iPhone 3GS and OS 3.0

This is Sertraline 25 mg the most Buy Aldactone Online recent update Coumadin 2mg - 90 pills of my Hyzaar 50mg - 30 pills iPhone Review.  I keep a running page that includes all of the updates I have done.  If you want to see all of it click here.

It has Nifedipine xl been a Ceftin 125 mg year and Differin 15gr - 40 tubes a half Trandate 100mg - 30 pills since I purchased my iPhone 2G so when the new 3GS was announced I was thinking it was time for an upgrade.  Coupled with the release of the new phone hardware was the new 3.0 software.  This review will be of the 3.0 software on the 3GS handset.  Keep in mind that not all the features discussed here will work on previous versions of the phone.

What convinced me to buy the new phone, you ask?  There were many features that that the new phone would support that I thought made it worth it.

S stands for speed – If you have read other reviews of this phone then you have heard this statement before.  They aren’t kidding.  Compared to the iPhone 2G I had before this thing is quick.  If you use your phone to play games this is a big deal.  The other area that I have noticed a big speed bump is in web browsing.  This is really the reason I wanted the speed upgrade.  Web pages load much quicker and render faster which means less wait.

GPS and Compass – The 2G iPhone did not have GPS so this was a big factor for me.  I am looking forward to the turn by turn GPS app that will be coming from Tom Tom.  On the surface the compass seems like a “huh?” addition.  Why would they add a compass to a phone?  The compass app on it’s own is pretty plain but cool all the same.  But where it really shines is when you couple it with the maps application.  It will orient the map to the direction you are facing making it very easy to tell if an upcoming turn is left or right.  Great addition.

Voice control – This is a very nice feature and it is implemented well.  My wife has always wondered what the purpose of having a Blue Tooth ear piece was since I still had to mess with the phone when I called someone.  So now when I drive all I have to do is hold down the home button and tell the phone who I want to call.  Or what song I want it to play.  I think this will really prove it’s worth as time goes on.

Camera/Video Recording – The previous iPhones had a 2 megapixel camera that worked fairly well but it could have used some improvement.  The 3GS now has a 3 megapixel camera that allows you to change the focal point of the picture.  This results in clearer pictures and a more usable camera.  The camera can now shoot video as well.  The video is clear and smooth and is editable right there on the phone.  A great new feature.

MMS – Since I owned the 2G iPhone previously I would not be able to use the MMS functions that the 3.0 software would support.  I have really been annoyed with the way MMS was handled before.  It was very cumbersome so I am really looking forward to this.  It is not available as I write this but AT&T promises to support it by the end of summer.

Stereo Blue Tooth support – wired headphones are ok, but wouldn’t you rather have wireless ones?  I would.  When I can find an affordable pair I will be getting some to take running with me.  This support also allows you to connect it to your car stereo wirelessly, provided that your car stereo supports this.

Most of the items above are only supported by the 3GS model of the phone but all of them were things that I could not do on the 2G version I had.  Now I want to mention a few features of the 3.0 software update that any iPhone user will have access to.  If you own an iPhone and haven’t upgraded yet, you should.

Cut, Copy, and Paste – I know, this sounds like a goofy feature to be excited about but I am.  It is something that people have been asking for since the first iPhone was released.  Apple seems to know what they are doing when it comes to implementing new features that work well.  So I trust that it hasn’t come until now because it wasn’t ready until now.  The implementation is great.  Tap and hold on a word and it will bring up options to resize your selection and then copy it.  Go to another app, tap the cursor and an option comes up to paste it.  Simple and effective.  I have found many uses for it already.

Voice Memos – I am not sure how much I will use this but if I did I am sure I would be happy with it.  I have just played with it some but it seems to work well.  I stood about 10 feet away from the phone facing the opposite way and it still picked up my voice well (this was on my 2G phone so I would expect the 3GS to do an even better job since it has a better mic).

Push Notification –   One of the big complaints about the iPhone in general (especially now that the Palm Pre has released) is that it does not multitask.  You can’t run multiple applications at the same time.  Push notification allows apps that aren’t running to give you notifications when something changes.  For example, you can sign into instant messenger, then close the app but if someone messages you their message will pop up on the screen.  So, this isn’t quite as good as multitasking because to answer the IM you would still have to close the app you were in and open your instant messaging app to respond.  One big help with this on the 3GS is it’s speed.   You can quickly switch between apps.  Push notification is a welcome addition but the quicker Apple can make the iPhone multitask the better.

Spotlight Search – If you were searching for something on your iPhone before the 3.0 software it might be tedious and take a while.  This is solved with Spotlight Search.  To search flick to the left of your home screen and begin typing.  The phone immediately begins returning results as you type.  It groups them by what they are (ie contacts, email, iPod).  The searching extends beyond just this screen.  You can search the email that is on your iPhone as well as extend the search to mail that is on the server.  This is a big deal.  It makes finding things easy.

There are many other features added such as an improved calendar, landscape keyboard throughout the phone, notes syncing, and more but the above are the big ones.

So, now that I have told you about all the features let me give you my opinion about the whole.  For me, upgrading to this phone was well worth it.  It brings features that I have been waiting for as well as a hardware update.  I think that it was implemented well and have had no major problems with the way things work on the phone.

For those of you worried about smudges on the screen, Apple has put a layer of “smudge repellant” on the screen.  It doesn’t keep smudges off but it does help considerably.

The battery life on the new phone seems to be a little shorter.  This could be because I am using it more trying out all the new features.  It also could be because the phone can now show you the actual percentage of battery left next to the battery icon.  Maybe I am just not used to seeing it this way.

There are still some things I would like to see added in future software updates.  Flash support is still non-existent although I have heard that Adobe is working on a mobile version for the iPhone but there is no news as to whether Apple will use it.  Since many websites use Flash I don’t think the web browser on the phone can be considered “complete” until Flash support is added.

Another feature I am looking for is the ability to use it like a USB drive.  I want to plug it into my computer and be able to transfer files to it to take with me.  Going along with this, I would also like to see support for editing documents.  There is an app out there that allows this but I want it as a built in feature.

The only other downfall of this device is the money it costs, and I don’t mean up front.  The phone I got was 199.99 which is actually a good price considering that the 16GB iPod Touch runs 299.99.  It is the monthly data package fee that AT&T requires if you have an iPhone.  $30 per month is a little steep in my opinion, but it does allow me to do lots of things I wouldn’t be able to do otherwise.

Despite the few items above, the iPhone 3GS is wonderful.  It is easy and intuitive to use and does so many things that make life easier.  I can’t tell you how many times I have referenced it when traveling.  Eventually devices like this will make owning a computer or laptop less of a necessity.  Having an iPhone in your pocket is like having an easy to use computer with you all the time.  I look forward to what Apple will do with it next.  My experience with the iPhone has been such that I would consider buying a Mac as my next laptop.  And if you know me, that is about the best recommendation I can give.