nad_masters's Full Review: Apple iPhone 3G S Black (32 GB) Smartphone
When my brother bought his first iPod Touch, then moved to an iPhone, THEN bought ME an iPod Touch, I was swayed by the slick touch interface. I loved the internet access - when I was at home or at a friend's house.
I longed for an iPhone so I can get access to the internet everywhere! But alas, AT&T plans were expensive compared to my current Sprint plan ($30/mo SERO plan, includes unlimited data, text, 7pm nights/weekends, 500 minutes). However, when the Palm Pre came out, Sprint said that it does not work with any plans except for their Everything plans (Everything Data, and Simply Everything). The cost was still a bit cheaper than AT&T's, but the gap was smaller now, so I decided to check out both the Pre and the new iPhone 3GS.
I use the music app a lot, since I listen to podcasts every morning. The Pre's music app was nice, but it seems like I would have to learn a new way of navigating. Also, the Pre seemed much slower overall compared to the iPhone 3G, let alone the 3GS, which is even faster.
After playing around with the Pre, I still wasn't impressed. My friend wanted my old plan, so I did a transfer of liability. I then went on to the Apple Store and picked up a brand new black Apple iPhone 3GS 32GB.
Apple iPhone 3GS 32GB The iPhone 3GS does not look any different than the 3G, except for a few markings in the back. To the untrained eye, that small detail would be missed. That is bad for some people who want to let everyone know they have the latest and greatest, but it's good since you won't have to throw away all those accessories that worked with the 3G. This includes the 3G dock adapter, and anything that was made to specifically work with the 3G.
Compared to my iPod Touch, it is heavier, and seems twice as thick. This is probably to accommodate the cellphone and Bluetooth radio. My brother, a previous 3G owner, also confirms that the battery life lasts on average 25% longer than the 3G.
Since there isn't really any physical difference, what's all the buzz about? I mean, even the 3G will be getting the new iPhone 3.0 upgraded firmware. Well, there's the camera, which is now moved from the 3G's 2MP to 3MP. That's not the cool part, either. It can now autofocus! There is still no zoom function, however. Not only that, but you can now capture video, which Apple still does not allow the 3G to do.
Also added is a built-in compass. This allows for their Maps application to orient you in the right direction.
The radio is also improved, which, according to online sources, can now go up to 7 Mbps! Must be the new 4G network everyone is talking about.
Speaking of speed (which according to Apple is what the "S" stands for in 3GS), the iPhone 3GS now sports a faster processor! We did speed comparisons between my brother's older 3G and the new 3GS, and there are huge speed performances, especially when loading games and applications. In fact, sometimes the speed breaks a few games that depend on the older's CPU timing. I've noticed, for example, in Let's Golf, the timing for the swing is way too fast! I keep missing the sweet spot!
All other changes are in software, which the new firmware also enables on the iPhone 3G as well.
What Else is New? It's all about software, isn't it? And that is the case with the 3GS as well. The camera application lets you take video, as well as trim them down. However, it's a destructive edit, meaning once you save your changes, it actually writes over the full footage with the edited one. You can also upload your videos to YouTube! It would compress it (which does not take too long, surprisingly), and they upload it. I am actually surprised that AT&T allows this, but does not allow for downloads of podcasts that are larger than 10MB! Uploading a 1 minute clip took 7 minutes to upload to YouTube, which also made the phone really hot. It also eat up battery life in the process (the uploading part, not the compressing part).
The autofocus is really nice for still shots. All you need to do is to touch the screen on where you want to focus, and not only does the camera focuses in that area, it also adjusts the white balance and light level to maximize the level of detail it can capture in the area you specified.
Unlike other phone cameras, it is really quick to get into "camera mode" and start taking pictures.
The Compass app, as I've already mentioned, tells you which way you are facing and does not much else. However, pair it up with the Maps app, and it's a powerful and amazing app! There was this one time where my friends and I wanted to walk to a club, but wasn't sure which direction to walk. So we had to walk a bit to see if the dot on the screen was moving the right direction. If not, we'd have to turn around. That would have been avoided with the 3GS!
Also, many built-in applications can now orient the keyboard to landscape mode, giving you two-handed typing action. This actually improves accuracy as well as speed. Of course, it's not for one-handed texting. I still find portrait mode typing is best if you need your other hand.
