Meandering in the Mobile Marketplace at the Mall

Matt and I went to a few stores today to check out the latest in mobile phones. First we stopped by our local Best Buy, where we got some hands-on time with the new Instinct phone that Sprint hopes to position as an iPhone killer. The active feedback feature on the touchscreen was unusual, and possibly cool, but overall I was not impressed by the Instinct. The browser was poor, and the other built-in apps were mediocre. This device may have a future, but the first version is not good enough to win me over.

Next we stopped at the ATT store, which is just a stone’s throw from the Best Buy, to check out the much-hyped iPhone 3G. The demo phones had no third-party apps installed, so it was only possible to check out the pre-installed apps. The new iPhone 3G is a little slimmer and wider than its predecessor, but the differences are minor. The 3G network speed is definitely better than what I normally get from the Edge network on my current iPhone, and the built-in GPS seemed to work reasonably well even inside the store. The ATT pricing plans are really expensive, however, and I simply cannot bring myself to shell out even more money every month to them. No iPhone 3G for me, at least not for the moment.

Finally, we stopped by the Sprint store across the parking lot from the ATT store, and we took a look at the other devices they are selling. The Sprint store was better than Best Buy for reviewing the options because it had real, working phones to try out. The Best Buy had only those useless dummy devices (except for the Instinct the department manager had for demoing.)

I was surprised that the device I was most impressed by was the compact and affordable Palm Centro. The keys are a bit close together, but the basics are all there, and the Sprint EV-DO network speed was brisk and usable. With so many options to use a tethered Centro as a wireless modem for your laptop, this thing seems to be a great device to have high-speed internet on the go without paying an arm and a leg for it. Curiously, I thought the Sprint TV was a cool service, but until I saw it I would not have imagined myself to be willing to pay for it.

Anyway, that was our meander through the mobile marketplace at the mall. I’m hard-pressed to say any of these devices is a “must-have”, but I can definitely say that my first hands-on use of an iPhone 3G did not overwhelm. It was ok, but not much more. IMO, the really killer feature of iPhone 2.0 is the App Store and the implied transition of iPhone from being a device to being a platform with an accompanying marketplace. 3G network speeds and GPS are fine and well, but the opening of new commercial opportunities for software developers is something I can get excited about!