More iPhone 3GS Impressions: VoiceOver Rocks!
I mentioned in the original article that VoiceOver was nifty but not incredibly practical unless they built support into the earphones. To my surprise, since Apple hasn’t promoted this at all, VoiceOver is indeed built into the earphones.
The earphones are a mixture of last year’s included set which let you pause, skip, and go back by hitting the main button. They also include the volume controls from Apple’s premium earphones, which actually work on the iPhone thanks to OS3. But by holding down the button, you can say “Play Workout Mix,” “Who sings this,” “Call home,” etc. It’s a really helpful way to control the Phone and iPod functions without taking out the phone, very useful for driving.
They really should promote that more.
On another note, the new “anti-fingerprint” screen is great. Smudges come out very easily. The screen isn’t quite as smooth, which is actually a positive since it gives you more control.
Overall, I’d recommend the phone for people who don’t have iPhones or those that can upgrade for $199. The performance improvements are definitely worth the $0.55/day it costs to upgrade (assuming you keep it for a year). If AT&T wants $399, I’d probably hold off unless you make heavy use of Safari. I probably would have gotten my money’s worth for $399 but I imagine that most people would not.
