UK Tech News

div class=”track”img alt=”" src=”http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/9382?ns=guardianpageName=Technophile%3A+the+iPhone+3GS%3AArticle%3A1237005ch=Technologyc4=iPhone%2CApple+%28Technology%29%2CMobile+phones+%28Technology%29%2CTechnologyc6=Charles+Arthurc8=1237005c9=Articlec10=c11=Technologyc13=Technophile%2CiPhone+reviewc25=c30=contenth2=GU%2FTechnology%2FiPhone” width=”1″ height=”1″ //divpSending texts is tricky, the contract costly, battery life limited – but the iPhone 3GS remains best in class/ppWell, OK, a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/jun/19/stephen-fry-iphone-3gs-review” title=”thank you Stephen Fry for that review of the iPhone 3GS”thank you Stephen Fry for that review of the iPhone 3GS/a. And now, let me have a go. Because the thing about the new iPhone, if you haven’t got an iPhone (and lots of people haven’t), is that it’s not just the phone: there’s also the fact, in the UK as in most other countries, that you’re not just getting a phone; you’re buying into a whole package, including O2, its UK carrier./ppMy usual phone is a clunky (by comparison) Sony Ericsson that can take pictures and play music effortlessly, and may be able to do email – though how remains a mystery to me. The web is another country to it, as is GPS or Wi-Fi./ppThe iPhone 3GS turns all that on its head: anything to do with the web, email, services such as Twitter and maps is a doddle; but things that are natural on a normal mobile phone, like sending a text or picture message, become fiddly./ppThe iPhone 3GS looks just like its predecessor. But it’s got a lot more inside: a magnetometer (hence it can act as a compass); “Voice Control”, letting you make calls or choose music tracks by your voice; “Find my iPhone”, which – allied to the paid-for MobileMe service – can let you track down your lost phone. (Read about that at a href=”http://happywaffle.livejournal.com/5890.html” title=”The Intermittent Kevin”The Intermittent Kevin/a.) The compass is fun, orienting maps automatically, but you’d do as well with one from a shop./ppIn many ways, the iPhone is laughable. You’ve only just got MMS, aka picture messaging? You’ve only just got a 3 megapixel camera? You’ve only just started to take video? Yes, yes, yes – all those things that other phones have been doing for ages./ppPerfection is still delayed. Sending a text, classed as a “message”, is perplexing, until you realise that giving it a subject line classes it as an MMS; otherwise it’s just a text message. O2’s text/MMS/voice allowances aren’t generous either, compared with other phones./ppDitto for battery life. On its first charge, the new iPhone lasted 32 hours – including a couple of phone calls, some Wi-Fi use, GPS on, but no Bluetooth. On the second charge it managed about 30 hours, including more Wi-Fi use, no phone calls, no Bluetooth. Basically, you’re going to be charging it every day, or every other day if you can manage to turn most of the services off. It’s a little computer in your pocket, and computers are thirsty devils./ppThe camera doesn’t have image stabilisation (my Sony Ericsson does) and the light metering – feted by Apple fans – is ropey. A digital zoom would be nice too; perhaps that’s next year’s thing./ppAnd it’s a mobile package. If you’re already with O2, you’ll know what its coverage is like; otherwise, check. Where I live, O2’s signal is patchy, so that fabled unlimited data access (unlimited unless, of course, you’re using it as a “dongle”) might not be too useful./ppOh, and price. It’s fabulously expensive, isn’t it? Minimum £29.38 a month, and £184.98 upfront. For an 18-month contract, the cheapest totals £714./ppAnd yet the iPhone 3GS is still best in class: the simple interface, the ease of setup, all of that before you get onto the thousands of third-party apps. As a phone, it’s a bit so-so. As a tiny com­puter, though, it can’t be bettered./ppstrong/strongstrongPros:/strong fast, excellent web rendering; third-party apps/ppstrongCons: /strongexpensive, short battery life, extra for tethering/ppstrongo2.co.uk/iphone /strong/pdiv class=”related” style=”float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;”ullia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/iphone”iPhone/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/apple”Apple/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/mobilephones”Mobile phones/a/li/ul/divdiv class=”terms”a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk”guardian.co.uk/a copy; Guardian News Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our a href=”http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html”Terms Conditions/a | a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds”More Feeds/a/divp style=”clear:both” /
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