Long a fan of PDAs such as the iPaq, Viewpoint took the plunge and acquired an iPhone 3Gs which does everything the iPaq does and more, further it looks good and by the way it is also an iPod and of course a phone. There is a bewildering array of applications available for download (now estimated at more than 100,000) offering all sorts of additional functionality some of which is essentially useless, some is just pretty and some genuinely useful (like the replicated HP12c Financial calculator). Viewpoint was more than a little impressed. Through the 3G mobile connection or when available a wireless hotspot the iPhone provides seamless connectivity to the Internet and herein lies the problem.

The truth is that the iPhone's facilities, at first addictive, quickly reach a plateau of expectation whereby the exceptional capabilities just become "normal." Until that is you leave the Country. The iPhone thrives on internet connectivity but the cost of mobile data outside your home territory is verging on the insane. At between £3 to £6 per megabyte the iPhone could easily rack up data roaming costs of hundreds of pounds per day. There are indeed horror stories on this very theme. In fact if you want to use your iPhone in another country for more than a week or so it would probably be cheaper to take out an annual contract for a new iPhone in that country.

International data roaming is disabled by default (which is just as well) but in this mode, unconnected from the internet the iPhone is essentially crippled.

There is no justificaiton for these data charges and whilst it will no doubt take some time Viewpoint considers that eventually the mobile operators will be brought to task. Do your bit by writing to your provider and the regulator.

T-Mobile (in the US and possibly elsewhere) offer a Cloud service to Sidekick phone users which provides access (and back-up) to calendars, contacts, photos, files, etc. The service is via a Microsoft subsidiary "Danger." A few days ago they irretrievably lost all customer data stored in the Cloud! Some customers who were relying on the T-Mobile Cloud as their primary source of information found themselves without access to it. There are one million SideKick users and until now the typical way of resolving a problem with the phone was by holding down the restart button or removing and reinstalling the battery. This reboot wipes the data and forces a resync with the faulty servers which no longer have the data! Viewpoint imagines one or two were a little annoyed.

The problem may have arisen during a SAN upgrade, unfortunately something went "pear shaped" and the data got wiped, totally, completely and utterly; unfortunately the data was not backed up. Difficult to believe but apparently true. That being said Microsoft have indicated that it may now be possible to recover some if not all the data, at least for most users. Microsoft were also quick to point out that the problem was with Danger's technology (a recently acquired company) rather than Microsoft's core systems. Viewpoint considers this point not one that will satisfy users.

Steve Balmer Microsoft's CEO was quick to identify the problem as "not good" and noted that Microsoft will have to be more forthcoming in explaining to enterprise customers why a similar situation won't occur with Microsoft's (Sharepoint) online services. He said Microsoft would have to win back the trust of Sidekick users some of whom have reportedly instigated lawsuits. Given the current clamour Viewpoint considers that "not good" is probably at the very positive end of the spectrum.