Voice Command is also available for the new 3GS, but not on the 3G or iPod Touch. You can say "dial John Doe", and it will dial the person named "John Doe" on your contacts. It will verify by saying "dialing John Doe". If John Doe has more than one number, it will ask you which one you'd like to dial (home, mobile, office, etc). You can also ask it to dial numbers if it's someone not on your contacts. Another neat thing is you can use Voice Command to play songs from a particular artist or album. However, it does not play an individual song. Try "play songs by The Strokes" or "play album Ten", and it repeat what it thinks is your request, and starts playing.
It's not always perfect, however, but it's darn close. I've had it misheard me, and sometimes dials the wrong person. However, the mic is so good, I can leave it on the holder (located near my shifter), and the Voice Command still works very well! I've called people as well as asked my iPhone to play songs from different artists. I honestly wish I can ask it to play a specific song, however, for those times you have a song stuck in your head.
So how do you do all this? You just push and hold the circle button until it asks for your command.
If you have one of these, you can also use center button on that and control the Voice Command the same way! Of course, the usual way to skip tracks, go back a track, and pause, are the same with the 3GS as it was for the 3G and iPod Touch.
The new firmware also adds Voice Memos to all devices. You can record in relatively high quality (for voice - 80kbps). The microphone on the iPhones are already very senstive, and can pick up sound from afar very well, so as an audio recorder, it excels. You can label your recordings so you know what they are about, or just leave it with the standard date and time stamp. When you label your voice memos, the date and time still shows, which is helpful in determining when you recorded that fleeting thought.
Also, a universal search called Spotlight (also seen on the Mac OS X) quickly lets you search through apps, contacts, music, video, calendar appointments, and email subjects. However, it does not search within calendar appointment's notes and email's body of text. It's a bit strange that it isn't just another app, but instead located to the left-most part of the pages. I guess it makes it easier and faster to access than hunting down an icon. The list it produces have rounded edges in the corners, which is very Palm Pre-like. Maybe this is Apple's hint of their direction (butting heads with Palm, and also one-upping them on their Universal Search feature).
Interface Once you're in, your finger is in for a treat. When you first turn it on, it takes a bit to boot up. However, once that is done, you'll rarely ever have to go through the boot process again. The power button located at the top puts the iPhone to sleep, which is as good as "off". This gives the iPhone an "instant on" feel to it. Once it comes on, you see your wallpaper graphic and an unlock slider. You slide your finger to let the iPhone know that you are intentionally turning it on.
The touch control is very consistent once inside. You can flick your finger back and forward to flip through pages of installed apps. The response is so quick, it feels natural. The forward momentum of a finger flick causes the page to continue to move until it looses momentum or until you touch the screen to stop it. This control scheme is consistent (especially with the built-in apps).
iPod App - Music & Video As expected with an Apple product, the iPhone is also a great iPod as well! It recognizes ID Tags and not file names, much like the other iPod products (Classic and Nano). It allows for you to navigate your music using these categories: Artists, Albums, Songs (individual songs), Playlists, genres, Composers, Compilations, Podcasts, and Audiobooks.
You get four categories that are easily accessible on the bottom of the screen (Albums, Artists, Songs, and Playlists). You can click on the More icon to access the other categories. You can also go here to customize the bottom bar with your most used categories. For example, I removed the Playlist icon and replaced it with Podcasts, since I watch and listen to a variety of tech-related podcasts.
Depending on how well you keep your ID tags, it can be a dream or a nightmare to use. The interface itself makes browsing through a huge collection really easy. You can use your finger to slide on the side to slide through the alphabet for quicker navigation. Turn the iPhone on it's side and you get the famous flowing album cover interface that allows you to flick left and right through your album collection complete with cover art (as long as you ripped your CDs in iTunes or Windows Media Player). As much as I try, I still find a few MP3s that are orphaned because a single field was different than the other files in the same album.
While the iPhone only supports MP3, AAC, and protected AAC, the iTunes software is able to convert WMA files into AAC so that your iPhone can play them. This is nice, but does add additional time for the conversion. It leaves the original WMA files alone, which is good.
