Apple iPhone 3GS (32GB - black, AT&T)

reply on April 4, 2011 by BDakota95

It does have multitasking. You double click the home button and your previous applications are available right where you left off. You can multitask numerous apps. Can you access Netflix on your Android or Blackberry?

reply on August 22, 2010 by nwright9456

Please acutally OWN the phone if your going to review it, otherwise your word means nothing. Yes its not the greatest phone but its better than what alot of people say.

reply on May 12, 2010 by kellymcgowan

Overstated, inaccurate and biased review . . . save your time by ignoring this review!!!

reply on April 20, 2010 by PureBlueSF

i lol @ all the butthurt hipsters who got mad at this review. get back to listening to vampire weekend on your ****** crippled "smart" phones, nobody cares how great your stupid iphone is.

reply on April 16, 2010 by 72jazzbass

To begin with I have owned Blackberrys, Nokia N series, Windows based phone and a Treo. Comparing each of these would be a never ending debate, iPhone set the stage for tech now that we're seeing all around on handhelds and all. Its a shame when we dis iphone cuz its overhyped and everything, everybody knows its expensive but isnt it the same for the N97 when it came out? How about the carrier unlocked Windows based phone, weren't they expensive either? Phone manufacturers have their own definition of smartphone, its how you use it and what often you use. Blackberry for push emails, Nokia... eh I guess entartainment, Windows for docs and Office apps, so on and so forth. iPhone is putting that together into one as you can see on the apps, android is not far behind again cuz of iphones pioneer on the apps. Comparing calls and data service thats the carrier wars, the phones are jus exclusivity on the carriers and they are being use on their grasp on consumers. Iphone is a

reply on March 19, 2010 by BigBadDukk

@girlmvm
+1

reply on March 15, 2010 by Nate35819

your an idiot, Java is useless on the iphone........the current media and other plugins FAR surpass java......if iphone games from the app store were based on Jave they would be buggy and look horrible....your an idiot, enough said...and why should it have good windows syncing anyway....ITS AN APPLE DEVICE WHY WOULD THEY PERFECT WINDOWS ON IT.......go play with your windows mobile and ancient windows operating system.

reply on February 27, 2010 by girlmvm

agree totally, why can't someone NOT like a whyPhone??? Oh, I must've never owned one...yeah, right. I own a MAC and windows pc and prefer the MAC but hate the iPhone. I have been using smartphones for years. This one is great for multi-media (I guess...), but call quality is horrible and the GUI is very plain...the iPhone cult won't let others have their say I guess. To each their own. The iPhone isn't my own anymore. Thank God. Android is where it is.

reply on February 11, 2010 by SmallLeibowitz

boardmad,

the biggest thing that stands out here is how hordes of Apple fanboys rush to defend Apple as if it were a sacred temple of sorts. Sure them fanboys won't be looking to bring windows to their devices, but no way they would consider trying anything non-Apple. So, who's ultimately out of sync with reality?

reply on January 4, 2010 by boardmad

Biggest thing that stands out in these reviews is the desperate call for 'Windows integration'. At least people who moan about lack of Outlook or Exchange support are forced into those standards by timid IT execs. It's a waste of time to bring Windows to all your devices. Try Google Apps or something online and OS neutral and get with the times.

reply on December 28, 2009 by bensyne

you have obviously never owned an iphone and further more never owned a jail-broken one my jail-broken iphone has amazing multitasking exchange support excellent 3g reception and call quality every feature i could ever ask for it does have java natively by the way and with the availability of the sdk for business its actually the best smartphone for business so how bout u try owning one first before you decide that the best phone on the market is only worth a half a star(your a pc nerd and it shows)

reply on December 27, 2009 by z36ra

I agree with every statement made here. The iPhone is a piece of junk. I'll never buy another apple product because of the experience I had with mine. It all boils down to the simple fact which is stated in the Cnet review, "but call quality and 3G reception still need improvement." That is the biggest understatement of the century. I bought a $30 dollar Nokia AT&T Gophone that has better signal quality. The signal quality is the single most important function of a phone. The Cnet review here is ridiculous.

reply on December 25, 2009 by Dean81299

You have no idea what you are talking about if you did you'd know that this is the smartest smartphone on the planet. Jealous much?

reply on December 8, 2009 by Mizlaw

I've had blackberry for several years, and I had few problems with the pearl while using Alltel as my service provider. Ever since the merge of Alltel and Verizon, I've had nothing but problems. I used the Pearl with Verizon with freezes and dropped calls daily. I tried the Storm, switched plans over completely to "get better service being full Verizon" but that didn't work. I had to take out the battery daily. I switched to the Storm2 assuming they fixed all the bugs in the phone, no such luck. Now, I'm considering leaving Verizon altogether since I've paid to leave them early before to go back to Alltel due to poor customer service. I currently have the HTC Droid Eris, and I'm looking into switching phones AND companies; therefore, my dilemma with this review is it's not giving me accurate information. I'm truly looking for a great cell phone with a great browser, great speakerphone (I prefer to bluetooth), great speakers for music, great syncing (I am a MAC user). HELP!

reply on November 21, 2009 by nhwhazup

Had the Blackberry - call quality was poor. It was also no where near as user friendly as the iPhone. Also had problems with applications freezing on the Blackberry. So happy I have switched. Been there...done that....

reply on October 30, 2009 by lkmd

Go buy a blackberry and a netbook . You have no business using apple products.

reply on October 30, 2009 by moneyrules

you dont own an iphone

reply on October 15, 2009 by civicgeneex

why did you buy it?

reply on October 7, 2009 by cnet.aaron

All I can say is...lol.

