iPhone 3GS

Well, after playing with my new iPhone, I suppose it is a good time to give my short impression.

Soooooo awesome! As you know, I've had the 1st gen model and never got the 3G model. I was tempted to break my contract, but a cooler head prevailed as I finally decided to wait the full 2 years. I'm so glad I did. It is noticably faster than the 1st gen model, and also quite a bit lighter but does not feel like some cheap plastic toy.

The camera is way better IMHO, though I've read some reviews that state they didn't notice much of a difference. The true test of the camera is in the video. I'm surprised at the quality, even when viewing on a home computer. Great picture quality. I only wish that there was a wide screen recording capability. When I saw my test video on YouTube, it looked like it was shot in the old 4:3 aspect ratio.

I love the compass. I could probably waste a lot of battery time just going in circles!
Copy and paste is excellent so far. The speed bump from Edge to 3GS is a much welcomed change! Very noticable.

Though there are more things I can say, I'll just say in closing that if this is so much better, wait until next year when the dual core iPhone comes out! I'm a very happy camper!

From my iPhone

iPhone Software 3.0

After watching the WWDC keynote I noticed a few things. I had no idea that the 1st and 2nd gen iPhone didn't support MMS, nor did I realize how many people actually wanted that feature. It's too bad AT&T is still making people wait a few months for it but what can you do when its the only carrier available in the US?

Did you guys notice how many people booed when Apple didn't include AT&T in the list of carriers that supports tethering? Nobody would have dared done that so loudly with Steve Jobs presenting!

Anyways nice updates as always and I love the Snow Leopard upgrade price of $29. Seems like a no brainer for everybody to upgrade (I'm still using Tiger but that's the subject of a different blog).

I'm on the fence about upgrading my 1st gen Touch to the latest iPhone 3.0 Software Update. Of course its a must have for any generation iPhone and even the 2nd gen iPod touch has some nice features, but I'm stuggling to see what improvments I'll see with my original model.

• Buy Movies, TV Shows, and Audiobooks via Wi-Fi - Since us touch users have no cellular connectivty, Wi-Fi is our only option, therefore I just might use this feature, however I don't normally purchase any movies, TV shows or audiobooks via iTunes since I don't have a good method of watching them on my TV and I think they are a bit pricey compared to physical media.
  

• Stereo Bluetooth - Only works for 2nd gen Touch users like Rob.

• Peer to Peer Gaming - Nice if was actually next to someone with a compatible game however that would be rare in my case.

• Cut, Copy, Paste - Count me as one of the few people that didn't think the lack of cut/paste was such a big deal on the previous generation iPhones/touches. Don't get me wrong, it seems nice but not critical unless you type a lot on your device.

• Landscape Keyboard - Again, nice feature but not critical for me since I don't like typing on my iPod touch. Then again perhaps typing in landscape mode will actually make it easier for me to type using my fat fingers.

• Spotlight Search - I'm a bit indifferent. I can see this being very useful on the iPhone but not so much on the touch. I might change my mind after actually using it though.

• Shake to Shuffle - Cool.

• Parental Controls - Meh.

• New Languages - Not needed for me.

• Automatic Wi-Fi Login - Nice!

• Push Notifications - I guess the usefulness of this depends on how often I'm connected to a wireless hotspot. Again a better feature for the always connected iPhone.

• iTunes Store Account Creation - Umm, since I have an account created, don't see much benefit.

Apparently other users agree with me that $10 is a bit much for so few features for us 1st gen touch users, however someone did point out that application developers are already making 3.0 only applications and if we want to use them then we have no choice but to upgrade. I'm going to have to mull this over a bit but don't be suprised if I upgrade because thats the kind of sucker I am for tech stuff.

I heard Dave and Krudd might be new 3rd Gen iPhone owners. Have fun with your new iPhones guys and don't forget to blog!

Tusken Raiders

For some reason I thought this picture was funny.