My review of my iPhone 3G

[bobolito]

Thanks Viewfly.

AT&T claims up to 1.4mbps to avoid criticism. But it has been rumored that the device is HSDPA 3.6, so theoretically it can do more than 1.4mbps. It's more dependent on network conditions. You should do a test during the middle of the day, like in the afternoon when the network is crowded. I'll be surprised if you reach 1mbps.

Personally, I've achieved 1.7mbps in my laptop while stationary and about 600kbps while driving. This is using a Sierra HSDPA card. The reason for the drop in speed is because when you're moving signal conditions change a lot and very quickly so both the network and the card have to adjust for those varying conditions and that causes a lot of overhead which causes dramatic speed drops. Perhaps if we had a single tower that blankets an entire city (like WiMAX wants to do) maybe the variations won't be so great and speeds won't drop as much when driving.

[hf1khal]

Originally Posted by bobolito

Thanks Viewfly.

AT&T claims up to 1.4mbps to avoid criticism. But it has been rumored that the device is HSDPA 3.6, so theoretically it can do more than 1.4mbps. It's more dependent on network conditions. You should do a test during the middle of the day, like in the afternoon when the network is crowded. I'll be surprised if you reach 1mbps.

It is only 9:37 am and my results went down. The speed now is at 956 on 3G.

[bobolito]

Try it again this afternoon like around 5PM.

[viewfly]

Originally Posted by bobolito

Try it again this afternoon like around 5PM.

Just tried it again at noon, outside. Full bars of signal, -83dBm, 3G mode

Edge was slightly faster than 3G! Got about 0.27 Mbps for each. Little reason to keep it in power wasting 3G mode for that.

vf

[hf1khal]

Engadget has a report on the battery life:

iPhone 3G review supplemental: battery life and MobileMe tests
by Ryan Block, posted Jul 16th 2008 at 1:03PM

We spent most of the weekend putting the iPhone 3G's battery life (and to a lesser extent, MobileMe implementation) to the test, and we've got far more encouraging results to report back than we had on day one. Pretty much everything we've found thus far jibes with Apple's claims, if not exceeds them. (Our video results early on skewed low because we had mistakenly left on push and fetch data, which dropped the battery life by almost 25%. After re-testing, they're back up to spec.)

All tested with 3G on, WiFi on (not connected), Bluetooth off, no data fetching enabled (unless specified otherwise). Media tested with stock headphones, medium volume, and medium screen brightness, auto-brightness disabled.

Music (continuous playback, large library, occasionally turning on screen): 31h 23m
Video (continuous playback, no push/fetch data): 7h 5m
Video (continuous playback, with push and 15 minute fetch data): 5h 24m
Daily data use (browsing, email, and GPS / maps): ~6h 30m
Those numbers definitely are not bad, but if you're anything like us and you kill time on your phone reading feeds and checking email like a fiend, by 3 or 4pm you'll likely be wondering if you'll even make it home with any power left -- especially if you leave on the 3G. Just be warned, the kind of prolonged usage on the original iPhone you used to get away with probably isn't possible with the iPhone 3G. For some, this may be an issue, while others may never notice. Click on for more on our MobileMe testing and enterprise stuff, and, of course, check out the full iPhone 3G review.

MobileMe
After nearly a week, we still haven't really had a positive experience with MobileMe among our editorial team. One editor, who had fewer issues than anyone else, still had difficulty syncing his 1,300+ contacts. MobileMe would choke on sync and require disabling / re-enabling to keep that sync moving. Another problem we saw was that email deletes weren't synced to other devices, requiring the same message be deleted in multiple locations. In some cases, a deleted email that wasn't properly synced would actually repropagate to back out other devices. Nothing better than zombie email.

Another thing we (and a lot of people noticed) is that MobileMe on the desktop is faux-push -- it only gets updates every 15 minutes because it's actually pulling them, unlike the iPhone's proper push. (We're, like, totally sure someone's going to sue.) You can edit a certain .pref file (details here) to make it fetch every minute -- but fetching every minute isn't push, now is it? Apple has since acknowledged this issue (among others).

We also noticed on the phone that if you have synced MobileMe calendars, your calendar subscriptions (like, say, shared iCal or Gcal or what have you) are disabled. Super lame that you keep having to choose between one thing or the other when syncing your data. Can't all our calendars and contact lists just play together on the same device? We think so.

