Apple's iPhone goes on sale in the UK and Germany on Friday with thousands expected to snap up the device.
Eager customers have begun queuing outside the Apple Store in Regent Street, London, despite the poor weather conditions.
But there are concerns that consumers are only able to use the phone with one mobile network.
In the UK the phone will only work on O2's network, while in Germany T-Mobile will support the device.
The phones can be unlocked for use on other networks but this voids the warranty and could break the device if software updates from Apple are loaded.
As many as 250,000 users in the US have unlocked the device using free and paid-for software to make the phone work on different networks, and to load third-party software not supported by Apple.
In London, friends Graham Gilbert and Nik Fletcher were the first to queue for the phone.
Manchester Metropolitan University student Graham Gilbert, 22, said: "It is amazing. I just like the fact that it brings everything I carry with me into one device. I don't have to think 'have I remembered my iPod?'"
Mr Fletcher, from Petersfield in Hampshire, is blogging his experience on Apple fansight the Unofficial Apple Weblog. He said: "People talk about the cult of Mac. They have a cult and there is a very loyal following."
Lacks technology
Critics have pointed out that the device, while boasting an innovative user interface which makes it simple to use, lacks technology found in rival phones.
The iPhone only works on slower 2G networks, limiting its usefulness as a mobile web browser, but it does also connect to wi-fi hotspots.
In the UK, iPhone owners can connect to the net for free at thousands of The Cloud's hotspots.
Greg Joswiak, head of marketing for the iPhone, denied that the phone had sacrificed function over form by choosing 2G.
"We wanted to make sure that we had a very small device and good battery life. You can't do that today with 3G.
Talk time
"It's just too power hungry, which is why most 3G phones have nowhere near eight hours of talktime."
One of the iPhone's big rivals, the Nokia N95, has four hours of talk time on a 2G network, while Apple's device has up to eight hours, according to technical specifications provided by both firms.
read full article:
*news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7085643.stm
Eager customers have begun queuing outside the Apple Store in Regent Street, London, despite the poor weather conditions.
But there are concerns that consumers are only able to use the phone with one mobile network.
In the UK the phone will only work on O2's network, while in Germany T-Mobile will support the device.
The phones can be unlocked for use on other networks but this voids the warranty and could break the device if software updates from Apple are loaded.
As many as 250,000 users in the US have unlocked the device using free and paid-for software to make the phone work on different networks, and to load third-party software not supported by Apple.
In London, friends Graham Gilbert and Nik Fletcher were the first to queue for the phone.
Manchester Metropolitan University student Graham Gilbert, 22, said: "It is amazing. I just like the fact that it brings everything I carry with me into one device. I don't have to think 'have I remembered my iPod?'"
Mr Fletcher, from Petersfield in Hampshire, is blogging his experience on Apple fansight the Unofficial Apple Weblog. He said: "People talk about the cult of Mac. They have a cult and there is a very loyal following."
Lacks technology
Critics have pointed out that the device, while boasting an innovative user interface which makes it simple to use, lacks technology found in rival phones.
The iPhone only works on slower 2G networks, limiting its usefulness as a mobile web browser, but it does also connect to wi-fi hotspots.
In the UK, iPhone owners can connect to the net for free at thousands of The Cloud's hotspots.
Greg Joswiak, head of marketing for the iPhone, denied that the phone had sacrificed function over form by choosing 2G.
"We wanted to make sure that we had a very small device and good battery life. You can't do that today with 3G.
Talk time
"It's just too power hungry, which is why most 3G phones have nowhere near eight hours of talktime."
One of the iPhone's big rivals, the Nokia N95, has four hours of talk time on a 2G network, while Apple's device has up to eight hours, according to technical specifications provided by both firms.
read full article:
*news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7085643.stm
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