[review] iPhone 3G 16gb

By instant.human
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Grand Master

instant.human

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hey there.

this is my first review here but i thought it couldnt hurt to have one of the 3g-version of the popular iphone.

i will try and rather go for an impression-related review than something really indepth because you find plenty of those on youtube or the mighty interweb. but when i did my research before buying mine four weeks ago, i had a hard time finding reviews that really are based on initial impressions, feelings and yea, that tell you how it feels in the writers view.

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the first time

i bought my iphone about four weeks ago.

i went to my local apple retailer instead of walking into a tmobile store because firstly, i know and like the guys at gravis (which is the biggest german reseller) and secondly i dont really like the folks at my local tmobile store since they really dont know what theyre doing.

so i did it the hard way, since at gravis, its hard to sign the contract due to server issues that are present since the first day they were allowed to sell iphones which have not yet been fixed by tmobile. i dont know why.

fortunately, the guy who put me through the whole process was a friend of a friends and so we had some things to talk about.

the first letdown was the lack of stocked invisible shields and that they didnt have docks for the 3g in stock but that was about it, because they didnt have to open it at the store so i had all the unpacking goodness at home. =)

however, the initial impression was "man, what a small box that is!". you cant really tell from pictures on the internet, its really small but thats just for the record.

unboxing, first time on, activation

as you can tell from unpacking shots or youtube videos (i really like that kinda stuff!), the packaging is great. however, i dont want to loose too many words on that here, it was just a real joy and all. but i love unpacking anyways, so it also coudve been a brand new whateveryoucanunpack and i wouldve been excited. ;)

the activation at home was simple, i got my number at the store already, i just had to insert the sim and connect it to itunes. simple and, i was glad, without any struggle of which ive head a lot while researching.

did i mention that i went for the white 16gb? i really dont know why i got the white one, i just though it looked cool. the black one does aswell but yea, i got the white one.

the first time powering up the iphone made me feel very calm and save, i dont know why, just felt right and clean and all.

tryouts, jailbreak-attempt, appstore

at first of course i revisited all the bookmarked sites about the iphone. i usually do some research prior to buying something major and i consider the iphone major, paying 150€ for the device and 50€/month for the unlimited data plan, 100 minutes, 40 free sms and hotspot flatrate, so i bookmarked sites i though were worth visiting after. apps, tips and tricks and all, you know the usual stuff you dont want to forget about.

i installed random apps just to see how it looks and works and feels and all and literally downloaded every free appstoreapp i though was maybe kinda worth trying out. ;)

but that was only the initial tryout-phase, since actually, i bought the iphone for my work. i liked the design, the functionality the appstore brings and the 3g-stuff. i write alot of emails on the go and need to quickcheck websites and need to take my music with me so i couldve got something else aswell but as an apple-lover it was only logical to get the iphone.

i then tried to jailbreak the iphone with quickpwn. i wanted to try out intelliscreen which in my view is worth the few bucks and wouldve really suit my needs. plus bitesms was a major reason to jailbreak.

everthing went smooth but for some reason i unjailbroke it again.

and then the very, very bad thing happened. mail.app was unusable. i know how to fix it actually, but i didnt have the time yet because atm i really have to be reachable 24/7 due to some projects. however, that really sucks but gmail for iphone works almost as good.

letdowns

not all that glitters is gold and i would say that fits the iphone just great.

its an awesome computer with which you can also make calls, i use it as my personal agenda, my ipod, my snapshotmachine, my newspaper, my communication system and my showoff-gadget of course, but some things really **** me off.

-the mail.app bug, for example. i know its my own fault but why in the hell does that even occur? its only mail.

-safari used to crash alot before 2.1. with 2.1 its running good but not perfect. i still get some back-to-homescreen-actions... i dont like that. especially because somehow it closes all the open windows...

-i hate that apple doesnt allow programs on the appstore that keep running in the backround.

-the lockscreen is so useless and it takes some time for it to come up after pressing a button. i mean i can live with that but for quickly checking the time its just a very little bit too slow in my view. but that may be just me.

-sms look great. but its just not functional. i like the idea but thats about it...

