 iPhone 3Gs - Improves on greatness/OS 3.0 makes a dream Review created: 06/17/09(updated 07/15/09) 61 of 71 people found this review helpful.
Please also read my reviews of the iPhone 1.0 & 3G.
I've owned a cellphone since 1992. I've always had a "top of the line phone" (I've always had AT&T = formerly Cingular = formerly BellSouth Mobility)
In 17 years having cellphones, I've had over 100 (Yes 100+) different models & makes
The iPhone uses GSM - an international standard technology for cellphones. Verizon & Sprint use CDMA (& variants) - this technology is found in very few places widespread outside the USA & Europe.
One minor hardware complaint about the iPhone has been addressed by Apple - the new iPhone 3GS has an oil resistant coating - making it easier to clean and less "smudgeable"
The 3.0 iPhone OS is very stable. The addition of copy & paste, video, & tethering make "jailbreaking" completely unnecessary (Tethering is promised by AT&T in the US later)
I haven't had signal issues w/ many phones, it's always clumsy interfaces.
Every phone I've ever had, no matter how long I've had it - I've had a problem placing a call on hold & answering another call or joining a call into a 3-way. The iPhone interface is so well designed features are clearly labeled - I don't have that problem
I had an HP iPaq 6515 - I hated the keyboard. (Which is similar in design to Palm & Blackberry smartphones w/ physical keyboards) Physical keyboards on cellphones are hard to see, crowded w/ characters & difficult to use w/ my large fingers. iPhone users should try the pogo stylus if they have issues, but give it it time - you will become proficient within a few weeks
The camera on my iPhone 1.0 & 3G was great. The camera on the new iPhone is stunning though. I see myself taking even more pictures. I use the HP iPrint app to print my photos out. The side by side comparison is noticeable from the 1st gen iPhone camera. The viewfinder & capture buttons are crystal clear. It's easy to transfer photos from iPhone to computer for editing
Unlike most smartphones - that have Windows Mobile, the iPhone has an intuitive interface that's easy to understand & navigate. There's no need to read a manual; it's just simple to understand. A Blackberry makes me ask, "where do I go?" & "what do I do?""
The iPhone 3GS has a faster processor (600Mhz vs 433Mhz) & more RAM (256MB vs 128MB). This makes the iPhone 3GS feel significantly snappier.
Because an iPhone uses standard iPod sync & charge cables, accessories are easy to find.
Battery life is very good & improved from the previous generations of iPhones; even when utilizing power draining features like Wifi & Bluetooth.
I can actually use the calculator on an iPhone, unlike on other cell phones where you have to figure out corresponding keys
The Google Maps feature is amazing w/ the ability to use satellite data, the addition of the compass & GPS pinpoints your location w/ amazing accuracy & even better than dedicated GPS devices. The GPS integration w/ LocateMe is awesome
My complaints:
- Edge data network is acceptable & what I have to connect to the most often but I still have to pay for 3G data access = $10 more each month
- FM transmitters don't work well due to interference
- AT&T has limited some features (at least initially)
The new iPhone is definitely worth the upgrade. I now have enough room to back up the important parts of my hard drive to the iPhone, thanks to the 32GB capacity. I have right at 8GB of music & 6GB of pictures, text message, apps, etc - so the 32GB model will come in handy for me
Review ID: 10000000012434811  Thank you for voting. If your vote meets our guidelines, it will be posted within 24 hours. You cannot vote on the helpfulness of a review you wrote. Your request cannot be processed at this time. Please try again later.  iPhone 3GS Review 27 of 29 people found this review helpful.
There's a reason why Apple called this the iPhone 3GS for Speed and not the 3GC for "compass" or 3GV for "video recording." Speed is the central upgrade here, and probably is the single biggest reason you would upgrade to a 3GS from a 3G. And if you're coming in as a virgin iPhone user, there's definitely no question: The 3GS is worth an extra $100.
That declaration may be weird to most of us since we usually look for features, and not specs, when we're evaluating phones—and iPhone 3GS doesn't blow us out in the feature department. Instead, it's like getting a bigger TV or a faster car. Your old machine works just fine, but once you've tried the new one for a week, you'll never want to go back, even if it costs you a little extra.
Like we said, from the outside the 3GS is exactly the same as the 3G. It's slightly heavier and has glossy text on the back, but if Steve Jobs whipped one out in public before it was announced, you wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.
By holding the 3GS next to the 3G, you'll notice that the screen is slightly more reflective because of the new fingerprint resistant oleophobic coating. It even has a little bit of a rainbow effect if you reflect a monitor with it. Surprisingly, the coating actually works in preventing a good deal of fingerprints and face grease, and it allows the phone to still be smooth and usable even if there are fingerprints on the surface.
The shot above illustrates the fact. The two phones may look similar in how much finger and face grease are on the screen, but the iPhone 3GS is still usable and doesn't have the problem of "sticking" in certain areas that are slightly greasier. It's also easier to clean just by wiping on your shirt. The glass treatment won't eliminate smudging from your bodily secretions altogether, but it's a very useful improvement for something you're touching all the time.
But as a whole, the iPhone 3GS is the best all-around smartphone available. If you're looking for a refined, augmented version of what you already know, a phone that, not for nothing, runs all the tens of thousands of apps on the App Store, choose the iPhone 3GS.
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!3vE2g~~_32.JPG "Apple iPhone 3GS 16 GB Black (AT&T)")
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