Yes, I was one of those folks that got up before the chickens (if I had any chickens) and stood in a line to be one of the first to get the new iPhone. Specifically, I arrived at the mall at a little after 5 AM for the 7 AM opening.
I’ve been an iPhone owner since July 2007, when I picked up the 4 Gb version of the original, so I’m pretty well versed on how these little devices can take over your life. That said, was the new iPhone 3GS worth it?
Oh yeah.
Here are my thoughts of some of the new features I’ve tried out so far:
Since “the ‘S’ stands for ‘Speed,’” that is something we would naturally want to know about. It’s fast. The keyboard doesn’t sometimes lag like previous models, the web pages and email loads a whole lot faster.
Video recording: Pretty neat! Record a video by clicking the Camera icon, switching the slider to the movie camera, and then start recording. After the filmmaking is over, the would-be Michael Bay can review it.
If editing is needed, the beginning and end points can be trimmed. But be careful; once you trim the video, the discarded segments are gone forever. After that, it’s a one-click upload to MobileMe or YouTube.
Landscape keyboard: Works as advertised. Not much more to say.
Compass: Susceptible to interference from metal object, but could very well keep you from getting lost in the woods. Why this is a standalone app and not simply an add-on to the Google Maps app is something I don’t entirely understand.
Voice Control: Perfect? No, but this kind of thing never is. But works pretty well. The smartest thing is that as the feature comes up, possible phrases scroll across the screen. It was very useful for when I wanted to try the feature out and didn’t know what to say.
Copy and Paste: Very smartly implemented! I haven’t used it as much as I thought I would, but I’m quite glad it’s there for when I need it.
Summary: I’m not sure this is an extremely compelling upgrade from iPhone 3G, but the leap from the original iPhone to iPhone 3GS has been very satisfying. I’m especially looking forward to the the apps that will take advantage of the new features.
