To iPhone or not to iPhone...

$199 USD for a 3G iPhone, with a soul-stealing ridiculously-priced contract.

Is it worth it?

I've been considering getting an iPhone when it launches in Canada on July 11th, but rumours indicate that it's going to cost about $90 CAD/month for service with Rogers. I currently pay about $10 CAD/month for a cheapo prepaid cellphone. In 2 months I'll be moving across the country, so now is a convenient time to reconsider my options. I've decided that if I were to get an iPhone, it'd replace my landline. Does it make it any more affordable? No, $90/month on a contract for 3 years still seems insane to me.

The massive draw with the iPhone for me is the software. The sheer amount of cool applications that are going to be released for it make it very appealing, plus the stock software (email, web browser) are top notch. On the other hand, it's a nightmare if you want to make it sync with Linux.

What're my other options? Stick with the $10 CAD/month cheapo phone, and possibly invest in something else for mobile internet. This is where Linux comes back into play...



The Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition has caught my eye. A little known fact is that Canada already has a nation-wide WiMAX network, with access offered by both of our big telcos (as Rogers Portable Internet and Bell Sympatico Unplugged). For about $60 CAD/month (tax inc.), it looks like I can get 1.5 Mbps WiMAX which I believe will work with the N810. As an added bonus, I could just use this WiMAX connection as my internet connection at home too.

Lastly, did I mention that the N810 runs Linux? Nokia's device runs OS 2008 and it looks Android-ready too. I'm a fan of Linux-based embedded devices (like the GP2X), so this adds a bit of hackability to the thing. Unfortunately, the N810 WiMAX Edition doesn't look like it comes out for another month, so we'll have to see what the reviews are like when it's released. Until then, I'll keep pondering...