With the hype around today’s release of Apple’s 2nd generation iPhone, the GPS-packing iPhone 3G, you’d think the game was over for other devices.

You’d think that all other phones might as well place themselves on the scrap crap heap, JSA list or the nearest electronic marketplace. Well based on fact – here at the Cotchin’ department of RWD Magazine we like to base our features on fact and not what everyone else is blabbing on about – the iPhone 3G has many flaws. And everyone knows sitting in the penthouse is the bog standard and almost laughable 2MP camera (WHICH STILL CAN’T VIDEO RECORD OR SEND MMS MESSAGES).

We scoured the market to see what rivals this glorified iPod has…

First up Nokia’s N96…

Nokia’s iPhone 3G beating features…
Nokia’s N96 is 8 grams lighter (Nokia = 125g vs. Apple 3G = 133g)
Nokia’s N96 is 7.1 mm thinner (Nokia = 55mm vs. Apple = 62.1mm)
Nokia’s N96 has 3MP more in the camera department (Nokia = 5MP vs. Apple = 2MP).
Nokia’s N96 has 8GB more memory (Nokia = 16GB onboard memory – expandable via microSD card vs. Apple = 8GB… based on the 8GB model, there is a 16GB model available in black or white).

Did you know both phones have…
GPS – enabling you to find the local chicken shop, geo tag photos and all that jazz.
An Accelerometer – this is the fancy feature that allows you to turn the phone to the side and the screen will automatically rotate. Good for viewing photos, browsing websites and showing off to mates.
Bluetooth - a phone without Bluetooth is like a supermarket with ice cream.

What we think of the iPhone 3G…
Being fans of the previous iPhone (one member of staff owns an iPhone), the iPod Touch (one member of staff owns an iPod Touch) and the iPod (get your toes out if you want to count the iPod owners on digits) we admire Apple’s domination of the market. The iPhone 3G is great don’t get us wrong; it’s relatively cheap, it contains technology small countries still don’t possess and its one of the most innovative contraptions since the invention of the wheel… but it’s not perfect. We just can’t get over the non-video equipped camera, lack of copy-and-paste, un-replaceable battery and expensive App store.

What we think of the Nokia N96…
Nokia’s improving interface, user friendly programs and downloadable content have impressed us ever since we manhandled the N81 – see issue 72 (December 2007). The N96 is a glorious upgrade to the still impressive N95. With more memory than the previous incarnation and the entry level iPhone 3G. It will hold your music, photos and games with stylish ease. The music interface isn’t exactly iTunes, the widescreen video playback can’t match iPhone 3G’s mammoth 3.5-inch multi-touch display and a proximity sensor is non-existent but it will go the distance against Apple’s latest… but could get ‘knocked the **** out’ in the 12th round.

Nokia N96 RWD stats…
Buyability: High – small, feature-packed and pocket-money worthy.
Longevity: Med – although this a another Nokia beauty, they’ll probably have an N96.5 out next week.
Mugability: High – make sure your bodyguards are paid in advance so you don’t get caught slipping.

Is the Nokia N96 a true iPhone 3G rival?
Hell yes – it has all the features you need to survive the urban jungle, live outside the office and show off to girls. What more do you need in a device? Rumours that Nokia are working on a ‘fridge’ phone are still unconfirmed.*

Stay tuned to RWD’s Cotchin’ Blog as we’ll be putting more phones up against Apple’s glorious iPhone 3G

*Probably cos we just made it up.

With social networking at an all-time high, we sit back and chill with the ever-intriguing Chocolate Rain and YouTube sensation, Tay Zonday. He tells us his favourite flicks and the secret to his “I move away from the mic to breathe” success…

Hey Tay Zonday…
Hello RWD Magazine.

So what have you been up to since the Chocolate… phenomenon?
TV shows, promo, I was nominated for a Webby Award… I have continued to make new music too.
 

And this week/ month?
I released Chocolate Rain: Benefit Power – the anniversary of the original video – where parts of the proceeds benefit the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Free tracks are available from playtay.com.

What is the difference between Adam Nyerere Bahner and Tay Zonday?
Adam Nyerere Bahner is who I have to be, and Tay Zonday is who I choose to be.

Where do you get your creativity from?
Does anyone have a good answer to this? Creativity is like speaking in tongues. The moment hits you and you give your body to it.

[Withholding laughter] What do you do to relax?
The line between “work” and “free time” has blurred without a 9-5 job. My life is like this: I always intend to be productive and I often end up wasting time.

