// Pocket Picks //

Amid all the hype and hoo-ha surrounding Apple’s 3G iPhone announcement on Monday, it’s good to get some perspective. By which I mean alternate views on whether the device is all it’s cracked up to be. And where better to go than a blog devoted to Google’s Android smartphone platform? Phandroid is the blog, and the title of its post ‘iPhone 3G: Deceitfully Mediocre’ gives you a sense of its standpoint.It’s well worth reading though, since it lays into the device’s $199 price point, claiming that it’s misleading users since they’ll still have to pay $49 for the dock and USB connection (is this true? Crumbs!), and pointing out that you’ll only be able to get the device on a two-year contract. Presumably that’s the US - O2 hasn’t announced details of how long its tariffs will lock you in for here in the UK.Other bugbears include the lack of a better camera (true!), the fact that 3G speeds won’t be what Steve Jobs cracked them up to be (but this applies to all handsets, surely?), and claims that the iPhone will soon be swamped by rival handsets with better features. You might not agree with all their points, but the post is well worth a read if only to counter the wave of ‘OMG! The 3G iPhone is the BEST THING EVER!’ gushing elsewhere online.