Mobile Phones Reviews

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Ultra Touch is a new series of Samsung mobile phones have numbered the peculiarity of having control touch screen, usually very large in size. Part of this model among the S8300 with Full Touch screen 2.8 inch. The most significant is the digital camera with 8 megapixels.

Samsung S8300 Ultra Touch main features: network, display and power

There are many resources attributable to the new phone connections that is called Ultra Touch S8300, introduced on the market by manufacturer Samsung in early 2009. EDGE and GPRS protocols and reception of GSM type Quad-Band, at frequencies of 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz, in addition to UMTS Dual Band and especially the speed with HSDPA 7.2 Mbps good battery Power Touch Ultra Samsung S8300 has a capacity estimated at 880 mAh. Is not indicated maximum autonomy. The display is the primary element of the cell: the size of 2.8 inches diagonally, can display up to 16 million colors. Has WQVGA resolution (240×400 pixels) and above Full Touch tactile control system. Last but not least the allocation of this screen is also a special anti-reflection coating.

Samsung S8300 Ultra Touch design

Classify the Samsung S8300 Ultra Touch in the classic forms of relating design is not simple. However, the device can be placed in the category of so-called models with sliding design. The phone has a very small thickness of 12.7 mm, married to a height of 110 mm and a width that reaches 51.5 mm. The display is clearly the dominant element in the aesthetic front: with touch controls do not require the presence of a keyboard, so that the display occupies almost all the space available. The numeric keypad is revealed and can be by scrolling vertically. Ultra Touch Samsung S8300 has a square shape. In terms of color play on alternating black, present in the visible area, and red, instead characterizing the hidden keypad.

Samsung S8300 Ultra Touch multimedia messaging and main functions

The broad compatibility with audio and video is one of the most important traits that determines the use of Ultra Touch Samsung S8300 also as a tool for entertainment. There are in fact an MP3 player compatible with WMA, AAC and AAC, and a video player, whose support extends to DivX, XviD, H.263, H.264, WMV9, MPEG4, among other standards. Plenty of Bluetooth technology for connecting wirelessly to other compatible devices. Further output is USB version 2.0. Another important tool is the navigator of the type assisted-GPS. Samsung S8300 Ultra Touch is a phone equipped with a capacity of internal memory that does not go over 80 MB. However, an integrated memory card slot allows up to 16GB microSDHC capacity. Finally to mention the FM radio with RDS.

Samsung S8300 Ultra Touch the integrated camera

The last resort which is mentioned here is probably the most significant in the scope of this phone: it is the camera. The resolution of the image sensor of this instrument, in fact, reached values virtually unsurpassed in the landscape of mobile devices: shots are allowed to define even 8 megapixels. Many are then related technologies that further improve the performance of this camera: you can report the autofocus, face detection system for convenient detection of faces within the image, the Geo-tagging and Wide Dynamic Range ( WDR), as well as the Dual Power LED flash. Use as a camera can provide video recording at 30 fps in VGA quality, with a resolution of 640×480 pixels for videos.

Samsung S8300 Ultra Touch final verdict

Two in particular are the resources that distinguish so strong offering of Samsung S8300 Ultra Touch by resolution digital camera with 8 megapixels and 2.8-inch TFT display with Full Touch control. Mobile design with sliding keyboard which only appears at the opening of the device, Samsung S8300 Ultra Touch is beneficial then HSDPA technology, which allows navigation at speeds of 7.2 Mbps Among other resources, the model also has a media player compatible with major audio and video standards, a GPS-GPS, Bluetooth. Is powered by a 880 mAh lithium battery and includes an FM radio with RDS. From the depth of only 12.7 mm, has a 2.8 inch display will be able to view up to 16 million colors.

Samsung S8300 Ultra Touch user review

When I got my Samsung Phone, I got it with Vodaphone. It costs £20.00 a month consisting of 900 minutes (more than enough) and I also get unlimited texts and internet. This is a very good deal really, and the phone is excellent.

I am more than pleased with this phone – It has an easy to use keypad both on the touch screen and a slide out keypad is accessable. The camera on the phone is excellent, with high quality 8mega-pixels and a range of different camera settings to choose from, including frames and wide angle camera lense. All of my photos have come out clearly. The only problem I would say is it does take a while to access the media, whether it be video, music or photos, on the file manager on the mobile – it can go very slowly at times, and a memory card is definitely needed due to the high memory capacity photos will take (because they are of a good quality).

However, memory cards can be put in the phone and aren’t expensive. Mostly a memory card will even come with this phone.
My phone is “red” however it does appear pink in the sunlight. It does however come in many other colours. I am happy with my phone, and as far a Samsung’s go, this is excellent.

Samsung S8300 Ultra Touch video review

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The range is a series of mobile phones on the market proposed by the manufacturer Samsung, with the prerogative to manage the simultaneous operation of two different Sim Card, also belonging to different operators. This trend also fits the model B5722, which turns out to be commercially available starting in December 2009.

Samsung B5722 Duos Main features: network, display and power

This phone has the presence of a color monitor with active matrix TFT LCD technology. The screen can display up to 262,000 colors, has a diagonal of 2.8 inches and a resolution of type QVGA (320×240 pixel display). In addition, the Samsung B5722 is powered by a rechargeable lithium ion battery whose capacity is 1200 mAh, with an autonomy of 400 hours of standby and 4.5 hours talk time. EDGE support appears to be the most advanced form of connection proposed by the new Samsung B5722, a device that makes possible the housing of two Phonecard its main prerogative. Indeed, it is a simple quad band GSM, capable of operating on frequencies of 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz, but without any particular additional connections in nature evolved (3G).

