[iPhone 3G] What are your First impressions ?

I bought the 3g and was not expecting much.

One thing I like already is the new GPS. And it works good!

One thing I am not impressed about is the camera, still not a video camera. Sucks ASS!!!!!!

The 3G part wasn't too shabby, I can now see my porn wifi format instead of crappy edge format....so all is good!

I like the fact that there is an option to turn 3g on and off. In the first gen, there was no option to turn edge off, except if your on wifi.

I already tried to jailbreak this new 3G with ziphone thinking maybe itll work, no go, it did restore properly, so that is good.

mail is good, only problem is when you sync from your backup file, you have to reenter your passwords. But overall functionality is good.

Now, on the first gen phone, I did buy a few apps that I love, 1 is the video camera app, and the other the Spoof id app. Reason I bought those 2 is I don't care for the useless apps. If they dont give me more function on the phone which will make it better, then its crap.

One thing while sifting through all the crap apps in the app store last night was this, right now, it is pure anarchy on there, developers using black hat techniques to get seen. Thats all fine and dandy, but if your app is crap, no ones going to buy it long term.

Everyone is now testing the app store out to see what apps work and what dont. It is the "testing" phase. Soon it will have a much stricter guidelines im sure....

I've thought about writing a few programs that will absolutely give the iphone alot more potential than what we see today. How about an all in one application of all the apps you see already, and still have the ability to pick and choose what you want and what you don't want.

All this new phone is, is another marketing ploy to make the next generation of iphones. Which as we have seen already, is kind of bland to us iphone nerds.

But to the people who have never had one, wah lah, theres our market, the newbies!!!!!!!!

Without newbies, all of us would be out of a job.

Overall, A- or in geek term, 373371$h

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NetJunkeez

I bought the 3g and was not expecting much.

One thing I like already is the new GPS. And it works good!

One thing I am not impressed about is the camera, still not a video camera. Sucks ASS!!!!!!

The 3G part wasn't too shabby, I can now see my porn wifi format instead of crappy edge format....so all is good!

I like the fact that there is an option to turn 3g on and off. In the first gen, there was no option to turn edge off, except if your on wifi.

I already tried to jailbreak this new 3G with ziphone thinking maybe itll work, no go, it did restore properly, so that is good.

mail is good, only problem is when you sync from your backup file, you have to reenter your passwords. But overall functionality is good.

Now, on the first gen phone, I did buy a few apps that I love, 1 is the video camera app, and the other the Spoof id app. Reason I bought those 2 is I don't care for the useless apps. If they dont give me more function on the phone which will make it better, then its crap.

One thing while sifting through all the crap apps in the app store last night was this, right now, it is pure anarchy on there, developers using black hat techniques to get seen. Thats all fine and dandy, but if your app is crap, no ones going to buy it long term.

Everyone is now testing the app store out to see what apps work and what dont. It is the "testing" phase. Soon it will have a much stricter guidelines im sure....

I've thought about writing a few programs that will absolutely give the iphone alot more potential than what we see today. How about an all in one application of all the apps you see already, and still have the ability to pick and choose what you want and what you don't want.

All this new phone is, is another marketing ploy to make the next generation of iphones. Which as we have seen already, is kind of bland to us iphone nerds.

But to the people who have never had one, wah lah, theres our market, the newbies!!!!!!!!

Without newbies, all of us would be out of a job.

Overall, A- or in geek term, 373371$h

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I'm surprised you tried to jailbreak it using ZIPhone which only supports 1.1.4, Glad you managed to restore it back - you were lucky.

I have a few coming over from the states, so i'll get the option of trying before i buy so to speak, (in other words, if i dont like it, then flog it).

The video capturing was the biggest turn off for me, although like you say there is a decent app for it (albeit software), and of course you have to pay for !!..

Cant see it being too long before Ziphone is updated to cover 3g, given Phones from Italy are already unlocked

Poor Poor Poor Poor

What can I say, it annoys me when people have invested in something, they seem to be reluctant to slate it, giving other people the wrong impression.

I have traded in the iPhone since its inception and been using one since launch.

I wont repeat myself because I have already posted my findings in another thread but basically whilst on vacation with my new iPhone 3G and my wife's old iPhone we have seen the 3G functioning very very poorly in comparison to my wifes iPhone in both battery life and signal strength!

Apple were right about 3G in the first place, and now they contradict themselves claiming to have improved battery life which is utter BS. I have real world experience and proof with both phones along side each other and the difference isn't even close! The 3G actually powered off with similar usage to the other phone whilst that still showed almost full!!!

> we have seen the 3G functioning very very poorly in comparison to my wifes iPhone in both battery life and signal strength!

your 3G is on ATT, your wife's 2G is on Tmobile, so its not a fair comparison of signal strength.

