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Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

#1
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6/19/09 at 6:41am
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This is the place to talk about the new Apple iPhone 3GS
Ronald J Epstein
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#2
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6/19/09 at 8:32am
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

Initial thoughts....

Upgrade from 3G went smoothly. Connect to iTunes, quickly activated,
imported all my APPS. Could not figure out how to import all my Calendar
and Email until I saw that it had to be "check boxed" in the iTunes sync
software.

Does the phone seem faster than the 3G? Honestly, I don't notice it.
Everything seems as fast as before. Tried loading the HTF homepage
via WiFi connection and it seemed to take about 20 seconds to load
completely which didn't seem faster than before. Then again, that page
is loaded with graphics.

Cut and Paste works real well. What a nice feature.

Voice Dial works well too. Just remember if you have contacts
sorted by LAST NAME, FIRST you need to say them as such. Also,
you need to say HOME or MOBILE after the name in order for it
to differentiate which one you want. I believe if you don't it defaults
to home. In my quiet environment it worked well each time.

To type in LANDSCAPE mode noticeably increases speed and accuracy.

Did a small video and was very pleased. Quality of video is very
good. Did not try the TRIM function, though I am certain it works well.

Fingerprints? The phone still leave smudges. Perhaps its now easier
to clean them off, but my oily finger smears can be seen across the
screen.

Oh, and I got WHITE this time and I love the color better than BLACK.

Look forward to reading all your reviews today.
Ronald J Epstein
Home Theater Forum co-owner
Email me at: repstein@hometheaterforum.com 
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#3
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6/19/09 at 11:08am
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

While I'm waiting for my new 3GS to finish synching my apps, music & videos, I gotta give kudos to Apple & AT&T, who clearly learned their lessons from the last 2 years. Activation this time was "like buttah" - it was finished less than 5 minutes after unboxing.
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#4
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6/19/09 at 11:57am
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein
Voice Dial works well too .
Ron, Does voice dial work over a bluetooth earpiece?
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#5
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6/19/09 at 12:19pm
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

Quote:
Originally Posted by Craig S
While I'm waiting for my new 3GS to finish synching my apps, music & videos, I gotta give kudos to Apple & AT&T, who clearly learned their lessons from the last 2 years. Activation this time was "like buttah" - it was finished less than 5 minutes after unboxing.

thats cause everyone blew up the servers tuesday and wednesday getting the 3.0 update for older phones and touches
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#6
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6/19/09 at 12:24pm
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

Dave,

Don't know. Would be great if someone could try it out.
Ronald J Epstein
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#7
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6/19/09 at 1:36pm
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

Count me as a new iPhoner.
Reserved for pick-up at the local MAC store.
I went there last week to confirm, had not received an e-mail...actually got a reminder e-mail last night.
They had some lines set up outside the store, one for reserved and one for walk-ups.
A guy that got there same time as me (11:30a) was at the front of the walk-up line same as me...a 30 minute wait on line, not too bad, but I didn't like that unreserved folks were getting in as fast as the reserved line, but whatcha gonna do..
Spent a whole 18 minutes in the store and was on my way...32gb white in my pocket. I was an existing AT&T customer out of contract with a SLVR, $324 out the door.

The frustrating thing is porting over numbers, I know, I should have built a contact list in my address book at home, never did before, now I am! Have about 250 #s to get in there so I don't have to keep asking, who is this?!

A lot to figure out...have to set up mail and stuff, but I'll be working on phone numbers first and take it from there.
I did load a bunch of apps, even bought Uno just to play around with.
All works well thus far and look forward to having one device to cram all my stuff in!

Nice job apple.
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#8
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6/19/09 at 2:03pm
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

Mike,

Congrats on your phone.

I love these first-timers getting into their first iPhone. These are
the reviews I enjoy reading the most, so please, keep us informed.
Ronald J Epstein
Home Theater Forum co-owner
Email me at: repstein@hometheaterforum.com 
To View My Massive DVD Collection Click Here
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#9
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6/19/09 at 2:25pm
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

Well, I've got my 3GS and am getting ready to restore from my old iPhone backup, sync, etc. It is my understanding that the dock connector, headphone jack, etc. did not change from the 3G to the 3GS. Correct? Did functionality change from the original?