Samsung B5722 Duos design

The model has a great subtlety of design in relation to the category where it belongs: only 14.4 millimeters thick, with a height of 104 mm and a width of 54.9 mm to complete the picture size. Of compact and smooth, rounded bottom species, Samsung B5722 has a silver front frame onto which some side panels and rear which is predominant hue Elegant Pink, Dark Brown or choice. It ’s the slide or slide-up design to characterize the appearance of the Samsung B5722, thus hiding the alphanumeric keypad to view where the device remains closed. The space immediately visible front is destined large display and the slider main navigation. The keyboard is discovered by sliding vertically the two parts of the body.

Samsung B5722 Duos Multimedia messaging and main functions

Java support lets you use preloaded games or inserted later via download. Word Document Viewer, Offline, Mobile Printing, Voice Memo and Voice Mail among other resources. Samsung B5722 accommodates two SIM cards and offers a choice about using them. It has a 30 MB memory expandable to 8 GB with microSD cards. Supports SMS, MMS, email and allows the use wireless Bluetooth version 2.1. Samsung B5722-wide media does not miss the main technologies and resources now common to many devices in the same category. For example, there are a video player, compatible with standard H.263, AMR and MPEG4, and MP3 player, which in addition considered the format can encode audio in AAC, protected AAC or Windows Media Audio.

Samsung B5722 Duos: The integrated camera

Finally, inherent in the photographic instrument Samsung B5722 has some interesting additional features. Remember such as Autofocus, Shot mode and photo effects that can be set for the photo shoot, or you can integrate the images already acquired. This camera can also record videos, then storing the content in widely used formats, and MPEG4 or H.263 in particular. The maximum resolution is QVGA movies and capture rate of 15 fps. Instead, the integrated camera itself is a very basic tool, but its image sensor can still reach the high resolution of 3.2 megapixels for higher quality shots.

Samsung B5722 Duos final verdict

This model boasting a 3.2 megapixel digital camera and an audio / video player compatible with many different formats. Sliding design, this phone has a depth of 14.4 mm and comes with two-tone look: Elegant Pink and Silver or Silver and Dark Brown. The main trait of interest that can push the purchase of the Samsung B5722 is that it can accommodate two Sim Card And not only make them even active at the same time, getting both on a single telephone, and then decide to turn time in which to use for calls or other forms of communication. For the rest it is a cell from the basic functions, without an advanced connections such as 3G, but with support for EDGE, Quad Band operation and built-in Bluetooth technology.

Samsung B5722 Duos user review

Aesthetically beautiful, very attractive color display, 3.2 megapixel camera also sufficient for those who are content, however the photos are sharp and even videos. The sims are manageable (with fast access dedicated), function contemporeneamente or by choice, either. The touch screen is sensitive and precise. Supports MP3 and reads the music downloaded from iTunes. The problem I found is that I never managed to set the WAP and MMS, this is because, not being a very popular model, the telephone operators do not provide the SMS configuration, but you must set it manually. Excellent battery life: making normal use, the charge lasts for at least 4 days, remaining on the clock.
Even the menu functions are very intuitive, you can manage without any difficulty. Missing applications and additional functions, and this is due to the fact that it is a very popular model.

Samsung B5722 Duos video review

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The first 12 megapixel Sony Ericsson arrives for our first review to examine it, to understand why there is a so exaggerated powerr on a mobile phone. Well… it needs!

Making photos is a show with this Satio Sony Ericsson, but it does not end with the camera although perfect. Under the bodies, in fact, there’s more. See what.

Package

The sales package of the new Satio has everything you need to be able to use this phone all around. We have a proprietary data cable, battery of 1000 mAh, standard stereo headset jack, manuals, and even a memory of 8 GB.

On closer examination, missing only a convenient carrying case. But Sony Ericsson has delivered a very important standard case, in line with the £ 420 requested for the purchase of this new Satio.

First Contact – Features and Materials

The new Sony Ericsson Satio is a device candy bar touchscreen that operates in the dual system UMTS (HSPA) – GSM quadband. Connectivity very complete, featuring as features the wi-fi connection, Bluetooth stereo in addition to the comfortable data cable. Sony Ericsson for this Satio uses Symbian Series 60 5th Edition. Seems to have a Nokia in the hand but with some adjustments and attention typical of Sony.

Aesthetically, we have an ingot in our hands, black color (there are also red and gray satin), a box of metal that gives a great sense of solidity. On the front, takes place the display defined by 640×360 pixel resolution and 3.5 inches in size.

The colors are 16 million, the technology is the touch screen, resistive type.
Do not worry, though: the system reacts quickly enough. Sure, we are far from capacitive, but just get used a bit.

Above the screen there is a small video camera, proximity sensor, a status LED that warns us of missed calls or incoming messages. On the back there is the 12.0 megapixel camera equipped with autofocus and Xenon flash.

Around the optics, we have a blue light, which reflects the one around the release mechanism. Integrated into the bodywork there are also the GPS and the accelerometer.

First Contact – Size and Weight

The ergonomics of the new Satio is pretty good. The bodies are smooth but of metal, therefore with enough grip to prevent your phone slither like a oap.

Satio manages to fit in your hand, despite the large display and the protruding lens cover. It has a height of 112 mm, a width of 55, and a thickness equal to 13.3, for a specified weight of 126 grams.

As already mentioned, the sense of solidity is excellent. Obviously, since no physical keyboard, we must always refer to the touch screen. The resistive technology force us to use the stylus only a few cases, and already this is a victory.