When you go to the cinema, do you buy food there or sneak it in?
Is this question propaganda for the food industry? This is like asking a two-year-old “Will you to go to bed, or will you have a cookie and go to bed?” How about I go to the movie and not eat? Why do people eat in cinemas?

We’re not sure…
You can’t sit two hours without food? What do they sell that you want to eat? That popcorn is the nastiest biohazard bad-hygiene, fake-butter-stinking, carcinogenic greasiness I’ve ever seen.

OK? Last film you watched?
What is a “film” in this day and age? A moving picture? I watch dozens or hundreds of moving pictures on the Internet every day. I don’t remember names for the vast majority of them. Now, I’m culturally trained to think of a “film” as a commodity I see at the cinema or buy on a DVD. But that is not how I live my life anymore.

What was your favourite thing to do at school?
Fantasise about how everybody else’s life was better than mine and then fall into deep depression about not having the freedom to live how I imagined everybody else lived.

Nintendo, Sony or SEGA?
What is this? 1998? SEGA hasn’t made a platform for eight years. But no, I don’t have a Wii or PS3 either.

Will you be playing Grand Theft Auto IV?
No. Maybe if they release a PC version.

So Tay. What did you like about YouTube when you first started using it?
I liked that I could self-publish. The great thing about the Internet is that there is nothing between you and the world.

20 MILLION views for Chocolate Rain, where did it all come from?
I was dashing through the forest and then a voice commanded me; ‘Make a song called ‘Chocolate Rain’ and post it on YouTube!’ In all seriousness, there is no cinematic origin. Some people like the song because it has a catchy hook, some because it has deep politics, some because I am awkward in the video. Some laugh at it. Some are touched by it.

Tell us what TV shows you have been on?
This is such a phallic question. There is too much ego in entertainment. Bragging about media hits and other riff-raff has always been a major turn-off for me. That being said, I’ve been on Jimmy Kimmel Live and Good Morning America, CNN Saturday, BBC3’s Lily Allen and Friends, the cover of Sunday’s LA Times and been the subject of multiple parodies including a recent South Park episode…

[RWD stop him, mid-brag] So who have you met?
Another phallic question. Can I really put who I’ve met on my resume? Yes, I’ve “met” people like Al Gore, Cuba Gooding Jr., Tom Brokaw, Lily Allen, and others in a conversational sense. But meeting successful people does not make me successful.

Well done on the Dr Pepper ad. Did you ever taste that Cherry Chocolate Rain drink? Sounds nasty…
[RWD receive no answer].

Do stars of the Internet get girls?
You have to respect your readers more than this. This question demeans women by reducing them to an acquisition. It demeans relationships by presuming that some types are more feasible than others. It demeans sexuality by presuming that gender-pairing defines our sexual identity [goes on for a while]…

[We guess that is a long answer for ‘No’] What do you think of Andy Warhol’s legendary ‘Everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes’ quote?
Chris Rock said something like ‘You’re not famous until people’s mamas know who you are. You’re just hot and heat cools off.’ If being famous and being successful were the same thing, I could understand wanting to be famous. But this is a distorted view of wealth and power.

To network with Tay visit tayzonday.com or youtube.com/TayZonday and MySpace.com/TayZonday

Get off the sofa and check out some films…

Jumper
Twentieth Century Fox
Cert 12A
Billed by some review-giddy red top as “Bourne Meets Matrix”, this film is far from Keanu and the slickest (if not the best) trilogy in Sci-Fi history. What it is though is an adventure every boy/ young man/ person with an eye for instantaneous travel wants to go on. Forget air miles as David Rice (Hayden Christensen aka Aniken with lesser powers), Griffin (Jamie Bell who plays a strong, quick-witted believable character) and Roland (Samuel L.  With dodgy hair… again) take you on a mildly intense ride clocking up scare miles along the way. Clearly not for everyone but we loved it.
4/5

Semi-Pro
New Line Cinema
Cert 15
To reap the sweaty benefits of Will Ferrell’s latest movie, you have to be a fan of his back catalogue. Those who have wet themselves whilst watching Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, dropped off the sofa laughing at Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby or shed a tear at Elf; will love this b-balling, bear wrestling, Andre 3000-sporting chuckle ride. Ferrell can add Jackie Moon to his long list of excellently executed characters but this is not his best flick, the forthcoming Step Brothers; might be just that.
3/5

For all you fashion needs look no further than Fashion Fridays;

Not content with smashing the t-shirt game (which is apparently healthy), ever innovative T. Magic has moved into the sweatshirt business. Fusing his art flavoured background and modern contemporary culture the Stonebridge-bred fashion designer/ artist is out to put his mark on the industry.