I've done some reading and it appears that my Griffen PowerJolt car charger won't work (or is not supported) with the newer phones, but I am wondering about my Apple AV cable and my original USB-to-dock cable and AC adapter. Anyone know?

Also, any pointers for moving from the old to the new and using the old one like a Touch? I've got a pretty good grasp on it, but thought I'd ask just in case.
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#10
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6/19/09 at 3:04pm
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

At dinner so just two fast things: first, what are folks using to send shots to flickr? Second, my verizon phone is still getting my incoming calls and I think I can make outgoing calls with both, I can call from the iPhone for sure!

Blog: Navesink.net - My Flickr Stream is here - Click here to Email me - Updates at Twitter & FriendFeed
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#11
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6/19/09 at 3:45pm
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

If you ported a number, it sometimes takes a while longer for the incoming calls to switch. I'd give it more time.
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#12
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6/19/09 at 5:01pm
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

Seems to be clear now. I'm at the awards ceremony for a fluke tourney at trop marina so I probably couldn't hear an incoming call anyway

Blog: Navesink.net - My Flickr Stream is here - Click here to Email me - Updates at Twitter & FriendFeed
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#13
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6/19/09 at 5:51pm
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidJ
Well, I've got my 3GS and am getting ready to restore from my old iPhone backup, sync, etc. It is my understanding that the dock connector, headphone jack, etc. did not change from the 3G to the 3GS. Correct? Did functionality change from the original?

I've done some reading and it appears that my Griffen PowerJolt car charger won't work (or is not supported) with the newer phones, but I am wondering about my Apple AV cable and my original USB-to-dock cable and AC adapter. Anyone know?

Also, any pointers for moving from the old to the new and using the old one like a Touch? I've got a pretty good grasp on it, but thought I'd ask just in case.

I hate to quote myself, but I've done more research and I thought I would share. Accessories designed for 3G should all work with the 3GS. As for my original iPhone accessories, my Apple AV/power cable still works and I understand that the original AC adapter and cable will too. The PowerJolt is not certified by Apple for a 3G phone and is discontinued by Griffen, but I have a friend that is still using his from when he upgraded to the 3G. It is a 5V device like the AC adapters that come with the phones.
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#14
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6/19/09 at 8:44pm
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

FYI in case anyone missed it like I did...the little metal tool to pop open the SIM card slot is included in the iPhone box. It is on the inside of the black sleeve/folding pocket where the booklets are.

Regards,
Brian W. Ralston

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#15
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6/19/09 at 9:00pm
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

Picked up my my iPhone from the Apple Store Soho -- no problems. The activation took literally 30 seconds. After all the scare stories, I was VERY pleasantly surprised. Haven't played with it much -- just got home and it is now restoring from my old iPhone's backup. Did notice a big improvement in voice call quality from my first gen. iPhone. 3G is snappy.
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#16
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6/20/09 at 1:12am
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

I do wonder how many people who were reporting long activation times for upgrades weren't told to do a hard restart of their phone. Mine was inactive for two hours and then I read somewhere on an Apple forum to do a hard reset. That did the trick immediately. So if someone asked how long my activation took, I'd have to reply 2 hours...but who knows when it could have actually taken place had I done a hard reset as soon as I'd gotten home?
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#17
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6/20/09 at 2:31am
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

One of the complaints I had read about this phone and apparently
is the case with my own is that the WiFi reception is FAR worse
than the previous 3G. I can be in the next room of my home from
the router and I only get one bar of reception (as opposed to 5).
Ronald J Epstein
Home Theater Forum co-owner
Email me at: repstein@hometheaterforum.com 
To View My Massive DVD Collection Click Here
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#18
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6/20/09 at 12:35pm
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

My wife went with me to look at the Pre and iPhone today. First stop Sprint and I played with the Pre for the first time. I was immediately impressed; it's a nice system. Sprint also has great pricing; it would only be $30 / mo increase for a two-Pre family plan with unlimited data and texting, with my company discount.

Then to AT&T. Ah, the iPhone. My wife prefers it (which surprised me a bit). AT&T is quite expensive, with fewer minutes, no texting, and a much, much smaller company discount. It would be $60/mo more than we pay now (effectively the cost of two data plans).

