iPhone 3GS: Unboxing + Our Impressions! [VIDEO]

Posted on June 20th, 2009. Written by James.

On Wednesday the 17th June 2009 we saw the release of iPhone OS 3.0, adding an array of new features to our already fantastically loved iPhone’s. For the first time ever we got Copy, Cut & Paste which is feature we’ve quiet honestly been dying to get since day one!

Those of us that use MobileMe also saw the addition of ‘Find My iPhone’ which allows us to track and locate our precious iPhone’s, and send messages to it and remote wipe it if we need too! Those are just two of the features added in iPhone OS 3.0! iPhone OS 3.0 includes over a 100 new features ..

For some, this was enough. It provided a whole new outlook on iPhone. With the new software, and the 3.0 SDK, applications like Qik, which has only previously been available via jail-breaking your device, where now possible. Push notifications were to give you freedom of closing an application, and still getting alerted to the status of that app. Spotlight through the entire OS gave us system wide search across our entire phone – and beyond.

Yesterday, iPhone 3GS which debuted at Apple’s WWDC 09 finally launched to worldwide fanfair. We were there, for the first time ever. LIVE for you, covering every little detail of the day via Twitter .. But we knew you wanted more, so below are our personal experiences, un-boxing’s and first impressions of the Apple iPhone 3GS, just over 24 hours after launch. Enjoy!

James

Getting up for 3.30am is easy when you can barely sleep. After hitting the motorway for less than an hour we arrived outside the Apple Store in Cabot Circus, Bristol just before 6am. We were kindly greeted by Apple staff on arrival and though the morning they checked to make sure we we’re okay and chatted away to us! The guys and girls in line were very chatty and the topic of the morning of course was iPhone 3GS, along with Apple, Twitter and the App Store. The just over two hours we spent in line flew by and before we knew its 8am was almost upon us!

As we approached the launch time the horde of Apple staff sporting there infamous orange and blue tee’s started to appear ready to welcome us and help us get our new iPhone 3GS handsets. When 8am hit the Apple Store doors swang open and a member of staff allowed the first three of us to walk into the store! After standing in line for just over two hours, seeing those doors open was exciting. As soon a we we’re through doors the staff started cheering and clapping as we walked through the store to purchase our new iPhone’s, the atmosphere was incredible! My only regret is I didn’t video walking into the store but in the heat of the moment I completely forgot! Soon after walking into the store we we’re greeted by Marc who took us through the purchase. Even though I was third in line, I’m proud to say I was the first person in the Apple Store in Cabot Circus to purchase an iPhone 3GS! When my new iPhone 3GS was brought out to me, I was presented with a Cabot Circus Apple tee and a firm handshake from the employee!

So after about half an hour in the store of chatting and setting up my new iPhone 3GS we we’re done! Walking back out through the store, you got a great euphoric feeling, the atmosphere as I said before was amazing, smiles, laughter and friendly faces everywhere! On leaving the store there we’re about 40 or so people waiting to get there hands on an iPhone 3GS.

The Unboxing

Watch the You Tube Version!

U + Me = By Dan Black. © 2009 Ploydor Ltd. (UK)
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Arron

Just like James, we too decided to brave it and woke at 4am. After getting over the initial shock (and tiredness) we pushed the button on our live event feed, and we were all set to tweet from both locations! I was a little late to the party, only hitting the motorway at around 7.35am, but still had hope of getting a model. I arrived at the Trafford Centre around 8.15am to a line of roughly 12 people. Counting minutes later, we were exactly 13th! As soon as I joined the line a personal shopper happy hopped over (he didn’t actually hop – but it was early so we can improvise) to give us the low-down on how much I was about to lash out, over how many months, and which model that would get me.

They had a pretty regular queuing system setup. Outside of the store was a waiting bay, and 2 to 3 at a time, we were let in. I was in the queue for about 30-40 minutes, and while we waited, we were served hot, fresh, Starbucks coffee (and Millie’s COOKIES!). The best part being, it was all FREE (Nice one Apple!). Finally I arrived there, the front of the queue – and the rest, is pure Apple history!

Karl

Just like us, Karl was also at the iPhone 3GS Launch Event. Karl was in the Bullring shopping center in Birmingham and kindly provided us with his story of the Launch Event. Please check Karl out on Twitter!

Like James and Arron, Not being able to sleep the night before the launch of the new Apple iPhone 3GS, I gave up and got up at 3.20. On the drive into Birmingham, I wondered how many people would be there before me and if there would be enough iPhones to go around. I turned up outside the bullring at 4.20am, to find I was the first one there, come 5am, others started to appear, just before 7am about 20 people there and by 8am over 40 all lined up.

