Apple iPhone 3G Specs, Features & Reviews

There's only a few of things I hate about this phone (no camera flash for example) but its definitely a very good phone, the 3G works great, the calls sound crystal clear, the resolution is just nice.... anyways, the other day the system crashed, the phone rebooted itself and it got stuck on the apple booting logo so I had to restore, when I was done I noticed the IOS was updated to the 4.2.1 so looks like I updated by mistake but at that time I was like "how bad could it be?"... well, now I know the answer, my Iphone is running slower than ever, the battery drains so fast that I have to take the charger everywhere I go (I tried turning the 3G, location services and all the other stuff OFF) and last but not least (if Jailbroken), most of the apps you can find in Cydia are either not compatible with IOS4 or don't work properly.

WOW!!

I had the Pre and I loved it to be honest if the pre gets more apps I will probably switch back only becuase sprint is cheaper than att. However I must admit I was one of those who refrained from jumping upon the iPhone boat but since buying mines a couple of months back I can say that it does live up to the hype. This truly is the Jesus Phone, there is nothing that you cannot do with this phone it is simply amazing. What really grabs me about it is even if you unlock it/Jailbreak it the phone is still solid. Unline wmo phones where you download a ringtone here and there and it sends your phone crashing. I have to give it to apple they need to change their name from Apple to Quality becuase with this phone that is exactly what you get. The phone looks flimsy but is built surprisingly touch. Apple was truly thinking about he future when they came out with this phone. The only phone that is even looking towards this phone's way is the palm pre and because of the lack of apps it probably will be a very long time before it makes it to where the iPhone is now. Even if that were to happen apple would just come out with an update and jump light years ahead of the comp again. Wow this phone is amazing.

Has been a great phone since I bought the first Gen model in 2007. Looking foward to the new model due this year?
I have had flawless service from both Apple and ATT. I have read all the gripes about drop calls from ATT but have not experienced that here in West Tennessee. I ahve also traveled to Ark, Mo., Ms., and throughout Tenn. and have experienced great reception.

The keyboard is easy for me to use ( not a big texter) and I love the syncing capability with my home computer, automatic.

Great Product....

I read every review on the site, before taking the plunge, and purchased the phone. I am really happy I did. The phone has a good feel in my hands, and I really like all the applications that are available.I also like having my music available in one device. On the flip side, I live in an area that doesn't have 3G, and that definitely slows things down. I hope that a software update will add real GPS, as well as 3G, will make the phone all that I want.

The phone much lighter and easier to manage with a much brighter clearer screen .The older Iphone with metal back seems "clunky" and heavy.
The calls sound great and Visual Voice Mail is a real pleasure to use.
This is a nice integration of many different devices (phone, ipod, and internet)but it is not meant to be a substitute for a computer.
Working in 3G is good but WiFi is better (tip: only turn on 3G or WiFi when you need access to the internet or transfer data. The 2 sec needed to turn on and off will save your battery).

Pros:
great screen
fast browser, when it works
great touch-pad
easy to use, user friendly
like the fact that it syncs with mobile me (contacts in all the same places)

Cons;
-3G is not all it is cracked up to be. I have other 3g phones have full coverage at my house, this one barely gets one bar and call clarity at my house is poor

-Battery life is atrocious Might as well keep it plugged in all the time. I have yet to get more than 5 hours of total use, stand by and heavy use. Also battery gets very hot when charging

Coming from the older Iphone, the 3G version is definately an improvement. The UI is much faster than the older iphone with the 2.0 upgrade, which is the primary reason I upgraded. The previous iphone seemed to struggle to keep up with the 2.0 software especially when it came to displaying contacts and email (there was a noticeable lag when returning to the home screen). 3G coverage is spotty, anywhere from 300-800k/b. GPS seems to be standard as most phones go. I personally find a phone GPS to be inconvenient as a call will interupt crucial directions.
People seem to be complaining quite a bit about the plastic casing and "cheapness" of the phone, but I find the phone much lighter and easier to manage with a much brighter clearer screen. The older Iphone with metal back, while more substantial, seems "clunky" and heavy to say the least. It's like going from the HTC Mogul to the HTC Touch.
There are also complaints about the poor battery life. The 2G phone did very little compared to the 2.0 software but had a battery life of 2 days. The 3G phone does MUCH more but with a battery life of less than a day. You can increase battery life by turning off 3G.
I'm not sure that an upgrade is worthwhile for current iphone users, but with the price of 2G phones being fairly high on Ebay, it might be easier than you think,
I think the new 3G is a good base for Apple to improve with software upgrades. Calendar and email applications are still sub-par and lack the functionality of winmobile phones. MobileMe works well for the personal user.

Final verdict: It is what it is, but still a recreational phone and will not be a good replacement for the business user.