On the shells we have different commands: above there is the power button, which also allows to set the user profiles (like the Nokia phone); on the left of the block, thare are the contact station and the slot for MicroSD card; on the right side ther are the volume, play, access to the photo-video gallery buttons and the obvious key to take photographs, dual race.

Trial – Our test

The new Satio has no branding, and offers the version 9.4 of the fifth edition of Symbian Series 60, chosen to give the device a connotation typically tied to consumer users.

From professional point of view, there is not much about this model from Sony Ericsson, which brands the home screen just as happens to other competitors, especially when we are using Windows Mobile. This time, on the home screen we have an interface that offers some shortcuts, such as those for the photos, the home, the browser bookmarks and those for calling, plus a customized tab.

At the bottom of the display there is another shortcut, which brings us to messaging, web and mobile phone searching, keyboard, etc.. In general, the operating system is fairly quick, but we wanted a touchscreen more ready to resist the continuous commands given by the user.

You should not ever be fooled by the 1000 mAh battery, able, despite the numbers, to provide power to the device for at least a day and a half of not intensive use. However, we managed to close a full day without battery problem. The functions are arranged as usual for icons, placed in a grid with fresh and bright colors.

The phone part works quite well, both from calling and receiving point of view, while on the messaging we rely capabilities of the display. That offers us to write through a reduced QWERTY keyboard (and here you will use the stylus), an extended QWERTY (with the display in landscape), an alphanumeric keypad or by inserting letters with our handwriting, a fact which brings us back to the exceptional P800 but in practice it is not so performing.

We can also send and receive e-mail, but we will have to click the attachment to watch them in HTML (like Nokia ….). In terms of applications and web browsing (good for rendering thanks to the large display) there is not much to say. The true object of desire of this Satio is the camera.

12 megapixels, excellent quality, which can be attained only in 4:3 format. The pictures are perfect, better then the avarage quality of the other cameras, and they have a real important definition. Even in macro or low light will achieve significant results, with the ability to set many settings.

It will be like having in the hands a small compact digital camera with performance rather than discrete. And like any respectable camera, Satio also allows you to shoot video at a maximum quality of 640×480 pixels with 4:3 format (unfortunately no chance to turn them into wide format).

Of course, the multimedia of Satio extends to the reproduction of music, better using the headphones then the external speaker, mono and nothing special. Noteworthy it is also the presence of the radio and of the integrated GPS with Google maps and Wisepilot on trial for a day.

Do you need an all in one device that acts as phone and camera with 12 megapixels of resolution? If the answer is yes and you have more than £ 420 to invest, an investment Satio becomes credible.

CONCLUSION

Value for money
You will find at £ 420 this new Sony Ericsson camera phone. A high price, as the performance of the new Satio from the perspective of the image quality. The camera is wonderful, the other functions are present. Your preference on the complete touchscreen display has to be evaluated.

Packaging and envelope
There is a memory card of 8 GB, the data cable plug, the 1000 mAh battery, stereo headset and manuals. An excellent budget, missing only the case …

Ergonomics
With a shiny metal body, it guarantees solidity being a well assembled and very interesting product. It stays in your hand or in your pocket. The dimensions do not exceed certain average.

Usability
The camera is undoubtedly the added value of this phone, which offers Symbian operating system with good usability. We would have preferred a touch faster, but we can not say that there are delays or slowdowns …

Multimedia
Excellent multimedia, thanks to the camera with maximum resolution 12.0 megapixels, and fitted with xenon flash and autofocus. Well even the video, filmed at 640×480 pixels, and even playing music. And there is also the radio

GENERAL RATING

A model created to take pictures, always, wherever and however.But there is too much, like Symbian, a decent touchscreen, web browsing, full Internet connectivity. In short, an all in one device which has perhaps the only real flaw in the price …

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LG GM750, is one of the company earliest smartphone that running on WinMo 6.5 OS. This smartphone is said to be the successor for the LG GM730. Consider the GM730 didn’t give so much surprise for us, so we hope that GM750 will giving us better impression. At a glance, they both seem has no much differences on the specs, would GM750 be another disappointment? Let’s check it out.

The phone is exclusive to Vodafone and echoes the good looks of LG’s higher end smart phones as well as much of their specs, including a 3in touchscreen, Windows Mobile 6.5, a 5Mp camera, Wi-Fi and HSDPA 3G with downloads up to 7.2 Mbps. Even so, actually using it turned out to be a bit of a pain

Design

Looking not hugely different from other LG touch screen phones such as the Arena and Cookie, the GM750 is fairly chunky at 110×54x13mm and 120g but it has slick bevelled sides and corners to lessen the effect.

Above the touchscreen is a VGA camera for video calls, light sensor and speaker, with touch-sensitive call start and stop buttons below with a navpad in-between. This is nicely sensitive by the way, and often proved preferable to using the screen itself, as we’ll see.

On the sides are a volume rocker, micro USB power/sync slot and microSD memory card slot (none supplied), both covered by plastic grommets, a camera shutter button and a ‘multitasking’ button, which shows all your open apps at once, plus a power button on top. Peeping out from the rather flimsy plastic back panel is the camera lens with a self-portrait mirror but no flash.

The 240 x 440-pixel, resistive touchscreen turned out to be an odd fish and it took a little time for us to get our heads around it. At first we thought it was just plain bad, and incapable of reliably distinguishing between our brushes and pushes, resulting in a consistently frustrating experience. But with further use, we realised that there’s a knack to it.