All in all, right now our feeling is that MobileMe still feels like it's in beta -- when it's up -- and is generally falling way short of what was promised by Apple. We believe they're earnest when they say they're trying to get it all up and running to fulfill their commitments, but for the time being we think it's best to steer clear until they work out the kinks.

Some other enterprise bits
We came across a list of ActiveSync features not supported, many of which we already know. To recap, here are a few:
Folder management
Opening links in email to documents stored on Sharepoint
Task sync
Setting an out of office autoreply
Creating meeting invitations
Flagging messages for followup
We did also did get a chance to test WPA Enterprise / 802.1x with PEAP, and it works well.

Link: iPhone 3G review supplemental: battery life and MobileMe tests - Engadget

[bobolito]

One good way to get push email that many people overlook is to use the filters feature in either your Yahoo or Gmail account and have it send a copy of all emails to your phone as SMS. Sure, its not the same, but the whole point of push email is to get notified of emails as soon as they arrive and this does just that. After you get notified, just open your email app and the new messages will be downloaded, and you don't have to worry about extra tax on your battery life or the iPhone going to sleep.

The only problem is that if you have a 200 messages package it will get used up pretty quick.

[viewfly]

Antenna location:

We always wonder where that is on other phones. Well the iPhone has two...in the most unlikely places...

From apple (Apple - iPhone - Features - 3G)

iPhone 3G delivers UMTS, HSDPA, GSM, Wi-Fi, EDGE, GPS, and Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR in one compact device — [b]using only two antennas[/B]. Clever iPhone engineering integrates those antennas into a few unexpected places: the metal ring around the camera, the audio jack, the metal screen bezel, and the iPhone circuitry itself. And intelligent iPhone power management technology gives you up to 5 hours of talk time over 3G networks.2 That’s some of the best in the business.

I would have guessed otherwise. I believe that the 1st Gen phone's antenna was in the black non metal bottom. Maybe there still is a main one there, and these others are for BT and WiFi?

vf

P.S. Plugging the iPhone into your PC connects to iTunes, but also mounts it like a camera hard drive. From there I can see the camera folder and the jpg file therein. Files can be dragged or opened from there.

P.P.S. Although the 3G speeds can be not much better than EDGE during congested parts of the day, it is still true that one can be on voice and still browse the web, without dropping that call etc. Multitasking is one feature of 3G over the 2G EDGE network.

[viewfly]

Originally Posted by Ddeere2

Thanks a lot for the info...this is making it really hard to wait. Now I'm stuck between getting a Blackberry Bold or a iPhone. Can't wait for updates. Congrats on your new phone

If it is of any help, my daughter had the same quandary between the two. She decided that the Bold was to big or thick, the price would be higher and that she couldn't wait!

[hf1khal]

Originally Posted by viewfly

If it is of any help, my daughter had the same quandary between the two. She decided that the Bold was to big or thick, the price would be higher and that she couldn't wait!

Just for info and I am not copyng the whole thread but here is a report by BoyGenious comapring the two:

BlackBerry Bold vs. iPhone 3G: yeah, we definitely went there : Boy Genius Report
And here is the Final summation by him:

"Personal Opinion:

Here’s where we’re going to voice our opinions of both devices as we kept the head-to-head review completely unbiased. True BlackBerry fans will want the Bold. It honestly is the best BlackBerry ever. There is no other choice — it’s the Bold. Plus the Bold spoils you. We cringe at the sight of our friends using Curves now. From the screen, to the keyboard, to the OS, which hate it or love it is pretty darn solid, the Bold is fantastic. But when you throw the iPhone 3G in the mix, it’s gets pretty difficult. A lot of early criticisms surrounding the original iPhone have been addressed. Corporate email, 3G, GPS, price, 3rd party applications, and so on. The honest truth is that if we had to use only one of the two devices, we’d be happy enough with whichever one you gave us. We could deal with the email shortcomings on the iPhone, and we could deal with the improved but not incredible browser on the Bold. It really comes down to what you need more in a phone. While the Bold certainly has improved media and other consumer features, it really is a business device at the end of the day. The iPhone 3G is a consumer device that happens to play nice with a lot of corporations, and we honestly think you won’t find many people dropping their BlackBerrys for an iPhone. They’ll carry both as long as they can afford it."