More of the same flame war that's been raging for years. It used to be Mac vs PC, not it's iPhone vs BlackBerry.

Great stuff! Keep it coming! :)

reply on October 3, 2009 by NewportBeachCA

Perfect Review. Store manager in Newport Beach, CA told me to turn off 3G network and my phone would work perfectly. She was serious. I laughed uncomfortably and returned the phone for a full refund.

reply on October 1, 2009 by georgemark

I was with you all the way till you mentioned nokia N97!!!
N97 is a desperate attempt by Nokia (who owns the low-mid range phones market share) to get into the fancy club of RIM Apple and HTCs for high end smartphones. The phone is a rock and it sinks really fast that's all it does

reply on September 30, 2009 by davehbomb

you really are just jealous of people who have one

reply on September 27, 2009 by pepethebull

..and I'm a PC

reply on September 19, 2009 by BoZmaisteR

Afte this review I`m going to buy it tomorrow... Glad to be set apart from one track minded ship like you LOL..by the way the blackberry it`s definitely to show off.

reply on September 3, 2009 by solicitehere

Production killer, part 3 (ish). Can't keep track of all of Apple's update cycles with OS's or phones. They are disorganized in a pretentious way.

reply on August 27, 2009 by JLAN_D90

What a terrible review, The tell tale sign here of someone not reviewing this phone well came when I read Exchange Integration as a con. TRUST ME! Exhange Integration is FANTASTIC on this phone, I'm a user not a tech guy so I called my tech dept for the settings , they emailed me a link and 2 minutes later I was on line seeing all the folders that are on my entourage account, not only that but how nice is it that safari synchs my safari bookmarks on my macbook, I just gave up on my storm and moved across to the iphone today and I am sooooooo glad I did let me tell you. If you are a mac user like me you would be insane to use anything else!

reply on August 20, 2009 by ranman2u

You have NO clue what your talking about!!!! First off the Iphone does work with java or why would it have a java setting on its Safari Setting page DUH!!! The sad part is that it does not support flash. This is because Apple is trying to bully adoble to release the source code as an open source code. Untill then apple is blocking it. Shame on you apple!!!

It does have USB transfer but it needs to be set to on with in Itunes DUH!!!

So yes it dont come with office program but what computer today does. This is something everyone has to buy.

As for multitasking if its jail break the phone then you can.

Then lastly its fully intergrates with outlook and windows.

Now I agree its costly but its very very powerfull phone as well.

reply on August 10, 2009 by CDGcenter

Have to agree with Fil0403... It's all about I have the iPhone and you don't... and so many of the Fanboys just don't like it when somebody bursts the bubble for them. As for AT&T, No words can ever explain why I will never sign up with them. Going back to the Stone Age seems the right thing before signing up with them. Sorry to burst it for you iphoneers.

reply on July 29, 2009 by livingdust

I use my iPhone 3G with my office exchange server. It works seamlessly. I can't figure out what Fil0403 is complaining about as far as Exchange integration or office integration. I suppose by poor Windows integration he might be referring to attaching work documents to emails? This is one feature that the iPhone should do better. I can get documents on my iPhone and read them just fine, but viewing them outside of the email tool, editing them or attaching documents to new email. is a problem.

Also in his list of other phones to consider, the Palm Pre should be in that list.

Finally the justification of the "abysmal" score to counter someone else's irrational score is inappropriate. Put your real opinion down, and let us reading the reviews reject the radical or inept.

Scott (aka LivingDust)

reply on July 29, 2009 by Egoldman82

I have had and tested the new HTC Windows Mobil 6.1 Blackberry Curve and iPhone 3GS. So we are comparing an iPhone to a Blackberry. Yes Blackberry has a better exchange integration, but the push feature on the iphone works just as fast as my Blackberry or Windows Mobil phone when I used them. The calendar is much integrated than the Blackberry and invites are easier to manage in the iPhone interface. I will give you the fact that java should work on the iPhone, but hasn?t bothered me much since there is an app with a better interface than a webpage that does anything I would need java for. Also, another nice feature on the iPhone is Citrix app, desktop manager app, WebEx app. All work well and allow me to work much more remote and from my phone than I ever could with my blackberry.

