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"&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;http://www.amazon.com/Apple-iPhone-3GS-8GB-Black/dp/B004ZLV50E/ref&amp;amp;#61;sr_1_3?ie&amp;amp;#61;UTF8&amp;amp;amp;qid&amp;amp;#61;1456233797&amp;amp;amp;sr&amp;amp;#61;8-3&amp;amp;amp;keywords&amp;amp;#61;iphone&amp;amp;#43;3gs&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;amazon&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;affiliate&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rel=&amp;quot;nofollow&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Buy at Amazon&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;The Good&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;More responsive&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Increased storage capacity&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Improved camera, with video&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Neat onboard video-editing app&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;New features \u2013 voice memos, Voice Control&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;More apps support landscape mode&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Integrated search&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;The Bad&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Some key features (MMS) are still lacking \u2013 for now&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Network speed bump not yet available&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Expensive upgrade for some users&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Screen retains oil&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;No third-party headphone Voice Control support&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;The Price&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;US$199/$299 for new users, qualifying upgrades&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;$399/$499 for non-qualifying upgrades&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;There\u2019s no arguing: the &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.lifewire.com/iphone-3gs-hardware-features-2000689&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;iPhone 3GS&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; is the best iPhone ever. And it ought to be. Each successive iPhone has been better than the last.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The iPhone 3GS is a great phone. If you\u2019re not an iPhone user, it\u2019s the most compelling reason yet to switch. But not all of the phone\u2019s promise is fulfilled. That\u2019s not entirely Apple\u2019s fault, but that promise needs to materialize before the phone can be judged close to perfect.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;The Difference is Under the Hood&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;At first glance, you can&amp;amp;#39;t easily tell the iPhone 3GS apart from the &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.lifewire.com/iphone-3g-review-2000195&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot;&amp;gt;iPhone 3G&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;. They use the same enclosure and, other than a slight weight gain for the 3GS, look like\u00A0the same phone. But it\u2019s not looks that count. It is, as the saying goes, what\u2019s on the inside.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The iPhone 3GS sports substantially upgraded hardware. The phone has a faster processor and more RAM to speed the launch and operation of apps. The increase in speed is noticeable. Apps open quicker and there are fewer instances of waiting for things like the onscreen keyboard to load.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The 3GS also sports double the storage capacity of the 3G\u201416GB and 32GB in this case\u2014which makes the phone more useful. I\u2019ve held onto an 80GB iPod video for years because my iTunes library weighs in at over 40GB and I wanted a single device that could store all that content. Now that my phone can hold onto all the music and other content that I\u2019m likely to listen to regularly, &amp;lt;a data-inlink=&amp;quot;KrrdyQDJBWSZ6trqxc1cpQ&amp;amp;#61;&amp;amp;#61;&amp;quot; href=&amp;quot;https://www.lifewire.com/history-ipod-classic-original-2000732&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot;&amp;gt;the iPod video&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; looks less and less useful.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The phone also has integrated support for the Nike &amp;amp;#43; iPod personal training system. Though this requires additional purchases, having onboard support is a bonus.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Lastly, the phone adds a digital compass, which is particularly useful for driving directions that begin with \u201Cstart out going northwest on ...\u201D Now a phone will suffice where you used to need a Boy Scout.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Taken as a whole, the improvements to the iPhone 3GS\u2019 hardware are a solid upgrade and make using the phone easier, faster, and more fun.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;iPhone 3GS Camera, Now With Video&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The iPhone 3GS also improves its built in camera. Not only does the 3GS outdo its predecessor by offering a 3-megapixel camera instead of 2 &amp;lt;a data-inlink=&amp;quot;abRbSaiXHnrwDN3UxAjZSA&amp;amp;#61;&amp;amp;#61;&amp;quot; href=&amp;quot;https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-megapixel-493313&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot;&amp;gt;megapixels&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, but it can also record video at 30 frames per second.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Videos are recorded at 640 x 480 pixels and, given their source and likely intended destination (not your TV), they\u2019re great. A thirty-second clip weighs in at about 14MB, meaning an iPhone 3GS could hold about 3 hours of video in 5GB of space.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;While the resolution isn\u2019t enough for our HD age, it\u2019s solid for the web. I suspect it won\u2019t be long before we start seeing short films for the web shot on an iPhone.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The still camera also adds auto-focus with a tap on the area you want to focus on. I\u2019d rather have gotten zoom, but auto-focus makes the camera more capable.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;It would have been nicer had Apple delivered these features in the last model\u2014many other phones and smartphones already had them\u2014but it\u2019s great to have now and the pictures and video taken are great.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;iPhone 3GS Battery Life&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Apple claims improved &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.lifewire.com/tips-to-extend-iphone-battery-life-1999884&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;6&amp;quot;&amp;gt;battery life&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; for the 3GS. Anecdotally, this seems to be true. My iPhone 3G tended to need a recharge every day or day and a half. In about a month of use, my 3GS usually needs a recharge every two days. While that\u2019s not a major improvement, it\u2019s better than nothing.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Network Connections&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;As part of its message that the iPhone 3GS is the fastest iPhone yet, Apple is touting the phone\u2019s support for a faster 3G data standard. This 7.2 Mbps connection is twice as fast that supported by the iPhone 3G. This claim is a bit misleading, though, as AT&amp;amp;amp;T (the official iPhone carrier in the U.S.) has yet to widely deploy a network that supports this speed. U.S. users won\u2019t enjoy this for a while.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Otherwise, the phone feels snappy as ever whether connected to Wi-Fi or the 3G cellular network.