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TECHNOLOGY: ELECTRONICS &
GADGETS |
Editor's note: many of the photos featured on Inside Costa Rica have been taken with the iPhone and the iPhone 3GS.
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The
Apple iPhone 3GS
 
The iPhone 3G S doesn't make the same grand
leap that the iPhone 3G made from the
first-generation model, but the latest Apple
handset is still a compelling upgrade for
some users. The iPhone 3G S is faster and we
appreciate the new features and extended
battery life, but call quality and 3G
reception still need improvement.
The iPhone 3GS is a mirror image of the
iPhone 3G. Externally there is no
difference. It's inside where all the
changes have happened - a beefed up CPU, new
internal compass and GPS, larger capacities
for storage and new optics for the cameras.
The release of the 3GS also coincides with
the launch of iPhone OS 3.0, major
improvement in system software.
The question is why an iPhone in the first
place and what is all the hype?
The iPhone touch screen is both remarkable
and revolutionary. The operating system is
wonderful. The phone is easy to use, it
doesn't even need a manual, you can take it
out of the box and start using it
immediately.
However, If compared to the Blackberry and
the HTC, the iPhone has its limitations. But
then, neither the Blackberry nor the HTC
turns heads like an iPhone does.
And here is the reason, the iPhone is cool.
The iPhone 3GS is lighweith and thin enough
to fit into a pants pocket. And there is
only one iPhone, one model. Sure you can buy
an iPhone with 16GB or 32GB of storage
capacity, but everything in those two
devices will be exactly the same, except for
the amount of tunes, pictures and
information you can store.
The iPhone 3GS Li-ion battery is built in.
There is no removing the battery, fiddling
around with that and the other. That can
also be a bad thing, but my original iPhone
- the first generation of iPhone is still
going strong and never, ever a problem with
the battery. The iPhone 3GS has an even more
improved battery.
Connecting your iPhone to your computer to
download and upload files, mp3, fotos, etc
is simple through the iTunes interface. The
iTunes will also automatically update the
iPhone software, keeping you current. The
USB connection also charges the iPhone, a
neat feature, especially for on the go
users.
The iPhone has Wi-Fi and the Safari browser
which makes it a true internet connected,
multimedia enabled smartphone, which
functions as a camera phone (also including
text messaging and visual voicemail), a
portable media player and an internet cient.
The first generation phone hardware was
quad-band GSM with EDHE, the second
generations added UTMS with 3.6 Mbps HSDPA,
the third generations (iPhone 3GS) addes
support for 7.2 Mbps HSDPA.
The iPhone was originally introduced in the
US in June 2007, the 3G followed in March of
2009, the improved 3GS released on June 8,
2009.
Apple has filed more than 200 patents
related to the technology behind the iPhone.
LG Electronics claimed the iPhone's design
was copied from the LG Prada. Woo-Young Kwak,
head of LG Mobile Handset R&D Center, said
at a press conference, “We consider that
Apple copied Prada phone after the design
was unveiled when it was presented in the iF
Design Award and won the prize in September
2006.
The negative aspects of the iPhone is that
Apple tightly controls certain aspects of
the pone. The hacker community has found
many workaround, most of which are condemned
by Apple that threatens to void the phone's
warranty.
All iPhones must be activated (assigned a
telephone number and carrier) before most
features become available. "Jailbreaking"
allows users to install apps not available
on the App Store or modify basic
functionality. SIM unlocking allows the
iPhone to be used on a different carrier's
network.
The majority of iPhones are sold with a SIM
lock, which restricts the use of the phone
with one particular carrier, a common
practice with subsidized GSM phones. Unlike
most GSM phones however, the phone cannot be
officially unlocked via inputting a code.
The locked/unlocked state is maintained on
Apple's servers per IMEI and is set when the
iPhone is activated.
However, that is quickly changing. Although
the iPhone was initially sold on the AT&T
network only with a SIM lock in place,
hackers have found methods to "unlock" the
phone from a specific network.
The iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS can now be
purchased online at places like eBay and in
many countries, like Colombia for instance,
without the SIM lock. These phones are
"professionally" unlocked and with no
concern for warranty cancellation.
Pricing
Although the iPhone 3GS can be purchased in
the US for $199 for the 16GB version and
$299 for the 32GB version. But those prices
are with the SIM lock in place. An unlocked
brand spanking new iPhone 3GS on eBay starts
about $700, plus shipping, taxes and duties
to get in your hands in Costa Rica. An
iPhone 3GS already in Costa Rica can run you
close to $1.000 dollars.
Wrap-up
There are probably two very large groups of
people thinking about buying an iPhone right
now. One set is current users, either those
with the 3G, or those still using the
original model. The other set is a group of
new users - people who've never owned an
iPhone and are now faced with not one, but
two different options when it comes to
getting in the door. For both groups, there
are huge questions to answer about whether
or not getting the 3GS makes sense, and very
few of them have to do with the quality of
the phone.
For current users, we have this to say: the
iPhone 3GS is a solid spec bump to a phone
you already own... but it is, at its core, a
phone you already own. Your real deciding
factors will be two-fold, first, are you
able to purchase the 3GS at a price which is
reasonable or sensible to you? For a lot of
current users -- particularly more recent
customers -- the pricing will be exorbitant
when you've just shelled out for a very,
very similar phone (remember, you're paying
for a speed bump, a compass, and video
recording).
That conclusion speaks to new users who are
undecided about the iPhone (or exactly which
iPhone to buy). At this stage, we wouldn't
recommend anything but the 3GS for newcomers
planning on getting into Apple's game.
The big question here isn't about the
3G or 3GS -- it is about Apple's platform.
While the smartphone market has cracked wide
open lately, the iPhone is arguably the
market leader (at least in mindshare), and
really does showcase a superb platform --
lack of physical keyboard and multitasking
aside.
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