Apple iPhone 3GS
Phone Scoop Review
Jun 22, 2009 by Eric Zeman and Rich Brome
Phone Scoop takes an in-depth look at the iPhone 3GS, its new hardware, and the new iPhone 3.0 operating system. read review ›
User Reviews
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APPLE MAKES ANOTHER STUNNNING ADVANCE
I have had all 3 models - Apple -3G and now a 32gig 3Gs
Pros:
- Unbelievably elegant interface
- Still Feels great in the hand
- Improved sound quality, even better than the 3G model
- Excellent picture quality
- Storage capacity (32 Gig)great for hundreds of songs, contacts, emails, ...etc.
- I could go on and on
- I'm still yet to drop a call, and I've made hundreds and hundreds.
- Flawless syncing with Outlook.
Cons:
- MMS delayed for some reason .
-
I really haven't had any issues to speak of, but I'm also not loading it up with 3rd party apps, either. Some folks have legitimate gripes...they may have gotten a bad piece of hardware. More often than not, they're using a jailbroken phone with all kinds of non -supported apps. Be smart about it and it'll be the best phone you've ever used. Period. It'll change the way of the smartphone forever.
...and for the record, I'm a software sales rep, so I use it often and use it hard. Lots of phone calls (on and off speakerphone), emails, and txting.
WOW!!
just picked up a WHITE 32GB on 7/23/2009 after weeks of praying and countless phone calls to ATT!! let me tell you THIS PHONE IS INCREDIBLE! it is well worth the wait and if you are going to be a new customer to ATT GET IT! at the 199 or 299 price you cannot go wrong!! i dont believe the phone should be worth 699 without contract or even upwards of 1200 i seen on the street...but this iphone is simply amazing.
its only a little step up from the 3G so if you are fine with the 3G then i wouldnt break my back to get one since you can have the same OS 3.0 and same features other than video recording (unless jailbroken) compass and voice recording mumbo jumbo. but WOW the part that amazed me was the SPEED IMPROVEMENT. if you get tired of simple apps or messages taking a few extra seconds to load up on screen then 3GS is for you! yes vid rec is great voice control wonderful but SPEED is KEY in this race!! browsing is smooth and quick texting is so fast and switching from app to app is blazing fast compared to 3G. if you can get it for the 199/299 price DO IT if not i would wait it out unless money is no object haha
PROS:
-camera is SPECTACULAR!
-vid recording very good especially if you like keeping memories of events or upload quite frequently to youtube.
-speaker is much louder and call quality increased.
-even though the radio bands are the same, i pick up more bars and 3G signal with 3GS...odd.
-MEMORY wow 32GB is more than enough for me (for now haha)
-SPEED SPEED SPEED before you have time to think about picking your nose between load times, you are already at the main screen of whatever app you tapped on.
CONS:
-no MMS still, but that is ATT fault and YES i do miss MMS.
-no tethering yet, and im always on the go with my laptop.
-NETWORK although ATT is improving, i just switched from VZW and its a day and night comparison with networks...atleast here in MASSACHUSETTS.
-batt life is still bad but not 3G horrible lol
thats about it GET IT you wont be DISAPPOINTED
Best iPhone yet.
Luckly I'm in an industry that allows me to use pretty much any smartphone availible; so i've used everything there is currently at least twice for weeks to months.
So with that said the Iphone 3GS is the best mobile experience I've ever had. I wasn't too impressed with the Iphone 3G, it really felt like a tempory solution for Apple. The freezing and lock-ups on that device are just plain unacceptable. With the 3GS there are no lock ups, there are no delays, and web browsing on the 3GS is way more pleasent of an exprience than the standard 3G.
Don't be fooled, the 3G and 3GS look very similar on paper but the experience and feel are totally different. The only analogy I have is it's like the standard 3G is a like driving a standard 3 series BMW and the 3GS is like driving a BMW M3. More polish and more thought goes into everything.
Pros:
Fast processor, there is no more phone impatience
more Ram, no more running out of memory or lockups
-Same great user interface
-Auto focus camera and auto focus video (30fps)!
-Easy to use and understand
-mulitple size options for memory (16 / 32)
-Ability to turn 3G on or off
-App Store
-iTunes store right on phone.
-Outlook, Yahoo, and Gmail Synch abilites
-Wifi that works ! (HTC I'm looking at you)
-no mail-in rebate to worry about
-Great Apple customer service
Cons:
-5 hour battery on 3G mode could be better
-I know it comes later but MMS & tethering wouldbe nice
-the compass should work in google street view
-a lot of the device revolves around needing a computer (software updates, iTunes registration, iTunes activation, account troubleshooting)
-Apple store only warranty exchange; Apple has blocked At&t out of the replacement device option
-no physical master reset/restore. What I mean by that is no button combination to restart and master clear the device incase a fatal error occurs. Windows Mobile has this option and it comes in handy from time to time.
The Best Phone out
I must write a review but I didn't want to. I have had every phone Verizon has to offer they do not have a phone that even comes close.
I have an omnia put up because it doesent work very well.Tried Touch Pro and many others.
Now that being said I love how easy it is to use this phone.Much easier than windows computer. Works better also.
Pros: Screen is fantastic
Very smooth operating system
So simple to use
Cons: None at this time
The best Iphone ever....No no the best phone EVER!!!