Pros:
Lighter design, thinner feel
Faster GUI
GPS Enabled, some nice apps take advantage of GPS
MUCH improved call/sound quality

Cons:
Battery with 3G enabled is less than a day with average use as compared to 2 days with edge on previous phone.
Stil no MMS, cut and paste or voice dial
Email capabilities still cumbersome

I have had this phone for almost two weeks now along with having "borrowed" my brother-in-law's original iPhone. Trying to rate this device is not easy as it does or is supposed to do so many different things. I will try though.

First off I am coming from a Nokia 6682 which is not exactly slim.

What I like:

This has one of the best interfaces for a phone which means even a moron can work it.
The calls sound great and Visual Voice Mail is a real pleasure to use.
This is a nice integration of many different devices (phone, ipod, and internet)but it is not meant to be a substitute for a computer.
Working in 3G is good but WiFi is better (tip: only turn on 3G or WiFi when you need access to the internet or transfer data. The 2 sec needed to turn on and off will save your battery).
As a PDA it does a great job. The calendar though will only synch with Outlook if you are running Windows.
The apps range from very useful to just fun and you get to choose what you want to use. As time goes on there will be even more.

What I don't like:

One of the main features is that this is also a music player but there is no stereo BT. This is a big oversight.
Coming from the Nokia and having big hands this device is a bit small in my hand but I am getting used to it.
Battery could be better since if you run 3G and WiFi and surf constantly you will need to recharge before the end of the day. This is where having a removable battery would be good though if you use it more as a regular phone your charge will last over 2 days with moderate use.
Should have video and MMS capability (I hope that this will be a firmware fix later)

What you need to know:
The phone needs two hands or if you use one be prepared to drop it.
It will get dirty and smudged so a case is a good idea.
Cost of ownership is steep with its price and the ATT plan and you can not get insurance for it.

Over all this is a great phone but there is room for improvement and I look forward to when it happens.

Pros:
- Unbelievably elegant interface
- Feels great in the hand
- Excellent sound quality, even on EDGE network
- Excellent picture quality
- Storage capacity (16 Gig)great for hundreds of songs, contacts, emails, ...etc.
- I could go on and on
- I'm still yet to drop a call, and I've made hundreds and hundreds.
- Flawless syncing with Outlook.

Cons:
- Battery life is mediocre. Not terribly bad as most say. Get a car charger.
- 3G network is not too widespread, and is basically useless indoors, but there's WiFi when inside...and power outlets, too. Use 'em.
- Would like "copy and paste"
- MMS is a "nice to have", but I'd still like it.

I really haven't had any issues to speak of, but I'm also not loading it up with 3rd party apps, either. Some folks have legitimate gripes...they may have gotten a bad piece of hardware. More often than not, they're using a jailbroken phone with all kinds of non -supported apps. Be smart about it and it'll be the best phone you've ever used. Period. It'll change the way of the smartphone forever.

...and for the record, I'm a software sales rep, so I use it often and use it hard. Lots of phone calls (on and off speakerphone), emails, and txting.

Pro's
beautiful screen
Its faster than the old Iphone
The plastic makes it feel good in your hand
the wow affect is still apparent
ATT coverage is great
The APP store is awesome

CONS
the battery
the expensive plans
the smudges wrap around everywhere

Overall the Iphone is a great phone and if you can afford it you should definitely get it.

I've had the iphone 3G for just over a month now. I'm in Southern California and so far I've experienced no dropped calls, 3G speeds have been adequate, and Edge performance has been fine given its inherent limitations.

Besides a reliable phone, usable in Europe and Australia, as well as here in the States, my main requirement was for reliable and reasonably fast internet access 24/7, access to pop mail and web mail, VOIP, all coupled to a practical, intuitive, user interface. This phone has more than met these base requirements.

I'd like to see tethering to my laptop made available at no extra charge. I'm not interested in using vastly more bandwidth, and tethering is not a synonym for that per se. There are situations where it's more convenient to interact via a laptop, and the notion that use of a laptop necessarily equates to "abuse of bandwidth" is asinine. Sometimes you just need a real keyboard.

The non-tactile virtual keyboard was a real problem for me at first, and nearly a deal breaker, but I've gotten better with it now, and it's much less of an issue. The lack of cut and paste is irritating, and the omission of voice dialing is incomprehensible.

INTERNATIONAL
I've been using the iphone truphone app to call Europe VOIP with real ease. The fact that you do not even need a wifi connection to do so is liberating (calls are automatically routed to a truphone local number where the call is re-routed to the target number). I've done about 10 hours of international calling this month so far, via a direct wifi connection at considerable savings. Voice quality has been excellent with no echo when I use the iphone earbud/mic headset. I haven't tried bluetooth headset yet.

You can use this app with other smart phones of course, but I can only say that with the iphone the whole mating has been painless and seamless. I'll be in the UK later in the month and we'll see how it goes calling the other way using this option.