Our impressions: Pre is neat, but iPhone wins. We like Sprint. We don't like AT&T. If we could get the iPhone on Sprint's plan, we would have dropped Verizon and switched to Sprint / iPhone today.
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#19
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6/20/09 at 12:49pm
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

Dave,

Sounds like you prefer the iPhone but you
obviously did not purchase yet. Are you
going to purchase a phone and if so which?
Ronald J Epstein
Home Theater Forum co-owner
Email me at: repstein@hometheaterforum.com 
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#20
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6/20/09 at 1:29pm
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

Ron,

I've told my wife we should add smartphones to the budget for next year; so early 2010 hopefully. Almost certainly the iPhone.

As much as I'd like an iPhone -- it would have been great on Thursday when I flew to Baltimore with separate iPod, phone, PDA, GPS, and multiple chargers -- it's not been a budget priority, though it's moving from "I wish" to "I need" for both my wife and me. But at $498 + $70/mo + carrier change, I'm not wiling to splurge just yet. Our two kittens are quite enough unbudgeted fun

So I'm going to wait a while longer and see what develops. But I doubt I get much past New Years without a major PDA / phone upgrade.
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#21
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6/20/09 at 1:56pm
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

How's this for irony?

Since I have my new 32GB 3GS I go to wipe my Blackberry so I can give it back to my gf's brother (who gave it to me free when he was eligible for an upgrade a year ago but didn't want a new phone). So I'm looking for how to unload all personal data for transfer and end up downloading Blackberry Desktop Manager.

As I install it on my PC and plug in the Berry, it proceeds to update every app on the phone and changes the themes and antialiases the fonts. Bottom line, after plunking around on the Berry after the update, I find that it's a pretty good phone. I'm still happy with the 3GS and will be using that exclusively, but I guess the moral of the story is to always make sure you update your phone's OS. I had been using the stock Berry OS for a year and was unhappy with it, and if I had just updated it earlier, I might still be using it!
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#22
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6/20/09 at 6:37pm
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

Sounds perfect to me Carlo! =p

Anyway, loving the 3GS so far. I had only played with Edge downloads whenever I could sneak a few peeks at a coworkers first gen, and hated it, but so far network use is entirely acceptable to me for Safari and Tweetie.

I do have one problem tho, this phone does the same shit my old razor did when connecting to the built in bluetooth on my '09 Chevy Trailblazer: Every time I turn the car off it forgets about any paired devices. I have to re-link them and it makes me give it a stupid voice tag, so if I try to call it 'iPhone' a second time it won't let me.

And I can't get it to remove the old voice tags.

Anyone know a way to get around these issues?

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#23
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6/20/09 at 9:46pm
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

OK, I blew $15 on iphone editing software so you guys don't have to. Will get better links for you tomorrow, but here's what you want in order to edit iPhone3GS photos and upload em to Flickr, at my first glance any way.

Editing:
So far I really like PhotoGene over Picoli.
PG:
Marble Photogene edited on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Picoli:
Marble picoli on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Uploading to Flickr, both DarkSlide and Mobile Fotos seem good, I'm using DarkSlide tho, it used to be known as Exposure and couldn't be simpler.

More tamale.

Blog: Navesink.net - My Flickr Stream is here - Click here to Email me - Updates at Twitter & FriendFeed
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#24
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6/20/09 at 10:14pm
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

Just thought I'd share my impression after a day. This is my first iPhone although I've been a very happy iPod touch (2nd Gen) owner for about 9 months.

Set up went as easy as it could. I transferred my ipod backup to the iPhone so I had a minimal amount of setup to do to get things off and running. The transfer did take a long time though, about an hour.

I'm a moblie me user so synching contacts and such was a breeze.

Camera and video are decent but nothing special. I do like the option of being able to instantly edit and email or post straight to facebook.

The compass and integration with maps is very cool, especially the button that gives you the triangle that shows which direction you are facing. I haven't needed to use it yet but looking forward the first outing.

The phone is easy to use and I absolutely love the voice dialing and visual voicemail.

