This new version includes many new features, including speed and power increased (up to twice as fast as iPhone 3G), a battery life (12 hours on 2G communication against 10 previously), an autofocus camera high quality 3 megapixels, an easy to use video recorder, voice commands and hands free. The iPhone 3G also supports HSDPA at 7.2 Mbps.The iPhone 3Gs 16 go includes the new iPhone OS 3.0 software, which offers over 100 new features including: Cut, Copy and Paste, the ability to send / receive MMS, Spotlight search function that allows you to search but also in the iPhone's Mail application, including Contacts, Calendar and on the iPod, the landscape keyboard for Mail, Messages, Notes and Safari, the parental control features for extended TV shows, movies and applications from the App Store, and the ability to capture and send audio anywhere with the new Voice Memo application.
The iPhone 3.0 software also includes a new feature detection Find My iPhone works with MobileMe together to help you locate your lost iPhone on a map, send a message that is displayed on the screen or send a signal sound to help you find it even if your phone is in silent mode. If you can not find your iPhone, you can delete everything in it with the new remote wipe functionality Remote Wipe.
The iPhone has inspired a new category of mobile: the touch. The Apple mobile is it to live up to its reputation?
Everyone talks about it. Can not pretend the iPhone did not exist. We always find a colleague to praise its qualities, from a fiddling compulsively for the touch screen. The iPhone knows a dazzling commercial success. Sales will cross the million mark soon in France. They border on the 20 million worldwide. It already sells as many iPhones as phones running Windows Mobile. Surprising because Apple is a great start on the mobile market. What justifies such a revolutionary innovation craze?
Probably not the look of the iPhone 3G. The Apple mobile looks like a roller end covered with a large touch screen. Pretty classy, her dress is not radically innovative. The functions of Apple's mobile is it more surprising? Not at all. Like other phones to more than € 600, the iPhone features a MP3 player, GPS, web browser and email software. It is a smartphone you can install thousands of software. And that's about all. His camera is very very basic.
The question arises: what sells so many iPhone? The answer lies in one word: ergonomics. Apple has tried to build a mobile exceptionally easy to use. All functions to be used with minimal effort. The iPhone is controlled without a stylus, the finger only in a very natural interface. On this point, it's a real revolution. The Apple Mobile digs a huge gap with its competitors. The iPhone is a target figure to shoot for Samsung, LG and others. Leaders have launched mobile replicas, or work there. Despite their efforts, the iPhone has become the darling of the press.
Released in July 2007, the first generation iPhone (EDGE compatible) is no longer marketed since June 2008. He was replaced by the iPhone 3G, which downloads more quickly thanks to its 3G antenna +, and guide, thanks to its GPS chip. Its mini-jack connector is better designed: more of a problem to connect some headphones. The back of the iPhone 3G is prettier. These changes aside, the iPhone 3G is very similar to its ancestor. Inside and outside.
Pack contents
The pack is nice to unpack. It includes:
• A 3G iPhone
• stereo headset with microphone
• A USB connection cable
• A charger
• A cleaning cloth
• Documentation
• A kind of paper clip to extract the SIM card.
As you can see, the package is complete and available for full use of the purchase.
Appearance and Design
The iPhone 3G is quite long (11.6 cm) and large (6.2 cm). It is relatively heavy (133g). But the hull is thin (1.2 cm): we put it in your pocket without any real discomfort. The front is very simple and extremely well finished. The design is really elegant. The back of the mobile, plastic coated, is nicely curved. The iPhone 3G is available in two versions: white or black.
The strength of Apple's mobile is surprising. After several falls one meter high, our test model included only a few scratches. The screen glass is particularly resistant. After several months of use without protection, no label is visible. The iPhone 3G is built to last much longer than most of its competitors.
At first glance, the design of the iPhone seems banal. Its buttons are only three: power, volume, and back. Everything happens at the touch screen. Includes entry and typing SMS phone numbers. Fortunately, this screen is very broad: it covers 80% of the front of the mobile. It is clear and bright. Good news, the stylus is not needed. The iPhone is controlled entirely with the finger. This is a great innovation. This touch screen is particularly sensitive. It is able to perceive the pressure of several fingers at once, because its technology is "multi". Almost all of the iPhone competitors are content with a single-screen: they pick up one finger at a time. Worse, unlike the iPhone, the single-screens do not see the entire width of a finger. They perceive a very narrow point. Therefore: the "touch" the iPhone is much more accurate, and much more enjoyable.