[viewfly]

Originally Posted by hf1khal

J
The iPhone 3G is a consumer device that happens to play nice with a lot of corporations, and we honestly think you won’t find many people dropping their BlackBerrys for an iPhone. They’ll carry both as long as they can afford it."

Good article, but the writer may be surprised. My college age child dropped their Curve for the iPhoto, and my older coworkers, some, are thinking the same way. A lot of college kids may be switching over given the better price point...and it a young phone, which translates into future adult worker preferences, if Apple keeps the move toward more business compatible software.

Back on tracK: GPS (pun intended). I was driving on the highway about 65 MPH, had the phone on the dash, locked in very rapidly, several seconds, and followed the route very smoothly and accurately. Didn't see the bumpy behavior that was evident while walking with the phone. Very nice, in case you don't have the garmin gps and you are lost. Now, we just need turn by turn...and a car charger. (which I have already).

BTW, with the power tip/dock cable for the iPhone being the same as the iPod, and with the usb connector on the other end, the number of cables I need has dropped down to ONE. I found a car charger that has a female usb as its output, so I can place the cable directly in it. Also for the BT headset ( well ok, that is usb to mini usb, so I have two cables).

[Charlyee]

viewfly, first of all thank you for a great and comprehensive review,.

The two most unlikely forumites got the IPhone imo, you and Steven 2420. You are not known to get a popular phone and Steven I don't believe, has ever signed a 2 year contract. This and combined with the fact I would like to learn more about it, here are some questions/comments for you and any other iPhone owner that wants to jump in.

Please keep in mind, I am a Palm and Windows OS person and do not have any experiernce with "Apple" products. Some of the questions are Palm specific and some for WM devices. So here goes:

1. Does it synch to do/task list, notes, favorites, files?
2. How is SMS handled - threaded?
3. Is it possible to save a document that comes as an E-Mail attachment, if so what format/s?
4. How is dialing handled - on my Treo, I can start typing in the numbers or letters from the Today screen and my phone book comes up with the names/s from which I can choose and call.
5. How is web search handled?
6. Given that it does not edit/paste/copy documents, what if any program can handle jotting down information on the fly, like for an expense report for example?
7.Synching over BT - you have already established that it is not possible, thank you very much for doing that.
8.Yes, you are right I do love the basic calculator turning into the scientific one , how do you activate RPN?
9. What in your opinion would make a business person switch from the BB to the iPhone?

I am glad the audio quality is much improved over the first generation iPhone, and it sounds like you are happy with, I am glad you found a keeper.

Looking forward to more information from you.

Sorry to bombard you with questions.

Thanks much

PS: happy Birthday, even though I am a day late. Hope you had a great day, and played with your birthday present all day.

[Eric47]

where do you guys live? maybe it is the new iphone, but personally on my 3G devices (currently an 8525) ive yet to see less than 600kbits, and that was with 1 bar 3G

[viewfly]

Originally Posted by bobolito

Viewfly, excellent review. Keep it up!

Also, have you done a speed test on 3G? I spoke with someone from CT near New Haven and said that 3G is doing poorly there like it is in NYC/NJ. Speeds of 100kbps or below are now normal these past couple of days due to network overloads.

Ok, in CT 45 minutes north of New Haven, I'm getting around 400kps at 2:30pm on a Friday. At noon time it was ~ 150Kps. Part of the problem I been having lately is that two iphone speed tests give inconsistent results and differ greatly between them. One time it read over 1Mps, and the next second the page test would not work.

So I would say, like the Boston area, speeds are good during low peak times, but drop down at high traffic points. 3G signals, when you get them are strong and the phone will go to 5 full bars easily.

[viewfly]

Originally Posted by Eric47

where do you guys live? maybe it is the new iphone, but personally on my 3G devices (currently an 8525) ive yet to see less than 600kbits, and that was with 1 bar 3G

Where we live is quite clear in our profiles below the avatar.

The question is where do you live, besides "in your own house"?

[spleck]

I think the iPhone GPS will probably do fine if you've got it dash mounted with a clear view of the sky. Handling it in the back seat, you may get some drop outs.

