Apple iPhone 3G S Discussion (1 Viewer)

[Carlo_M]

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!

 

[Sam Posten]

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?

 

[Sam Posten]

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.

 

[Eric M Jones]

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

 

[Ronald Epstein]

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 Epstein]

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.

 

[Sam Posten]

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:

 

[DaveF]

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

 

[Sam Posten]

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

 

[Carlo_M]

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.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Carlo,

Surprised to hear you bring up the battery. Honestly, the battery life
on the 3G S is noticeably better than the 3G. After a day's use my battery
was nearly dead. Now I have 25% power left.

I did invest in a Richard Solo 1800 which quickly recharges my iPhone.

You may also want to look at something called a Juice Pack that
I also considered, but felt it added too much bulk to the existing phone.

if needed. There

 

[Sam Posten]

Terry White's in depth 3GS review:
http://terrywhite.com/techblog/?p=2470

Terry confirms you CAN NOT use voice dialing over Bluetooth. Yet.

 

[Carlo_M]

Ron, I think I bring it up only because this is my first time really using the Internet and 3g and I'm used to having to charge every 4 days or so. Bu that's because I only used my berry as a phone and rarely for anything else. I think once I'm accustomed to it I'll be fine. For long travel though I may look at an external battery solution. I get really bored at airports.

 

[DaveF]

How is that "stupid" phones have had this for years but "smart" phones still can't do bluetooth voice dialing?

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Dave,

I have two schools of thought on this.

First, the iPhone was released before it was actually ready for
prime time. Apple rushed it out and it lacked many, many features.

Two years later the most requested features are finally showing up,
however at the expense of some of us that have shelled out close to
$1300 for three generations of iPhone.

Which brings me to my second thought....

Apple just wants to keep giving people a reason to upgrade.

I think the phone could have been released with a lot more stuff
that other smart phones have had for years. However, put too much
into a phone and people will not have a reason to buy it again a year
from now. Unfortunately, this seems to be Apple's business model.

 

[DaveF]

The odd thing is that it's not just the iPhone. The Treo's couldn't do it. The Pre doesn't have it. Don't know about Blackberry.

I understand not having a compass or GPS the first go. But not having voicedialing is like saying your phone doesn't yet support dialing phone numbers...it's just basic

This is consistently a weakness of high-end phones, not Apple per se.

 

[Carlo_M]

To be fair, all phone makers want you to upgrade. It's just that Apple's costs so much more people notice it more. The truth is that a lot of people (not all, but a high percentage of smart phone users) plan on upgrading their device every 2 years when their plan expires. It just makes sense to take advantage of the system, to be able to get the latest and the greatest for relatively cheap every 2 years. Apple is just following that trend of releasing more appealing/powerful products every year to keep feeding the "upgraditis" demands of today's average smart phone users.

The nice thing about the iPhone though is that through the OS you can increase the feature set of existing phones (to a certain degree) through updates, which Apple has been willing and eager to do. By the time the hardware limitations are really hindering the deployment of new features (i.e. the original iPhone won't do a lot of what's new in OS 3.0), you're eligible for an upgrade. I have no doubt in a year when the new OS is out my 3GS will do about 85% of what is new on there, and then in 2 years when 4.0 comes out it will do 50% or less of what is new, but by then I'll be signing a new contract and buying a new phone.

It is a vicious cycle.

 

[Vlad D]

I upgraded from the original iPhone and for me there is a huge difference b/t the 3GS and the 1st gen. Its much faster, apps open in no time, even surfing the net through my wifi is faster. I'm loving this phone. Having GPS is great. Can't wait 'till the TomTom app is out.

 

[DavidJ]

Any thoughts on whether the new screen coating makes a difference when deciding to use or not use a screen protector? I didn't use one on my original and I like how easily the new screen cleans up, but a protector will probably come with the case I buy.

 

[Michael_K_Sr]

Definitely no problems swapping SIM cards back and forth between a 3G and a 3GS.