SMS entry requires a period of adaptation. The keyboard is called "virtual" keys are displayed on the touch screen. They are quite small, but very sensitive, and very clear. The first weeks are hard to pass: you type often beside the keys. But you get done quickly. And you end up typing twice as fast as on a keypad to 10 buttons. Almost as fast as with a mechanical Qwerty keyboard with 26 keys. Warning: Many seniors do not really get used.
OS & Ergonomics
This is the trump card of the iPhone: its ergonomics. The Apple mobile is by far the easiest smartphone to use the market. One can hire a novice perfect: it will use almost without difficulty all its functions. Including those that are complicated to use on mobile competitors: GPS, email, calendar, Internet browser, MP3 player, etc ... On a mobile competitor is abandoned quickly. And one never returns to the functions that seem difficult to use. IPhone is used almost everything. Which can be tyrannical lot of iPhone owners spend two to three times longer to handle the iPhone as their old phone.
Why the iPhone is it so easy to use? Because Apple has religiously followed the basic rules of ergonomics. Rules that competition has long neglected. All essential functions are available on the home screen. All icons are easy to understand, and detach from each other. Three icons are intelligent: those in the mail, SMS, and telephone. They display an alert when the iPhone has received a message. Just one touch to return software. The menus are extremely bare, logical and clear. The concentration required to activate a command is very light. A treat.
The touch screen is very easy to use. He sees the finger of the user with extreme sensitivity. To scroll through the photos, you slide your finger across the screen. The feeling is very natural. To zoom in, pinching the screen with two fingers, then brings them together. It could not be simpler. Almost all the menus of the iPhone are smart and clever. Apple has done an exemplary job. Samsung and LG are much inspired by it. Their phones are now much simpler. But the ergonomics of their "iPhone Killlers" remains lower than that of the iPhone.
The iPhone is a smartphone operating system is open. May be added to software by the thousands. The catalog of applications is already larger than that of Windows Mobile. Apple had over 15 000 software download. Installation is extremely simple, the software works perfectly. Apple exercises tight control over all applications: their quality is excellent. Nothing to do with Symbian or Windows Mobile software, the value is very uncertain. Many applications are free, others are sold from January to May €. Sometimes even more. Apple has managed to impose a system of micro-billing handy. Result: the downloading of applications has become a trend. Many websites publish their Top 10 iPhone applications.
The operating system "iPhone OS" is not fixed. It changes regularly, and updates are free. They are made very simply from a computer through iTunes software. The next major update is expected in June 2009. The iPhone OS 3.0 will fix most of the defects alleged against the existing system. It will finally become possible to send MMS, copy text, then paste them into another application. We can move the phone in landscape mode to write emails with a wider keyboard. It will be possible to zap mp3 waving his mobile. We can record voice memos. Push management will be improved. Finally, it is finally possible to connect an A2DP stereo Bluetooth headset to the iPhone. But it will not use the Bluetooth chip to send pictures to another mobile or computer. Too bad.
Connectivity side, the iPhone is WiFi compatible. Handy at home: it speeds up downloads of podcasts and applications. It also allows to use Skype or other VoIP software. The iPhone 3G is sold in two versions: 8GB and 16GB MP3 Large consumers prefer the 16GB version that can store 300 music albums.
Multimedia features (Camera / Video)
This is the major weakness of the iPhone. His camera is awful. The iPhone has a modest 2 megapixel sensor lacks autofocus and flash. His images are often blurred, especially in the corners of the image. Their colors are passable. In artificial light, an uncomfortable tingling appears: digital noise. This camera can be used to make fun photos, snapshots of memory. But no shots aesthetic. Too bad because the photo function is that the French prefer. Apple will have to invest much money to catch up on Nokia, LG and Samsung.
The photo of the iPhone menu consists of a single button, used to trigger the shot. No adjustment is accessible. The photo gallery is very nice to go.
Photos taken from the iPhone 3G in 1600 * 1200 pixels [click to enlarge]
The iPhone is also one of the few smartphones on the market that is unable to shoot videos. Apple has simply ignores this feature. You do not buy an iPhone to film or photograph.
