Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen, to our ongoing iPhone Killers series. We join the action today with the iPhone looking decidedly unwell, and not a little punch-drunk. Mind you, it has just had a couple of weeks worth of kickings from some of the really big names in the business. From the utter, unmitigated smackdown delivered by the Nokia N97, to the fast-moving, feinting attacks of the T-Mobile G1, the iPhone’s been getting something of a clattering by now. Millions of Apple fans will, of course, dispute that, but hey…
So, can it pull things back today? In the first of a double bill, today, the Cupertino Kid is going up against a new phone that its parent company has some rather high hopes for, since it might be the phone that signals life or death for them. Yup, it’s the phone that everyone in the boardroom of said company (and if you haven’t worked out who yet, shame on you) is surely hoping makes it big, so they don’t go down the toilet: the Motorola MotoSurf A3100.
1. How useful is it for doing actual work on?
There’s no doubt that Windows Mobile is by far a better operating system to use for business-y work type stuff. You get Office preinstalled as standard in it, there’s a wealth of extra productivity software available and the ease of syncing up to a PC and an email exchange server is unquestionable (I speak from experience here). But, one has to consider the Motorola MotoSurf A3100 as a whole phone, here, and unfortunately… it doesn’t fair too well. The screen is piddlingly small, at only 2.8 inches (the smallest one in our whole series of challengers) and there’s no physical keyboard, so typing on it’s going to be an utter pig. It may have the better software, but the hardware ruins things. It’s like the Nokia N97 and Nokia 5800. For work, the N97′s always the better choice because it has a keyboard, but the 5800 can get away with it, because it has a whopping great screen. The Motorola doesn’t, so, win for the iPhone, I’m afraid…
Winner: iPhone
2. How good is the phone for mucking around and not doing any work on?
Well, you can download games onto the MotoSurf A3100, you can get instant messaging programs, and you can watch movies. The problem is, once again, the screen’s too chuffing small! Oh, and the iPhone does things like gaming and tomfoolery in its stride, so even with extra software added, the A3100 just can’t keep up. Sorry, Motorola, you lose this round, too.
Winner: iPhone
3. How many opportunities for showing off to my mates will the phone give me?
The MotoSurf A3100 has precisely one weapon to give it a chance in this round: the camera, which comes in at 3 megapixels, with a flash, and is therefore, superior to the iPhone. Trouble is, though, we all already know that people tend to go ooh and aah more over the stupid but addictive bubble wrap game on the iPhone. And against that assault, having an extra megapixel doesn’t cut it, I’m afraid. Sorry, Moto, another loss.
Winner: iPhone
4. How easy is it to use the phone to cheat at pub quizzes?
You know, I apologise for having to harp no about this, but Motorola really haven’t done the MotoSurf A3100 any favours by only giving it that piddling little screen. Sure, you can get onto Google at a decent lick (with HSDPA), but with no QWERTY keyboard, it’s a pig to have to type in something on such a small virtual keyboard. Which you will need the dibber (sorry, stylus) for, since it’s so wee. Unfortunately, the iPhone takes this round, too.
Winner: iPhone
5. How good will I feel using it, and how GOOD will I look using it?
Things aren’t looking good for the Moto Mangler, but can it pull it back this round, to save itself from a whitewashing?
Er, no.
And yes, it comes back to the screen, again. Y’see, although you get a nice spangly front end, you are going to have to head on into Windows Mobile’s guts at some point (like when writing a text), and that’s when things get fiddly on the little screen. Windows Mobile needs a proper, big screen to reach its full potential (like you get on the HTC Touch HD), and I can guarantee you’ll get hacked off with the 2.8 incher on the A3100 after roughly half an hour of using it. And as for people’s perceptions of you, well, if iPhones make you look smug, Motorolas make you look tight…
Winner: iPhone
And the winner is…
Oh dear. This is Motorola’s great white hope. Oh dear, oh dear. Well, I reckon it’s fair to say that’s a categorical win by the iPhone. You know the annoying thing? The MotoSurf A3100 isn’t actually that bad a phone, but there’s a qualifier to that. It’s not a bad phone for 2007. This is a phone Moto should’ve released 2 years ago, and if they had, it would’ve been good. Hell, it would’ve been one of the best phones you could get, and they wouldn’t be in the position they’re in now. It’s just that at the start of 2009, it’s really, really not a good phone…
Join us for the next incredible instalment, where the iPhone goes up against the first touchscreen from the kings of email: the Blackberry Storm! Subscribe today, to make sure you don’t miss out on any of the action as the iPhone Killers go to war!