Apple Iphone 3G
Dubbed as the “iPhone you’ve all been waiting for” Question is, was it worth the wait? In my opinion yes. At first it seems as though relatively little has been done to upgrade the handset, just a new glossy back and a 3G upgrade but in reality there are also a number of little tweaks that make the upgrade well worth while. Not to mention if you’re on a contract you’ll be offered an early upgrade!
Un-boxed:
So what’s new in the box of iPhone? Nothing really, in fact there’s less in there this time around. Unfortunately we’ve lost out on the little charging dock that Apple included in their last release. However the usual goodies are still included, wall charger, USB cable, earphones and also a handy cleaning cloth.
Construction and Build:
If you’re upgrading from the previous 2G version of the iPhone you may find yourself disappointed by the iPhone 3G’s build. The aluminium back of the previous model was a nice touch and at first glance the glossy back looks a little tacky in comparison. Give it time however and be thankful Apple got rid of the aluminium finish after all those stories we heard about it reducing signal strength!
Once again the screen feels durable and the iPhone really looks as though it could stand a knock or two.
It’s a shame that Apple have not upgraded the speaker keeping it very small and neat but with the same amount of power and volume. Considering this is such a great multimedia device it would be lovely to get some real volume from it.
UI and OS:
The iPhone 3G comes loaded with Apples new software 2.0. This is also available for the older 2G model as an upgrade via iTunes. The main difference that you will almost immediately notice is the inclusion of the App Store. The App Store allows users to browse and purchase new applications for their iPhone’s just like they would purchase music on iTunes. Some are free whiles some are chargeable.
Gone are the days wishing your iPhone had some games to help pass the time. Now you can nip onto your App Store and download to your hearts content!
The upgraded software brings a number of other features included parental controls, sim card contact import, email enhancements, screen shot capability and geo tagging for the camera. These are all welcome updates to the iPhone.
Along side this we still have the easy to use and innovative UI that we all fell in love with on the previous iPhone. I’m glad to see that Apple avoided over burdening their handset and left it to the user to put what they wanted on. This keeps the iPhone easy to use for everyone.
However, Apple being Apple have kept the handset pretty restricted. There is still no method for drag and drop for example. Or how about that thing we all called Bluetooth? It’s there but only for hands free. I suppose it’s too much to hope that one day Apple will realise that these are major features that consumers want.
Camera:
If you’re buying an iPhone I doubt you’re buying it for the camera. At only 2 mega pixels the iPhone really isn’t revolutionising anything here. I will admit however that the camera quality isn’t as poor as you’d think it is. You can really get some great shots with the iPhone’s camera, you just need to make sure they’re not moving or all you’ll capture is a horrible blur.
The lack of a video camera once again is just shameful. We all know the iPhone 2G and 3G can handle it. We’ve seen it done on those jailbroken devices and the quality is great. So why won’t you just put it on there Apple? My guess is as good as anyone else’s but it’s most likely one of those thing’s we’ll see on one of their future handsets. Good sales tool but a real let down to those loyal customers.
Sound:
As I mentioned earlier the speaker quality isn’t particularly impressive. Apple could definitely look at upgrading the external speaker. Now only is it a let down when listening to music or watching video but any calls taken on the loudspeaker are below par.
The audio quality however when using the phone normally is good. It’s clear and audible even in loud places. Wheat more can we ask for?
Other Features:
Finally we have GPS! However those promises of a sat nav app seem to be false. The GPS works great using Google maps and can locate you most of the times within 30 seconds. It’s really handy feature and no longer jumps all over the place like the previous model.
Now lets talk about the major upgrade, 3G. This was the big selling point for me, I hated travelling about and hoping that I might find an area capable of Edge. It just never happened. However I often find myself in a 3G area and when I do browsing is just a dream. The iPhone is now completely portable without having to worry about seeking out a wifi hot spot in order to get anything done over the web. The big problem however is that it will eat your battery. If you thought the previous model had a poor battery then you haven’t seen anything yet. I’m lucky if I get 24 hours of life out of mine!
Conclusion:
Pick yourself an iPhone 3G up today. It’s a great little phone and in my opinion nothing else out there rivals it. If you’re an upgrading customer or new to iPhone completely it’s my opinion that this is the handset for you.
Try not to get caught up in the hype though. Regardless of what Apple or anyone says this device is not perfect. There will be a fair few occasions when you’re travelling and you go to use the phone but find it’s died due to lack of power. Or maybe your friend wants to send you a picture but cant. Yes you’ll tear your hair out, but it’s worth it!
Once again this is a phone you have to go and play with before you’ll believe just how well it handles. So take a trip to your local retailer and have a look for yourselves!
Advantages:
- 3.5" 16M-color TFT display with a resolution of 480 x 320 pixels
- Quad-band GSM support
- Built-in GPS receiver
- Wi-Fi
- 8 to 16GB of onboard storage
- Accelerometer, proximity sensor and ambient light sensor
- 2 megapixel camera
- Smooth user interface with multi-touch user support
- Brilliant web surfing experience
- Push email with MS Exchange support
- AppStore access for direct application download and installation
- Redone rear
- TV-out port
Disadvantages
- No video calls over the 3G network
- The handset wobbles on hard even surfaces
- There are a number of messaging downers
- Camera has no auto focus or video recording
- Safari browser doesn't support Flash and Java
- No office document editor
- No copy/paste functionality
- You cannot sync Notes and TO-DOs
- No memory card slot