Apple iPhone 3G review
momokoyc (6 points) | Mon, 2008-07-14 03:03
iPhone 3G The Good: Faster download speeds
Talk and get data simultaneously
New, lower priceSupport for third-party applications
Integrated GPS
The Bad: Capacity is somewhat low
Strained battery life
Still a 2-megapixel camera
Limited GPS functionality
Still exclusive to AT&T
The Price
US$199 - 8G
BUS$299 - 16GB
If you look at the iPhone 3G, perhaps you wouldn't think it's too different from its predecessor. But looks can be deceiving. And in the case of the iPhone 3G, they're likely to be very deceiving indeed: the video iPhone 3G looks to be a big jump past the [URL="http://ipod.about.com/od/understandingiphonemodels/g/iphone_def.htm"]first-generation iPhone[/URL].
From its faster Internet connection to its support for GPS and third-party applications - video to iphone 3G converter to its lower price, the iPhone 3G looks to be a major upgrade.
Many things about the iPhone 3G are the same: a 2-year contract with AT&T (subsidized upgrades are available to all iPhone owners and new AT&T customers, as well as select other customers), support for all the same widgets and firmware features, the terrific multi-touch screen, and intelligent sensors that determine whether the phone is near your head and shuts off the screen and the one that knows whether the phone is oriented horizontally or vertically.
And while those familiar features are nice, the video iPhone 3G's changes should really make the device shine.
A Good Phone Gets A Little BetterThe phone features of the original iPhone didn't leave too many people complaining (though it's still missing voice dialing, a feature I'd like). Visual Voicemail felt like a breakthrough (though perhaps it wasn't quite as useful as its hype would have suggested) and features such as three-way calling were a snap to use. While call quality was decent, more advanced cell phone features sucas MMS messaging or certain Bluetooth features were not available.
The phone features on the iPhone 3G have all the same strengths and even add one: improved call quality. Because the iPhone 3G uses the 3G phone network which carries more data faster, the call quality when connected to a 3G network should be superior.
The phone still doesn't have MMS messaging - a major failing for a device so closely tied to the Internet and media features - but that may be coming from third-party developers - video to iphone 3G converter.
A Terrific Personal Media PlayerWhen the original iPhone debuted, it was probably the best music player/phone on the market. And those features haven't changed: the phone still offers an excellent MP3 player experience, complete with the CoverFlow interface that wowed many early users and the super-fast iTunes WiFi Music Store.
Probably the greatest music-related annoyance about the original iPhone - its recessed headphone jack that made most headphones incompatible and forced users to buy adapters -
has been fixed. The jack on the iPhone 3G is flush, meaning you can just go back to your favorite headphones.
On the video side, the iPhone 3G is still a great mobile movie player, too. This model offers the same screen size, resolution, and widescreen orientation for movies, TV shows, convert video to iPhone 3G and YouTube to iPhone 3G.
The major thing I would have liked to see improved when it comes to media would have been greater storage capacity. Sure, 16GB is a decent amount of storage for music alone, but
when you add in movies and third-party programs and games (more on that soon), it fills up quickly. Hopefully iPhones with more capacity are in the offing.
Internet That's Twice as FastOne of the major flaws of the first-generation iPhone, especially for a device touted so heavily as an Internet appliance, was its slow EDGE network connection. Apple blamed the need for the slower EDGE connection on the strain 3G connections place on batteries (and battery life isn't exactly the first iPhone's strong suit as it is).
Apparently that issue's been solved, because as the name would indicate, the iPhone 3G sports a 3G Internet connection that Apple claims is twice as fast as the EDGE connection (the iPhone 3G still uses EDGE in areas where 3G connections aren't available).
The faster connection will be much appreciated, especially since the iPhone still gives users the full Internet, not a dumbed-down 'mobile web.'Along with the 3G connection comes another new feature: the ability to talk and download data at the same time. The EDGE network only supports making a call or using the Internet, not both simultaneously. The higher-capacity 3G connection can do both - no more needing to hang up to check your email.
Another addition to the iPhone 3G's data services is the support for pushing calendar and address book content directly to the phone through Microsoft Exchange and Apple's Mobile Me (nee .Mac). This is a big change and will likely make the iPhone a viable tool for many businesses, putting it in direct competition with the Blackberry and the Treo.
Introducing The App StoreThe other major data/Internet change ushered in with the iPhone 3G is the App Store. This is an online store, much like iTunes, that makes third-party programs and games available for purchase and download (over a wireless connection or from the desktop) to iPhone, iPhone 3G, and iPod touch users running the iPhone 2.0 firmware.
The original iPhone was locked down tightly, with Apple constantly wrestling with developers who wanted to install programs. Apple has now embraced them with the App Store. Programs will run US$0.99 to $999, though most are under $10 and many free.
Though Apple controls developer access to the App Store (a negative in my book), the range of available programs should greatly open the iPhone's capabilities.