-COPY AND PASTE

-takes too many steps to change simple settings like turning off 3g or wifi. could really be easier.

i knew most of that before, so i can live with that but those are my major complains.

speed

im on edge, mostly. not because of the battery life which i guess is very, very good, even on heavy usage like i do but because its fast enough. plus it does save some battery life, i must admit.

but im impressed by the difference indeed. visiting neowin on edge sometimes takes you some long time but after switching to 3g you feel like youre on your computer. i like that.

i cant really compare to anything else, i didnt own a iphone 2g.

but the 3g really feels fast imho.

it did change my life... in a way...

well yea it really did.

its getting normal to quickcheck the email, to download some rss feed, to quickcheck some webpage... and you stop using your own mind.

a little story here.

i found myself in a town i knew but not that well. however, i needed to find an ATM of a specific bank. instead of thinking and trying to remember where the hell it was, i just took my iphone, let it find me via gps, type "atm postbank" and voila, it shows me the closest and even the way to get there.

thats great, i like that, somehow. but five weeks ago i wouldve either asked someone or just went to where i thought i might have seen one some years ago. you know what i mean?

im not too good on memorizing numbers, especially not of my pizza delivery so i just type in "pizza" on my way home, call them right away, order my frutti di mare and its there as soon as i get home.

i really am online all the time.

that does have its downsides... i dont like the idea of being accessable every second of my life. at the moment its okay, its necessary for what i do but as soon as everythings done i will push myself to put the iphone off for one or two days. you always feel connected. even more than with a cellphone in general. at least thats what i feel.

but then again it has its lovely sides.

downloading the rss feeds i have on newsgator and reading them on the go, putting links to the homescreen for further reference, browsing neowin for a few minutes... all that while sitting in the train, listening to music.

and when someone calls you, the music softly fades out... =)

oh and i so LOVE that little switch above the volume buttons which allows you to shut off ALL sounds with simply switching it. that came very handy to me serveral times.

i also love the headphones. of course they are of bad quality audio-wise but the remote-thingy really kicks ass! =) doubleclick for the next song, one click for pause... i like that.

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thats about it.

please excuse bad english and all... i just wanted to write some kind of progress report here, sharing my experience with the iphone so far. =)

i hope you liked it, if not dont hesitate to tell me. =) maybe for some of you its helpful.

but please keep in mind: this is my first review. so please be nice. :p

finally, some kind of rating:

i would recommend the iphone.

but i could also recommend HTC phones. or SE. or nokia.

its all about taste.

if you feel the need to get an iphone, do so. it will help you organize yourself, if you are somewhat organized already, its fun and yet pretty mature, i would say.

there are some downsides... but it has its great moments too. which overall are superior, in my feeling.

the best advice i can give you is go and try it out with the things in mind that you need to do with it later on. if you just go there and flip through some photos, you get some nice impression of how cool it looks but not of what it actually can do.

do some research and then go and try out if it may suit your needs. afterall its expensive.

but i would say... worth it.

if its good for you? only you can tell.

i like my iphone. =)

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Grand Master

instant.human

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I was waiting for iPhone 3G review! Great one, thanks!

What were the phones you used to own previously? How does the call quality compare?

in the recent past i was using a SE w880i, which was great of course. great display and all. the call quality was nice but nothing

compared to the iphone, i must say. when making calls with the actual device on your ear, i always get the feeling its a little too quiet. with the headphones everythings perfect.

at least on 3g.

however, the ones i asked about what i sound like were nothing but amazed by the clear and crisp voice the iphone could deliver.

overall im more than pleased.

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Grand Master

instant.human

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I would have owned one when the 3g came out but ATT is raping customers on service plans =/

yea, the plans really do suck for most people.

i have to say i was very lucky because in germany, the plans are actually pretty nice. at least for me. the plan im on now exactly suits my needs, its like it was made for me. except maybe for 40 sms incl. a very little too less. :p but other than that it was no brainer for me.

i would appreciate to be able to buy the iphone sans contract though... but then again i do kinda understand the apple-way. afterall its business...

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Grand Master

instant.human

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well the thing i noticed was when i click the sleep-button, the display goes off and the "click"-sound takes a little to come. its delayed.

as for going into settings or sms... it launches instantly but it takes a while until you see the actual content, which means... there is that grey/white pattern and after half a second the content of what youre in pops in.

i dont know if that was what you mean, though. :p

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Grand Master

Brad.

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I really enjoyed reading that too :)

I badly want a 16GB iPhone but just can't afford it at the moment, maybe in the new year when I'm due for an upgrade :p

good job!

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Grand Master

saxondale.

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well the thing i noticed was when i click the sleep-button, the display goes off and the "click"-sound takes a little to come. its delayed.

as for going into settings or sms... it launches instantly but it takes a while until you see the actual content, which means... there is that grey/white pattern and after half a second the content of what youre in pops in.

i dont know if that was what you mean, though. :p

yeah exactly that. i get that for most things, especially settings.

