iPhone: It'll be glued to your hands! (Apple iPhone 3GS 16 GB)

Member Name: stuntpilotx

Product:	Apple iPhone 3GS 16 GB
Date:	13/11/09 (30 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: App store, fast, reliable, ease of use, sleek design

Disadvantages: Slightly larger than some phones. Expensive.

I was recently due for an upgrade as I was coming to the end of my contract, and having played with the iPhone in the Apple store I decided to purchase the 16Gb 3GS. Compared to all of my previous phones, the iPhone is an absolute dream.

The phone itself is sleek, and a classic simple design. It's slightly larger than most mobile phones, however, the size is a huge benefit as you get a large (3.5"), bright, crisp screen. It's also surprisingly light, weighing in at 135g. The phone has a built in camera, which at 3 megapixels is not the best on the market, but for taking pictures on a mobile phone it does the job well enough. The touchscreen interface is one of the best I have used. I've found other touch screen phones to be overly sensitive and infuriating to use as you frequently accidentally send messages or call people. The iphone is highly intuitive, the touch screen is easy to use (although the keypad is a little small, flipping the phone to horizontal does counteract this though), and best of all not too sensitive, yet it only requires a light touch to register your actions.

Apple claim that the battery life of the iPhone 3gs lasts between 5-9 hours depending on the activity. It's hard to compare the battery life to a standard mobile phone as there is a lot more you can do on the iPhone, therefore you end up using it alot more, thus running the battery down quicker. I find that I need to charge my iPhone at least every other day, but sometimes more if I've been using the internet heavily or playing games. It's always best to keep the charger on you, just in case!

The iPhone is updated similarly to the iPod and iPod touch, you simply plug it into your laptop, open iTunes and click 'sync'. iTunes will automatically search for updates when you plug in your iPhone. From iTunes you can add music, ringtones, photos and much more to your iPhone. It really is that easy.

The sound quality of the iPhone is crisp and clear. The speaker picks up voices strongly, and the headphones provided are standard iPod headphones that have been modified to include a microphone and volume control for hands free usage.

Connecting to the internet is simple on the iPhone. You just connect. The iPhone will automatically search for WiFi hotspots and ask you which one you would like to sign into. Depending on your network, the 3G can either be really fast (Orange) or quite inconsistent (o2).

What makes the iPhone truly unique is the applications. The iPhone comes pre-installed with a web browser, e-mail client, calender, photo album, map application, iTunes, a notepad, and many other standard applications (e.g. calculator, alarm clock etc). However, through iTunes it is possible to purchase (or often download for free), around 10,000 different applications for the iPhone both from Apple and from third-party developers. Apple have a strict vetting process which means no application is accepted onto the app store unless Apple are convinced it's good enough, and applications range from games to productivity apps, news apps to GPS apps (you can even get TomTom). Many are free to download, however prices range from 59p up to £100+. Some applications are really, really good, whereas others can be a bit useless. It's best to check the reviews to find out what is reliable.

Overall, I highly recommend the iPhone 3GS. The functionality far surpasses all other mobile phones on the market and the availability of applications makes it possibly one of the most customisable phones on the market. Furthermore, it's just so easy to use. Yes, it is an expensive phone (although I've not gone into price here as that depends on mobile operator/contract/PAYG etc), but it's well worth the investment to have a phone that is just so functional, and so much fun!

Summary: A fantastic, functional phone.

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