Other features (Internet, MP3 Player, WiFi, Bluetooth?)
The iPhone is a genuine iPod. It offers exactly the same services as an iPod Touch. It is therefore an exceptional player. Its sound quality is above average. Its menu is extremely fluid and enjoyable. When you switch the phone on its side, the album covers are displayed in a fan. Bluffing. The music synchronization is done through iTunes. Apple's software is quite pleasant to use. But beware: if you connect your iPhone to the computer of a friend, you can not copy your MP3. And if you lose the MP3 from your computer, from the first sync, iTunes will delete all MP3s from your iPhone. Exasperating. However, iTunes has a great virtue. It also synchronizes the iPhone settings. In the event of a crash, you can restore everything: one finds the iPhone in exactly the condition or had left it before the crash. Very handy.
But back to the MP3 player. The iPhone can download audio and video podcasts. You can download each day of emissions, we listen to on the road. A convenient, pleasant and very easy to use. As for the video player, it takes advantage of the large iPhone screen: very pleasant. But it is compatible with too few video formats. Generally, you must recompress the videos to the iPhone. What often appears unable iTunes. Conversion software will do. But ultimately, the man? CARRYING is very tedious. The iPhone also offers an online video player connected to YouTube.
The mobile Apple embeds a GPS. It is coupled with Google Maps: convenient for pedestrians. Just search for an address: it is displayed on the map as a flag. Your position is displayed, it, a few blocks away: a blue dot will blink. The zoom on the map is very fluid. A treat. Even in cities unknown, it is surprising to come out without a plan, without any anxiety. The iPhone is still the road. However, Google Maps is not recommended for the car. TomTom had a market guidance software transforms the iPhone into a real car GPS. It has been waiting for months.
Last highlight of the iPhone: Safari, the web browser, is revolutionary. Safari can surf comfortably on a website intended for the screen of a regular PC. The page is displayed in full. The characters are obviously too small to be legible. But just double click on a paragraph for the iPhone zooms in on it instantly: it is readable. The man? CARRYING is very easy, very practical, very fluid. Even today, the iPhone's competitors are rarely equipped with a browser that displays web pages comfortably full size. It remains a prisoner of sites designed for mobile, all too rare. United States, iPhones therefore consume 50% of Internet traffic smartphones. While they represent less than 10% of smartphones in circulation.
By the way, why surf outside the home? There are miles purposes: seek the film sessions. Find the definition of a complicated word on Wikipedia. Consult your favorite news site. Find an address on joe. Etc.? What is the software consulting emails? It is also pleasant to use, and easy to configure. On this point, the iPhone competes with BlackBerry.
Conclusion (Pros and Cons)
The iPhone battery is hidden: only an Apple technician can replace it. In very intensive use, the Apple mobile takes only 6 to 10 hours. Can we really blame him? The iPhone is so nice to use it is used twice as much as any other mobile. Logically, its autonomy suffers. Note: can be reached 30 hours of talk time disabling WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G, playing as little as possible, and avoiding watching videos.
The iPhone is a revolutionary mobile. It is primarily an excellent phone. It incorporates a genuine iPod. With its software mails and schedule, it turns out to be an excellent mobile office. Its web browser is perfectly usable, which is unprecedented in the world of mobile. The iPhone is compatible with a huge catalog of applications, all reliable, all easy to install. One more innovation.
But it is in the field of ergonomics that beats the competition hands down. Each function is perfectly usable. Mobile No competitor can be said. The iPhone is incredibly easy to handle. It clings very quickly, at the risk of becoming heavily addicted. If you do not give much importance to the function photo, the iPhone the best timing. If you take lots of photos, wait until June 2009. Apple should release a new generation of iPhone, whose function photo / video is expected to grow. But Apple will reach there to catch up against Sony Ericsson, Samsung and Nokia? Probably not.
Rating: 92/100
Pros:
• Easy to use revolutionary
• multi-touch sensitive screen
• True iPod
• Web browser exceptional
• GPS convenient and pleasant pedestrian
• Number and quality of downloadable software
Cons:
• Photos deplorable
• No video
Test conducted by Stéphane Deschamps
Publication date: 18/09/2010.
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