iPhone 3G S Review
Three years after the first rumors of an Apple cell phone began to make the rounds, the iPhone continues to garner huge buzz, long lines, and a growing share of the cell phone market. And as we approach the second anniversary of the first model’s frenzied launch day, Apple drops the newest model in our laps. The iPhone 3GS, promises faster processing and network speeds, extended battery life, more memory, and additional features. It’s enough to get our attention, but not enough to get us completely excited.
In many ways, the iPhone 3GS delivers on its promises. So should you buy it? That will depend on how much you’ll have to pay for the privilege. If you don’t own an iPhone yet, and you’ve been waiting for the right model, now is the time to go for it. The same goes for iPhone Classic owners who never made the jump to the iPhone 3G. But, if you’re a current iPhone 3G owner, the answer isn’t so clear. If you’re eligible to upgrade at the cheapest prices ($199 for the 16GB model and $299 for the 32GB model), we suggest doing so, as long as you don’t mind the required two-year contract. If you own an iPhone 3G, but are not yet eligible for the upgrade, we recommend upgrading to the new iPhone OS 3.0 operating system, and then waiting. As much as the iPhone 3GS brings, it’s not worth the extra $200 that the 16GB and 32GB models cost.
Design and interface:
The iPhone 3GS looks exactly like the previous model. It shares the shape and the same external controls, but the iPhone 3GS is unique in a handful of ways. You can get both memory sizes in white or black, and the iPhone 3GS display sports a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating that is supposed to attract fewer fingerprints and smudges. The new model shares the same dimensions as its predecessor, but it’s slightly heavier (4.76 ounces versus 4.7 ounces), a virtually unnoticeable difference.
Features:
Since the iPhone 3GS inherits many of the features from the previous model, we’ll concentrate on what’s different on this device. If you need a refresher on such elements as the clock, YouTube, weather, iPod player, calculator, and e-mail, please see our iPhone 3G review. We’ll start off with the new features that only the iPhone 3GS will offer.
Camera:
Until now, the iPhone’s camera has been good, but far from great, with decent photo quality, but no editing features. Apple didn’t include options such as white balance, a digital zoom, or a self-timer that come standard on many basic VGA camera phones. The minimalist shooter bothered us so much that we began to worry if Apple was leading a new trend of “dumbing down” cell phone cameras
Video recording:
The iPhone 3GS is the first iPhone to offer video recording, another feature other phones have offered for years. Apple makes up for some lost time by offering an easy-to-use video-editing option right on the phone. Controls for video shooting work just like the still camera’s controls, and you can use the Tap to Focus feature here, as well. The quality is just VGA, but the camera shoots at 30 frames per second, so while colors look muted and some videos appear washed out, the iPhone 3GS did better at handling movement than most cell phone cameras. After you’re done recording, you can send your clip in an e-mail or upload it directly to your YouTube account.
Voice Control:
We’ve long berated Apple for not including voice dialing on previous iPhones, particularly in this age of hands-free driving laws. Overdue as it is, the new Voice Control feature goes far beyond just making calls. To activate it, hold down the home button until the Voice Control feature appears. As with hundreds of other cell phones, Voice Control lets you make calls by speaking the contact’s name or phone number into the receiver. After you say your command, you’ll get audio confirmation and the name or number will show on the display. If the iPhone makes a mistake, you can press an “undo” touch control at the bottom of the screen. The feature is speaker-independent, so you won’t need to train it to recognize your voice; you’ll be ready to go the first time you turn on the phone.
Voice Control also interacts with the iPhone’s iPod player and the iTunes Genius list. You can ask it to play a song by artist name and album, and you can request an entire playlist. Once music is playing, you can pause, skip to the next song, and go back to the previous track, using your voice. Say “shuffle” and the player skips to a random song. The feature is accurate most of the time, but it occasionally confuses some artist names.
Compass:
You’ll find the iPhone 3GS’ digital compass option directly on the Home screen; just tap to open. The attractive interface shows a large compass with your bearing and your latitude and longitude. Similar to any other compass, it continues to point true or magnetic north as you turn around. Reception was spotty inside, so you’ll need to stay clear of any interference. If it can’t get a bearing, you’ll be advised to move away from the interference and re-establish the compass’ orientation by moving the iPhone in a figure-eight motion.
The compass also interacts with Google Maps to point you in the right direction. To switch to the maps, just press the familiar bull’s-eye icon in the bottom-left corner. You’ll see your position on the map, and if you tap the bull’s-eye again, the map will rotate to show the direction you are facing.
