Spotlight: iPhone 3GS
Picked up a 32GB iPhone 3GS this morning and so far I’m impressed. In terms of usefulness to me:
Safari speed performance: The processor speed bump have helped Safari tremendously. Using the same Wi-Fi connection, the 3GS loaded IGN Xbox 360 (a very complex webpage) in 16 seconds, compared to 1 minute 12 seconds for the 3G (i.e. over 4.5 times faster). I noticed similar (though less dramatic) increases over 3G, showing that the rendering improvement is the cause here. If you’ve used a Pre, the 3Gs Safari feels comparably zippy. For simpler webpages, the 3GS loaded the pages at least twice as fast, sometimes saving only 10-20 seconds but those add up quickly. It makes browsing on Safari very pleasant, especially when coupled with:
Safari memory performance: One of the best things about an iPhone is how great the browser is. I spend a lot of my idle time on Google Reader, which has a great iPhone version. Unfortunately, the way I like to browse is to go through the items and open the ones I want to read in a new window. This was difficult on the 3G because at best, after reboot, it could “remember” four tabs (once you opened a fifth and tried to go back Safari would have to reload the page). Sometimes it would only remember one, forcing Google Reader to reload when you went back to it. The 3GS doesn’t have this problem. After playing some Crash Nitro Kart, I was able to fully load 8 complicated webpages (NY Times, LA Times, HuffPo, WashPo, Gizmodo, IGN, PGNx, Apple) and seamlessly switch between them without Safari reloading the pages.
Videocamera: The videocamera is a new feature which has worked well in my limited time using it. The 30FPS video looks great onscreen and is comparable to video from a decent point and shoot camera. I expect I’m going to use this a lot, especially since:
Camera: The Camera has been improved. The iPhone camera has always been pretty good for distant shots in daylight but it would produce washed out or blurry shots at night or for close-ups. The new 3MP camera produces sharper pictures in daylight, which is really only noticeable in full size, but also drastically better pictures for close-ups thanks to the easy-to-use touch focus.
Google Maps (with Compass): The standalone compass app is a bit silly but I really like the Google Maps implementation. It works right away and keeps track of even minor changes. It’ll be extremely helpful for unfamiliar locations, too. For example, you can figure out right away if you’re going the right way while driving (especially since Maps redraws the M
Games performance: This isn’t as noticeable since I don’t really have fully 3D games besides Crash but it’s still noticeable. The games boot up considerably faster and on Crash you can noticed an improved framerate. It’s clear that the 3G is struggling to render everything while the 3GS doesn’t have a problem.
Voice Over: This is a nifty feature I think Apple added to make us feel better about our purchase. I used it and it works fine for “Play songs by,” “Next track,” “Previous track,” “Call Mom,” etc. I guess this could be useful if they build the functionality into the earphones but as is I can’t imagine using it often.
Nike+: I have a feeling I will never use this.