Pressing the screen with a thumbnail proved to be a very reliable way of accessing functions, making the distinction between brushes and presses more pronounced. While we can see the reasoning for this, it’s still not a patch on the sensitivity and ease of use shown by Apple’s iPhone or HTC’s WinMo handsets.

User Interface

The Windows Mobile 6.5 browser is OK, but no world-beater. The GM750’s accelerometer works in browser mode – and with the onscreen Qwerty keyboard, but not a lot else – so you can flip the phone on its side to browse in landscape.

You can double tap for a quick zoom, but otherwise the process is a little fiddly, since you’ll need to press on the menu button in the corner, then the zoom button, then adjust the slider that appears on screen. You can also use the touchpad to control a cursor, which comes in handy for activating those small point links.

S-Class has been used on a whole host of other LG touchscreen handsets so we can understand why the company wants to stick with it here, but really, it only makes the GM750 more confusing to use. The problem is that with S-Class running there’s usually two or more ways to access the same feature or menu. For example, you end up with two calendars – the S-Class one and the native Windows version, and two main menus – the S-Class grid menu and the Windows Phone Start screen. What’s more, the phone’s 528MHz Qualcomm processor isn’t exactly the speediest around and with the extra burden of running S-Class over the top of Windows Phone there are times when the handset feels very sluggish to use.

Speed doesn’t appear to be one of the GM750’s attributes and we found browsing the menus, never mind the Internet, to be something of a drag, quite literally, since there was often a notable gap between pressing to access something and it coming through. This led to the suspicion that the processor wasn’t quite up to the task demanded of it.

Camera

The camera is lacking the Schneider-Kreuznach optics to be found on the likes of the LG Arena, but there is autofocus, and it still manages to produce a reasonable performance. It launches in about three seconds and takes around the same to take a snap – not the slowest we’ve seen, but certainly not the fastest.

Options include 6 shot continuous capture, a choice of frames and panorama mode that stitches three images together pretty well. The digital zoom won’t work at the full 5Mp 2560 x 1920 resolution, and it can only magnify by 1.2 at 3Mp, which begs the question: what’s the point?

Music and Video

Video drops the quality to VGA level and tends to blur very quickly with any sort of movement. It’ll suffice for emergencies, but don’t expect anything approaching respectable video quality.

Viewing movies was a little less exciting than we’d hoped. Windows Media Player is the default player and since the accelerometer doesn’t work with it, you’ll need to go through the menu to switch to landscape mode for viewing. It can display 262,000 colours but even so, pictures weren’t particularly sharp and subject to striping and blurring when the picture gets busy.

To compound the problem, LG provides a stylus but there’s no slot to include it in the phone – you can attach it by a lanyard or carry it in your pocket, though neither option appeals to us.

The music player is functional but not much fun, with a blocky interface that’s reasonably easy to work with your thumb, yet looks rather cramped. The sound through the supplied speakers is tinny and lacking in body and there’s no graphic equaliser on board.

Call quality

Call quality was generally good during our test period, and while there are times when the earpiece can sound a little bit tinny, for the most part it performs well and produces clear and loud audio. The phone’s reception was also first class and it impressed in terms of battery life, too, as we got around two days out of it with moderate usage of 3G surfing and GPS before it needed a recharge.

E-mail

E-mail is easy to set up, with most accounts requiring just address and password to get going for push e-mail for up to ten addresses. When you open an e-mail you’re offered the option to reply or to phone the sender if they’re already in your contacts – a handy shortcut.

At least LG offers the chance to upgrade the headphones – they connect to the phone using the micro USB socket, but there’s a 3.5mm jack at the end of a dongle adaptor. One saving grace for the GM750 is battery life. It gave us close to two days of moderate to heavy use – not bad at all for a smart phone with an extensive spec list.

Specifications

• Screen
  3 Inch TFT 65k Touch Colour Screen (240 x 400 Pixels)
• Imaging
  5 Megapixel Camera, Auto Focus, Camera Key, Photo Editor, Photo Album, Video Record, Video Editor, Video Player (MPEG4, H263, H264 & WMV), Video Gallery, Second Camera, Video Calling, Picture Wallpapers, Screensavers
• Messaging
  SMS (Text Messaging), MMS (Multimedia Messaging), Instant Messaging, Email
• Sound
  Music Player (MP3, WAV, WMA & eAAC+), FM Radio, MP3 Ringtones, Polyphonic Ringtones
• Entertainment
  Java™ Games, Downloadable Games, Organiser, Phone Book, Organiser, Calendar, Clock, Alarm Clock, Calculator, Call Log, Document Viewer (Word, Excel, PowerPoint & PDF), A GPS Navigation, Windows Mobile 6.5 OS, S Class Touch User Interface
• Connectivity
  3G HSDPA, HSUPA, WiFi®, Micro USB, Bluetooth®, EDGE, GPRS
• Network
  Tri Band Technology (GSM 900, GSM 1800 & GSM 1900), HSDPA 1900 & 2100
• Internet
  WAP 2.0 Browser, XHTML, HTML
• Memory & Talk Time
  Supports MicroSD™ Memory Card up to 16 Gbytes, 6.4 Hours Talk Time, 450 Hours Standby
• Weight & Size
  Weight TBC, 109.8 x 56.5 x 11.9 mm

Verdict

The LG GM750 looks pretty good on paper but we found it to be a frustrating device in practice, largely because of its unresponsive screen. Even once we’d figured out how to get it working reliably, we still didn’t feel comfortable having to use our thumbnails. The camera is OK, the browser is more than capable, but the GM750 doesn’t quite seem to know whether it wants to be a high-end smart phone or a do-it-all workhorse, and falls somewhere between the two. So despite a high-ish spec list LG’s GM750 never quite lives up to its promise. ®

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The latest iPhone – the iPhone 3G S – launched in the UK on June 19 on O2, and on Orange on November 10. The iPhone 3GS adds features like a video camera, voice control and a digital compass. The camera has been upgraded to 3 megapixels with autofocus. Battery life has been improved and applications run faster. And, set your eyebrows to “shocked” because you can now copy and paste text, and forward messages. It looks like Apple have now managed to fill in the missing pieces of the jigsaw and produce a phone that can really deliver on its promise.

