CoolNewStuff

In many ways, the 3GS is a mirror image of the iPhone 3G;  externally there’s no difference. It’s inside where all the changes have happened, with Apple issuing a better CPU,  new internal compass, larger capacities for storage, etc… and it finally adds common cell phone features like multimedia messaging, video recording, and voice dialing. It runs faster; its promised battery life is longer; and the multimedia quality continues to shine.

The release of the 3GS coincides with the launch of iPhone OS 3.0, a major jump from previous versions of the system software featuring highly sought after features like cut, copy, and paste, stereo Bluetooth, MMS, tethering, video recording, landscape keyboard options for more applications, and an iPhone version of Spotlight.

Apple has supercharged the CPU of the 3GS (the S is for speed), jacking up the processor numbers from 412MHz to 600MHz. Additionally, the RAM is said to have doubled up to 256MB, the phone is offered with 16GB or 32GB of storage, and the graphics chip is the new PowerVR SGX.

Comparing a CPU-hungry 3D game like Resident Evil: Degeneration on the 3GS with the same title 3G yielded striking results. The load time was drastically reduced, and rendering and frame rates on the game were noticeably smoother than on the older device.

Apple has also changed the treatment on the surface of the touchscreen, utilizing an oleophobic coating — essentially a protectant that’s highly resistant to fingerprints.

The 3GS upgrades the built-in camera to a 3 megapixel version and has added an auto-focus function.

Cons: The iPhone 3GS’ call quality shows no improvements and the 3G signal reception remains uneven. We still don’t get Flash Lite, Java, USB transfer and storage, or multitasking.

Summary: Over-expensive  phone with cool touch-screen interface. But since when do you call “smartphone” a phone with no Flash, no Java, poor Exchange integration, poor Office integration, poor Windows integration, and no multitasking?

Over-expensive phone with cool touch-screen interface!