Apple iPhone 3GS user reviews (16GB - black, AT&T)

Pros It's an iPhone! Screen clarity, ease of use, features, spell check

Cons Sometimes easy to hit the wrong keys, SHORT battery life (is an understatement),

Summary Having upgraded to this from a 3-year old Sony Ericsson Z610i I bought in Asia, the iPhone was like heaven. The phone is packed with features such as Google map, a compass, a bunch of downloadable apps, as well as the usual email.

However, after the initial euphoria wore off, I found the iPhone goes through the battery quickly. When just making several short calls (less than 10 mins) a day, I'd have to recharge every 2 days (this is without bluetooth). If I talk longer or use the apps, then the phone is pretty much dead by the end of the day. Plus, my bluetooth headset isn't fully compatible with the iPhone (Plantronics) and calls will not always go through the bluetooth.

One thing's for sure though, I don't think I can go back to a phone without touchscreen after using it on the iPhone.

Pros thousands of apps, the touch screen, iPod functionality, plenty of storage space for most people (16GB or 32GB), decent camera (3MP), records video

Cons poor battery life, no expandable storage slot, lack of Adobe Flash support, AT&T wireless network

Summary I upgraded to the iPhone from an LG Shine about 4 months ago and haven't looked back. Compared to the LG, this was quite a jump in performance and features.

The apps and the slick touch screen are what makes this phone great. I shopped around and compared the touch screen with a lot of phones, but none came close to how smooth and seamless the operations are via the iPhone's touch screen. This phone's other features on are par with most phones on the market or soon to be released.

I never knew how much could be done on a cell phone until I browsed/downloaded some of the available apps. The Safari (full) web browser is a welcome feature. You can open multiple pages, but they do not simultaneously update as other phones advertise.

I don't understand why the multiple, simultaneously open apps feature is such a big marketing ploy against this phone (are competitors reaching for iPhone cons?). You can only view one app at a time ...right? (even if you could view more than one app at a time, why would you want to strain your eyes even more to view your screen?) So, who cares if you can open umpteen hundred apps at once and have them constantly update, or should I say, drain the battery? Honestly, I'll trade that feature for better battery life any day.

Speaking of the battery, the iPhone's battery life is below average, but this may be due to the fact that I use it so much (again, lots of apps!). But even without daily usage, you may have make it a habit to plug in your phone before you go to bed.

To explain some of my cons... yes, AT&T's wireless network coverage is pretty bad, and if you live in the boonies, where coverage is at it's worst, then you'll be wasting your money. Don't get me wrong, if you have 3G in your neighborhood, this phone is fantastic for browsing. It's even faster if you utilize it's Wi-Fi feature. My only complaint about AT&T is the coverage in my area (3G here and not so much there). On the other hand, I have never had a dropped call since I started using my iPhone (knock on wood).

You'll need an iTunes account to purchase apps. This isn't a bad thing, but if you're hesitant to have another account (like PayPal) where you have to disclose your personal and financial info, this may be a con for you.

The lack of a user-changeable battery is something that should be standard on all cell phones. I'm not sure why Apple wants us to send our phone back to them to replace a dead battery (seems kinda phishy to me), but if mine lasts for 2-3 years, I may opt to purchase the next iPhone model instead. Another missing "should-be standard" feature is the upgradable micro SD slot, but this obviously was not a deal breaker for me.

The lack of Adobe Flash support is only an issue, because the phone does so much already... why is this widely accepted internet video standard missing? It's frustrating to surf to a flash-based site only to see these little blue box icons or a prompt to "please install Adobe flash". Hopefully, this is something Apple is working on and will make available soon.

Overall, the iPhone 3Gs has exceeded my expectations, and I use it religiously every day. The best thing to do if you're still undecided is to comparatively shop. Read lots of reviews - cnet is my fav. Go to different cell stores and play with the phones that have sparked your interest. With any luck and lots of research you'll find the phone that suits your needs and lifestyle. Hope this review helps and good luck in your search.

