Apple iPhone 3GS - Review

“The iPhone's faster processor, improved camera and minor tweaks make the 3GS a joy to use. It has some limitations that could frustrate advanced users, but most will be sold on the phone's good looks and ever-expanding apps library”

The iPhone 3GS: sexy styling

Apple iPhone 3GS - Review

The iPhone has hogged headlines ever since Apple unveiled it back in 2007. The company has redesigned the phone several times since, with its latest model being the iPhone 3GS.

The “the ‘S’ stands for speed”, Apple said, because it has tweaked the smartphone’s processor so that applications, videos and games all open and run faster.

Web surfing is even better on the 3GS than the earlier incarnations. The faster processor means my it has tweaked the smartphone’s processor so that applications, videos and games all open and run faster.

it has tweaked the smartphone’s processor so that applications, videos and games all open and run faster.

Images are crisp and generally well lit, but the lack of a flash means you can’t use the smartphone’s camera in dimly lit bars or at night.

Apple has also added video recording to the 3GS, which I used to video my friend playing football. Most of the footage was of decent quality, the exception being that some frames – when he was running fast – were quite jerky.

Thankfully an easy-to-use editing tool lets you crop out particular sections from your videos.

Google Maps Navigation

Google Maps navigation on the iPhone

All iPhone models have Google Maps navigation pre-installed, for example. But the 3GS’s new compass technology means maps always point in the direction you’re facing to make following the tool’s highlighted route from A to B that much easier.

I really liked the addition of “Cut, Copy and Paste” to the iPhone 3GS because it let me copy, say, a restaurant’s address displayed in the smartphone’s web browser and then paste it into a text message.

More advanced users will like the 3GS’ “tethering” feature which lets you use the phone’s 3G connection to surf the internet from your laptop. I found tethering quite hard to set-up on the 3GS, but once done I often use the feature when I need a larger display that the iPhone’s 3.5in touchscreen.

Speaking of touchscreens, Apple has also added an “oleophobic coating” to the 3GS’s display to make it more “fingerprint-resistant”.

Applications, or “apps” – downloadable programs for everything from games to extra photo-editing features - are still the iPhone’s headline-grabbing feature.

Smartphone applications

The iPhone can take decent images at times

While the 3GS doesn’t offer any new app abilities, Apple’s App Store – accessible directly from the phone – is growing rapidly. At the time of writing it featured some 150,000 apps.

If you’re thinking of buying the iPhone 3GS then it’s worth remembering that Apple periodically releases free downloadable updates for the smartphone’s operating system. be used to control your TV, who knows what future updates may bring.

Apple’s iPhone is available in two capacities: 16GB and 32GB. You can also choose between white or black back covers.