Given the iPhone's motion sensitivity, third-party developers - video to iphone 3G converter could make the iPhone a hit gaming platform combining the best aspects of mobile gaming with motion sensitivity found in things like the .
iPhone 3G review
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Nice general review of the new iPhone, but I have to say that it feels a bit impersonal. It seems like you are really trying to pitch the product and going over all the talking points, rather than sharing your personal experience with the device.
I have a first generation iPhone, unlocked because I'll be damned if Steve Jobs chooses my phone carrier for me, and I can tell you that my favorite feature is by far the way favorite contacts are handled. Before the iPhone, I would set favorite contacts to speed dial, where a number is associated with the contact. For example 1 can be set to your office, and so fourth. Ultimately I never used it, and would always scroll through the phone book, or the recents to find the number to be dialed. The way the iPhone lists your favorites on the screen, and the ease at which you can add and removed them has been nothing less than revolutionary for me. I work freelance, and work with different groups of people from project to project. With the iPhone, as I go into a new project I add all the principle contacts for the job to the favorites list and then they are right there and easy to access when I need to get in touch with one of them. After the job I simply remove them from the list. It's something that's not really advertised but for me it would be the most missed feature if I switched away from the iPhone.
That's just one thing I can say I really love about the iPhone experience. There are some other things in your review I'd like to touch upon:
The lower price point - This is a bit deceptive, because while the price has dropped the plans have become substantially worse. This is especially true in the United States with AT&T. Over here there was such a backlash over the prices that the phone carrier decided to allow you to select any of their plans. However I would still prefer to pay more, the original price point, and have the freedom to insert local SIM cards when I travel. I really hope that as the iPhone matures as a product Apple will start to remove the bonds that tie it to carriers.
Battery life - The battery life, and I believe this is true of iPods as well. Really varies from person to person, I have a friend that purchase an iPhone around the same time as me and he can barely make it through a day with his battery. I've been out of town working and forgotten my charger and be able to keep the phone going for 3 days before it was drained. Granted when I realized I forgot the charger, I kept the WiFi off until I needed to go online, but still the difference is astonishing.
My two cents
-- EDIT --
Two other things I wanted to chime in on:
MMS - I keep hearing people complain about MMS on the iPhone. Personally I'm glad it's not available. The format has never really been standardized some carriers deliver the image directly into the phone, other make you log into a website to retrieve it. I think Apple has shown some real forward thinking in not featuring MMS. With the iPhone the start of a smart phone revolution has begun. I'm convinced that within another year or two, the majority of cell phones in use, will feature full email systems like the iPhone and at that point MMS, and even SMS will become insignificant.
Flash - Regardless of what official reasons Apple gives, in my opinion they don't want Flash because it's a direct competitor to their own video formats. The majority of web video has migrated to Flash based players, and with the popularity of the iPhone and iPods Apple can try and lure companies towards their own formats, for example YouTube recoding videos to Apple's format to play on the iPhone.
I want an iPhone so bad, but I have a contract with Sprint, and it just pisses me off that they require you to use AT&T? I had AT&T years ago and I hated it. I love Sprint.
If I was to purchase an unlocked iPhone, can I use it for Sprint?
Sorry, I know this doesn't necessarily have to do with this thread, but I'm jonseing for an iPhone, man!
suzanne maestri-walters :: graphic designer :: www.onegirlcreative.com
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"I am not sick. I am broken. But I am happy as long as I can paint." ~ Frida Kahlo
www.onegirlcreative.com
no, you can't use an iphone on sprint. different technology. you'd have to find another 3G carrier.
Oh well. C'est la vie!
suzanne maestri-walters :: graphic designer :: www.onegirlcreative.com
--------
"I am not sick. I am broken. But I am happy as long as I can paint." ~ Frida Kahlo
www.onegirlcreative.com
The battery life is poor, but I'm comparing that to my last phone that I didn't play music and games on.
If you take in to account the fact it's several devices in one, It's not a huge issue for me to charge it every night, in addition, as I use it on the commute to work as an iPod, while playing games if I get a seat on the tube, I naturally connect it to my work PC as I used to with my iPod touch to sync data.
While it's there it charges and then It generally gets dumped on the dock on my desk when I get home or plugged in to the charger by my bed at night where it acts as my alarm clock.
It'll be interesting to see how it fairs while I'm travelling and abroad, the trouble with converged devices is they do chew batteries, I owned a Nokia N80 when it first came out that (with the aid of a Bluetooth dongle) had GPS, games, music and many other apps.
I dumped it after a year because it was jack of all trades and master of none.
As a phone, in standby mode and just making calls, it's great, the visual voicemail is brilliant, the silent switch is a genius addition meaning I don't have to unlock the phone and navigate menus etc.
I have to say the camera is MUCH better than expected.
