I'm getting a lot of emails requesting comparisons for the iPhone, A1200, and Neo1973, so I figured I'd throw together an extensive writeup. While none of these three are the
One Handheld to Rule them All (tm), they're still the closest on the market.
In my rating system, I award +1 for a feature included, a partial point for a feature that can be implemented by a user or a feature that is slightly hindered, +0 for an absent feature, and -1 for a feature that takes a step back from the standard.
..:: Price
A1200:
ebay (about 300-330 currently) for new unlocked A1200
iPhone: >$500 for the 4GB version and $600 for the 8GB version, both requiring 2yr Cingular contract
Neo1973: $350
How these differ from the One Handheld (tm): the A1200 and Neo are right on the money with a moderately priced handheld requiring no contract and no vendor lock-in. The iPhone is a lost cause in this matter, doubling the price of the others, and requiring a contract with vendor lock-in. Additionally, for the iPhone, it is rumored that having WiFi enabled will require an additional monthly fee, and buying a data plan will be required. Most people get their cell phones subsidized completely or at very low cost with their contract. The fact that the iPhone requires a contract and tacks on another $650 is ridiculous.
A1200: 1 (+1), Neo: 1 (+1), iPhone: 0 (+0)
..:: Phone
A1200: quad band unlocked
iPhone: quad band, locked to Cingular
Neo1973: quad band unlocked
How these differ from the One Handheld (tm): The One Handheld is quad band and unlocked. Once again, the A1200 and Neo are exactly what the One Handheld (tm) calls for, but the iPhone is left in the dust with draconian and archaic vendor lock-in. The idea with an unlocked quad-band phone is that you can use it in any country as long as your provider gives service, or you have a SIM card for a provider in that country. This means that if you travel to Europe, South America, US, Japan, or Australia, merely getting a SIM card will allow you to use service there. Additionally, you can use the A1200 and Neo1973 functions not tied to the phone despite not having a SIM card in the handheld. If the iPhone is anything like my old LG G415 (Cingular locked) usage without the Cingular SIM card will be impossible. If you travel, you'll have to buy another phone in your destination, rather than just a SIM card.
A1200: 2 (+1), Neo: 2 (+1), iPhone: 0 (+0)
..:: Voice Mail
A1200: lists missed calls and presence of "New Voicemail"
iPhone: the video simulations show each voicemail assigned to a different caller
Neo1973: unknown
How these differ from the One Handheld (tm): As I mentioned before, the One Handheld has an attributive voicemail system, exactly like Vonage's. The handheld should automatically download the voicemail and the user should be able to single out a message to listen to it at any time. The iPhone's
voicemail simulation appears to do exactly as I said the One Handheld should. It is unknown whether an API is used with Cingular, or the iPhone uses some predictive software to "guess" who called. Either way, the second is fairly accurate and shouldn't be too hard to implement on the Neo1973. So far though, this win goes to the iPhone. No information is available for the Neo on this matter, but with the SDK, this behaviour should be programmable. The A1200 falls short though with no voicemail attribution and not even a voicemail count.
A1200: 2 (+0),
Neo: 2.5 (+.5),
iPhone: 1 (+1)
..:: OS and Software Extensibility
A1200: OS is Motorola EZX which is not easily extensible.
opensource.motorola.com has the EZX kernel, but the SDK must be purchased under a non-disclosure agreement from developer.motorola.com. Java midlets are usable though. The midlet support is on par with most cell phone midlet application support.
iPhone: the iPhone will not support any third party applications, except by authorized software vendors.
Neo1973: running Openmoko linux, the Neo will include a package manager (like Ubuntu's synaptic), and support for java midlets and GTK+ applications. The handheld will also come with an SDK.
How these differ from the One Handheld (tm): The One Handheld should come with an SDK, an open platform for modifying the system, and an application manager like synaptic/aptitude or portage. The Neo is spot on, while the A1200 is archaicly still promoting standard midlets. A satirical congratulations goes out to Apple though, for uninventing the wheel.
