Apple iPhone 3G

Just over a year after Apple birthed the first iPhone, the long-awaited, next-generation iPhone 3G S has arrived bearing a mildly tweaked design and a load of new features. With access to a faster 3G wireless network, Microsoft Exchange server e-mail, and support for a staggering array of third-party software from the iPhone App Store, the new handset is the iPhone we’ve been waiting for. It still lacks some basic features but when compared with what the original model was year ago, this device sets a new benchmark for the cell phone world.

The old iPhone is new again. Priced at an affordable $99 and updated with Apple’s latest iPhone 3.0 software, the iPhone 3G makes a great entry level handheld computer. Of course, it’s also a phone, but the 3G’s voice capabilities are the least of what this platform (with its now-50,000 apps) can do.

With the iPhone 3G, Apple appears to have fixed some call-quality performance issues we had with the previous model–in our initial tests, the volume is louder with less background buzz than before. The 3G reception could be improved, however. Music and video quality were largely unchanged, but we didn’t have many complaints in that department to begin with.

Since the 3G has been around for a while, we know a lot about it. It’s a terrific Internet and e-mail gadget, and those features have only been improved by the new OS 3.0 update. It’s a world-beating music and video player, and OS 3.0 tweaks have helped there, too. It’s an excellent handheld gaming device. It’s a mediocre (but very easy-to-use camera). And it’s not a terrific phone; but that’s okay: This is a multipurpose smart device, not a voice phone. For a full rundown of what’s been added to the 3G with iPhone OS 3.0, see our OS 3.0 review.

So should you buy an iPhone 3G? If you haven’t bought an iPhone yet, and have been holding out for a new model, now is the time. If you’re a current iPhone owner and you’re yearning for a faster cellular network, then you should take the plunge. But if you’re an iPhone owner who won’t use 3G then you should stick with your current model. The iPhone 2.0 software update provides Exchange server support, third-party apps support, and many new features without the added cost.

You’d be hard-pressed to notice any design differences on the front of the iPhone 3G. The minor changes–the silver rim is thinner and the silver mesh behind the speaker–are so minimal we didn’t notice them for a few hours after picking up the device. Turn the phone on its side, however, and you’ll see more changes. Apple has replaced the aluminum silver back with a plastic face in either white or black. The black version (our review model) is attractive, but we admit that we miss the original silver, which shows fewer fingerprints and smudges than the shiny black version. The white model is not our cup of tea.

The 3G is a big slab of touch screen with a single Home button. The display is a 3.5-inch 320 by 480-pixel panel with multi-touch capabilities, and it’s a little bit brighter than the previous iPhone’s screen. There’s a thin metal bezel around the screen, and the back of the handset is plastic. It’s also slightly rounded; the iPhone wobbles a little on a table if you push on its edges. The plastic back attracts fingerprints like nobody’s business. A metal grill over the earpiece and speakers helps improve the sound quality. A standard 3.5mm headphone jack along the top accepts any pair of music headphones; a dock connector on the bottom hooks up to a wide range of speakers and other accessories, such as medical monitoring equipment.

You still enter data on a touch keyboard that corrects your spelling, but still doesn’t offer any haptic feedback. That turns a lot of people off, but it’s still one of the two best touch keyboards in the business (along with the LG Dare’s.) And with the iPhone 3.0 update, the keyboard now rotates into wide mode not only for entering URLs, but for typing text and e-mail messages.

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The iPhone’s 3G controls reveal a few changes, but none will surprise a current iPhone user. The Home button sits below the display, while the volume rocker and ringer mute switch rest on the left spine. The Power/sleep button rests on top of the phone in its normal position. All controls are now silver instead of black. The SIM card slot hasn’t moved either, and Apple now includes a SIM removal tool in the box. The bottom of the iPhone houses the speaker, the microphone, and the charger port, but you’ll also notice two tiny screws on either side of the charger jack. Think maybe you’ll be able to replace your own battery now? Bummer: The battery is still not user-replaceable, so we don’t recommend trying it (although we hear the battery is no longer soldered down). We’re very pleased that the iPhone 3G’s 3.5mm headset jack now sits flush with the surface of the phone allowing you to use any 3.5mm headset you like; you’re no longer restricted to a headset that can fit in the previous phone’s inane recessed jack.

In the box you’ll find the syncing cable, a display cleaning cloth, a headset, user documentation, the aforementioned SIM removal tool, and an electrical outlet plug. The plug is pleasantly smaller than on the original iPhone’s, but it’s compatible with a standard USB cable. On the downside, you don’t get a syncing dock. If you want one, you have to shell out $30 for it (boo!), and Apple made sure the iPhone 3G won’t fit in the first iPhone’s dock.

The iPhone 3G hangs on to all the original iPhone features and throws in a few more, so we’ll concentrate on what’s new. Lucky for first-gen iPhone owners, most of the impressive array of additions–save 3G support and enhanced GPS–come along with the free 2.0 software update. For more on the organizer features, stocks and weather widgets, YouTube app, notepad, threaded texting, and visual voicemail, see our original iPhone review.

Once you’re ready to go, the iPhone will sync your Outlook e-mail, contacts, and calendar. Be advised that while the iPhone can support multiple POP3 accounts at once (two Yahoo accounts, for instance), it syncs with only one Exchange server and, worse, with only with one calendar or contacts list at a time. If you have a separate personal calendar, your work calendar will replace it once you start the sync. (You’ll be notified before it happens.). Next