Hardware

As we said in the intro, there is nothing visually different about the iPhone 3GS versus the iPhone 3G, save for the lettering on the back, which is now mirrored like the Apple logo. While we had seen leaked images of a matte finish, bezel-free version of the device, when push came to shove, what we got was essentially a carbon copy of the iPhone 3G. In terms of the general elements of the phone — the plastic casing, mute switch, home and power buttons, etc. — there is no change at all. In fact, if you were to lay this phone and its predecessor next to one another face up, the new model would be indistinguishable. Of course, the 3GS is not just a clone of the previous device, and Apple has made most of its significant changes inside the phone.

Design and interface

The iPhone 3GS looks exactly like the previous model. It shares the shape and the same external controls, but the iPhone 3GS is unique in a handful of ways. You can get both memory sizes in white or black, and the iPhone 3GS display sports a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating that is supposed to attract fewer fingerprints and smudges. The new model shares the same dimensions as its predecessor, but it’s slightly heavier (4.76 ounces versus 4.7 ounces), a virtually unnoticeable difference.
The iPhone 3GS has the same external design as the iPhone 3G.
The menu interface is also the same, but in the past year, as we’ve added apps to the Home screen, something new has begun to bother us. As intuitive and simple as the interface is, it becomes unwieldy after you get above four menu pages. Swiping through multiple pages is tedious; and it’s rather painful to drag applications from page to page if you’re an organizational freak. We hate that there’s no way to categorize related apps into folders, such as one for news, another for social networking, and so on. Not only would this cut down on menu pages, but you’d also be able to find your app faster. And while we’re at it, how about letting us delete some of the native apps we never use?

Features

Since the iPhone 3GS inherits many of the features from the previous model, we’ll concentrate on what’s different on this device. If you need a refresher on such elements as the clock, YouTube, weather, iPod player, calculator, and e-mail, please see our iPhone 3G review. We’ll start off with the new features that only the iPhone 3GS will offer.

Features of the Apple iPhone 3GS include:

• OS X Operating System
• Assisted GPS with digital compass
• 3 megapixel camera with autofocus
• Video camera (VGA, 30 frames per second)
• Display: 480 x 320 pixels (3.5 inch) touchscreen
• Music player (AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 1, 2, and 3), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV formats)
• Voice control, voice memos
• Messaging: SMS, MMS, email
• Memory: 16GB or 32GB flash drive
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, USB 2.0, Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), 3.5mm headphone jack
• WAP, EDGE, HSDPA
• Size: 116 x 62 x 12.3 mm
• Weight: 135g
• Quad-band (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) plus UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
• Talktime: 5 – 12 hours
• Battery standby: 300 hours
• Audio playback: Up to 30 hours
• Camera

Until now, the iPhone’s camera has been good, but far from great, with decent photo quality, but no editing features. Apple didn’t include options such as white balance, a digital zoom, or a self-timer that come standard on many basic VGA camera phones. The minimalist shooter bothered us so much that we began to worry if Apple was leading a new trend of “dumbing down” cell phone cameras.
The iPhone 3GS’ camera still lacks a flash.
The iPhone 3GS puts some of those fears to rest. Apple boosted the camera’s resolution to 3 megapixels and added a new “Tap to Focus” feature. As you point the lens toward your subject, a small box appears on the center of the display. Tapping that square focuses the camera automatically on that point and adjusts the white balance, color, contrast, and exposure accordingly. If you’d rather focus on the edge of your shot, just tap the display at your chosen point and the square moves with you. If you don’t tap anywhere, the camera will focus the entire frame.

Phone settings

I keep all my contacts online, on an Exchange Server, so for me, setting up the iPhone mainly consisted of entering a WIFI password, then setting up an exchange account and a Gmail account. In general, the exchange setup is not too hard if you have all the information handy. Gmail is very easy to setup, so all in all, you should get started in no-time.

All the menus are fairly easy to find, because the user interface is logical, certainly more so than the Nokia N97, or Windows Mobile phones. Android is pretty good on that front.

Virtual keyboard

Let’s go to the heart of what could make or break your iPhone experience: the iPhone relies only on virtual controls because it is currently the only way to get a thin phone with a large and comfortable display. The only (but important!) drawback is that you will lose some serious typing speed.
When you have physical keys, most people basically use two senses to type: touch and vision. On the iPhone, half or more of that is gone. Now, you can only rely on your eyes to type properly. For most people that translates into a much slower typing pace. In my case, I type much faster with a physical keyboard.
Now, you will probably hear that it gets better with time: it’s false for most people that I know and for myself. It might get *marginally* better, but not by much. Secondly, an iPhone “fan” will tell you that he/she or someone they know can type as fast as a Blackberry-user. Well, that might be true, but that’s beside the point. The real question is: can you do it? and usually, the answer is no.
If you don’t type a whole lot, then you won’t mind. If you come from a numeric pad phone, the virtual keyboard will be a big improvement for typing. If you come from a Blackberry, go try an iPhone and imagine yourself typing one of those long work emails or IM conversation. Everyone’s tolerance to the virtual keyboard is different, that’s why I recommend you to try it in a store or with a friend’s phone. Type something long. For those who would not like the iPhone, this is ground zero.
If you wonder how the iPhone compares to the competition, I would say that it’s better than the myTouch 3G and better than any of the touch Windows Mobile phones that I have tried like the Samsung Omnia and the HTC Touch Pro. That said, I prefer the suggestion feature of Android to be better than Apple’s because it suggests more words, faster.