Previously hailed as About to Blow, T, soon let us know he wasn’t playing around; “I admire (BAPE owner) Nigo as a marketing genius, but the clothes don’t have any message behind what they do. The people I want to wear T Magic, are the people that have the same ideologies and philosophies as T Magic.”

The latest in a long list of artwork for the torso, sees Mr Magic create limited edition sweatshirts…

Those who are interested in this garment will be pleased to know that they have only made 150 and it also comes with a signed poster complete with UV gloss finish. The website reads… “Balancing function and freshness, the attention to detail on this wearable piece of artwork focuses on the dye, wash and weave of thick, rich materials. Anyone can wear a solid black jumper. But only fashion forward-thinkers can handle being the centre of attention are able to rock a fresh black sweat dressed in a blood-red neck, dipped in a royal blue hem with yellow and red cuffs.”

For all your Magic needs hit tmagicworld.com

The Fresh Prince/ Bad Boys/ MiB star is gearing up to come over to the UK for the premiere of his new Warner Bros. Pictures in association with Village Roadshow Pictures film, I Am Legend.

The latest blockbuster sees Smith as the last human survivor of a virus that has wiped out mankind. “My name is Robert Neville. I am a survivor living in New York City. If there is anybody out there…anybody. Please. You are not alone.” Stranded in what’s left of New York City, he soon finds out he’s not by himself…

In related news you can try and get yourself tickets to the UK premiere on December 19 here.

Also get on over to iamlegendplpayer.co.uk for more.

It’s something that a lot of us have been waiting for but now you can put money where your thoughts have been as King Apparel have launched a new official online store…

Located on the King Apparel website – which we all know as http://www.king-apparel.com – the Autumn/ Winter 2007/ 08 collection (and some earlier goodies) are ready for your shopping cart. There are also a few items that are only available directly from King, nice. Over the next two months the website will be developing piece by piece to a fully interactive experience so make sure you check back there regularly for updates.

They are also showing the love with FREE shipping on ALL UK orders! You still here?

Check it out and reign supreme!!!

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
RedOctane
PS3, Wii, Xbox 360, PS2
RWD: Not ones to complain when the freeness arrives at RWD towers the team were soon strumming (leave it) to the sound of rock. To be honest we didn’t know much of the tunes but it was fun nonetheless. If you don’t know about the Guitar Hero series – it’s like those dance type of games only with your hands. Basically you strum and press the “chords” to match the colours that come onto the screen. RedOctane get some decent music and this will match the likes of Pro Evo for entertainment value.
3/5

We let Aftershock affiliate and Musicool star Mz Bratt loose with our wireless guitar:
This game was alright… I prefer shooting at people and stuff. I liked the way the guitar was wireless – yeah that was fun – but I can see myself soon start playing Gears or Need for Speed after a while. I didn’t mind the rock music cos I’m into everything. When I was growing up I had to live in a house with all different musical tastes/ people so that’s where my music ability comes from.
3/5

Cotchin Fridays: The Kingdom & Rockstar’s Table Tennis

The Kingdom
Universal Pictures
Cert 15
As the sea of post 9/11 feature films continue to pour in (last year’s United 93 being most poignant), six years on from those tragic events and script writer’s are getting bolder. The Kingdom sees Academy Award winning Jamie Foxx embark on a revenge fuelled terror hunt into the depths of the Middle East. After a horrific incident in Saudi Arabia, Foxx and his team (including Chris Cooper and Jennifer Garner) go on an action packed, Michael Mann produced voyage to rid the world of evil aka bomb makers. Beautifully shot with believable shootouts and well thought-out room silencing ending.
4/5

Hayley Joyes Gets to Grips With Wii…

Rockstar Presents Table Tennis
Rockstar
Wii
As RWD’s resident games phobic, I was looking forward to a sit down session of frenzy finger flicking but found myself working up a sweat and on the rampage to hit some balls. I have always found the concept of playing sport on a computer console rather alien, but was pleasantly surprised by both the game and Nintendo Wii, especially the wand thing. The trick is to not to get too excited, half arsed flicks of the wrist see you losing the control of the table tennis paddle. After a short practice I was able to get a rally going and exhibited an embarrassing show of mad gesticulation and puffed out cries of exhaustion. By the end of the session I was feeling competitive and even raced a school kid to the bus stop. A good game, so easy even a girl can play it!! (HJ)
3/5