reply on July 28, 2009 by anamastikator

Generally speaking, I agree. Nothing could be more further from the truth than the hype over the iPhone. Granted, it is a worthy gadget, but statements like "OMG, it's the best phone ever" are nonsense.

reply on July 24, 2009 by jpg27

Fil0403's review is very looney. Lets face facts... the 3.0 software update brings the functionality of a 3G very close to a 3GS. Only major difference is the camera hardware and software enhancements to control it. I have no idea why Apple would try to include a compass as a selling point. This feature however will help developers like tomtom to have apps that can give turn by turn directions. So with this said id say 3GS is more like 60% functionality but 40% hype. Its really your decision if you think you need to consolidate one more device - a digital camcorder.

reply on July 23, 2009 by joshdeboer

The N97 is lame. I do agree, it's all about profit for Apple and AT&T. I have been using Apple computers since 1999, the company has changed...some for the better, some for the worse...Let's face it, the iPhone is a great product....I just hate AT&T....hence why a "real" Apple user would never buy an iPhone.

reply on July 10, 2009 by NowNeverMore

quality is okay.. id say 25% function, 75% hype

reply on July 10, 2009 by xbryan

This reviewer admits his rating is not based on what he thinks of the product, but to "counteract the Apple sheep". I think it is fair enough to say that he is an Apple-hater and the review should be ignored.

reply on July 1, 2009 by jstackzz

wants the serial # on your ICRAPPER?

reply on June 29, 2009 by toddinsd

There seems to be a lot of sabotage going on in these reviews. It almost seems counter-productive to read them. Who knows who is working for what cell phone company/provider trying to smash the competition. It would make a lot of sense for cnet to require a valid serial number from the supposed product owner in order to submit a review, because this seems to have been a waste of the last 20 minutes of my life.

reply on June 26, 2009 by lalalanding

@ cabrillo24

- Exchange integration is basic, hence poor (the iPhone only supports full ActiveSync with a single Exchange server, no notes and tasks sync = you're LYING, Cabrillo, no Public Folder)

- There is no Java for the iPhone OS = you're LYING, again

- Do you even know what Office integration is, to begin with?

reply on June 25, 2009 by exGKonat

Overexpensive, overhyped phone with nice touch-screen interface to show-off ---
<--- should be engraved on each iPhone!

reply on June 25, 2009 by cabrillo24

Exchange integration has been flawless for me (email, contacts, and calander) , java has been there. Office integration can be had with apps such as QuickOffice or Documents to Go (with editing and exchange support), no Windows interface? The interface is iTunes for Windows....errrrr....Obviously you don't own an iphone or have any idea of what you're talking about.

reply on June 25, 2009 by mademan12321

Your no better than apple fans. This is worst as you could have given a very in-depth honest review of your dislikes and yet you decide to bash it blindly like a 2 year old. You only proved how foolish you are and how haters and lovers of the iphone feel your review is trash

reply on June 25, 2009 by sting7k

Uh, the iPhone does have Java...

Exchange also took about 15 seconds to setup on mine and works fine.

Finally, works fine with my Windows Vista laptop.

reply on June 25, 2009 by tonewheel--2008

He lost me at "poor Exchange integration". It's clear he has never used the new 3GS, let alone held it in his hands. The Exchange integration is flawless.

Fil0403: typical troll. Throws hand grenades, then runs, hides and giggles when he sees the damage he's done. He won't be back to defend any of his statements.

reply on June 24, 2009 by deegle33

Based on your last statement, you are no better than the Apple sheep. Way to go. I agreed with some of your points but based on that last one, I will have to mark your review as "unhelpful".

reply on June 23, 2009 by captainculpeper

I'm sure you own one to go along with you expert hands on review lol. What a joke. Iv'e own a Blackberry and the N97..This is my first iphone and much better than both. Glad i returned them.

reply on June 23, 2009 by norespect4tugga

call quality is mediocre at best. Did you experience freezes?

reply on June 23, 2009 by idrankoolaid

Is the iPhone 3gs one of the most overhyped device of late? Looking at the specs, there is nothing that other mobile can't do and havent been doing for ages. You read articles saying how fast it has gotten. False. It seems that if Apple brought out sliced bread, people would go crazy over it, like it didnt exist before hand. I'm not saying the iPhone is a total waste, but its hardly the best or super ground breaking right now.

reply on June 23, 2009 by Yokutamo

Great piece! Concise and to the point.

reply on June 20, 2009 by SuperYogurt

A detailed look at "Fil0403"'s profile reveals that he has reviewed all iPhones with the lowest possible ratings, regardless of the model/features. He has also written at least 5 reviews about other smart phones where he consistently reuses the phrase "iPhone owned."

In his other reviews, he gives the lowest rating possible to almost all Apple products he reviews while touting Microsoft Office, Vista, and mobile Windows as the "best products." Obvious bias. Furthermore, I'm supposed to believe that he bought this version of the iPhone after bashing the two previous versions as the worst smart phone ever? He has obviously never used a single Apple product in his life.