blankgm's Full Review: iPhone 3G Black (16 GB) Smartphone
You can pretty much count on Apple to really hype their lead product and the Apple 3G iPhone (Smart Phone) was no different when it came to that hype.
Unfortunately, writing a good evaluation of the iPhone will be difficult - since most of what you need is already included in any good 2G write-up. But here goes...
The iPhone, in case you hadn't yet heard is Apples latest uberphone. Smaller than the previous model (2G) but packing twice the storage capacity and touting twice the speed thanks to the addition of the 3G network. Just how fast is the network? We will answer that question in a moment. First, lets talk basic load of the 16GB Black 3G.
This phone comes with all the applications that you are familiar with already if you are a current iPhone user. Short Messaging Service (SMS) is, for lack of a better explanation Instant Messaging on your phone. The phone includes Apple's Calendar application iCalc, a photo album, built in 2MP camera, Stock Ticker, Weather Ticker, Clock, Calculator, and notepad. All of these features are (or could be) fairly standard on any good mobile device these days.
What the iPhone has that other devices do not is Apple's media player (iTunes), a YouTube player, a very good mapping capability and, new to the 3G is built in assisted Global Positioning System (GPS) and the iTunes Application Store.
Now a bit about each of these devices and what has been improved.
Not much has changed for the phone itself. Sure, it is on a digital network - but at my location that means only 2 bars of reception instead of the full set we use to get using Edge. Despite this, the sound quality is still very good and the in-use phone controls are still very intuitive. When in a call you are presented with buttons on the face of the phone which you can use to change the audio output. Should a call arrive while you are already in a call - you are presented with the caller's information and the option to pause your current call to take the new call, or not. When you end the second call, you are automatically transferred back to the first call.
The calendar has been updated so that a list of events is presented on the bottom of the view along with the standard time-sheet style view. Also, the iCal software has been updated so that it properly accepts and responds to Microsoft Meeting makers. I noted this on my desktop earlier this week and will be interested to see if that feature was also ported over to the phone version of iCal as well.
The phone version of iPod does not appear to have any real upgrade however, a new application, iTunes comes with the phone and this application is really a straight hook to the iTunes store where you can browse and even purchase music right from your phone. A nice new feature which has been long in coming.
An added bonus in regards to the overall specification of the device is the inclusion of Assisted GPS. This is a positioning capability so that the phone always knows (to some degree of accuracy) where you are in the world. The term Assisted is important here in that unlike conventional GPS where the device ONLY works if it can see a minimum number of satellites overhead, the iPhone 3G will make use of cellular towers when the minimum number of satellites are not available. Through the cellular technology, the phone will triangulate where you are at a given point in time. What is even better, is that Apple has announced that this geographic data will be implanted in photographs. Upload a photograph you have taken with the iPhone to Flickr (or any other similar service), and a map indicating where the photograph was taken is automatically produced.
And what is the Application Store? It is something that many people screamed for during the last release of iPhone. A method to customize your phone by allowing you to add applications that you choose. Many of the applications are, in my opinion, a bit silly. Some quite useful. They range from FREE! to just under $10 each with many in the $0.99 to $2.99 range.
One example of a free application is a utility which is constantly looking through your address book and posting on the network (through SMS - so you need unlimited messaging) your physical location. It also does this for all it's other subscribers. So, if you, and say one of your friends, are both at the local mall - you might fire up the application - see that John is at the mall and give him a call asking if he wants to meet for a burger or perhaps a movie. A nice little social networking tool.
Another example is a game which uses the built-in accelerator of the iPhone to allow you to navigate through a maze.
But, what everyone really wants to know - how fast is the phone. Well, that will be a difficult question to answer in that the speed of the phone service, and access to the internet will vary greatly depending upon your local phone service.
I know that we have pretty solid coverage where I am at, and despite the low number of signal bars, the phone downloaded 48 new e-mail messages in the time it use to take a single message to download on the iPhone 2G using Edge.
A speed test executed through bandwidthplace.com indicated that my 3G with only 2 service bars, but connected to WiFi reached 1.07 megabits per second throughput. Without WiFi the throughput dropped to ...... well I don't know because quite frankly I could not get the test to complete without the iPhone rebooting. Ok, nothing is perfect, but the iPhone comes close.
This year the phone comes in two colors, black or white. But don't be too worried about that. Along with most people, we purchased protective skins for our phones which allow you to have any color you like - as long as it's available in a protective skin of course. As to the material, the backing this year is of a shiny plastic so no need to worry about scratching that chrome or brushed aluminum.
Also not present this year is a docking station. This phone comes only with the standard earbuds, mini USB to AC power adapter and a USB to computer connector. I was very disappointed to discover that the phone wouldn't even fit in my Apple Blue tooth dock. So now I have to use the blue tooth cable to charge the phone. Personally, I like the dock. But, I guess the phone will just lie on the desk while charging now. Apple has also done away with the recessed earphone jack - meaning that you "should" be able to use any headset with this phone, so long as a standard mini-plug is used. You won't get all the features of course, such as pausing music etc. But, if you have a headset that you absolutely love, you won't have to shave down the plug either.
However, I will gladly accept that small inconvenience since Apple increased the speaker output of this years phone. Thank You! Now, I'm not that old, nor am I deaf (yet) but I could barely hear the 2G in my car when the engine was running. This phone is loud enough to be heard comfortably.
Now, if Apple would only apply the accelerator technology to mail so that I could read mail in landscape mode - alas they have not. What they have done to improve on the mail application is to allow you to delete multiple e-mail messages at one time.
Finally, one cannot review the phone without mentioning the increased fees by AT&T to use the phone. While the rate, in my personal instance, will remain about the same and I will actually see an increase of 150 minutes per month for that fee - many will see the phone (even if current iPhone owners able to receive the discounted pricing) when combined with the service fees as cost prohibitive.
If however, you practically live on your mobile phone, are constantly texting or talking to others - especially if they are also on the AT&T network, and can afford being fully connected - the iPhone may be for you. But, be sure to be prepared for the problems which are still on going at the store when you attempt to register.
We arrived at our local store opening day at 7AM and were 45th in a line which had started at midnight. The doors opened at 8:01AM and it wasn't until almost 9:30 that we walked in through those doors. Even worse, it was 1PM before we walked out the doors with only 1 of the two phones fully activated. The other phone, as of this writing (7:20PM) still isn't connected to the network. AT&T reports that it may take up to 24 hours for the new ID to be recognized. Disappointing to be sure after spending $600 on two phones. However, to be fair, the folks in the Apple store were very accommodating.
In the end, as one spectator put it, the 3G is anti-climactic. For him it was cost, and contractually (due to his age) prohibitive. Yes, you must be 18 to buy the phone and you must activate it on the AT&T network before leaving the store - so no, you cannot connect it to another network.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 300 Recommended for: Stylish Trendsetters - Hip and Trendy
Introducing iPhone 3G. With fast 3G wireless technology, GPS mapping, support for enterprise features like Microsoft Exchange, and the new App Store, ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
Click on the links below to obtain manuals for the iPhone. iPhone User Guide iPhone Finger Tips Guide iPhone 3G Important Product Information Guide! T...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
Introducing iPhone 3G. With fast 3G wireless technology, GPS mapping, support for enterprise features like Microsoft Exchange, and the new App Store, ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.