A1200: 2 (+0), Neo: 3.5 (+1), iPhone: 0 (-1)
..:: Wireless Data
A1200: limited to GPRS and EDGE. Supposedly, some early versions of the A1200 don't have a chipset that supports EDGE, so no firmware upgrade will enable EDGE. Bluetooth 2.0
iPhone: WiFi (802.11b/g) and EDGE. Bluetooth 2.0
Neo1973: the first gen of the Neo1973 does not have WiFi. It will have GPRS (and 2.5G), but neither EDGE nor EVDO. Bluetooth 2.0
How these differ from the One Handheld (tm): The One Handheld has unfettered WiFi, which neither the Neo nor the A1200 have. The iPhone's WiFi is limited by the applications that Apple approves, so all three fall short. In other words, if it doesn't happen solely in the web browser or email client, it's not happening. Other devices like the Nokia N770, the Nokia Communicator, and tons of PDAs have unhindered WiFi on Symbian and .NET platforms, which leads to some really nice results (like Skype Symbian). However, Apple's walled garden dismisses such notions at the door. GPRS and EDGE are embarrassing because of price and terms of service (Verizon actually kicks users who actually substantially use their "unlimited" service). All three have Bluetooth, but because of Openmoko, the Neo will have so many more features usable by open source software.
A1200: 2 (+0), Neo: 4 (+.5), iPhone: .5 (+.5)
..:: GPS
A1200: none
iPhone: none
Neo1973: This handheld is one of the first production units to have GPS integrated into a multi-function handheld.
How these differ from the One Handheld (tm): The One Handheld has GPS, which the Neo has. What functions the Neo will support can only be told by time, but both the iPhone and A1200 fall short.
A1200: 2 (+0), Neo: 5 (+1), iPhone: .5 (+0)
..:: Storage
A1200: 8mb on the handheld, includes 128mb microSD card, expandable to 2GB
iPhone: 4GB or 8GB depending on the model, not expandable
Neo1973: 64mb on the handheld, with a microSD card, definitely expandable to at least 2GB, possibly to 4GB
How these differ from the One Handheld (tm): There really is no specification on the One Handheld for how much space it should have. The concept with storage is that more is better. With NAND flash memory coming down in price, 16GB will soon be a reality, and
MobileHome will be even more possible. As much as some people yammer about removable storage, very few will buy extra cards to carry around more data. Even then, the microSD card on the A1200 is behind the battery, which requires turning off the phone to change the card. I don't know where the card is on the Neo. For the iPhone, the extra 4GB costs an extra $100, but also consider that buying the 2GB microSD card will run another $60 or so (at the time of this article) from
pricewatch.
A1200: 2 (+0),
Neo: 5 (+0),
iPhone: 1.5 (+1)
..:: Digital Camera
A1200: 2mpx, video and stills, no optical zoom, no flash
iPhone: 2mpx, video and stills, no optical zoom, no flash
Neo1973: no camera at all
How these differ from the One Handheld (tm): When cameras started coming out with the basic 640x480, it was a complete embarrassment, and completely worthless. The only way I will stop using my digital camera is if a handheld has at least 3mpx, a flash, and at least 4x optical zoom. Neither the A1200 nor the iPhone have this. The results from the A1200's camera are nice, but it cannot replace my standalone. The Neo does not have a camera, and this does have its advantages. Most government buildings (including courthouses), do not allow cameras, and many corporate R&D environments prohibit cameras also. As a law student, not having a camera in the handheld does have its uses. So far, most of my work is done outside of the courthouse, so I have only had issues with this once, and the 2mpx on my A1200 has been alright. The One Handheld comes in both models - with and without a camera. The point is that businesspersons with jobs that prohibit cameras will still be able to take their handheld into facilities that do so. Both the iPhone and the A1200 are only available with the camera, and the Neo is only available without the camera. Therefore, none satisfy this requirement. The One Handheld acknowledges choice as the preference of champions and therefore satisfies all needs, not just the 51% majority.
A1200: 2 (+0), Neo: 5 (+0), iPhone: 1.5 (+0)
..:: Interface
A1200: touchscreen with stylus that locks into phone; clamshell; small screen difficult for large hands to quickly manipulate
iPhone: large multi-sensor touchscreen; no clamshell
Neo1973: large touchscreen; no clamshell
How these differ from the One Handheld (tm): The One Handheld uses a touch screen that has multi-sensor technologies for functions straight out of the Minority Report video in my
Amazing Interfaces article. The iPhone simulations appear to have some of these functions. The A1200 and the Neo do not support this, but do use touchscreens to handle prime display face real estate.