To fast forward through a song, you can drag your finger along the progress bar. You can also adjust the volume the same way.
The sound quality is very good with the included headphones. There isn't much bass, but I didn't expect any with the included buds. When I used my pair of Sony ear buds (the ones you can find with a wind-up case for $10 at most electronic stores), I found that I had to turn up the treble for it to sound natural. In the car, I find myself turning the EQ off, which means the Sony ear buds are the one that isn't very accurate. Even when hooked up to the Klipsch Promedia 2.1s desktop speakers, I didn't really need the EQ. However, despite all that, I am currently using my favorite set of headphones, the Skull Candy Inkd in-ear buds.
The only new feature I see is that all podcasts (video and audio) can now be skipped back by 30 seconds in case you missed something. This is a nice feature, but I hope they also add a skip forward as well (dang commercials!).
The iPhone does not support ID Tags for videos, unfortunately. It's strictly a list of your videos by filename, and organized in alphabetical order. Nothing's changed from my previous iPod Touch. Thus, navigating through your videos is pretty straight forward. You can swipe your finger through a video to delete (you can't delete music on the iPhone itself, though), which can be nice if you want to delete a space-hogging video and your computer is not within reach. Of course, you get a confirmation button and message so you won't delete your videos unintentionally.
To play a video, you just tap the video and it comes up. All videos play in landscape mode. You can flip your iPhone one way or the other and the video will follow the new orientation. This is good if the headphone jack is in the way in one direction but not the other.
Just like with music, you can fast forward or rewind by dragging your finger through the progress bar, and the volume is changed the same way (the bar is located on the bottom near the playback controls).
The nice thing about the iPhone is that when you stop, pause, or turn off the iPod in the middle of playback, it will start where you left off!
I found that iTunes does not transcode videos (or at least in my experience). When you come across an MP3 or MOV files that won't play on the Touch, iTunes will warn you of such, but does not offer to transcode. So it was no surprise that none of my videos in MKV, AVI (XviD and DivX), or other formats were rejected by iTunes. Of course, if it doesn't get past iTunes, it won't get on your iPod Touch.
I found that there are 3rd party software that does a good job of transcoding videos to a playable format on the iPod. ImToo is one of them. Media Coder (freeware) didn't do the job, though. Handbrake is free, but as far as I can tell, it can only work on unprotected DVDs (will need DVD Shrink to rip your movie DVDs first). However, if you have a Mac, Handbrake will rip protected DVDs as long as you have VLC Player installed (a freeware video player). Also, if you already have TV Shows in XviD/DivX, or even on Microsoft's own Windows own DVR-MS files, you'll have to go with ImToo (paid-for 3rd party software).
Phone Functions The speaker is much louder than the iPod Touch and the HTC Touch Pro, but still not loud enough for a conversation in a car. Funny thing is, the microphone is so good, that the person on the other side of the call told me he didn't know he was on speaker! Even with the headset (which comes with the 3GS), the mic pick up is very good! I was able to use an app (Shazzam) to pick up a sample of music, upload it, and identify the song in situations I didn't expect it to (such as a noisy store, in a car, at a club, etc)!
Also, if you already have a set of headphones on, the sound of the caller will come through the headphones, while you use the built-in mic on the iPhone to talk. If you have the iPhone connected to the Aux-In of your sound system, you basically have a hands-free set up! The mic on the phone is so good, I keep the iPhone by the shifter, and people don't really realize they are on speaker! I didn't have to yell or talk all weird at all!
The number pad is large and hard to miss numbers. This is a luxury you can afford when you have a large screen. Also, I find it easy to add other people into an existing call (conferencing), as well as kicking select people out! I cannot do this with any of my Sprint phones (mostly because of the network's limitation, not the phone's).
The handset speaker is also very good, compared to the HTC Touch Pro. It's much louder and less tinny. With the Touch Pro, I always had a hard time hearing and understanding people outside or at the mall. However, the sound is fuller and more robust on the iPhone 3GS. I don't have much experience with the 3G to compare to the 3GS, but my brother (who also upgraded to the 3GS) says there isn't any difference at all.
The Contacts are easy to manage. What I mean is, it doesn't take a genius to add, edit, or delete contacts. It is also very easy to flick through everyone, search on the new search bar, or slide through letters using the right side bar.
