iPhone 3GS & iPhone 3.0 Firmware

So… I got the new 3GS! A 32GB White 3GS, to be exact.

And… well, I love it. I’ve had both previous models of iphones (a white 16 GB 3G and a 8GB 2G), and now, with the added speed, space, and new firmware, it finally feels like the phone it was meant to be.

A few notes on the phone and firmware (all mixed together)…

• The overall build feels better. The coating on the phone to prevent fingerprints seem to work sort of well, and gives the screen a lovely feeling. I almost don’t want to put a screen protector on it, but I know I have to.

• The new voice control feature, while limited, is extremely cool. You can only control your music and make calls, but hey, its still a welcome feature, and I’m sure in the future it will have additional uses.

• The compass is also neat, and while it might not be an app I’ll use constantly, I can see it being extremely useful (and not just while in the middle of the woods… I can see it being rather useful in the middle of a big city).

• The camera. Tap-to-focus is a great feature. The fact is, I’ll always suck with the iPhone camera. I have issues holding it straight while pushing the button. However, I might manage to suck a little less, now. However there are times it seems that when you use tap-to-focus in certain low-light conditions, it actually causes the photo to become dramatically darker. But it does seem to work well in more optimal light conditions. Here is an example photo taken in kind-of decent light…

• I really haven’t used the video camera enough to make any proper comments about it….

• SEARCH. Namely, search for mail and for the iPod app. Easily my favorite thing to come out of the 3.0 Firmware update. This is just huge for my daily use of the phone.

• Cut, Copy and paste is a welcome feature to finally have. Apple’s implementation is very well thought out. Its not perfect yet, I believe it can still be refined. Every now and then you tap and it doesn’t do what you expect, but overall, a very welcome feature.

• Push notifications. Not many apps use push notifications yet, but I have used one, Beejive IM, that does, and it works very smoothly. If other apps (particularly Twitter iPhone apps) can implement push notifications, it can add a whole degree of usefulness to the phone.

• It is just… fast. So fast and smooth. All the little delays I had become accustomed to are just gone. Waiting for the keyboard to pop up, waiting for the keys to type, waiting for apps to load, waiting for bookmarks to load, etc. All are now instant. Certain games and apps I’d have no interest in using on the phone, I now am interested in, just because of how much smoother they are all. The phone really is a joy to use.

Overall, if you have either one of the old iPhones, or if you never have and are looking into one, I’d highly recommend it. It really feels like the phone the iPhone was always supposed to be.