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I basically just got the 3 GS because it was relatively cheap, since my original contract was old. I really wasn't expecting a whole lot, but I'm really happy with this new phone, it is a lot faster. Now I had the original phone, so obviously 3G is a huge upgrade for me on the network side, but it's really in the interface that I appreciate it. The old phone was just very laggy loading apps and switching views and web pages, scrolling, typing. All of that is gone, it's just a really smooth experience now. Web pages load unbelievably fast now, and again, not because of the 3G. The combination of the faster CPU, more memory, and the new 3.0 Javascript engine makes a huge difference. I probably use Safari at least 50% of my time on the iPhone so this is really important to me.

I still think AT&T's 3G network is pretty pokey, and comparisons with the Pre bear that out, so I'm not hoping for much with this new "double speed" network, if we ever see it. But the 3GS itself is fantastic, well worth upgrading.
 
Maybe this isn't the right place for this question but: What about voice command? Is it working well for people? Anyone tried it?
Yeah, it's pretty flakey for me. Better than nothing, but it's really hit and miss. It can really suck if you, for example, call your ex-girlfriend when you're trying to play an iPod mix or something. This should be something they can improve on in software though, just as with handwriting recognition or whatever.
 
Hopefully some of you can convince me of the answer to the following...I have a 16GB 3G and am eligible to upgrade, so $199 for 16GB 3GS (I don't think I need 32GB since I usually don't get above around 12GB). It looks like I can sell my 3G for at least the $199 upgrade fee. The issue though is that I would need to sign a 2 year contract, meaning when the really improved model comes out a year from now presumably, I will be out of luck. Otherwise, I can just skip this version and hold out until next year. I am a heavy email user, somewhat regular user of internet, have a golf GPS app and many other smaller apps.

Thoughts? Suggestions?
The main question to me would be: "Am I happy with it?". If yes stick to it and when not... get yourself a new one.
 
I've been thinking more and more about whether or not I should get the 3GS. I have the 3G and I'm fine with it but my sister is planning to get the iphone. I'm thinking if I should wait till December when i could upgrade for the 300 or just sell her my 3G phone and pay the difference now.
 
Why I'm not upgrading

The number one reason why I wasn't in line Friday morning was because I'm not eligible until December. Even then, I still won't be upgrading at that point for the simple reason that by the time I'm eligible, we will be just a few months away from the next version. If the 3GS is the phone that adds all of the functionality that has been in mobile phones for years (Video, Voice Recognition, etc.) then I am extremely optimistic about what Apple has in store for the next version of the device. For me, $400+ is just a little too steep for a significant speed boost, video recording, and a digital compass. Here's what I think will probably be in the next version.
(Note: I have no sources, these are just wild guesses.)

Hardware Re-Design with matted aluminum casing
More Memory (32 GB Base - 64 GB Max)
Front Facing/Higher Resolution Camera
Faster Processing
Faster Data Transfer
Tactile Feedback
USB 3.0 Support
More Gesture Controls (Examble: 3 finger swipe brings up spotlight, hangs up, etc.)
Solar Charging (Green is the new trend in tech, and if Apple can implement this into the iPhone, I think people would go crazy for it.)

Feel free to tell me what you guys think will be in the next model. :D
 
Maybe this isn't the right place for this question but: What about voice command? Is it working well for people? Anyone tried it?
Works great for me. The only potential negative thing I've noticed is that it always seems to try, even when it really ought to say "WHAT?" I've never had it fail to do what I want it to do when I give it a valid command, but I've tried a few silly things and it's always willing to do something.
 
While the increases in speed, performance and storage have improved in the 3GS over the 3G, can any of the new owners give feedback on the call quality. I've heard that the quality on the 1st gen iPhone was bad and that the 3G was only a slight improvement. I have not purchased an iPhone yet, and call quality is important to me. Thanks.
 
While the increases in speed, performance and storage have improved in the 3GS over the 3G, can any of the new owners give feedback on the call quality. I've heard that the quality on the 1st gen iPhone was bad and that the 3G was only a slight improvement. I have not purchased an iPhone yet, and call quality is important to me. Thanks.

Call quality is great. Then again I thought it was great on my 1st gen...I don't know where people were having their issues because I never had any problems, call quality was always good for me.

The volume is louder on the 3GS than the 1st gen, I don't know how it compares to the 3G because I never had one.
 
Call quality is great. Then again I thought it was great on my 1st gen...I don't know where people were having their issues because I never had any problems, call quality was always good for me.

The volume is louder on the 3GS than the 1st gen, I don't know how it compares to the 3G because I never had one.

I've heard owners of the 3G say that the call quality is bad, even sounding like a hollow or echoing on the receiver's side. Have any of the people you've been talking to complained about the calls they were receiving from you?
 
