Product Reviews

The first thing that will strike you with the iPhone 3G is that it is looks very similar to the original. It comes in the same 8GB and 16GB configurations as the previous 2G model and has the same two megapixel camera.

The software is also the familiar iPhone interface and all the same applications. There are some additional features debuting in the new release, which focus on business users looking to use the iPhone in place of a BlackBerry.

Of course, the real difference is the inclusion of 3G, with both standard UMTS and HSDPA data services supported, the latter delivering a significant improvement in download speeds for web pages and other data.

Less is more

The new iPhone has an all-plastic curved back in place of the grey metal backplate of the original. This comes in either black or white plastic, in a throwback to previous iPod designs.

The replacement back is due to the larger battery used in the iPhone 3G, necessary to support the increased power requirements of its 3G chipset. It looks good, but doesn't have the same solid feel of the original.

A bigger issue is that of battery life. We expected the larger battery to yield similar performance to the 2G iPhone - ie you'll probably need to charge it at least every other day even with moderate data use - however in reality the iPhone 3G is much worse. Our test combined moderate voice calling with data access, music playback and standby time. This activity, which will be typical of most average iPhone users, resulted in us running the device completely flat in just under 22 hours from a full charge.

The volume control and ringer on/off switch are still plastic, but now have a chrome finish. And in one other change to the hardware design, the headphone socket is now flush with the top of the phone rather than being recessed. It means that, finally, you can use whatever headphones you like with the iPhone, not just Apple-branded or adapted ones.

The iPhone Dock is no longer supplied, as before, in the box (it is now an optional accessory). Supplied with the phone you now get just a wired stereo headset, USB sync cable, mains charger and a cloth for wiping your grubby fingerprints off the glass screen.

Moving to 3G

The iPhone still has 802.11b and g Wi-Fi support, but the move to 3G makes a big difference to all internet services on the iPhone, especially web browsing.

The Safari browser on the iPhone has long been regarded as the best mobile browser on the market, due to its ability to display full web pages in their original layout, just as you would view them on a conventional desktop or laptop web browser.

The browser itself is largely unchanged from previous iPhone software versions. However, loading times over Edge were poor, and over standard GPRS was even worse. Moving to 3G has really eased this, with standard UMTS download speeds more than sufficient to load a busy page, such as the PC Pro web site in a few seconds. In areas where O2 has HSDPA coverage, speeds are even quicker, and download speeds are on a par with a modest broadband connection.

Adding 3G has also helped support the addition of Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync support. Business users can now get over-the-air access to their Exchange calendar, address

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book and push email. While this will also work over GPRS, 3G offers clear advantages in terms of speed of download. Cisco IP VPN and WPA2 Enterprise support is also included, which again will only benefit from a 3G data connection when not using Wi-Fi.

The addition of a GPS receiver to the iPhone makes a huge difference to the Google Maps application, too. Instead of using triangulation based on cell mast and known Wi-Fi hotspots to make a 'best guess' on your current location, GPS provides more accurate data on a par with a dedicated sat nav device.

Third party applications

While not exclusive to iPhone 3G (as the same software used on the 3G handsets has been released for existing iPhones), the launch of the iTunes App Store has been timed to coincide with the release of the new handset.

With previous versions of the iPhone software, you had to install various warranty-voiding software hacks in order to install your own choice of third party applications or customisations.

This has now changed, and Apple has opened up the iPhone platform to legitimate third party software development, providing both a software development kit (SDK) and a corner of the iTunes store to act as both a shop front and delivery mechanism for free and paid-for add-on software.

Applications can be bought from a desktop iTunes installation and then copied across to your iPhone, or you can choose, buy and download over the air. For iPhone 3G users, this can be done using both Wi-Fi and 3G data connections. For 2G iPhone users, this is best done over Wi-Fi.

The emperor's new clothes

It's reasonable to argue that the iPhone 3G is just the original iPhone in a shiny new shell, and to a degree that's certainly true.

Yes, it has 3G voice and data support, and critically it will deliver a high-speed HSDPA data transfer experience, and the GPS chip can provide real and useful location information compared to the best-guess triangulation used by the non-GPS original iPhone. Beyond this, the iPhone 3G is indistinguishable from the 2G one.

Both phones now use exactly the same software (the iPhone OS 2.0 software was released for the 2G handsets the night before the 3G one went on sale), which means they both have exactly the same core capabilities.

Both play music, both play video, both can make and receive calls, both can send and receive text messages. Both have a two megapixel camera, they have the same size and resolution touch screen and come with the same storage capacities (8GB and 16GB). Both can now handle Exchange push email along with contact and calendar synchronisation, each has Cisco IP VPN support and the third party applications in new iTunes App Store are available to both models too.

So, why would you buy a iPhone 3G? If you're a heavy web surfer, then you will benefit from the iPhone 3G's improved data download capabilities. Fully featured web sites that are designed for a desktop browser (and with it a desktop internet connection) do take some time to download over a GPRS or Edge data connection, and this was the Achilles' heel of the original iPhone.

Heavy email users won't really notice a difference. GPRS and Edge data rates are more than sufficient for sending and receiving email, especially as both push and non-push mail on a mobile device is perfectly suited to trickling down in the background rather than always having to download on command. This is why RIM's BlackBerry devices have remained popular despite being GPRS and Edge-based.

The iPhone 3G is an excellent phone in terms of design and software capability, but so was the original iPhone. At best the iPhone 3G is a much-needed facelift and tweak, albeit hampered by battery life on a par with phones from the mid 90s. Is it going to reshape the mobile phone market? No, because its predecessor has already done it.