delete one email at a time, and it takes a minimum of two clicks
each time. Email is one of the most used apps on my phone (besides calling, of course), and I can see this limitation becoming very annoying very fast. And there are other pretty serious issues that any heavy mobile email user will immediately notice:
- The POP mail you read on your iPhone does not show up as read in Mail.app after sync.
- Sent messages on your iPhone are not synced to Mail.app's sent folder
- There is no BCC.
- No ability "mark all / selected" as read.
- No search
Anand claims that "the Blackberry is designed to all but replace your computer for email, while the iPhone is far more of a companion device." I don't see how it's even an effective companion device if it doesn't actually synchronize read/unread message states. When you return to your computer, you'll end up going through all the same emails again.
That's redundant work. It's true that the email messages themselves display beautifully, but the cons easily outweigh this one positive aspect, IMO.
Then there's also the issue of broad generalizations leading to inaccuracies in the Anandtech review. In the "Simplicity Perfected" section, for example, he makes it sound like it's so much more tedious to switch to vibrate mode on Windows Mobile phones based on his experience with the Blackjack. Both my HTC Wizard and Treo 700wx (among many other WM-based devices) have dedicated buttons/switches on the side/top to switch to vibrate mode, just like the iPhone does, and they behave in exactly the same way. That wasn't noted anywhere in the review.
For anyone still on the fence, I think Engadget's review is a must-read. Each section clearly highlights both the positive aspects and the shortcomings, which is important if you want to make an informed decision rather than an impulsive one.