While the increases in speed, performance and storage have improved in the 3GS over the 3G, can any of the new owners give feedback on the call quality. I've heard that the quality on the 1st gen iPhone was bad and that the 3G was only a slight improvement. I have not purchased an iPhone yet, and call quality is important to me. Thanks.
The call quality is just "OK" for me. It's acceptable but I do get some echoing, occasionally the person on the other end can hear you but you can't hear them or vice-versa, wind noise is really loud, and some disconnects. I don't think the quality is any better than my first gen iPhone, although the speaker (internal and external) is a little louder so that can help. But I think it really depends on where you live and what kind of connection you're getting. My friend has a Verizon phone and the voice quality is a lot cleaner (again, where I am).
 
I've heard owners of the 3G say that the call quality is bad, even sounding like a hollow or echoing on the receiver's side. Have any of the people you've been talking to complained about the calls they were receiving from you?

No, I also talk to a lot of other people on the phone that have iPhones as well and I never have any trouble hearing them.

It could have something to do with the specific network people are on too...maybe?
 
Typing and Page Transition Issues

I think I may agree. There are aspects that are faster, but the biggest disappointment I've had is with stalls in text message typing and the animation of transitioning between different pages of apps.

Almost every time I text, the system gets choked up and freezes for a brief moment then enters all characters typed after chewing on the input data.

I would say that speed functionality in this department is far more important than graphics for games, and is a shortfall of the 3GS.

Anybody else experience this, or did I get a janky one?


okay...

im calling BS

i understand it's faster.. really i do..my girlfriend upgraded her shattered screen 3G yesterday for a 32gb GS..

When i asked if it was faster.. she simply shrugged and said, "a little bit yea".
When the windows of range go from 14-70%, credibility is lost for me.

before you grab your blowtorches and try to flame me to a crisp understand that I eventually will be upgrading my 3G to the GS when i feel like it.
Since im of the many jailbreakers the storage capacity is the most (perhaps only) intriguing upgrade i have seen to be noteworthy.

lol @ speed enhancements going from up to 2x faster to 4x faster in a weekend.
 
The number one reason why I wasn't in line Friday morning was because I'm not eligible until December. Even then, I still won't be upgrading at that point for the simple reason that by the time I'm eligible, we will be just a few months away from the next version. If the 3GS is the phone that adds all of the functionality that has been in mobile phones for years (Video, Voice Recognition, etc.) then I am extremely optimistic about what Apple has in store for the next version of the device. For me, $400+ is just a little too steep for a significant speed boost, video recording, and a digital compass. Here's what I think will probably be in the next version.
(Note: I have no sources, these are just wild guesses.)

Hardware Re-Design with matted aluminum casing
More Memory (32 GB Base - 64 GB Max)
Front Facing/Higher Resolution Camera
Faster Processing
Faster Data Transfer
Tactile Feedback
USB 3.0 Support
More Gesture Controls (Examble: 3 finger swipe brings up spotlight, hangs up, etc.)
Solar Charging (Green is the new trend in tech, and if Apple can implement this into the iPhone, I think people would go crazy for it.)

Feel free to tell me what you guys think will be in the next model. :D

I'm with you.

Also, if the China deal becomes reality I think there will be a real possibility of a CDMA for the US market late 2010. There has to be CDMA for China IMO.

If your a gamer this phone is a must have. No question. But at&t will always suck. 3.0 on a 3G is a very nice option for non gamers who want to wait.

No question the 3Gs is a great tool, but at&t will always hold it back. Apple knows this. Keep your eyes open. Change is coming. :apple:
 
Every year people are ''looking forward to NEXT YEARS revolutionary device". The iPhone platform (like the iPod) is EVOLUTIONARY. Don't expect to ***** your pants next year either.

iPhone has a lot more room not just for improvement but a lot of innovation. I bet you 10$ within next 3(if not 2) years there is going to be an update which will definitely require you to change the pants there n then:D. Who knows if Steve Jobs rolls out the new iPhone Nano this september you wont even have to wait a year to loose the bet.
 
The number one reason why I wasn't in line Friday morning was because I'm not eligible until December. Even then, I still won't be upgrading at that point for the simple reason that by the time I'm eligible, we will be just a few months away from the next version. If the 3GS is the phone that adds all of the functionality that has been in mobile phones for years (Video, Voice Recognition, etc.) then I am extremely optimistic about what Apple has in store for the next version of the device. For me, $400+ is just a little too steep for a significant speed boost, video recording, and a digital compass. Here's what I think will probably be in the next version.
(Note: I have no sources, these are just wild guesses.)