Calendar Functions The Calendar app is also very easy to use. If you have multiple calendars on your Exchange server, appointments will show up with different colors representing each individual calendars.
Adding appointments are easy as well. I find it fun that Apple have us flick through a wheel of numbers to set date and time of the appointment! The only thing I find that irks me is that there is no way to set it so that new appointments default to alert. Instead, it always defaults to no alert!
It can also handle invitations from Outlook/Exchange, and adds them to your calendar.
The different views are nice, but I find that Apple did a great job with the monthly view, which I normally hate in other phones. This is because not only do you see an overall month, you also see the individual appointments for the day you select (normally "today") at the bottom of the screen.
Email Functions Apple does a decent job with emails. It can accept email accounts from Exchange (single account), MobileMe (single account), GMail, Yahoo! Mail, and AOL. You can also get email via utilizing standard IMAP or POP protocols such as your ISP. Unfortunately, Hotmail is not natively supported. Instead, you will have to use the web browser to check those accounts.
Each account is separate, and thus, all the inboxes are separate. You have to flick to the right account to check your email. For some, this is bothersome, but I actually like to keep mails from one account separate from another.
There is still no way to set your Out of Office in your Exchange account, however. Hopefully Apple will add this feature in a future update.
The iPhone OS surprises me because it can open some of the most popular document attachments, such as PDF and DOC! Unfortunately, there is no way to save and edit documents, not even via third-party software.
Web Browsing Surfing with Safari is a very nice experience. You can pinch and expand your fingers to zoom in and out. It's a great experience to surf the Internet on a small appliance-like device like you do on the desktop. The pages doesn't get formatted in a weird way like you'd fine on the Palm Blazer browser, or even on Internet Explorer Mobile. Adding bookmarks is a cinch, as well as opening multiple pages, since Safari have a tab-like concept down. You can switch between multiple web sites, which is a surprising feature on an appliance-like device.
The web browsing experience hasn't changed from the iPod Touch I was using before this. That's a good thing, actually!
Other Stuff YouTube is a really cool application that allows you to search through YouTube in a much friendlier way than through their web site. The videos play only in one orientation, unlike playing videos stored on the iPhone itself. However, the playback and volume controls is the same. Even on AT&Ts 3G network, the speed of loading videos before it plays isn't that bad (about 5 seconds or so). It's much faster on WiFi.
It's still a very cool and functional app. You can bookmark videos so you can show it to your friends. One thing nice about this updated app is you can now sign in and create and view comments! Finally!
Internet related applets such as Maps is great for directions and along with the GPS and compass, can be a great tool for urbanites who likes to go club hopping.
SMS texting is also a smooth and easy thing to do on the iPhone, especially since you can now type in landscape mode. While Apple says the new 3.0 firmware adds support for MMS, AT&T disabled this feature since they claim they aren't ready for this feature yet.
Internet Tethering is also finally available as well! Again, AT&T disabled this but a hack was available online to re-enable this. It works, but I won't (probably can't) explain how this is done here. Google it!
Network access is slower than Sprint's 3G network, but it's serviceable. I get about 1.5-2 Mbps download and about 500 kbps upload on Sprint, but only get 500k to 1Mbps download, and about 60 kbps upload on AT&T.
The Upshot I'm just happy to carry just once device in my pocket. Previously it was my HTC Touch Pro and an iPod Touch. Now it's just an iPhone, which has all the features of the iPod Touch I already love, and the anywhere-internet access and phone/text of my HTC Touch Pro.
Plus, all those applications available for download is great! For example, I can VNC (remote access) into my home PC, get videos from The Weather Channel, get TV shows from Joost, etc, etc, etc.