Ok i have to say it. This is the best phone or multimedia device ever made. It does everything you could ever want.Ive tried the storm,omnia,touch pro,and even an unlocked version of the almighty htc magic. all of them paled in comparison. i even talked my friend into switching his pre with my iphone for a day and you know what. he returned his pre to get an iphone.(side note: his pres screen subsequently cracked for no appearant reason,hahahahahahahahahaha).The new camrea is great the video record is nice.The faster proccesor is the real star it makes everything flow like never before.I've owned both other iphones and they were great but this is the one to get if you havent had one yet.
Awsome Device
Let me cover the basics really fast, it has a beautiful screen, awesome music player, decent camera and one of the easiest User Interfaces in the mobile world!
Pros:
-Sunlight legibility!
-Safari remembers passwords for websites
-extremely pocketable for it's size
-great Internet speeds
-it has the mac feeling of "wow it's so easy, why didn't anyone else think of this?"
-Everything you can think of is in the app store
-play against friends in games through Bluetooth
Cons:
-as a phone battery is great! But once you set the screen brightness all the way up to watch a movie and surf the web.... Not so great
-AT&T leaves a bad taste in your mouth after telling you to pay $30 for data but they aren't going to turn your mms on
- the chill that runs down your back when you add up all the money you spent in iTunes and the app store
-no true spell check (I typed this review on my 3g s)
all in all I would recommend this device to anyone that can afford the extra data package
So Close to a 5 Star Rating...
first off this phone is great my previous phone was with t-mobile which was the Sony Ericsson Cyber Shot k800i. So my review will be good, I really go after the top notch phones, in fact the k800i has the best rating on phonescoop and I haven't seen anyone beat it at the amount of reviews and great reviews it received.
Ok So about this iPhone
I give this phone a 4.5 and not a 5 because it is not made to be a phone. It is more of a iPod not a iphone. The reason I say that is because holding it up to my ear I feel like I am holding a juke box instead of a cell phone. Now I know they made this phone for mostly multimedia however why couldnt they make it for multimedia but feel like a very durable phone that looks hot at the same time mind you. and they really need to do something about the glossy finish, I think I will possibly go with the white after having the black for a few days.
Overall the Camera you are going to love, it out does my Cyber Shot k800i which had a 3.2 mp camera, this iphone really seems like a 4 or 5 mp camera. The video in this phone is unbelievable it looks as if you are taking video with a actual camera made for video. I have yet to use the GPS but it looks promising, the send videos to youtube is great feature. Hmm there was a couple of other things but not worth mentioning.
and btw my initial worry of buying this phone would be that I would not like the touch screen however I love it now that I got it and it gets easier and easier to use and thats after maybe 5 minutes of use. So dont be fooled if you have never used a touch screen it really is great.
And it's still the best....
I find it amazing how apple could make an amazing phone after only doing it for a couple of years now. I had the original iphone and loved it, had to get rid of it because i lost my job and the iphone plan costs too much. I had about 6 other high end phones and now i have the money to get an iphone plan, I get an iphone 3Gs AND ONCE AGAIN APPLE MAKES THE BEST PHONE OUT RIGHT NOW, HANDS DOWN CoOLeST phone out!
3Gs Great Upgrade from the 3G
Pros:
App Store
3.0 Firmware (Cut Copy Paste)
Double iPhone 3G Data rate in late summer
App Renders are lightning fast
Voice Control is flawless
Video Editing
Screen Tap focus on camera
Great Battery life
A2DP Bluetooth
Faster Processor and more RAM
Oleiphoic screen
Push Notifications
Compass to work with GPS
Turn by Turn Nav Apps on the way
Cons:
No OLED Screen
No front facing camera
No Flash (which you can get on WM 6.1 with Skyfire)
The iPhone 3G S makes the 3G feel slow. With 2 grams difference in weight it feels the same in your hand. The landscape keyboards and copy and paste texting are seemless. Easy legal changes will allow you to enable tethering and MMS. Through the App Store you are able to get apps to watch TV over 3G (Orb) and remote access your computers (LogMeIn) just like the 3G but faster. If you can save the $200 or $400 its well worth the buy.
Nothing Comes Close!
I LOVEEE THIS PHONE!! I use to have Nextel/Sprint, as much as I praised them for their service, I switched from them to At&t when the first iPhone came out! I watched as the 3G phone came out, I never purchased it because I didn't see a 'need' to. Then when I heard of a new iPhone coming out June 2009 I knew I had to have it and was time to upgrade!
The iPhone 3GS with 3.0 and other features only on the iPhone 3GS all work amazing! I was tempted to get the Blackberry Bold after my first iPhone for work being more professional with e-mail and an actualy querty keyboard. HOWEVER, nothing comes close after playing with a Blackberry. This is the best touchscreen out their that I have seen!
Pros:
-Not as many fingerprints on the screen compared to older versions.
-Excellent Service [AT&T]
-Feels good in the hand
-Any application you need
-Speakers nice & loud compared to older version.
-Updated Maps to find more exact location, if not exact!
- Copy & Past!! FINALLY!!!! :)
-Landscape Keyboard (Also availabl with 3.0 update with older versions of the iPhone)
-EVERYTHING! (Except my con list.. haha)
Cons:
-Battery with 3G... It seems to drain a lot faster than my original Edge first generation iPhone. I heard and knew this would happen but still... I use my phone all day and I use to be able to not have to worry about the battery till when I got home at night. Now I think I will be stopping into at&t or Best Buy to buy a car charger.
Other than the battery, I recommend this phone to EVERYONE!!!
