Apple iPhone 3G

(Review) - We’ll get right to the chase. Apple’s iPhone 3G is very similar to the original iPhone. In fact, first-generation iPhones can be updated to use the iPhone 2.0 software, which will give a lot of the software capabilities of iPhone 3G to its predecessor. However, that doesn’t mean that iPhone 3G isn’t worth the upgrade. If you were holding out on the original iPhone in hopes of iPhone 3G, this is your chance to grab one, assuming can get past the strict requirements of activating the phone in AT&T or Apple Stores. That’s of course to prevent a lot of folks from unlocking their iPhones.

In this review, we’ll touch on the new features that are available with the second-generation iPhone, instead of discussing every feature there is, even if it’s ported from the 2.5G iPhone. That’s to keep things interesting and upbeat around here. For our original iPhone review, please click here.

Perhaps the first thing you’ll notice is the updated looks. Amazing is all we have to say for it. In our opinion, it’s sleeker than the original iPhone with glossy black and white distinct color schemes. The body is curved slightly around the back with metallic buttons to give the phone a new aura of high-ended-ness. And it works. The curved body was a bit annoying, since the phone wobbled when we put it on a flat surface. It was amusing in the beginning, but it quickly lost its humor factor. The camera lens on the back, volume rocker and ringer on/off switch on the left spine, a 3.5mm headphones and standby button on the top and a charging dock at the bottom are all in their respective positions. All in all, a very similar physical design.

Features are where the new iPhone 3G shines. To start off with, as the moniker suggests, it supports 3G, unlike a lot of other smartphones. 3G is equivalent to broadband speeds on a mobile device, and needless to say, it’s fast. Very fast. We managed to secure speeds of 500kbps and beyond. Now, of course, speeds fluctuated here and there, but for the most part, Web pages loaded amazingly fast and the performance was excellent. Sites that would normally take upwards of 30 seconds to load on EDGE took 12-15 seconds over 3G. A boost of 50 percent. Downloads also took a considerably short time. In other words, 3G is certainly a better option compared to EDGE, but you might want to check the performance in your area by walking into an AT&T or Apple Store and trying the device out for yourself.

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