Belated iPhone 3G Review

When the first iPhone was released, I was very intrigued. I had been a BlackBerry user for quite some time and was fairly happy. I held off for a long time on buying the iPhone. When my iPod Nano died, I decided to just make the plunge and get an iPhone rather than buying an iPod touch. I was very happy with the original iPhone.

When the 3G was released, I was in line waiting, and playing with the App store via the leaked firmware. I was number 37 in line at an AT&T store with 40 phones. By the time I got to the front of the line, I had to settle for an 8GB model. I did order a 16GB phone however. I, like many others, was sent out the door with the phone not being activated. It was about six hours later that I was finally able to activate due to the extensive problems with the activation servers. Earlier this week my 16GB phone came in and I switched.

The hardware is very similar to the first generation. The front of the phone is nearly identical and still every bit as gorgeous. Though I prefer the look of the aluminum back, the addition of new radios made the plastic back mandatory. Thankfully, the phone still feels well built and balanced despite the new plastic. The 3G has a full 6 separate wireless technologies:

1. GSM


2. EDGE


3. HSDPA


4. WiFi


5. Bluetooth


6. GPS

The shape of the phone is thicker in the center and thinner at the edges, much like the MacBook Air. The shape is different enough that a new or modified dock is now required. Also, unlike the original phone, when used on a flat hard surface the phone wobbles a bit.

Sound quality has been improved drastically both in calls and for music/video playback. The new speaker in the phone is a huge improvement. The addition of a flush headphone jack is welcome, as now "normal" headphones can be used without needing an adapter.

The App Store, in my opinion, is the biggest draw to the iPhone 3G. I have been very pleased with the selection of apps, and inspired at the creativity seen in many. As a first generation iPhone owner, I can say that my productivity level with the 3G has increased by about 90%. The 3G network speeds are everything I expected, and the GPS has proven to be quite accurate and handy while getting directions.

The first applications I installed included:

• Remote


• Twitterific


• Facebook


• AIM


• Pandora


• Light

Setting up Exchange ActiveSync with the server at work could not have been easier. Name, password, and server name and I was ready to go. Our server was already set up for other Windows based smart phones used by other employees. I was asked to set up a client's Exchange server for ActiveSync and had to spend several hours before I finally got it working. If you are using ActiveSync with other devices, it should be painless. If you have not been using ActiveSync be prepared for some frustration. Setting up my MobileMe account on the iPhone was painless.

There are still some features missing from this phone, but none that are deal breakers. We still do not have cut/paste, MMS, easily replaceable battery, or A2DP. To me, these are more annoyances than anything.

In all, I have been very satisfied with the iPhone 3G. After almost a month of use, I am still finding new things to do and new ways to do them. I believe with the App store, the phone will continue to be more exciting for the foreseeable future. Good or bad as it may be, I can't see myself without my iPhone. I'd be lost.