The temptation, when sitting down to write this review, was simply to dust off the piece I wrote to mark the launch of the first iPhone last November.That's because in many ways the new 3G device is a case of same old, same old: same disappointing two-megapixel camera; same size, more or less, albeit with a new glossy black back; same lack of support for Flash-based online videos, used all across the web. And like its predecessor, the touchscreen iPhone 3G - which combines a mobile phone with an iPod music player and a mobile web browser - remains supremely easy to use.
But to simply rehash that old article would be to do the iPhone 3G a great disservice: because, yes, while cosmetically and in broad hardware terms it differs little from its predecessor, the new handset boasts more than 100 new features and countless more uses.
The launch of the iPhone 3G - so called because it finally allows users to surf the internet at fast speeds using the 3G mobile phone network, rather than relying on the excruciatingly slow Edge network used by its predecessor - also marks the launch of iPhone 2.0. This is a complete overhaul of the software that powers the device. But it's not exclusive to the iPhone 3G - it will be available for free to all existing owners of the first-generation iPhone, and to owners of the iPod touch for a small, as yet unknown, fee.
It is this software change that will finally see the iPhone shake off its "luxury gadget" reputation and instead become a mainstream device.
Central to this ambition is the launch of the Application Store, an online marketplace accessed via iTunes that allows iPhone users to download extra software for their handset. You might, for instance, be addicted to eBay; download and install the eBay application, and you will have live auction information on your screen. People who enjoying playing computer games on the move will love the iPhone - you move the phone itself to control the on-screen action.
Make no mistake - this is a software revolution for mobile phones. While phone owners have long been able to add extra software to their handsets, it's hard to find anyone who went to the considerable time and effort of doing so. The iPhone, by contrast, is an exercise in simplicity; people will use the Application Store. Its potential is limited only by the imagination of the developers busily creating new programs for the iPhone.
This "blank canvas" is bolstered by the inclusion of global-positioning technology in the iPhone 3G, similar to the kind used by satellite navigation systems. Not only does it mean we'll start to see location-specific software cropping up - delivering, for example, reviews of restaurants in your vicinity - but it may also spell the end of the traditional map. There's no need to take an A-Z with you when the iPhone provides such an easy-to-use way of plotting your location on Google Maps, and of guiding you to your destination.
Push email, another new feature of the iPhone 2.0 software, means that work and personal emails are delivered straight to the phone as soon as they drop into your computer's inbox. It's incredibly straightforward to set up, and should appeal to the "BlackBerry crowd" of business users who want their email on the go.
Of course, the iPhone has its downsides. The camera - at just two megapixels, exactly the same as the original iPhone - is awful when you consider that most decent phones have four- or five-megapixel cameras as standard. It remains a mystery as to why Apple did not improve the quality of the camera between models.
Battery life, too, may be a little patchy for some people's liking. Many of the iPhone's best features - like 3G web browsing, or watching videos - are a power drain, so don't stray too far from a plug point. There's still no video-recording camcorder feature either. Heavy iPhone owners will be disappointed that there isn't a way to copy and paste text between programs. And there's still no picture-messaging either - a standard feature on European phones for years, but unpopular in Apple's US home market.
Nevertheless, this is the iPhone British consumers have been holding out for. Elegant, easy to use and powerful, the iPhone, perhaps more so than any other mobile device on the market, is what you choose to make it. That's an incredibly attractive proposition for today's fickle public, especially when combined with a substantial price drop on the cost of the device. Whereas the first iPhone cost £269, plus a minimum monthly contract of £35, the new iPhone 3G is free on some contracts and as little as £99 on others, with tariffs starting at £30 per month.
If you're an existing iPhone owner thinking about upgrading, perhaps hold off for at least a week while you give the free iPhone 2.0 software update a try, as you may decide it is sufficient for your needs. But for new customers? Well, at this price - and with this potential - the iPhone 3G is hard to resist.
source : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
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