iPhone OS 3.0

The iPhone 3GS will support the new iPhone OS 3.0 update from day one. The OS 3.0 is a significant update that promises 100 new features, including such long-awaited gems as multimedia messaging, stereo Bluetooth, a voice recorder, and cut, copy, and paste. Apple has yet to release a fully detailed list–and we’ve barely scratched the surface in our testing–but we’ll continue to report improvements as we find them. First announced in March 2009, it was released June 17, 2009, for the iPhone Classic and the iPhone 3G.

Multimedia messaging

We’ve ranted endlessly about why it took so long for Apple to achieve multimedia messaging (MMS), so we’re glad that it’s finally on its way. Besides photos, you’ll also be able to send videos, audio files, and map locations. At long last, the iPhone can do something that almost every other cell phone can do, and has done for ages.
This is what MMS looked like in the beta version of iPhone OS 3.0.
But, and this is a big “but,” AT&T doesn’t have things ready on its end. We don’t know the real reason for the annoying delay, nor do we have a timetable for deployment; we just know that AT&T will support MMS “later this summer.” (Also, because it wasn’t integrated with the proper radio, the iPhone Classic will not support MMS.)
When we first tested the beta version of iPhone OS 3.0, we were able to compose, but not send, a multimedia message in a few quick steps on our iPhone 3G. In subsequent OS 3.0 updates, Apple removed the process for doing this; presumably you’ll get it back when MMS goes live.
On the upside, the messaging process was intuitive. When using the text-messaging app, a small camera icon appeared next to the writing area. After tapping it, we had the choice to take a new photo or send an existing shot. If we decided to shoot a new photo, we had the option of retaking it if we wished. Alternatively, we could initiate a picture message from the photo gallery. In either case, the photo appears in the typing area of the message application, and you can delete it if you change your mind.
The Spotlight feature lets you search a variety of files on your iPhone 3GS.

Tethering

In March, we heard that tethering would be possible with the OS 3.0, but that it would be completely carrier-dependent. Here again, AT&T isn’t on the ball. While other iPhone carriers around the world will be ready when the iPhone goes live, AT&T is saying that the carrier will support tethering later this summer. Unfortunately, we don’t know the exact reason for the delay, when tethering will actually arrive, or whether AT&T will charge extra for it.

Text messaging

Deleting and forwarding individual messages in a texting thread works just like the e-mail app. When you select the edit button, small dots appear next to each message. Hit the dots for your desired messages before pressing the delete or forward options. Thanks, Apple, but this should have been on the first iPhone.

Stereo Bluetooth

We were very glad to see a stereo Bluetooth profile arrive with iPhone OS 3.0. We tested it with the LG HBS-250 stereo Bluetooth headset. The pairing process was easy and incident-free. In the music player, a small Bluetooth icon appears next to the player controls. Press it to route audio to the headset; you then can toggle back and forth between the speaker and the headset. Speaking of Bluetooth, the update also adds Bluetooth peer-to-peer networking for gaming. Yet, neither Bluetooth feature is available on the iPhone Classic, even with the OS 3.0 update installed. Apple has a chart with more information.

Turn-by-turn directions

iPhone OS 3.0 brings support for turn-by-turn directions, making the iPhone a fully functional GPS device. The bad news is that, along with MMS, we’ll have to wait until later this summer for complete functionality. Directional services won’t come from Apple, but will instead come from third-party apps. TomTom will be one of the first companies to offer an app; a TomTom executive demonstrated it at WWDC 2009. AT&T has built an app for its AT&T Navigator service and we expect that other companies will offer their own apps.
From what we could tell from the brief demo, TomTom’s service looks promising. The interface was attractive and the audible directions were clear. TomTom will also offer a car kit that will secure your iPhone to your windshield or dashboard while charging it at the same time. That’s good news for a device that sucks up juice quickly.
We’re concerned with how much the app will cost. TomTom will offer a “range” of U.S. and international maps, but that’s as much as we know. GPS maps are not cheap, so we’ll be interested to see how TomTom will package and price the content to make it affordable for consumers and profitable for TomTom.
What’s more, we’re curious how much memory the maps will consume and how the app will integrate with the iPhone’s other features. From what we understand, we’ll be able to make hands-free calls and play music on our car’s radio while getting directions. Unlike the Palm Pre, however, the iPhone doesn’t multitask (we have more to say on that below). If the GPS feature has to suspend because you get a call–just as the iPod player suspends when you take a call–then things could get tricky. We suspect, though, that Apple and TomTom have this covered.

iTunes Store

With the software update, your iPhone’s iTunes Store experience will change a bit. Now you’ll be able to rent and purchase movies, download TV shows and audiobooks, and access iTunes U. You’ll also be able to redeem iTunes gift cards on the phone in the iTunes App store. Previously, you could only redeem in the iTunes music store.
Also new is the capability to make purchases while inside apps. For example, you can renew a magazine subscription or buy additional levels of a game. This is a small win, at least for us. Sure, it’s nice that you won’t have to close the application and return to the iTunes Store, but this is almost one of those “problems I didn’t know I had.” Just remember to keep a limit on your impulse buying.
Apple promises that free apps will always be free, to avoid a bait-and-switch scenario. While that’s great for consumers in that you’ll never have to shell out money for an update, even now we see two versions of many apps cluttering the App store. The free app get you hooked, much like a demo version of a game, while the paid app offers the whole experience. As we see it, that’s not much better than offering an app for free, but then charging later for an update.
What I like about virtual controls is that they change depending on the context. In the web browser, there’s a “.com” button, which saves four taps. It is also very easy to switch to a foreign layout like AZERTY. These are some of the huge advantages in having virtual controls: developers can do a lot of cool things.

