Apple iPhone 3G Review

Permalink: Apple iPhone 3G Review by Franz Bicar

The much anticipated iPhone 3G has finally been launched over the weekend. This long-awaited, next-generation phone is pretty much similar to its predecessor and the key differences are not really that life-changing. However, the minor tweaks and changes are maybe enough to boost the 3G iPhone to newer heights and would probably allow Apple to rule the mobile market once again (they haven’t really done it yet, but they are pretty much on their merry way).

As mentioned, the 3G iPhone is similar to its predecessor except for some cool add-ons. So, since we’ve had an article for the original iPhone along with its features, let’s focus on the differences and the changes. To sum it all up, the 3G version features the much anticipated “faster” 3G wireless network, Microsoft Exchange server e-mail, and support for a staggering array of third-party software from the iPhone App Store. These features will be tackled in full later on. In the mean time, let’s take a look at some enhnacements Apple gave the iPhone.

As for its design, not much has changed with the iPhone 3G. The minor change that is really not that noticeable is the silver rim and the silver mesh behind the speaker which is now thinner. At the side, you’ll see another change. Apple has replaced the aluminum silver back with a plastic face in either white or black. The iPhone 3G’s edges are slightly tapered to accommodate the curved back, making the device thinner around its perimeter than its predecessor, but a bit thicker in the gut.

What remained the same though is the display which still stands at 3.5 inches and 480×320 pixels. However, it has slightly more dots per inch, and still gives out brilliant colors, sharp graphics, and fluid movements. The layout of the home screen is identical to that on the first version, though you’ll see two new icons - the Contacts icon and the new App Store icon.

The 3G iPhone features are also similar to that of the original iPhone. The most important changes that users should have in mind is the 2.0 software update - which still gives you the same feature as the original, save for the new App Store feature - and its new 3G support and enhanced GPS. Another feature new to the 3G iPhone is it’s full support for Microsoft Exchange server and Apple’s MobileMe. Setting up these features were fairly easy and intuitive.

The iPhone syncs your Outlook e-mail, contacts, and calendar. However, even though the iPhone can support multiple POP3 accounts at once, it syncs with only one Exchange server and one calendar or contacts list at a time.

The iPhone 3G also supports Apple’s new MobileMe service, which synchronizes from Mac’s Mail, Address Book, and iCal applications like contacts, calendar appointments, e-mail messages, photos, and browser bookmarks. One advantage of MobileMe is that it allows you to sync personal and work calendars, and contacts.

Along with the original support for Yahoo Mail and Gmail, users will now  be connected, more than ever, wherever they go.

Now, let’s take a look at the App Store. When you tap the App Store icon, you’re taken to the App Store main menu, which somewhat resembles the mobile iTunes store in design. You search applications by name and category and you can browse through the lists of Featured applications or the Top 25. There also is a feature for seeing if your purchased applications have any updates.

Downloads over Wi-Fi were pretty quick and most apps took just a few seconds. What’s most remarkable about the online applications store is the sheer breadth of titles available, many of which take full advantage of the accelerometer. The App Store is unique not for what it does, but for how it does it. The process is so easy that you can’t imagine having to do things (download mobile applications) other than this.

The 3G is slightly a bit better than the original when it comes to call-quality performance. Apple has ultimately fixed some issues on this aspect. The volume is now louder with less background noise.

However, its music and video quality were unchanged, but that’s ok, the quality of these features are already good enough for majority of the users. The arrival of third-party applications to the iPhone, however, has given users new things to do with their iPhones. Some of these apps include free music applications which users can take advantage. For instance, radio fans can take advantage of AOL Radio and Pandora to stream music directly to the iPhone over both Wi-Fi and 3G connections. An in-house Apple application, Remote, transforms your iPhone into a full-featured remote control for your computer’s iTunes music library or a separate Apple TV system.

The iPhone 3G does an admirable job supporting MP3, AAC, Audible, Apple Lossless, WAV, and AIFF audio files, as well as MPEG-4 or H.264 video files. Predictably, the iPhone does not support Windows Media file types such as WMA audio or WMV video, or more boutique formats like DIVX, FLAC, or Ogg Vorbis.

The iPhone 3G’s near-perfect storm of video features includes iTunes movie rental compatibility, excellent video podcast support, a dedicated YouTube player, autobookmarking, full-screen resizing, and support for embedded closed captions and chapter bookmarks. The iPhone’s critical shortcoming as a Web-enabled portable video player is its lack of support for the Internet’s ubiquitous Flash video content. But it still offers crisp and colorful 480×320 video on its 3.5-inch screen.

Another feature that hasn’t changed for the iPhone is its camera. Users have been expecting changes or even improvements on the iPhone’s camera. But you will still have the same 2-megapixel shooter as in the original model, although with perhaps a slight improvement in the photo quality.

The IPhone 3G offers a host of additional new features, from the noteworthy to the trivial. For the enterprise, there’s remote wipe to erase data in case of a stolen or lost phone and integration with Cisco IPSec VPN for remote network access. You’ll also find calendar colors and a new interface for entering passwords. Now the screen temporarily displays the last character you entered so you can verify that you haven’t mistyped. There is also the new ability to take screen captures. You can do this by holding the Home button and pressing the power/sleep key.

Apple has stubbornly left out multimedia messaging, stereo Bluetooth, and video recording. Others want a landscape keyboard, cut and paste, voice dialing, Flash support for the Web browser, tactile feedback for the touch screen and a memory card. Perhaps those additions will come in time, we’ll all just have to wait and see.

Sources:
http://gizmodo.com
http://www.macworld.com
http://www.electronista.com