Accessibility features:
The iPhone 3GS is the first iPhone to offer a full set of accessibility features. Visually impaired people can use Apple’s Voice Over to navigate the handset’s menus and type messages and e-mails. As you drag your finger around the display and tap a button, the iPhone will read a description of that button. The phone will also read the text of dialog boxes, the time of day, the status and orientation of the display (locked or unlocked, portrait or landscape), and detail information, such as the battery level, Wi-Fi, and cellular network signals. What’s more, it speaks each character as you type a message, and it will suggest autocorrection choices. Voice Over can read text messages, e-mails, and even Web pages.
To use Voice Over, you will need to learn a different set of gestures–for example, you’ll have to double-tap to open an item–but the feature provides audible instruction. You can set the speaking rate and choose from 21 supported languages. Voice Over works with all of the phone’s native applications, but support for third-party apps varies. Though we’re sighted and our Voice Over user experience can’t compare with someone who is visually impaired, we were impressed by the feature’s capabilities. The iPhone 3GS also adds multitouch zoom support for the Home, Unlock, and Spotlight screens for all applications, both native and third-party. Previously, zoom only worked in the photo gallery, e-mail in-boxes, and the Safari browser. You can activate the enhanced zoom in the Settings menu, but you can’t use it and Voice Over simultaneously.
Other new Features:
The iPhone 3GS includes support for Nike + iPod, which integrates your iPod with a sensor that fits inside Nike running shoes. You use it as a pedometer to track your distance traveled and your pace. When you turn on the app in the settings menu, an icon will appear on the Home screen. The headphones included with the iPhone 3GS also show changes. You’ll find controls for using the Voice Control feature, adjusting the volume, answering calls, and controlling music and video playback.
iPhone OS 3.0:
The iPhone 3GS will support the new iPhone OS 3.0 update from day one. The OS 3.0 is a significant update that promises 100 new features, including such long-awaited gems as multimedia messaging, stereo Bluetooth, a voice recorder, and cut, copy, and paste. Apple has yet to release a fully detailed list–and we’ve barely scratched the surface in our testing–but we’ll continue to report improvements as we find them. First announced in March 2009, it was released June 17, 2009, for the iPhone Classic and the iPhone 3G.
Multi Media Messaging:
We’ve ranted endlessly about why it took so long for Apple to achieve multimedia messaging (MMS), so we’re glad that it’s finally on its way. Besides photos, you’ll also be able to send videos, audio files, and map locations. At long last, the iPhone can do something that almost every other cell phone can do, and has done for ages.
Cut, copy, and paste:
The interface is simple and easy to use, and it works across all applications, including notes, e-mails, messages, and text on Web pages. To get started, just double-tap a selection of text and the cut, copy, and paste commands will appear. You then can change the highlighted area by dragging the blue grab points around the page. Once you get to your pasting area, just tap the screen again and select the paste button. If you make a mistake and paste in the incorrect place, you can shake the iPhone to undo your command. When in Notes and e-mail, you also can highlight with a long press (aka holding your finger down). You’ll see two options: Select and Select All. The former command highlights just the word that you’re touching, while the latter highlights the entire block of text.
Landscape keyboard:
Formerly–and inexplicably–available only in the Safari browser, the landscape keyboard now works in e-mail, text messaging, and notes. After haranguing Apple over the past two years to get it, we have to admit that it took a second to get accustomed to it. Though the landscape keyboard is much wider, with larger buttons, it’s also a lot shorter. It did take us a couple of days to get the hang of it. Don’t think that we’re complaining, though, as it’s quite the opposite. We love being able to use two hands, but we had grown accustomed to the one-finger tap dance on the vertical keyboard. You can also now view your e-mail in-box, contacts, and text messages in landscape mode. The calendar remains in a portrait orientation.
Spotlight:
Until now, it’s been rather painful to sift through the data to find e-mail or calendar entries on the iPhone. Luckily, iPhone OS 3.0 adds a Spotlight feature that makes the search process vastly easier. Similar to many of the OS 3.0 additions, it took way too long to get here, but we have few complaints about the final product. To get to the Spotlight feature, swipe your finger to the right from the first menu page. You’ll then see a keyboard with a typing field above it (this keyboard only works in portrait mode). As you type in a search term, the results appear below the search bar, with results grouped together by category for easy navigation. You can search calendar entries, music, notes, apps, contacts, and e-mail, and you can search within an individual e-mail in-box. For IMAP4 and Exchange accounts, you’ll also be able to search messages saved only on the server.