Hardware Re-Design with matted aluminum casing
More Memory (32 GB Base - 64 GB Max)
Front Facing/Higher Resolution Camera
Faster Processing
Faster Data Transfer
Tactile Feedback
USB 3.0 Support
More Gesture Controls (Examble: 3 finger swipe brings up spotlight, hangs up, etc.)
Solar Charging (Green is the new trend in tech, and if Apple can implement this into the iPhone, I think people would go crazy for it.)

Feel free to tell me what you guys think will be in the next model. :D

While I agree with nearly everything you wrote, I have to say that solar charging would be absolute nonsense. The phone itself is either seated in a pocket/protective shell or in your hand/face. So there is nearly no situation, where it could actually recharge, no matter where you put the PV cells.

Well, in case you're one of those guys always bragging with your phone and laying it on a table at every coffee shop you go, there may be some situations, where it could recharge. But if I take my personal usage of a phone as average, it is a real dark life to be a mobile phone.
 
I think it's a nice upgrade, but not worth another 18 month contract for me, so I'm sticking with the 3G and waiting for the next iPhone.:apple:
 
Good friend let me use his 3GS most of today at work and I did in fact find it faster. But I didn't really find it so-much-more faster that I was shocked or surprised.

It is a solid upgrade but I am not sure it is to the point that I tell myself, "I have got to upgrade!"

Now, the added space makes me say that but I am a sucker for more space :cool:
 
I skipped the 3G upgrade since it was such a minor improvement over the original, and I'm glad I waited. The 3GS is everything the 3G should have been.
 
...not that I am defending weathermen, they have most low pressure job in the world...
Only when it's hot outside :p



On topic, I switched from my LG Voyager to a 3GS on launch day, and as a first-time ianything owner, I cannot overstate my shock at what a powerful computing platform the iPhone is... my Voyager was a great phone when I got it ~2 years ago, but even then it felt like a cheap toy in comparison to the 1st gen iPhone my friend owned. Today, the difference is even more dramatic.

We have iPhones of every vintage to compare to at my office, and my 3GS simply blows them out of the water, whether it be browsing websites, launching apps, moving around a map, or any of a dozen other activities...

What makes the difference for me is whether I have to wait on a phone, or it has to wait on me. I'd rather my phone be ready for my input as soon as I figure out what I want to type or launch or whatever, as opposed to me sitting there while it chugs away. So far, the 3GS has never kept me waiting.
 
While I agree with nearly everything you wrote, I have to say that solar charging would be absolute nonsense. The phone itself is either seated in a pocket/protective shell or in your hand/face. So there is nearly no situation, where it could actually recharge, no matter where you put the PV cells...
Well, what about the LCD screen? Seriously, there is a German company working on this (patent filed) so I would assume that it's a matter of time (years?) that we see something like this.
 
iPhone Search feature

I have the original iPhone and I was waiting for the 3GS review before upgrading. I was very disappointed to see that the new Search feature on the 3GS can't do search in the Contact Notes. I have a lot of notes in the contact application, and I often forget the names of some contacts but I always make notes on them with the expectation that I can search for key words in the notes to bring up the Contact. I have to Jailbreak the original iPhone and install an application called Searcher in order to search contacts notes. All the Bells and Whistles that this phone have one would think a global search is quite in order. But I see that it can now do cut, copy, and paste. A Blackberry user was laughing at me. Anyone also disappointed?
 
The number one reason why I wasn't in line Friday morning was because I'm not eligible until December. Even then, I still won't be upgrading at that point for the simple reason that by the time I'm eligible, we will be just a few months away from the next version. If the 3GS is the phone that adds all of the functionality that has been in mobile phones for years (Video, Voice Recognition, etc.) then I am extremely optimistic about what Apple has in store for the next version of the device. For me, $400+ is just a little too steep for a significant speed boost, video recording, and a digital compass. Here's what I think will probably be in the next version.
(Note: I have no sources, these are just wild guesses.)

Hardware Re-Design with matted aluminum casing
More Memory (32 GB Base - 64 GB Max)
Front Facing/Higher Resolution Camera
Faster Processing
Faster Data Transfer
Tactile Feedback
USB 3.0 Support
More Gesture Controls (Examble: 3 finger swipe brings up spotlight, hangs up, etc.)
Solar Charging (Green is the new trend in tech, and if Apple can implement this into the iPhone, I think people would go crazy for it.)

Feel free to tell me what you guys think will be in the next model. :D

Agreed. Just add the OLED screen and everything you mentioned and that is the 4th generation iphone. People that fought tooth and nail to upgrade from 3G to 3GS are going to lose it next year. Kinda sucks, apple was just 3-4 months away from OLED in the phone I bet.
 
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