It is normal for people on Tmobile to have reception in some areas that is better than ATT, and vice versa.

if you turn off the 3G on your phone, your battery life will be the same as your 2g phone.. 3G uses more power, and reduces signal, because there is very little 3G in the US available, so lots of power gets used hunting for signal.. and yes, you will have better reception with 3G off.

3g iphone sucks in all aspects, the screen is yellow compared to my pervious iphone, battery drains faster,reception is poor, sound is almost the same, the only good thing is gps, 3g does not work everywhere. and what about the FUCKING FINGERPRINTS???

I hope now Apple sit back on the iphone for a while and "fix" the existing problems instead of trying to innovate new ideas and money making schemes. I remember purchasing the ipod when it first come out - a few gens later the battery life improved by a few 100%. At the moment its great to have an iPhone but frustrating that the simple things are not getting fixed. Hopefully with the 3G model released and the App Store open they will now concentrate on improving their existing product line instead of pumping out a new more feature packed iphone. I would rather see a stable and longer performance lasting iphone then a new iphone with video capabilities/MMS etc etc

I think for the time being Apple should forget about new innovative features and do the following

1) a) Iron out all software bugs (e.g. typing on keyboard and words dont keep up with typing)
b) Keep the software exactly as it is however for gods sake incorporate forwarding with SMS messages (real basic missing function)!!!

2) Forget new innovating ideas and concentrate on developing better battery life

The above two things would make this device near flawless as most negative comments are one of the above.

Once the above are fixed upgrade camera hardware to better spec.


Sometimes I think Apple try to do too much more to products without fixing past problems - now the whole 3G model needs is out the way maybe they can fix these essentials instead of pratting around with the other things.

Of course these things will prob be ignored while Apple spend their time negotiating with book publishers to open a proper iTunes book store or more Telephone companies

My brief iPhone 2.0 review:

Hardware

The hold, silent ring and volume buttons are nicer (more solid and easier to use). The little grills that cover the earpiece and mic are much better too - no more crap getting in to the holes where it muffles the sound.

Glad Apple sorted out the stupid recessed earphone socket in the 1st-gen.

Slightly more comfortable to hold. Since the phone does not taper as much at the edges, there is a black band down each side of the screen which makes it seem wider than 1st gen. It isn't, but it just feels like it is.

Speakers and microphone are much improved.

3G completely canes the battery life. I used to easily get a day and a bit out of my 1st-gen iPhone. Now, I'm lucky if I get half a day using the 3G for 30 minutes or so. Very subjective, but there is definitely a dramatic decrease in battery life using 3G, no question. I've turned the 3G off for now. We'll see how the battery performs. In terms of speed, though, 3G is fast.

The GPS is probably the most amazing new bit of hardware. Its accuracy and speed to acquire a signal is astounding. The way Apple have designed the location services means that my GSM position is triangulated first to give a rough estimate of where I am. Then it gets a bit more accurate. Then the GPS kicks in (after about 10 seconds in a completely new location).

I think the 'bad reception' that people have been speaking about is a red-herring. When I'm in a 3G reception area, the signal goes down to about 1 bar. Normally, on the 1st-gen, when I was somewhere with 1 bar reception, the call would deteriorate badly. With the 2nd-gen, 1 bar calls are absolutely fine. I'm wondering whether the iPhone is just showing you the 3G reception strength. If I turn off 3G when I have 1 bar, it then immediately returns to full signal strength. Anecdotally, the mobile phone reception on the iPhone 3G is better than the 1st-gen iPhone.

Software

The AppStore is probably the most exciting thing about the iPhone. It's a place where any developer, no matter how small they are, can write and publish an application in a way that anyone can really easily browse for, read up on, and install. There has never been anything like this on any other mobile platform (and really no other platform, mobile or otherwise). Installer.app was nearly there, but obviously required jailbreaking and didn't have the review system or the ability to charge for apps.

Developers being able to charge for apps is an amazingly good thing. What it means is that developers can consider the platform as a serious choice for spending their time developing applications. The fact that good free apps are like rocking-horse shit is solely because most developers (most GOOD developers) don't have the time to spend putting something good, useful and polished together just for fun. Passionate, talented developers can now spend time on the iPhone and still keep a roof over their head.

There were some good apps on 1.1.4, but there are some GREAT apps on the AppStore - almost all of which cost some money. I think this is completely fair.

The one downside is that there is no way to try an application before buying it. There are a few applications that I might buy if I could see how useful or fun they were first. For example: I've had a go on Super Monkey Ball and, regardless of the hyper, I think it is crap. The control system is deeply unwieldy and feels like a bad Wii port. Very glad I didn't sink £5.99 into that crap.