Internet Tethering:
You don’t need a Wi-Fi hotspot to surf the web from your computer. Now you can share the 3G connection on your iPhone with your Mac notebook or PC laptop and connect to the Internet anywhere. When your iPhone is tethered, you can still send and receive data and make phone calls.We know that tethering would be possible with the OS 3.0, but that it would be completely carrier-dependent. While other iPhone carriers around the world will be ready when the iPhone goes live, AT&T is saying that the carrier will support tethering later this summer. Most carriers do charge extra for this service.
Text messaging:
Deleting and forwarding individual messages in a texting thread works just like the e-mail app. When you select the edit button, small dots appear next to each message. Hit the dots for your desired messages before pressing the delete or forward options. Thanks, Apple, but this should have been on the first iPhone.
Stereo Bluetooth:
We were very glad to see a stereo Bluetooth profile arrive with iPhone OS 3.0. We tested it with the LG HBS-250 stereo Bluetooth headset. The pairing process was easy and incident-free. In the music player, a small Bluetooth icon appears next to the player controls. Press it to route audio to the headset; you then can toggle back and forth between the speaker and the headset. Speaking of Bluetooth, the update also adds Bluetooth peer-to-peer networking for gaming. Yet, neither Bluetooth feature is available on the iPhone Classic, even with the OS 3.0 update installed. Apple has a chart with more information.
Turn-by-turn directions:
iPhone OS 3.0 brings support for turn-by-turn directions, making the iPhone a fully functional GPS device. The bad news is that, along with MMS, we’ll have to wait until later this summer for complete functionality. Directional services won’t come from Apple, but will instead come from third-party apps. TomTom will be one of the first companies to offer an app; a TomTom executive demonstrated it at WWDC 2009.
iTunes Store:
With the software update, your iPhone’s iTunes Store experience will change a bit. Now you’ll be able to rent and purchase movies, download TV shows and audiobooks, and access iTunes U. You’ll also be able to redeem iTunes gift cards on the phone in the iTunes App store. Previously, you could only redeem in the iTunes music store. Also new is the capability to make purchases while inside apps. For example, you can renew a magazine subscription or buy additional levels of a game.
Find My iPhone:
If you’re prone to losing your iPhone 3GS, OS 3.0 will give you some peace of mind. If your handset goes missing, you can use a computer to find its position on a map. You can then send it a message that instructs anyone who finds your phone to call you. It plays a tone to get a passerby’s attention, and it even plays the tone when the sound is off. Presumably, however, it won’t play the tone when the phone is off.
Voice recorder:
Did we mention that iPhone OS 3.0 adds features that should have been on the first-generation device? Oh, that’s right, we did. But, in any case, the new voice-recording app is another example of something being better late than ever. It has its own icon on the Home screen, and its interface is clean and easy to use. Tap the record button to start and tap it again to end; you can continue to record while you’re using other applications, like the Web browser. When finished, you can e-mail your voice clips to a friend, or you can trim them in the same fashion as you would videos.
Stocks:
You’ll now see news headlines for the company tickers saved in your Stocks application. That would be a nice touch if we used the Stocks app more often. You’ll also be able to see a chart in landscape mode, and you’ll be able to get a stock price at any point on a chart.
Other additions:
The remaining additions range from useful to trivial. Thanks to iPhone OS 3.0, you’ll also get push notifications, expanded parental controls, a shake-to-shuffle feature for the iPod player, the capability to forward meeting invites and contacts, Notes syncing for Macs and PCs, autofill for Web fields and Wi-Fi auto-log-ins, the option to change the default destination for the home button, and additional wallpaper. Finally, if you tap and hold on a Web link in the Safari browser, a new menu will appear with choices to open the link, open it in another page, save an image, or copy the link.
Battery life:
Battery life remains one of the iPhone 3G’s biggest detractions. Indeed, you’re lucky if your handset lasts longer than a day with heavy use. Fortunately, the iPhone 3GS offers some hope. It should offer 9 hours of Wi-Fi battery life, 10 hours of video playback, 30 hours of audio playback, 12 hours of 2G talk time, and 5 hours of 3G talk time. And, in another change, you now can see the percentage of battery charge left on the Home screen.
source: cnet.com