I really don't want a 5MP camera in my phone, I have a camera for that and if you were to cram all it's features in to a phone it would become a clunky and unmanageable device with too many buttons.
It'd also kill the battery and memory even faster.
I am a little disappointed with O2's coverage so far, considering they're allegedly the best UK network the signal hasn't been great for me, unfortunately my office and home are both in poor signal areas, calls still sound ok once connected but there is occasionally a blip as you answer the phone when things sound crackly.
MobileMe isn't great at the moment, annoyingly it works fine with my work PC but I still can't log in from my Mac via System Prefs. Still, overall I've been having a great experience with it. I wasn't as blown away as many people having owned an iPod touch for a while now, perhaps this even lets me look at things more objectively?
Again, I've been on a 3G network for 2.5 years now so the speed doesn't wow me like it might someone on a 2G network.
Simply put, the iPhone is a great device, it's not going to be suited to everyone, especially those who make lots of long calls and also spend hours using it for games and an iPod.
It's biggest downfall will be the battery life, thankfully my lifestyle dictates this isn't an issue, I can charge it as many times as needed and I've never run out of charge yet, I've had one lower than 20% of battery life warning so far and as soon as I got that it went on charge.
Nice machine, I look forward t seeing how it grows with applicatons in the near future. Would I recommend it? You bet. Would I buy the next model? That really depends on what comes in the new version.
www.jamnittygritty.com
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Manual download is not the only option with YouTube Robot. You may as well schedule the download and conversion tasks to be executed automatically, even when you are not around. Downloading is followed by conversion to the format of your choice and uploading videos to a mobile device (if needed). For example, you can plug in iPod, select the video, go to bed, and when you wake up next morning, your iPod will be ready to play new YouTube videos.
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My new 3G iPhone crashes quite often...i think it may have to do with the apps, but I'm slightly disappointed by that. Also, the battery life isn't great...it lasts at least half the day without going below 20% battery, and I recharge it every night and usually half way through the day because it runs out so fast!
I find it drains to 20% fast and then lasts just as long again.
I'd expect a software update to address that.
I've had two crashes, both when I accidentally started a game and tried to force quit during launch by holding the home button.
www.jamnittygritty.com
my iphone crashes ALL THE TIME! it's obnoxious. i think its because i have so many apps on it. how many apps do you have on your iphone? why doesnt my mac automatically put in punctuation and capital letters after periods? I'm soooo used to that now. My non-iphone keyboard skills are slipping as well, hah.
and did not rush to buy the 1st Gen iPhone. Why? Because there were many things like 3G missing and the price. I owned a Blackjack that with EXTENSIVE modding I got to do what I wanted. Go dial 800-Hot-STUFF on an original phone. Unless your now the alphanumeric placement by heart, its a No-Go.
So now I went and bought an iPhone. And I am glad i did. Now, it does not have all the features that i added to my former Blackjack, like Skype (and now there is a way), Calendar and todos that auto-sort and sync. Sending pics, email, and other stuff.
Now with the iPhone I cant' send pics to my fiancé's cell (MMS), can't sync my ToDo's with iCal (can't enter them on the iphone).
But I am happier! No more strange or weird application behavior (standard apps) and I no longer get SPAM MMS. When did you get the last useful MMS? NEver, at least for me. Reading SMS and replying to things is easier as I don't have to track my own SMS down. And I can surf the internet in a reasonable way to get info. Try that on a SmartPhone IE. In the future I will get a very large list of apps (and free ones) delivered to me and installed in a way I or anyone else CANNOT mess up.
So in my opnion Less is more and I am happy about it. Skype would be nice to talk to my contact overseas when I am on the road. But that will come very soon too.
Expert the battery, I like the iphone 3G really.
In my opinion, it's a good present for summer vacation but $299 for 16GB is still a little expensive for me, and I don't want to get a 8GB for $199.
Thought creative zen has new release new zen X FI, which one should I go to?
iPhone 3G review
I'd say iphone. it also depends on ur use for it. Do you just want something to play music and watch videos on? go for the ipod video or the zan x FI, but if you want all that AND hundreds of free apps, internet anywhere, myspace facebook, aim, blah blah blah, a camera, ummm....lots of other things. oh! and it's also a phone! k, I have an iPhone 3G and i'm pretty happy with it... :D
The battery on mine has improved dramatically over the last week.
I can now go for more than two days of use without needing a charge which is a bonus and equal to my last phone.
www.jamnittygritty.com
ooh, nice. Mine hasn't. :( only one day on my iphone. I'm probably using it too much.
I bought a nice new bike and have been using the iPhone with it's GPS and iTrail to track my routes and time my ride.
www.jamnittygritty.com
hmm. i love the iphone 3G, but i hate the battery life and the crashing. other than those things. i'm quite impressed. I would prefer my computer to predict my text right now. I'm so used to it. lol
Hehe. People are going gaga over a 3G phone with a GPS chip. Come on.