The Apple store did not open till 8am, but we were allowed inside the Bullring at 7am, to line up in front of the shop. Starbucks kindly provided free tea and coffee to everyone that went in the shop. Nothing like free advertising I guess.

When 8am came we were allowed into the store four at a time, by this point been standing near four hours. There were two Lines the personal shopper line and the normal line, the personal shoppers went in first then myself and 3 others. Glad to say all the others was getting them on contract. I wanted the Black 16GB 3GS PAYG (I had sold my iPhone 3G a few days before, So managed to hold one before the others and get it). Activated first, what a feeling to have the first one to go live in the shop and to be the first out into the bullring with one.

Coming out if the shop first, to see a big long queue forming waiting to be let inside. Being so happy with the new unit, still finding improvements, I have been lucky to use beta 5 of OS3 and OS3 for a while on the normal 3G iPhone.

Sitting outside, I soon found a few people asking about it and we did some speed tests like message photos and emails etc. Each time everyone could not believe how fast the Apple 3GS iPhone was running, the look on their faces was priceless. I can’t count the number of times I was asked to show the compass working..

If your not sure if you should get one, go and have a play with one, you soon have to get one. Games load faster, apps are more slick. Just wonder if Apple will make it even faster and processor can run 20% faster then they are running it, maybe a new update will make it faster, you heard it here first, time will tell.

Photos

See some photos we took from the event below:

Our Impressions

The question is – What do we think of the iPhone 3GS? Worth the upgrade?
Well lets first start with what’s new ..

This new model introduces video into the iPhone line, for the first time, and we have to say Apple got it right. Ok, your right, 3MP isn’t earth-shattering, heck, everyone knows there are phones out there with 6-12MP camera’s enclosed in their small tiny plastic shells, despite all that .. the quality is more than satisfactory!

In fact, most people who have been scouting on YouTube for video taken (or uploaded directly from the iPhone 3GS) have made comments that the video is so good, they’d be pushed to tell it came from the phone at all – and we’d have to agree. Although only 3MP, Apple have done something with this camera. It’s noticeable. It’s far superior to that of the iPhone 3G, in both taking video, and stills. Auto focus now allows for Macro of up to 10cm away from the desired object – although noted on other review sites, it’s not the best macro your going to use.

To give you an idea of the camera quality, here are two still samples of close-up photos taken with iPhone 3GS. Note that these have not been modified or edited in any way.

As well as having a spiffing camera, iPhone 3GS also introduced the quite novelty – but needed – voice control. A system which uses the mic on iPhone 3GS to allow you to tell your phone to do preform certain preset functions, by the use of your voice alone. We have to say, when we first heard about this, we thought – surely it’s not going to work as well as their advertising? – We were wrong.

With the hundreds of different languages around the world, and the mirage of variable functionality you can call with just your voice, we were skeptical. Even after buying the device and trying the functionality out, sometimes to would trip out. You’d say ‘Call Joe Bloggs’ and it would ‘Call Dorine’. However, after playing with the feature for a good hour, and making sure we had all the contacts we were requesting it to call, actually in our contacts app, we found the function did actually work as advertised. Not just that, but it worked as good as in Apple’s iPhone 3GS Guided Tour’ video – found here.

Another addition in the iPhone 3GS 3.0 software is a fully functional Compass. Seen as the ‘Why do we need this feature Apple’ to most people, the new Compass uses the 3-axis accelerometer in iPhone 3GS, plus the built-in GPS to allow you find out which direction your currently facing. Just like other compasses the needle sticks to magnetic North. As well as giving us a ‘independent compass application, Apple also decided the functionality would be well spent in Maps too. So now, when you have the compass active, and location services turned on, you can overlay your compass position – pretty sweet.

Speed. When Apple announced the iPhone 3GS at WWDC, they said it was up to twice as fast as their previous model. Well, just over 24 hours of owning the device, we can say – they weren’t lying. This thing is lightening fast. Applications load faster, webpages, game data, everything is faster. Noticeably so. One user comment on Twitter made us laugh when someone actually said their new 3GS now loads web pages faster than their desktop ever could.

Overall, we think the iPhone 3GS is a true and major (in every sense of the word) update from the iPhone 3G. The amount of speed the new processor and RAM creates, is unbelievable, and with features like video recording with editing, voice control and more, you really can’t go far wrong with iPhone 3GS.

What do you think about iPhone 3GS? Major upgrade or small speed bump with a larger redesign to come next year? Maybe you have one yourself now? How have the last 24 hours gone? Maybe it’s not yet available in your country, will you tred over people to get your hands on one? Let us know all of this, and more – in the comments below!