Geekery

Right, err… ok. So it seems that a full review of the 3Gs would be well appreciated.

Allow me.

Specs
As I said in the previous post, the core improvement of the 3Gs is speed. The 3Gs features 600MHz processor compared to 400MHz in the 3G and 256Mb RAM compared to 128Mb in the previous version. This hardware improvement makes for a significant speed benefit in just about everything you do on the phone. Whether its loading data intensive applications or wireless data transfer via wifi or 3G, the more powerful processor and extra ram make for a much improved user experience.

There are other improvements too including a 7.2Mb/s hsdpa transmitter for faster wireless data communication and the fact that the OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics standard is now supported which should result in a a whole new breed of really quite grown-up games being released for the iPhone. The other notable hardware improvement is with the inclusion of a 3MP camera with video capability. For existing iPhone users I can tell you that the improvement here is huge. For newcomers to the iPhone, if you’re at all confused what I’m talking about, I refer you to Jeremy Clarkson’s quote about the iPhone 1st gen and 3G camera which basically couldn’t take a decent photo if: “the light is too bright, or too dark, or anywhere in between”. That’s correct, the iPhone camera to date has been pretty much pointless. However, in the 3Gs you now have a camera which is really quite good – granted it’s only 3MP but the auto-focus works well and for a quick point and shoot it’s fine – and the video really is good enough that you could consider using the iPhone in circumstances where you really don’t want to be lugging around a separate video camera. The other great inclusion in the video function is the ability to trim videos on the phone itself. Shoot some footage and then edit out the sections you don’t need and bingo – you have a video snippet ready for emailing or uploading directly to YouTube. If you’ve got a young family and parents who have an insatiable appetite for seeing their grandchildren, you’ll be using this feature a lot I can assure you!

Form & Screen
The 3Gs is almost identical to its predecessor in appearance – save for some different writing on the back you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the two phones. The screen on the 3Gs is a touch warmer than that of the 3G – which in itself featured a warmer screen than the 1st gen. Personally, I quite liked the crisp ‘coldness’ of the 1st gen but I can see that the majority might prefer the richer colours offered by the warmer screen. Whilst we’re on the subject of the screen, the 3Gs also features a new ‘oleophobic’ screen coating which is supposed to be more finger-print resistant than previous screens. The reason for this is that, not only is a finger smudged screen less attractive but users complained that an excessively smudged screen resulted in a degradation of the touch screen sensitivity, making for jerky scrolling and non-responsive gestures. The oleophobic coating is supposed to mean that a smudged screen can easily be cleaned with a single pass of the screen over your shirt-sleeve. Now, I have no idea what kind of shirts the techs at Apple wear – but I can only assume that they have some kind of screen cleaner built into the sleeve (ah, a new TRL product maybe? Then again…), because my experience of the new screen coating is decidedly negative. My 1st gen phone would get prints on the screen yes but I never found getting the smudges off a significant problem – in fact I never even thought twice about it. However, the 3Gs is a total pig to clean. As far as I can tell, the oleophobic coating does nothing more than spread the finger grease around more. Cleaning the screen is certainly not a case of a single pass over the shirt-sleeve, in fact, I found I had to take far more care in rubbing the screen to get the smudges off compared to my previous phone. Other folk seem to be generally positive about the coating so maybe it;s just me – but I’ve resorted to applying an Invisible Shield film to my screen and that works beautifully (ever tried to apply an Invisible Shield? That is definitely worthy of a post all of its own!).

New apps
Most of the recent operating system improvements are currently being enjoyed by all iPhone users due to the release of the iPhone 3.0 OS. Anyone who currently owns an iPhone already is eligible for the new software release and it will be automatically loaded onto the iPhone the next time the owner syncs with their computer. With the exception of a few features that do not run on the 1st gen phone, the majority of the benefits of iPhone 3.0 can be enjoyed an all the handsets.

So, what has the 3Gs got that new you say? Well, perhaps somewhat randomly, the most notable new feature of the 3Gs is the inclusion of a magnetometer which allows for an application called ‘Compass’. That’s right, the iPhone 3Gs has an onboard compass for all your orienteering needs! I was a bit confused by this choice of addition at first but it all starts to make sense when you use Google Maps on the 3Gs. Using GPS combined with the magnetomter, the iPhone 3Gs can now tell you where you are on a map but also in which direction you are facing. For anyone who has tried to use Google Maps on the iPhone on foot in a city – you’ll appreciate what a blessing this new feature is. You can now stand at a crossroads, turn to face a road and the map will turn accordingly showing you that you are now facing up that same road which is actually very useful (btw: if you’re an intensive iPhone/Google Map/ user or emailer – you might also be interested in this app: Email ‘n Walk).

The second differentiator app included with the 3Gs is Voice Control. Simply hold down the home button for a couple of seconds and you are presented with the voice control app. You’ll hear a couple of beeps and then tell the phone what you want to do. If you use the word ‘call’ before a name the phone will find that person’s phone number and offer to call them for you and, if you use the word ‘play’ before and artist or song, then you have complete control over your iPod. In a quiet room with little background noise, the app works very well. However, get in a car (which is when the app is actually most useful) and voice control really struggles. It’s a good idea and Apple have done very well to get the system working so well without having to learn your voice or whatever – but unless you can use it in situations when you really don’t want to be looking at the screen – then it’s not much more than a novelty.

Battery
Apple claim that the 3Gs exhibits 1.5 times the battery life of the 3G. I can’t really comment on that because, whilst I’ve used a 3G on numerous occasions, I actually owned a 1st gen, so that’s my point of comparison when it comes to battery life. Against the 1st gen I would say that there is ‘possibly’ a slight improvement in battery life – but really nothing earth shattering. If you use the phone for checking and responding to emails, along with a bit of web browsing and just a few calls, you’ll be hunting for the charger by the evening. Thankfully, the 3Gs should get you through the working day with moderate use and using the 3G signal and, I suppose, that is the main thing – if you can get through a working day without a charge then the phone is doing what it ought.

Conclusion
If you’re new to the iPhone and have been wondering whether now is a good time to get on board then I would say most definitely. With the 3Gs Apple have brought the iPhone up to speed – the phone finally does all the things it should have done two years ago and it does them likedy-split – and if you’re still using a 1st gen iPhone then you are out of contract so do yourself a favour – get a 3Gs today – you’ll love it. Finally, if you’re a 3G user, then you have a bit of a dilemma. The chances are that you’re not yet out of contract and it’s definitely not worth buying out your contract just to get a 3Gs – but, by the time you are out of contract, which is likely to be in the next six months or so, we’ll be that bit closer to the release of the 4th generation of iPhone. Personally, if I was in that position, I would wait. The gains of the 3Gs vs the 3G really are not great enough to warrant being tied down for another 18 months in 6 months time. If a 4th gen iPhone isn’t released early next year, it will almost certainly be next summer, so keep your powder dry – battle on for another 6 months after your contract expires and you’ll be well placed to jump on the 4th gen iPhone – and whatever goodies that will bring.