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Grand Master

instant.human

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thats strange. even after updating to 2.1?

it doesnt bug me that much because its just the content which shows up a little later. and i mean for settings... theres a whole lot to load. keep in mind that some 3rd party apps use the settings aswell.

i just tried out some other apps... the addressbook is there instantly, even the content, it does take a quater of a second though to be able to actually browse... the calendar takes its time, just like sms and settings for me, but as said, its just that the contents show off a little delayed...

this is what it looks like:

http://localhostr.com/files/3370d7/MOV00011.mov

and yes, its MISTER PHIL COLLINS playing in the backround. ;) just the right music for my mood tonight.

Edited by instant.human
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Grand Master

MulletRobZ

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I was going to write a review on that same phone, but with work and all, I just didn't have the time. Not bad, but I would have commented a bit more on the specific features and a bit less on the general impression.

As for how I would rate the iPhone 3G (16 GB White), I give it a 9 out of 10, after using it on Rogers for almost two months now. The iPod, YouTube, App Store, and web browsing functions literally put all the other phones to shame. Call quality is good overall. Internet speeds are pretty good (sometimes up to 1 Mbps). Speaker phone works well. But if the iPhone 3G has any major weaknesses, it involves the camera (only 2 MP, no flash, no video capture, no zoom) and the lack of Flash, Java, or the ability to download an equivalent of Microsoft Office (as with Windows Mobile); but I'm pretty sure Flash and Java for iPhone are all under development. Can't comment on Office, though.

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Grand Master

instant.human

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I was going to write a review on that same phone, but with work and all, I just didn't have the time. Not bad, but I would have commented a bit more on the specific features and a bit less on the general impression.

write one, as soon as you find the time.

i was thinking that you can find a million reviews on the internet, even on youtube so with video and all that comment on the specific features which by now, everyone should know about anyways...

so i thought i should write something more subjective. =)

but i appreciate your comment, of course.

as i said, there are a few things i left out because i simply forgot about them and as soon as i have time i will add them. =)

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Grand Master

ahhell

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Not to be picky or anything but please use the shift key once in a while.

It's incredibly distracting to try and read with no capitalization on anything.

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Grand Master

Chicane-UK Veteran

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Just picked up a 16GB iPhone 3G (in white - just to be a little different from the pack!) and so far i've been loving it. Highlights so far have been:

* Locationing - GPS, apps that use GPS and your location, etc. Just got the free movies app earlier today and it just blew my socks off when I fired it up, picked a film, and it knew where I was and showed me show times and the contact number for the cinema all in a matter of seconds.

* Email - all works so seemlessly. My GMail account took like 30 seconds to setup and just worked.

* How everything is where you expect it to be. Every option, every setting, every program - everything is where I WANT it to be. It's so so well thought out and has the user put firmly first.

Dissappointments so far:

* Battery life. 2 days with modest use of the features - wireless only on for a short while, bluetooth off, no calls mate - just SMS'ing. Ouch.

* 3rd party app crashes - have had a few apps just unexpectedly hang up and bomb out.

* 3G performance - not really as quick as I hoped it'd be to be honest! :(

Not much to grumble about and the positives outweigh the negatives. I can't wait to get used to having the GPS, etc - no more getting lost in unfamiliar cities, etc :)

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Skulltrail-old

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Thanks for the review. What do you (everyone can answer this) rate the iPhone 3G?; from a scale of a 1-10.

I personally give it a whopping 10 since the 3G version was released, a lot faster plus with the right firmware and apps, it makes it the ideal device. The iPod, cellular phone, Palm pilot and even internet browser are being replaced by this AIO device. It can't get any better than that... ^_^

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Grand Master

instant.human

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I'd say i'd give it a 8,5.

It's awesome. And very close to being perfect. But it's not. Definately. With the 2.1 update though... I'm tempted to give it a 9.

And that exactly is the reason why I didn't give a rating in the first place... I knew i couldn't decide... ;)

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  • 3 weeks later...
Experienced

dh5

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Own this phone, 16GB in Black...its incredible, enough said really. Great to come on here this morning as well to see Neowin launched a lovely mobile skin for it :D It has to be said though, the battery life is really painful, so i would give it a 9 as well, if only the battery life improved!

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  • 2 months later...
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[B00]

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as everyone has also said an awesome phone and i even said i would not get one. Like everyyone lse the batterylife is very poor tho hence i have a charger at home and a charger at work. Also i believe with the original iphone you got a dock with it where as i had to buy one seperately. ]

Apparently the casing also suffers from cracking which you can find on there own forums.

All in all tho i dont think i could be with out it now.

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Grand Master

+Audioboxer Subscriber²

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Once this hits 32GB I'll be all over it to replace my phone and ipod.

Pretty bollocks Apple don't allow expansion cards, but I guess that would "do them out of money" :whistle:

Also I'm concerned about battery reports, I wouldn't want to be charging my phone every two days :(

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