The Google Maps software is no SatNav - don't anyone kid themselves. If you want to know where you are sitting right now, perfect. But unless you've got a very patient co-pilot in the car with you and 3G reception all the way, you ain't gonna want to let the iPhone 3G's Google Maps software navigate for you.

The GPS hardware is perfectly capable of supporting, for example, the TomTom software. So all it would take is for TomTom to release a version of their software for the iPhone to turn it into a perfect SatNav. Oh hell would I pay for that, too.

The firmware 2.0 software is buggy as hell. But it reminds me of the 1.1.2 days, so I'm not too worried and know Apple will sort that out. Just don't try doing anything while you're installing an app - that seems like a sure-fire way to have things crash and hang, in my experience.

Conclusion

Comparing the iPhone 3G to the original iPhone:

+ Great GPS
+ Great (much improved) speakers and mic
+ Great 3G speed
+ Great innovative software and software distribution mechanism

- Battery life on 3G sucks bigtime.
- 2.0 firmware is sluggish at times and apps crash frequently

So, generally speaking, if you're looking to upgrade, I would say definitely go for it. Whether you do it now or later is up to you - I wouldn't rush in to it right now, like I did. Wait until PAYG (in the UK at XMAS time) or until a complete killer app that you can't live without comes along (like TomTom).

If you don't yet have an iPhone, I would say that there has never been a better time to buy. If the 3G battery life bothers you, just turn it off until you need it. Other similar 3G mobile 'smart' phones won't have any better battery life, so this shouldn't be a reason not to buy.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kultschar

I think for the time being Apple should forget about new innovative features and do the following

1) a) Iron out all software bugs (e.g. typing on keyboard and words dont keep up with typing)
b) Keep the software exactly as it is however for gods sake incorporate forwarding with SMS messages (real basic missing function)!!!

2) Forget new innovating ideas and concentrate on developing better battery life

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I think this is generally spot on. Apple need to stop building these massive new features and get back to basics and sort out the issues that other mobile phones have had for years and years now: Speed, reliability, proper SMS, MMS, video camera, more bluetooth support, batter battery life. All these things don't require 'innovation' (in the Apple sense of the word), they just require engineering time.

Oh, and I don't understand why people bang on about the camera. It's perfectly fine for mobile phone pictures. If you're taking proper pictures you want to do anything with, go buy a proper camera. You're never going to get the same experience from a mobile phone.

Oh, and also don't forget this thread is for people to comment on their experiences with the new iPhone 3G - not to comment on things that aren't new in the new iPhone. ;)

Hi, I lurk alot :p
Figured it's been a few weeks, I might as well post.

I'm a new iPhone user, always had an interest in them but i started with Verizon (second line off a friend's account)

Well my VX8700 had died about a week before the 3G release, and I figured I should probably get off my friends account and I heard that the 3G was coming out soon, so headed to the AT&T store down the road and did some research, the combination of the low price (same as my VX8700 - had to pay full price on it) and the fact that I had wanted an iPhone for a while was a no brainer. So I showed up at the store at early o clock, waited in line was extremely happy the iTunes servers got owned because it means I didn't have to wait for them to activate every phone - they could just hand you the box and get out.

Got home and tried to go download iTunes.. to no avail, server was down. So my friend pointed out Quicktime has a bundle now, so I downloaded that and installed it.
Tried to activate, failed. tried for about 25-35 minutes before giving up putting my phone down and passing out. Woke up got everything activated and such, played around with the App store some, downloaded super monkey ball, Netnewswire, few other apps. Got the email configured with my few email accounts and it works.
Since I've never used the iPhone I kind of got overwhelmed with a plethora of features. Of course, nothing is perfect. First thing I hated was the lack of MMS. I never realized how much people sent me picture messages until I couldn't get them, but I started to deal with that.. for the most part.

The lack of flash on the browser seems like an oversight, I mean considering it's a full featured browser, and typing SMS sometimes lags. Copy/paste lacking is kind of annoying, but other then that I really like my new phone. :3

Quote:

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Originally Posted by craigp

My brief iPhone 2.0 review:

Hardware

The hold, silent ring and volume buttons are nicer (more solid and easier to use). The little grills that cover the earpiece and mic are much better too - no more crap getting in to the holes where it muffles the sound.

Glad Apple sorted out the stupid recessed earphone socket in the 1st-gen.

Slightly more comfortable to hold. Since the phone does not taper as much at the edges, there is a black band down each side of the screen which makes it seem wider than 1st gen. It isn't, but it just feels like it is.

Speakers and microphone are much improved.