Overall performance

The Interface of the iPhone 3GS is very fast and responsive. I have only 26 apps on my home screen, but after a few weeks, I’ve never experienced any slowdown or sluggishness. To run a quick comparison, the Blackberry Storm would need a brain transplant to be like this – especially once it is bloated with emails. The Blackberry 8900 is regularly sluggish while waking up from locking state, I suspect that the content protection makes is slowing things down (don’t keep a bunch of encrypted files on the device). The iPhone 3GS is also more responsive than the Nokia N97 (by far). Only the HTC Hero (MyTouch 3G) comes close, but even then, scrolling in the Map application reveals that the iPhone 3GS can move graphics about twice as fast (I’m eyeballing the framerate). At the moment, the Toshiba TG01 or a Tegra-powered device *should* deliver similar or better results.

App loading speed

One of the major improvement on the iPhone 3GS is the loading time for applications. In my own experience and in independent tests, applications have loaded faster on the iPhone 3GS when compared to older models. The additional memory that was added to the 3GS and the extra CPU clock speed make a big difference.

Battery Life

The battery life can vary greatly depending on what you do, but with my particular usage pattern, I got about 39h in between charges. Battery life can vary greatly, but you’ve seen my usage pattern at the beginning of this review. I have heard a lot of horror stories about the iPhone battery (the original and the 3G). Honestly, it’s hard to tell what’s going on unless I can investigate and try for myself. Sometimes, even the local conditions (signal reflectivity, distance to the tower) can affect battery life in non-negligible ways.

Misc

Boot time: the iPhone 3GS boots in 20 seconds, which is not so far from what a Netbook would do with an instant-boot OS. The N97 is comparable, but the Blackberry is just horrible during a reboot. It can take *minutes*.

Multi-tasking: The iPhone OS is getting some bashing for not being “really” multi-tasking. This is somewhat religious debate at this point. To most users, the phone is seemingly multitask. Messages do arrive in the background, phone calls arrive when you are doing something else. However, an application cannot run in the background. For example, I would like to leave Skype on in the background so that I get messages, even if I’m doing something else, like reading my emails. But right now, Skype will log-off as soon as I switch to another application. It’s conceptually annoying, but so far it is not a roadblock at all, for me.

Search box: I can clear text in any search box with the cross on the right. Both Android and Windows mobile don’t offer this functionality. It’s one of the little things that make life easier many times a day…

OpenGL ES 2.0

Apple didn’t make a whole lot of noise about the 3D performance of the iPhone 3GS, but it is substantial. I’ve said in a previous post that applications have the potential of looking much better than they used to, if developers dare using features that are not in previous iPhones, that said. I already know a couple of developers who are going to make a 3GS-only version of their game.

If you want to learn more details about this, head to our “iPhone 3GS: Prepare For a 3D Graphics Shock” post. In a few months, other devices will come out and will probably challenge the iPhone’s graphics capabilities, but right now, no other phone can claim the portfolio of 3D applications that the iPhone has.

Software Features Highlights (3.0)

Copy/paste: It was ridiculous that it took so long before Copy/Paste was added to the iPhone OS, but now it’s in and it works fairly well… mostly. Weirdly enough, it’s not possible to paste a phone number into the phone dialing app. The issue is well documented.

For a touch screen, the copy paste is well implemented, but the Blackberry 8900 and its trackball do a better job in my opinion. Fingers just aren’t as good as a thin cursor for text selection.

Find my phone: If you subscribe to the Mobileme service, you can trace your iPhone remotely. First, you will need to setup a mobileme email account on the iPhone. I suspect that upon a location query, MobileMe sends a notification to the phone, which replies back with its location. If the thief removes the SIM, or disables your MobileMe account, you won’t be able to trace the phone anymore. May be that’s why it is important to put a password in the phone to start with.

Remote wipe: If you iPhone has been stolen/lost you might want to wipe your iPhone but you should know that once you do that, you won’t be able to locate it (the mobileme account gets nuked as well). The remote wipe will only prevent the other party from looking at your data (emails, contact…) and that’s already a lot. Again, you need to have setup a MobileMe account and the iPhone needs to be in a state where it can receive the wipe notification and act on it.

Search: The search on the iPhone is really handy. I use it to not only search for notes or emails, but it is often faster to search for contacts there as well. I have several hundreds of contacts, and using the search makes things faster than going into the phone app, then the contacts… The results are popping in near real-time. I haven’t tried to scientifically measure the search quality, but at the moment, nothing has been bugging me on this front. It works.

