Apple iPhone 3GS Black (16 GB) Smartphone

My new Apple iPhone 3GS is by far the best cell phone I have ever had.  I am a recent convert to the world of iPhone's having recently used the 8GB first generation iPhone for a while.  Then I received a new Apple iPhone 3GS for my birthday, and my world was suddenly changed forever.  Not only is the 3GS iPhone better in many ways, the biggest change is the speed that the device runs.  The speed is so much faster that it seems to be more than the 2x faster that AT&T advertises.  This is especially true while playing games or spending time on the internet, because page loading has become so much quicker.  My review stems from the opinion that the new Apple iPhone 3GS is an exemplary piece of electronics, and that I highly recommend having one.
 
The Apple iPhone 3GS (16 GB)
 
The Apple iPhone 3GS has a lot to offer as a phone will multi functionality.  This iPhone has a 3 mega pixel digital camera, a music player, text messaging abilities, e-mail, video & web functionality, Blue Tooth connectivity, a hands-free speakerphone, and USB connectivity.  The phone works as a miniature hand-held computer, affording all of the same uses that a laptop computer would provide, and doing it all under the disguise of a call phone.
 
The Apple iPhone 3GS Specs
 
The specs for the news 3GS iPhone are somewhat similar to the original iPhone, including the weight and measurements of 4.8 ounces, measuring 4.5 x 2.4 x 0.48 inches.  It is a little bigger than some of the cell phones that I have used in the past, but it doesn't feel heavier to the touch.  The internal storage memory of the new iPhone is 16 GB with this model, but they also offer 8 GB and 32 GB.  The wireless technology on the device is as follows: 
 
GSM/GPRS --  850/900/1800/900 MHz
3G -- UMTS/HSDPA (850/1900/2100 MHz)
Edge high speed data network
BlueTooth Technology -- 2.1 with Enhanced Data Rate (EDR
 
The 3GS Apple iPhone runs on the OS X operating system, has a 3.5 inch display screen, and has a pixel resolution of 480 x 320.  The keyboard is touchscreen, which really makes it eash and convenient to work with, and the integrated digital camera works at 3 mega pixels. 
 
Apple iPhone 3GS Battery Life
 
The battery life for the 3GS iPhone seems lower than its predecessor, and that could be because they have a better (faster) processor working in the new iPhone.  The advertised length of continuous talk time for the 3GS is 5 hours, which seems like a long time, but that is without playing on the phone.  If you are surfing the internet or playing games that take a lot of motion, you could eat up the hours of use of your phone during the day.  I have found that the phone has enough power to get me through a day of checking e-mail, texting, making phone calls, checking sports scores, and reading news on internet websites.  I think that for everyday use, the phone can last a couple of days between charges, but if you are constantly using your iPhone or plan on doing that, make sure to plug it in to charge when you are at home for the night.
 
iPhone Text Messaging
 
With the new iPhone comes the technology to flip the phone sideways and type the text message horizontally with a wider screen.  As it is a touch screen, the keyboard is brought up on the screen, and you type on it using a qwerty keyboard.  It works great, and after a couple of times using it, you can really start whipping out the text messages with a nice frequency.  In that regard, its good that AT&T has you get unlimited text messaging with these phones, because the text message boxes come up as sort of a chat window, where you can see what the other person typed and what you typed, and it keeps updating the conversation.  Just be careful if your friends or family have limited messages, because your output is going to cause them to match and it could send them over their limits.  Using the new landscape keyboard that the iPhone now has makes it much easier to text, and now it is more addictive than ever.
 
Apple Applications (Aps)
 
The applications that you can download to your iPhone could be the most fun part of your iPhone experience.  There are virtually thousands of different applications that you can put on your iPhone, and the sky is the limit as to what they might be.  Some of the applications that I have put on mine from the Ap Store are MLB box scores, USA Today, Yahoo Messenger, Twitter, E! Online, the Huffington post, and a pro football news application.  There are some others that I have added which have turned out to be really cool like Shazam (which will tell you what song is playing on the radio by holding the phone up to it), Loopt (which is like a GPS tracking software), and Take Me To My Car (which is a program where you enter where you parked, and it provides directions to get back to your car).  The applications range from every day use to games that you might enjoy playing, and lots of them have day-to-day functionality that you could grow unable to live without.
 
Using the Apple iPhone 3GS as a Phone
 
Sometimes it almost seems secondary that my new iPhone 3GS actually works as a phone.  It's a little larger than some of the other cell phones on the market, so it may take a little getting used to, but it works great.  There is a very strong internal antenna that makes sure you aren't going to get stuck in many dead areas or drop many calls.  It also has a very nice speaker phone setting, that gives off clear voices rather than muddled sounds.  This can be turned up so that the volume is at a decent decibel level, and continues to present a clear voice on the other end.  Voice mail can be checked one at a time by any order you choose, because it is displayed on the screen who left it and when.  That way you don't have to listen to all of them, or skip around to find the one that you are looking for.  The phone also stores many numbers, allows a lot of talk time on the battery, and connects very quickly when you are dialing our or picking up a call.
 
Apple iPhone 3GS Cost of Operation
 
The new iPhone 3GS is selling for $199 for those already on a contract, or for those looking to sign a 2 year contract with AT&T.  There is also a $30.00 fee that goes along with the phone for unlimited internet access, so don't look past that when signing your contract for the first time.  There isn't a specific minutes plan that you have to sign up for when you purchase one of these iPhones, but I would suggest making sure you get one with the free nights and weekends. We have ours with the rollover minutes as well, and we don't use all that many minutes, because calling other AT&T phones is free on our plan.  Besides the up-front fee of purchasing the iPhone, it isn't too expensive to keep it running day-to-day. 
 
Final Recommendation on the Apple iPhone 3GS (16 GB)
 
This has really been a great birthday present, and I am really enjoying life with my new iPhone.  Everything on the 3GS works quickly, stretching from surfing the interent to downloading new applications, and it is now hard to go back to using a slower iPhone after using the 3GS.  I love having the camera in hand all the time, because it takes great pictures, and loads up with the touch of just one button from the main screen.  The 16 GB of memory means you can take quite a few pictures and not have to worry about running out of space.  The 3GS is easy to use when placing calls, allows multiple applications to run at the same time, has a rotating screen so that no matter what angle you are looking at it presents itself right side up.  The iPhone works great with Blue Tooth, comes with an ear piece, and doubles as an iPod for those who love to listen to music.  Hook up your iPhone to your iTunes account and you are off to the races.  I really love how easy it is to work with the 3GS iPhone and its touch screen, and I have come away with no negative things to say about it.  This has simply turned out to be a great cell phone and personal computer all wrapped into one device, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to buy either.