3G completely canes the battery life. I used to easily get a day and a bit out of my 1st-gen iPhone. Now, I'm lucky if I get half a day using the 3G for 30 minutes or so. Very subjective, but there is definitely a dramatic decrease in battery life using 3G, no question. I've turned the 3G off for now. We'll see how the battery performs. In terms of speed, though, 3G is fast.

The GPS is probably the most amazing new bit of hardware. Its accuracy and speed to acquire a signal is astounding. The way Apple have designed the location services means that my GSM position is triangulated first to give a rough estimate of where I am. Then it gets a bit more accurate. Then the GPS kicks in (after about 10 seconds in a completely new location).

I think the 'bad reception' that people have been speaking about is a red-herring. When I'm in a 3G reception area, the signal goes down to about 1 bar. Normally, on the 1st-gen, when I was somewhere with 1 bar reception, the call would deteriorate badly. With the 2nd-gen, 1 bar calls are absolutely fine. I'm wondering whether the iPhone is just showing you the 3G reception strength. If I turn off 3G when I have 1 bar, it then immediately returns to full signal strength. Anecdotally, the mobile phone reception on the iPhone 3G is better than the 1st-gen iPhone.

Software

The AppStore is probably the most exciting thing about the iPhone. It's a place where any developer, no matter how small they are, can write and publish an application in a way that anyone can really easily browse for, read up on, and install. There has never been anything like this on any other mobile platform (and really no other platform, mobile or otherwise). Installer.app was nearly there, but obviously required jailbreaking and didn't have the review system or the ability to charge for apps.

Developers being able to charge for apps is an amazingly good thing. What it means is that developers can consider the platform as a serious choice for spending their time developing applications. The fact that good free apps are like rocking-horse shit is solely because most developers (most GOOD developers) don't have the time to spend putting something good, useful and polished together just for fun. Passionate, talented developers can now spend time on the iPhone and still keep a roof over their head.

There were some good apps on 1.1.4, but there are some GREAT apps on the AppStore - almost all of which cost some money. I think this is completely fair.

The one downside is that there is no way to try an application before buying it. There are a few applications that I might buy if I could see how useful or fun they were first. For example: I've had a go on Super Monkey Ball and, regardless of the hyper, I think it is crap. The control system is deeply unwieldy and feels like a bad Wii port. Very glad I didn't sink £5.99 into that crap.

The Google Maps software is no SatNav - don't anyone kid themselves. If you want to know where you are sitting right now, perfect. But unless you've got a very patient co-pilot in the car with you and 3G reception all the way, you ain't gonna want to let the iPhone 3G's Google Maps software navigate for you.

The GPS hardware is perfectly capable of supporting, for example, the TomTom software. So all it would take is for TomTom to release a version of their software for the iPhone to turn it into a perfect SatNav. Oh hell would I pay for that, too.

The firmware 2.0 software is buggy as hell. But it reminds me of the 1.1.2 days, so I'm not too worried and know Apple will sort that out. Just don't try doing anything while you're installing an app - that seems like a sure-fire way to have things crash and hang, in my experience.

Conclusion

Comparing the iPhone 3G to the original iPhone:

+ Great GPS
+ Great (much improved) speakers and mic
+ Great 3G speed
+ Great innovative software and software distribution mechanism

- Battery life on 3G sucks bigtime.
- 2.0 firmware is sluggish at times and apps crash frequently

So, generally speaking, if you're looking to upgrade, I would say definitely go for it. Whether you do it now or later is up to you - I wouldn't rush in to it right now, like I did. Wait until PAYG (in the UK at XMAS time) or until a complete killer app that you can't live without comes along (like TomTom).

If you don't yet have an iPhone, I would say that there has never been a better time to buy. If the 3G battery life bothers you, just turn it off until you need it. Other similar 3G mobile 'smart' phones won't have any better battery life, so this shouldn't be a reason not to buy.

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Great post Craig. Pretty much hit the nail on the proverbial head with you post and backed it up with sensible reasons, not just rants.

I'm a UK user, I no the device is the same, but network coverage is gonna be different.

I myself have had to turn the 3G service off after about 3-4 days of playing because I wasn't even getting a full day out of the phone. Things seem more reasonable now the 3G is off. At the end of the day, unless your using the browser or are not able to connect to a wireless network for transferring data, that is the only time you should be using 3G. It doesn't affect the quality of your phone calls or signals.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with my 3g iphone. The usual requests for MMS and bluetooth file transfer are still on the tip of my tongue, but hopefully Apple will be able to accomodate us in regards to the MMS. The bluetooth is gonna be different though. As we all know the iPhone can not use ordinary file types like .mp3 or .wave, they need converting into apple's format, and I think this would be difficult to do on the fly while transferring between an iphone and nokia say.

End result. 8.5/10