For battery issues, I'm going to grab one of these: Kensington Mini Battery Extender and Charger for iPod and iPhone
It charges with the same mini-USB that my wife's Wing and Moto BT headset uses.

Charlyee: that's a lot of questions!

[spleck]

Originally Posted by viewfly

Where we live is quite clear in our profiles below the avatar.

The question is where do you live, besides "in your own house"?

That's crazy! I live in my own house too!

I think Eric lives in Columbus, GA where they've rolled out 3G and there's only 2 guys using it: Eric and AT&T's field tester.

[hf1khal]

Originally Posted by Charlyee

viewfly, first of all thank you for a great and comprehensive review,.

The two most unlikely forumites got the IPhone imo, you and Steven 2420. You are not known to get a popular phone and Steven I don't believe, has ever signed a 2 year contract. This and combined with the fact I would like to learn more about it, here are some questions/comments for you and any other iPhone owner that wants to jump in.

Please keep in mind, I am a Palm and Windows OS person and do not have any experiernce with "Apple" products. Some of the questions are Palm specific and some for WM devices. So here goes:

1. Does it synch to do/task list, notes, favorites, files? notes, tasks did not synch for me
2. How is SMS handled - threaded? it keeps the conversation in one view, bubble like Gmail
3. Is it possible to save a document that comes as an E-Mail attachment, if so what format/s? Nogt that I know off yet
4. How is dialing handled - on my Treo, I can start typing in the numbers or letters from the Today screen and my phone book comes up with the names/s from which I can choose and call. I miss that from the BB as it is not there
5. How is web search handled? searched via google and yahoo and have not tried other ways (if I understood your question right!)
6. Given that it does not edit/paste/copy documents, what if any program can handle jotting down information on the fly, like for an expense report for example? Don't know as I have not tried it but they do have apps in the app store for things such as expense tacker
7.Synching over BT - you have already established that it is not possible, thank you very much for doing that.
8.Yes, you are right I do love the basic calculator turning into the scientific one , how do you activate RPN? I don't understand, but the standard calc is opened then move the phone to the wide screen mode and it goes into the scientific calc
9. What in your opinion would make a business person switch from the BB to the iPhone?So far I am very happy with it but the BES user that would be another issue


I am glad the audio quality is much improved over the first generation iPhone, and it sounds like you are happy with, I am glad you found a keeper.

Looking forward to more information from you.

Sorry to bombard you with questions.

Thanks much

PS: happy Birthday, even though I am a day late. Hope you had a great day, and played with your birthday present all day.

I responded in red and hope I understood your questions right and that I did reply with what you needed

[viewfly]

Originally Posted by Charlyee

viewfly, first of all thank you for a great and comprehensive review,.

The two most unlikely forumites got the IPhone imo, you and Steven 2420. You are not known to get a popular phone and Steven I don't believe, has ever signed a 2 year contract.

Now Charlyee, I've been buying the most popular brand (on a global basis) of phones on the market: Nokia, for many years now. It should come as not too much of a surprise. Actually, stateside, you are probably correct. And you are not alone. One friend was so shocked, he was literally speechless with his jaw dropped for minutes But knowing how I research phones, he is now considering one....





1. Does it synch to do/task list, notes, favorites, files? Only Outlook Contacts, Calendars, plus browser bookmarks from your PC browser. That is a nice feature.
2. How is SMS handled - threaded? Like on the Apple notebook, it's threaded, with left/right color balloons. Quite useful actually. Plus the incoming message is displayed on the wallpaper wake up screen.
3. Is it possible to save a document that comes as an E-Mail attachment, if so what format/s? One can save photos that are attached to an E-mail. At least jpg, maybe others. Pdf, word, mp3 files are shown in the email, much like google mail might. This is fine enough (most BB don't do any more either), until I can get to my PC to actually work on the document in a more complex way.
4. How is dialing handled - on my Treo, I can start typing in the numbers or letters from the Today screen and my phone book comes up with the names/s from which I can choose and call. So the one 'hard' button on the front will wake up the phone from locked mode. Their you will see the wallpapger, date and time, and any sms message (not just alert, but the actual text), or missed calls. if you slide t