Tech

More iPhone 3G observations

After almost a week with the new iPhone 3G I have some additional thoughts that I wanted to share on my experiences:As I previously mentioned, AT&T's 3G coverage is completely non-existent in my area, despite AT&T's coverage viewer claiming that I'm blanketed in 100 percent 3G. Something is very wrong.

Written by Jason D. O'Grady, Contributor July 17, 2008 at 4:57 a.m. PT

After almost a week with the new iPhone 3G I have some additional thoughts that I wanted to share on my experiences:

As I previously mentioned, AT&T's 3G coverage is completely non-existent in my area, despite AT&T's coverage viewer claiming that I'm blanketed in 100 percent 3G. Something is very wrong. Luckily AT&T/Apple offer a 30-day return period where you can get out of the contract.

I tested 3G in neighboring towns (Avalon and Ocean City, NJ) and it's indeed fast.

Most iPhone 2G cases, especially ones that are hard or form-fitting (like silicone skins) won't fit properly on the iPhone 3G because it's 1mm thicker in the middle and more tapered at the edges.

Syncing to MobileMe from a computer is set by the System Preference and the fastest interval is 15 minutes although you can select "Sync Now" at any time.

Idea: iPhone's mail client should be able to access iDisk in order to send attachments from the iPhone.

Applications over 10MB can only be downloaded from a Wi-Fi connection – not over 3G or Edge. Apple needs to put the size of applications somewhere easily visible in the App Store.

In order to address developer line jumping in the App Store Apple should add sorting by release date (newest on top), and user ratings in addition to popularity (which they have now).

3G data can be accessed while making a phone call, unlike Edge, which cannot.

Screenshots can be made on the iPhone 3G by pressing home and sleep at the same time. The screen flashes white and the shot is stored in the camera roll.

While in Safari mobile, the button for ".com" can be switched to .net, .edu, .org or .com by holding the key for two seconds – a boon for people that visit .org and other TLD's.

Mobile phone/GSM reception is definitely better thanks to the iPhone 3G's plastic rear panel. I can now get one or two bars of reception in areas of my home where I previously got none.

Some applications that are desparately needed:

An app that toggles 3G, EDGE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and even the cellular radio to conserver battery. Bonus points if they add a schedule feature to, for example, turn off all the radios while you sleep then turn them back on when you wake.