Finally, on the 11th of July 2008 - 4 weeks after it's announcement - the new iPhone 3G was released. It promised a quicker 3G Internet connection, GPS, 3rd Party applications and much, much more... but is it really worth going out and spending (an announced price of $199-$299, £100-£150, but actually) almost $600, £300 (including 18 month contract) on what is essentially, a smartphone? I shall give my verdict...
Good points:
The original iPhone was a superb piece of tech but there were a few issues with it like slow interwebs and no 3rd party apps (unless you Jailbroke it, but that would be going against the holiness of Mr.Jobs). However these problems have been solved. Good points of the phone are:
Hardware:
Design: The new iPhone looks virtually identical to the first iPhone, however the newer has (8Gb & 16Gb) a shiny black plastic back or (16Gb only) a shiny white plastic back. The newer is also a tiny bit lighter, but apart from this the phones are basically the same. The new phone still features excellent build quality and, with a bevelled back, actually feels a bit thinner.
Inside: As with the old iPhone, the new one is available in either 8Gb or 16Gb (with most probably opting for the 16Gb). A major change in the new phone is the introduction of 3G, which means faster data speeds when connected to the Internet (3G coverage can be found in most major cities in Britain, but not in the countryside). Another big change is the introduction of GPS, with a dedicated GPS chip, capable of identifying your position within a few feet.
Smaller changes: Improvements in call quality have been made with the introduction of a new speaker and microphone. Improvements in reception quality have also been made. Battery life, even though the new phone has GPS and 3G is about the same as the original one.
Software:
2.0 software: This is pre-installed on all iPhone 3Gs and can be downloaded for free for existing 1st gen iPhone users ($9.99, £5.99 purchase from the iTunes store for iPod Touch users). This adds the feature of being able to download 3rd party apps from the App Store, including games, IM apps and many other utilities. All you have to do is open iTunes, browse to the App Store and then download any app you want. (Some are free and some need paying for, depending on the developer's decision).
This also introduces support for MobileMe (the .Mac replacement). This allows to synchronise contacts, calendar and email over the air, and allows a Blackberry-esque push email experience. Over a 3G connection, syncing with MobileMe will be very quick and much easier that using an EDGE connection with the original iPhone.
Apps and MobileMe are the major software changes, but there are other minor ones including Contacts search and a scientific calculator (which I found quite exciting...)
Bad points:
Nothing's perfect... and the new iPhone 3G is basically what everyone expected - an iPhone which is 3 times as fast and has GPS, however there are still a few concerns with it.
3G network coverage is entirely dependant on where you live, so make sure (if you want to use it, which you probably will...) to check if your area is covered.
No MMS Support
No copy and paste (even though you can save pictures now... I would have thought this operation could have been adopted for copying and pasting)
No Bluetooth stereo audio
No support for Flash (!?)
2MP camera (not exactly under par, but not up to the standard of phones like the Nokia N95 with a 5MP camera)
No video recording (although this can probably be solved by software, by taking many pictures at once e.g. 24 pics/sec = 24fps)
Cost:
Up front, the new iPhone is extraordinarily cheap at $199, £100 (8Gb) but with an 18 month contract prices are actually slightly higher that the original phone
| Contract | £35 $70 | £45 $90 | £75 $150 |
| 8Gb iPhone | £99 $199 | Free | Free |
| 16Gb iPhone | £159 $299 | £59 $120 | Free |
| Minutes | 600 | 1200 | 3000 |
| Texts | 500 | 500 | 500 |
(Unlimited Data included)
Final thoughts:
Even though the iPhone 3G has a few problems it is still a wholly brilliant phone, and certainly worth buying. The original phone was a great phone and the new one certainly lives up to its expectations.
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