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;AT&amp;amp;amp;T\u2019s Missing Features&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;AT&amp;amp;amp;T not offering features is a theme with the iPhone 3GS. Though the phone supports both MMS (multimedia text messaging)\u2014which is a star of Apple\u2019s TV ads for the device\u2014and tethering to use the iPhone as a laptop modem, AT&amp;amp;amp;T supports neither as of this writing.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;It\u2019s expected that both services will be available (tethering will require an extra fee) in late summer 2009, but not having them at launch is a disappointment (especially MMS, given that most phones have had that for years).&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;While I\u2019ve never experienced anything other than trivial frustrations with AT&amp;amp;amp;T service and quality, many users seems to be longing for another carrier\u2014maybe Verizon. It\u2019s not hard to envision a switch in 2010 when AT&amp;amp;amp;T\u2019s exclusive contract expires.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Other Hardware Notes&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;There are two other notes of interest about the hardware on the iPhone 3GS.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The first two iPhones collected dirt and oil from fingers and faces on their screens. To address that problem, Apple added an oleophobic coating touted as resisting fingerprints. It doesn\u2019t seem to have fixed the problem, though. I still find oily smudges on my screen with regularity. They\u2019re just a different shape and slightly harder to see now.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Also included with the phone is a new set of headphones, which adds a remote control to the previously offered mic. The remote not only allows for control of the iPod and calls, but also factors into use of Voice Control, which lets users talk to the phone and iPod apps.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The downside is that if you want to use third-party headphones, you\u2019ll lose the mic, remote, and &amp;lt;a data-inlink=&amp;quot;v2FXJx5xwXb2K2Lgpxe-mQ&amp;amp;#61;&amp;amp;#61;&amp;quot; href=&amp;quot;https://www.lifewire.com/using-voice-control-on-iphone-ipod-1999169&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;7&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Voice Control&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; features. Apple introduced similar headphones on the &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.lifewire.com/history-of-ipod-shuffle-2000733&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;8&amp;quot;&amp;gt;third-generation iPod Shuffle&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; and promised an adapter for third-party products, but has yet to deliver one. Locking out third parties is a definite knock against the 3GS.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;iPhone OS 3.0 Delivers Numerous Improvements&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a data-inlink=&amp;quot;aT2ziufpSdKqV4-dfmuqxw&amp;amp;#61;&amp;amp;#61;&amp;quot; href=&amp;quot;https://www.lifewire.com/apple-iphone-3gs-review-2000194&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;iPhone OS 3.0&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;\u00A0was launched along with the 3GS and while it supports previous models, it truly shines on the 3GS.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Voice Control is a terrific boon to users who are on the road a lot and &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.lifewire.com/using-voice-control-on-iphone-ipod-1999169&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;want to make calls without taking their hands off the wheel&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;. When it comes to controlling music, though, the app has a ways to go to be usable.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Perhaps the major addition in OS 3.0 is\u2014finally\u2014copy and paste. Apple has made copying and pasting text, and even images and video, a snap. Simply highlight the item, revise the selection area if you like, and go. Copy and paste is supported across apps, so it works basically how you\u2019d want it to. It took about two years too long to arrive, but is a big help now that it\u2019s here.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Another nice software touch is the &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.lifewire.com/edit-videos-on-iphone-2000303&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot;&amp;gt;onboard video-editing app&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; that accompanies the camera. The app, which is only accessible once video has been recorded to the phone, allows users to snip out sections via drag and drop. While it\u2019s not a full-featured video editor\u2014it doesn\u2019t address audio, fades, etc.\u2014it\u2019s more than capable for a mobile device. Integrated upload to YouTube is especially useful and seems to be driving a spike in mobile video use.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;OS 3.0 also integrates Apple\u2019s &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.lifewire.com/search-your-iphone-spotlight-1999891&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Spotlight&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; search in most applications and adds numerous accessibility features for users with disabilities. It makes finding and interacting with data on the phone easier than ever.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;An Improved MobileME&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Though it requires an additional subscription, &amp;lt;a data-inlink=&amp;quot;Lr-9tnpLu_W36n3uJgpX_w&amp;amp;#61;&amp;amp;#61;&amp;quot; href=&amp;quot;https://www.lifewire.com/icloud-faq-1999497&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Apple\u2019s MobileME Internet service&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; is looking increasingly interesting for iPhone users (maybe for the first time). MobileME can now sound a tone to help you find a lost iPhone, use GPS to locate a stolen iPhone, and even remotely delete data so thieves can\u2019t access it. While the extra US$69/year isn&amp;amp;#39;t for everyone, these features will certainly be useful to some iPhone users.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;The Bottom Line&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;With the iPhone 3GS, Apple has built on top of the terrific hardware and user experience of the iPhone 3G. I see the iPhone 3GS as a must-upgrade for &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.lifewire.com/first-generation-iphone-review-2000196&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;6&amp;quot;&amp;gt;first-generation iPhone&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; owners and those using other cell phones.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;For iPhone 3G users, the choice to upgrade will probably depend on your contract status. If you\u2019re not eligible for upgrade pricing, as many aren\u2019t, consider waiting until you are (unless you\u2019ve got US$200 extra to spend).&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;If history is any guide, we can expect a new iPhone next summer (each of the last three summers has seen a new iPhone introduced), so you may be best served by waiting until then.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;In the meantime, everyone using the Apple iPhone 3GS should enjoy the fruits of the best iPhone yet.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;http://www.amazon.com/Apple-iPhone-3GS-8GB-Black/dp/B004ZLV50E/ref&amp;amp;#61;sr_1_3?ie&amp;amp;#61;UTF8&amp;amp;amp;qid&amp;amp;#61;1456233797&amp;amp;amp;sr&amp;amp;#61;8-3&amp;amp;amp;keywords&amp;amp;#61;iphone&amp;amp;#43;3gs&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;amazon&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;affiliate&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;7&amp;quot; rel=&amp;quot;nofollow&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Buy at Amazon&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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