All things considered, I am in love with this "phone"! Now, if we can only multitask... Update- July 13, 2009My iPhone 3GS started giving me battery life issues. It seemed to start gradually enough for me to notice only on the 3rd or 4th day that something isn't right. I tried to do some troubleshooting on my own (erased data on iPhone, and deleted all backups, and then resync it as if it was a new phone, drained battery until it died, then recharged fully, turned off many features, etc). It seems like the when on standby, the phone will drop about 2-3% per hour. When using the phone, it would drop up to 1% for every 2-3 minutes I'm using it. Normally light radio-related stuff like texting and reading a web page (that's already been loaded and I'm just scrolling down little by little, reading every word - not actively downloading new pages). When on heavy surfing (changing pages a lot, sending emails with attachments, etc), it drops 1% at what seems to be less than a minute! Basically, it ended up that I need to charge my phone before the day was over (and I'm not a heavy user!) The first Apple Store I went to wanted to give me a white box "replacement service part", which is like telling people "refurbished". On the forums, fanboys of Apple are defending them by saying they are better than new because they have been throughly tested. Shouldn't the new ones be throughly tested as well, before it reached consumers looking for a good out-of-the-box experience? Frustrated, I walked out and drove to a different Apple Store. Unfortunately, I found out later, that you need to make an appointment, so a long trip (and gas) wasted. I made an appointment for the next day after work (6:10 pm), but was unable to find the store. Finally when I did, it was 6:20 pm. The greeter said it was okay and radioed someone at the Genius Bar to expect me. However, after spending 40 minutes there, no one called me. Also, attempts at talking to anyone near the Genius Bar were brushed off! I spoke again to the person at the front, and was told to wait. Finally, after an hour and a half later, I was "helped". I'm getting frustrated even writing this account of my story, so I want to get to the punch line. They refused to give me a brand new replacement phone. Instead, they gave me a white box replacement, which may or may not be new. Whatever the case, the serial number on the phone will not match the box I have. Seriously. I am a brand new Apple customer, and I also was quick to convert to the MacOS (actually bought a darn MacBook!). I am also brand new to AT&T! So this is how you treat your new customers? How do you treat your current ones? While I read all these glowing reviews of Apple's customer service, I'm starting to think if everyone was just drinking Steve Job's Kool-Aid. I seriously want to wash my hand of this and go back to Sprint. I hear the Palm Pres are easier to get now! I'm still within my 30 days (yes, that's how new a customer I am - and yes, I told them I would leave - and they said "go ahead!") -- Apple Store in Woodfield Mall in Shaumburg, IL (told me to beat it) -- Apple Store in Deer Park, IL (longest wait ever)
I hope this phone was worth the trouble (hope that the battery life issues are resolved). Update- July 20, 2009Well, this phone actually have WORSE battery life than the previous phone! And this time, the Genius (after another appointment and a 30 mile drive) says to wait for the new 3.1 firmware update! Sorry, but I have 7 days to cancel my account with AT&T and return this "phone" (I would have used a harsher word), and I am not going to wait a month or two for a firmware update that might not work, then be held to the 2 year contract! AT&T actually apologized for the problems I had, and was willing to send a new phone overnight. However, instead of getting involved, they transferred me to Apple's warranty line. Of course, the Apple rep on the phone spouted the same thing the Geniuses did (again, it's an Apple policy and hardware quality control issue, not a staff issue), and refused to send a new one, but instead offered a "white-box product replacement part, or just wait for the 3.1 firmware update". Tomorrow, I will be going to the mall and speak with a manager at an AT&T store, since going to the Apple store have been a waste of nearly a month. If I cannot get satisfaction, I will be going back to Sprint and a Palm Pre. AT&T seem to want to help, since they want to get another customer into a 2 year contract, a guaranteed $2000 account. Apple don't care at all after the initial purchase. My advice? Stay away from Apple. Like most of you, I feel trapped in their platform. I love how easy it is to get my podcasts automatically from iTunes, and sync the newest ones to my iPhone. I love the way iPhoto works with the iPhone on my MacBook. But after being treated like a dog, I can see why others continue to drink Steve Job's Kool Aid. It's addictive and sweet, and once hooked, you'd do anything to keep drinking. I really want to keep my iPhone and MacBook, because it made my life simpler, but it also produced a lot of stress. Ultimately, I will not stand for it, especially when you've paid a premium for the product (iPhone and MacBook), and the service (2 year contract at more than $2000 with 1500 text, and before taxes).
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 300 Recommended for: Stylish Trendsetters - Hip and Trendy
Apple iPhone 3GS 32GB AT&T Phone: Apple has done it again. With the Apple iPhone 3GS, you can get everything you like about the iPhone but improved. F...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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