Ten off-the-cuff comments about the iPhone 3G after three weeks of day to day use, in order of brain-dump relevance:
1. Applications: The single most important improvement over the original, opening up the already amazing device to all manner of multiple-personality possibilities. My personal favorite is eReader, and others include PayPal and eBay and NY Times, while Facebook and iScopes represent two dedicated apps that are still better served by accessing mobile editions with Safari. Facebook app’s mobile pic upload is cool, yet status updates don’t appear, and iScopes requires a tap of the back button to select next horoscope category, whereas the Safari mobile edition has a Next button. But make no mistake - the iPhone 3G’s killer app is apps.
2. Speed bumps: The jump to 3G is a good thing. Browsing websites and auto-checking mail are now matter-of-fact processes, though the hit on battery life is evident with heavy usage.
3. Speed slowdowns: Overall the 3G feels slower than the original when switching applications or doing things like accessing contacts and checking SMS text messages. I’m guessing the ability to run multiple apps while running with Push turned on are causing the slowdown, though turning off Push didn’t seem to make much difference, so I’m interested to hear what others think.
4. GPS: Sweet and surprisingly accurate in my experience. No turn-by-turn navigation yet, but I expect it’s coming sooner than later. Ditto for a 3G version of Nike+, which I use on the nano, and am so looking forward to using with the 3G.
5. Cut and Paste: It’s still missing, and it’s still my number 1 wish-list item. While the new notepad app MagicPad demonstrates cut and paste is doable, I can’t understand why Apple is taking so long to bring such a basic feature found on every other smartphone in the world.
6. Notes: Still no sync with desktop app like Stickies or Outlook, which sucks.
7. Bluetooth: Problem accessing voicemail with certain headsets; one of mine worked as a headset but not when listening to voicemail, the other worked fine. Obviously a bug that will likely be addressed in update.
8. Sound: Louder and clearer speaker and speakerphone than the original, which is a very good thing, though strange bugs like no user interface sounds at times, which come back only after I connect and disconnect Bluetooth headset.
9. Contacts: Finally, the ability to do what every other cellphone has been able to do since creation: search contacts.
10. USB connector: Sucks that the new 3G doesn’t stand in my original iPhone dock, though the new shape and all-around fit, finish and feel in the hand are definitely more appealing than the first iPhone.
Android App Tackles Carbon Footprints
Nearly a year after its release, the iPhone is finally getting a feature every mobile phone already has - the ability to search contacts. The no-brainer missing feature was the number one item in my iPhone wish list story for MSNBC (
Recent Comments