A1200: 2.5 (+.5),
Neo: 5.25 (+.25),
iPhone: 2.5 (+1)
..:: Charging & Wired Data Transfer
A1200: usb port on side, no inductive charging
iPhone: proprietary iPod connection, no inductive charging
Neo1973: usb port on side, no inductive charging
How these differ from the One Handheld (tm): The One Handheld has inductive charging, and the dataport/cable charger should be on the bottom for cradle usage. None of these have inductive charging, and the iPhone even takes a step back into the archaic days of proprietary phone chargers. Interestingly, the Neo has the port on the side, but because there is no cover over the screen, the handheld can be turned, dropped in a cradle, and still easily used with screen rotation. However, the A1200 cannot easily have the screen rotated, and even if it did, the cover prevents cradle usage.
A1200: 2.5 (+0), Neo: 5.5 (+.25), iPhone: 2 (-.5)
..:: DRM
A1200: none
iPhone: forced video and audio FairPlay DRM
Neo1973: none
How these differ from the One Handheld (tm): The One Handheld treats all media just as they are - files that can be dragged and dropped without any interference on user interaction. This leaves the iPhone as a wreck with its forced FairPlay DRM. The A1200 and the Neo both work as standard mass storage devices, so both are winners in this category. A handheld that supports viral features will easily satisfy the requirements of MobileHome, but restrictions because of DRM prohibits this goal. Both the A1200 and Neo force absolutely no DRM onto the user and this is good. Because the iPhone will force video and audio based DRM, sync'ing with non-Mac/Windows machines will be difficult if not impossible, and the ability to use the handheld as a mass storage device may be impossible. Until a proper COMD is publicly available, piracy will still most likely be the chosen method of obtaining digital media for many.
A1200: 3.5 (+1), Neo: 6.5 (+1), iPhone: 2 (+0)
..:: Availability
A1200: you can buy it now through ebay or from many internet vendors. Ebay will have the nicest prices though.
iPhone: unknown. According to Apple, the
FCC has not approved the iPhone. Additionally, Cisco owns the trademark on "iPhone", and because of this and Apple's major announcements,
Cisco has sued Apple for trademark infringement. The iPhone might be available this summer, but it might not be available for another 2 years.
Neo1973: Gen1 OEM for non-developers will be available Mar. 11 (
openmoko.com), with the retail release available on Sept. 11, 2007. Rumors are about of the Gen2 release available for developers on Sept. 11, 2007.
How these differ from the One Handheld (tm): This can't really be described in comparison with the One Handheld, as the One Handheld should be available now. Currently, only the A1200 is available now, and while it is the closest currently purchaseable device to the One Handheld, it clearly lacks requisite features. I gave the Neo partial credit because it will be out in a few weeks.
A1200: 4 (+.5), Neo: 7 (+.5), iPhone: 2 (+0)
..:: Conclusion
Here's the final score:
A1200: 4, Neo: 7, and iPhone: 2
Overall, the iPhone could have been the One Handheld, but the negative aspects of the iPhone are so unbelievably awful (vendor lock-in, grossly higher price, DRM, grossly limited applications). The A1200 is a well rounded handheld, but comes up short of being the One Handheld in multiple areas (required underpowered camera, limited storage, limited applications). The Neo is also a very well rounded handheld, but also comes up short of being the One Handheld. Because of the openness of the Neo, many applications will be able to be developed leaving only a few hardware limitations in place between it the One Handheld. The Neo1973 generation 2, which is slated for release in September 2007, is expected to have WiFi, which will make it nearly the One Handheld, with only minor limitations like inductive charging, camera options, and storage limitations. For now, the camera vs GPS is the substantial difference between the A1200 and the Neo1973. For many businesspersons, the camera on the A1200 is the deal-breaker, as cameras are just not allowed in so many places nowadays. Additionally, the camera on the A1200 (and iPhone) can't replace a standalone, as it lacks optical zoom and a flash.
If you absolutely need a phone now, buy the A1200. If you can't wait until September, but can wait 2 weeks, then get a Neo1973. If you can wait until September, get the Neo gen2. Only
waste spend the money on the iPhone if you really can accept living in Apple's walled garden. I know I can't.
Post Last Updated: Jan 29, 2007 4:47 pm