Pros Has potential if Apple decides to apply their developers' talents

Cons 1. Can not synchronize local Outlook inbox.
2. Touchscreen keypad very difficult.
3. No help screens available. Requires online connection to download help as needed.
4. Bluetooth audio control is EXTREMELY limited.
5. Calendar functions limited

Summary This phone is probably best for spoiled teenagers and not for serious business use as follows:
1. This device, unlike most other smartphones that have been around for 8 years, can NOT synchronize with a local Outlook e-mail box. You MUST have either IMAP or a POP3 server that can store and synchronize e-mail. This is NOT an option for those of us who have no choice for our ISP e-mail server.
2. The touchscreen keyboard is impossible to master and requires to hands to input characters and does NOT include all of the characters from a standard 101-keyboard. Even the most rudimentary cell phones contain all of the characters, including special characters that you would find on a PC keyboards. So what's the big deal? Use of special characters in highly encrypted passwords is limited by the iPhone keyboard character set. Once again, Apple decides what you get and what you don't get. Takes about 5 minutes to enter a 3 sentence e-mail.
3. No help screens whatsoever in any of the Apple iPhone software. You have to hope that you're in a location that has AT&T data connectivity or Wi-Fi and then use the iPhone browser to go to the Apple website to look up help information for applications. Very counterintuitive. This phone has a great deal of memory, but has NO context sensitive help. On the other hand, dated smartphones such as the Palm Treo only have 64MB of memory, but have context sensitive help for every feature, function and application on the phone.
4. Bluetooth audio connectivity is EXTREMELY limited. More and more bluetooth devices, especially vehicles are becoming prevalent in the marketplace. Again, another confounding and counterintuitive problem with this phone. It can play audio over a bluetooth system in a vehicle, but the audio controls are limited to stop and play. Forward, reverse and choose selection are not available even though the phone contains the bluetooth software to perform these functions, Apple chose not to implement them. Another case of what Apple wants is what their customers get.
5. Calendar appointment entry is severly limited. Reminders can only be set to a 2 day maximum not 2 weeks like you find in Outllook calendar. ALSO there is NO provision for adding or inviting attendees to a meeting. Again, grab any old smartphone and you'll find most of the Microsoft Outlook features mirrored on the device. The iPhone is severly limited and the calendar function is something that you would find on a cell phone designed in 2002. The only difference is the "cool" touch screen interface, otherwise it has no place as a time management tool.
6. Apple seems to make up for most of the iPhone shortcomings by selling other developers apps, but restricts developers from offering limited time trial versions. Instead they only allow developers to sell full versions or offer free "lite" versions and if you purchase a full version of an app that does not have a "lite" trial app, you are stuck with the app whether it works or not.
7. Best nominee for most slippery phone. It seems as though Apple intentionally made the phone slippery so that users would drop it and require a costly repair or replacement. AT&T does NOT offer insurance for the iPhones!!!!!
8. Apple spent a lot of time including useless applications like a compass and a stock market real-time update application. Both are useless. Compass is great if you know how to use it and think you're going to get lost in the outback and the phone contract requires internet connectivity so a stock market app is unnecessary because you can just use the web browser to get any stock market information from whatever source you choose. HOWEVER, they did NOT include any of the Microsoft Office applications on the phone. Again, see the Palm smartphones, HP, Motorola, Sony, etc.

In summary, if you know of a teenager that needs to be senselessly spoiled with a phone that is great a playing tunes, movies, and games, then this phone wins 1st Prize hands down. For the business user.....buy a real smartphone and hope that AT&T does not send it into obsolesence within 6 months of your purchase.

Last interesting note: AT&T and Apple do not allow users to post reviews for iPhones on their website. AT&T does however allow users to post reviews on their website for most of the other phones and devices that they sell. Why wouldn't a company want to use reviews to promote a phone unless there were too many problems with the phone?

Pros The games are fun when they don't crash.

Cons Dropped calls and games crashing

Summary I have had this phone for 8 months now and I still have never held a full conversation without the phone dropping the call. It doesn't matter what city or state I am in, it still does it. They have replaced the phone twice and it still does it. It happens with my grandmother, my father, my boyfriend, and myself- we all have iPhones, but it doesn't happen to my brother, mother, or friends that have AT&T, so it isn't the carrier, it's the phone. Bottom-line: just get a good phone and buy an iTouch, that you way you have a phone that is reliable and can still have fun with the games.