I'm really digging the stereo bluetooth. Along with that I'm very impressed with the battery life. I ran a test today which included running pandora (internet radio) via wifi and output over bluetooth to a set of (self powered) wireless speakers. I ran it this way throughout the day while I worked in my shop. Starting with a full charge my usage was 4.5 hours with over 12 hours of standby time and the battery is still at 51%. I'm impressed.

-EJ
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#25
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6/21/09 at 2:08am
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

Sam,

The iPhone not pairing with your Chevy is probably not the phone's fault.

In fact, since your RAZR wasn't keeping the pair I am convinced of it.

My iPhone automatically pairs with my bluetooth devices every time
I return to them.


Eric,

Very happy to hear that you are enjoying your phone so far.

I noticed the battery life is somewhat better than the 3G. For a full day
of use on the 3g S I have 50% battery life left. That's 25% more than
it was on the 3G.
Ronald J Epstein
Home Theater Forum co-owner
Email me at: repstein@hometheaterforum.com 
To View My Massive DVD Collection Click Here
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#26
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6/21/09 at 3:23am
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

Getting back to Dave....

I can't blame you for having a touch decision between the Palm Pre
and the iPhone.

I have not seen the Sprint Palm device, but from everything I read,
it's the phone that best competes with the iPhone. Some have labeled
it as the "iPhone Killer" but honestly, I'd have to see it for myself to
make that kind of judgement.

Anyhow, I think the ONE thing that really puts the iPhone on top is
the selections of APPLICATIONS. Through these APPS there is nothing
this phone can't do. Furthermore, with the newly added features on
the 3G S, the APPS are going to get even better.
Ronald J Epstein
Home Theater Forum co-owner
Email me at: repstein@hometheaterforum.com 
To View My Massive DVD Collection Click Here
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#27
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6/21/09 at 6:26pm
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

Agreed 1 million percent about the apps. Call me when the Pre gets something as good as GeoDefense.

And I've contacted Chevy about it and am working with a Trailblazer support group online, a number of people have reported similar in this thread:
2009 Trailvoys and Bluetooth - Page 5 - Chevy TrailBlazer, TrailBlazer SS and GMC Envoy Forum

Edit and they found the solution for me:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Elevatorguy;765302
There is a TSB out for that problem. The solution is having the dealer update the program with their Tech2 tool.


Chevy TrailBlazer, TrailBlazer SS and GMC Envoy Forum - View Single Post - GM TSB for 09' Trailvoys w/ Bluetooth & OnStar

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#28
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6/21/09 at 8:00pm
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

As I told my wife, I bought my first iPod four years ago because everyone else had one and that saved me the trouble of researching the best DAP.

Likewise the smartphone. As much as I want the Pre to succeed, the appstore shows that the world has developed consensus on the iPhone and that's the way to go.

For now, I hold back because of the ~$1600 it would cost beyond our current phone plan, over the first 12 months. My gadget lust is outweighed by my frugality
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#29
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6/22/09 at 6:18am
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

Under $10 shipped for a case plus a second bonus case:
Premium iPhone 3G/3GS Leather Case + Crystal Case with Screen Protector - 427PUIB - Buy.com

Blog: Navesink.net - My Flickr Stream is here - Click here to Email me - Updates at Twitter & FriendFeed
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#30
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6/22/09 at 9:45am
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Re: Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion

Okay just wanted to follow up on my previous post about updating my Berry right as I was transitioning to the iPhone, and finding that the Berry (post-update) would have made me happy.

I was on crack.

I'm now officially in love with my iPhone. It's just a whole different class than my Berry. The apps, the speed, the apps, the look, the apps, the feel, the apps, the responsiveness, the apps, the GUI. Did I mention the apps?

Also, my Switcheasy Colors case arrived the same day. Just $17 shipped. I chose the black one.

Very happy with it. Does exactly what I want: protect without scratching, provide a tactile grip, doesn't add too much thickness, relatively inexpensive. And iLounge gives it an A.

The only thing I have an issue with is battery life, and it's not that this is any worse than the Berry. I didn't have a data plan with the Berry so I used internet very infrequently. I'm sure if I used the iPhone like that I'd get days out of it. But with the newfound speed of the device, and my data plan, I'm now spending hours surfing on the go, and I'm using about 75% of my battery life in a day. Of course that was a weekend day. I'm sure during the work week I will use much less.
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