Voice control: Apple has added voice control to let users place calls or play a song without interacting with the touch interface. It might come in handy if you *really* can’t use your hands (while driving?). It works well, if you pronounce something that’s easy to recognize, like “call Randy”. Now, I have a bunch of friends with foreign names and the system has a much harder time with those and ends up wasting my time. I would try using it to save my life, but otherwise, I’m not a fan of this implementation, even if I like the idea a lot. Also, pushing the home button for 3 seconds feels a little long. Having a walkie-talkie style button would be great, but yeah… it adds a button. It’s not clear why Voice Control didn’t make it into older phones, as it seems to be a software-only feature. May be Apple deemed the iPhone 3G to be too slow.

Nike+: Nike+ was previously available on iPod Touch, and now works the same way on the 3GS. I don’t run, but most people run with their phone with them, so if you were previously carrying an iPod Touch + your phone, you just got a little lighter.

Applications

I noticed that the iPhone had the best implementation for most popular applications (Yelp…), but the ones that I use the most are Maps and Skype:

Mapping: Mapping is a pretty cool application, when it’s implemented properly. Fortunately for iPhone users, Google Maps on iPhone is the best implementation that I’ve seen to date – it’s even better than the Android version (ironic)… First of all, it is fast. When compared to the myTouch 3G, the iPhone 3GS scrolling speed is about 2X or 3X faster (20fps or less versus about 60fps) – I’m just eye balling here. Secondly, there is a search box right at the top that saves a few seconds when searching. Results are displayed directly in the map, while on other platforms, results are shown as a list. Finally, there’s a little “my position” at the bottom-right on the map. Again that saves a second or two each time you have to use it. Also, simple things like dropping a pin can’t be done in the MyTouch 3G. It doesn’t sound like much, but all together, this makes a big difference in terms of user interface. That’s the difference between finding something quickly and be happy and being frustrated and lost (my Blackberry 8900’s mapping sucks). in the 3GS, Apple has integrated a compass. In the mapping application, the rotate to you show where you are headed. The compass is accurate, and unlike the Nokia N97, walking with the compass on doesn’t lead to a pendulum effect in the mapping application. As a pedestrian, I can certainly do without it. In a car, the iPhone 3GS still has a lag that I consider important when compared to a personal navigation device. It’s handy, but not my first choice for a GPS if I’m driving.

A final note about the iPhone 3GS and mapping: it seems to me that the GPS is invoked and shut down when not in use. It might sound like a “duh”, but on my Blackberry 8900, if you leave the GPS on it just sucks power forever. Apps don’t seem to do a good job at turning it on and off as needed (the downside of multitasking, I guess…).

Map scrolling speed: iPhone 3GS and MyTouch 3G (HD on YouTube)

Web page scrolling speed: 3GS versus MyTouch 3G (HD on YouTube)

Skype: Either for IM or for voice calls (over WIFI) Skype for iPhone works well. In my tests, calls were clear just like they are on a computer. I really wish that Apple would let us call over 3G, but I suspect that this is not going to happen anytime soon. It is clearly not in the interest of wireless carriers that Voice over IP (VOIP) apps start to proliferate on a popular platform.

On the IM side, you must know that it works well, as long as you stay in the Skype application. If you switch to a different task, Skype will effectively log you out (!!). That goes back to our multi-tasking discussion from earlier. This didn’t bother me so much, but I can imagine that some users would be furious over the lack of background IM availability in apps like Skype.

Things that could be better

Data plan pricing: There not a lot of stuff to hate in the iPhone 3GS (hardware and software). The obvious thing that I would like is a lower price for the data plan, but business is business and if people are willing to enroll with current prices, I don’t see any incentive for AT&T to lower the price.

Productivity: I’m entering in dangerous ground just by suggesting it, but the typing speed of the iPhone is a productivity issue and I don’t think that any touch display technology will solve it in the short-term. There are promising alternatives out there, but what about making a second iPhone design with a keyboard, or do something (anything) to achieve typing speed parity with a Blackberry? Touch screen purists, fire at will!

Screen quality + resolution: It’s not that the iPhone display is bad, but current technology would allow for something better. A higher resolution and more importantly, an OLED display would be on the top of my wish list.

Locked phone: Welcome to the world of carrier subsidies. I’m not sure that AT&T would unlock the phone after two years if you ask them nicely, but they should. If they don’t T-Mobile does it on a regular basis. If you don’t want an unlocked phone, buy an unlocked one. Welcome into a market economy.

Closed eco-system: There’s an app for everything… well, almost. In recent weeks, Apple has been more and more in the headline for refusing to distribute potentially popular applications like Google Voice. The system would gain to be more transparent.

Good: The iPhone 3GS finally adds common cell phone features like multimedia messaging, video recording, and voice dialing. It runs faster; its promised battery life is longer; and the multimedia quality continues to shine.

Bad: The iPhone 3GS’ call quality shows no improvements and the 3G signal reception remains uneven. We still don’t get Flash Lite, USB transfer and storage, or multitasking.

Conclusion

Today, the iPhone 3GS is the king of touch phones, not only because it has good hardware, but because it also has the best applications. I suspect that it will continue to become increasingly popular with the self-employed and small businesses as well. If you’re thinking of getting an iPhone 3GS, the first thing that you should consider is the total cost of ownership.

If you don’t own an iPhone yet but want to get one, get the 3GS. If you don’t yet know if you should get an iPhone, then ask yourself why. If you can’t afford one, don’t go for it (duh!): there are more important things in life. If you fear that the virtual keyboard will impair your productivity, you are probably right. The iPhone is not great for heavy texters. Go back to the “virtual keyboard” section of this review and read it again. You think that other phones might be better for you? May be! Read the following reviews: Palm Pre, Nokia N97, Samsung OMNIA…

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