DougW. 
Cibbuano
Music Technology Review: Apple iPhone 3g S
June 21st 2009 15:41
This is the first post in our new category called Music Technology: MP3 Players, Cellphones, and More! We created this category because along with the music we listen to, we’re interested in the devices we put it on. This first entry coincides perfectly with the release of the new Apple iPhone 3g S. Those of you that are familiar with the iPhone know that this device is far more than just a cell phone. It also searches the internet, and more importantly for us, is a full-on iPod Touch music player. We are not going to do a comprehensive review of the iPhone 3g S here. Rather, we are going to focus on the music related aspects of the device. If you are interested in reading a complete review of the newly released Apple iPhone 3g S, click HERE.
The iPhone 3g S, which hit stores on June 19th, promises extended battery life, faster processing speeds, more memory, multi-media messaging, cut and paste, video recording, and other additional features…. But best of all, it has a full-featured iPod Touch built right in! The new iPhone 3g S is available in either 16GB or 32GB capacities… that’s a lot of music!
One of my favorite features of the iPhone 3g S/iPod Touch is the ability to flip through all of your albums by dragging your finger across the screen. Each album’s cover art flips by until you come to the album you want; then you just tap it. Apple calls this slick technology Coverflow, and it is a carry over from the iPhone 3g. A great new feature on the iPhone 3g S is called Voice Control. It has many applications, but the best is the way Voice Control interacts with the iPhone’s iPod. You can ask it to play a song by artist’s name or album or you can request an entire play list. Once the music is playing, you can pause, skip, or go back to the previous track. Simply say “shuffle” and the player skips to a random song. You can also ask “what song is this?”, and the iPhone gives you audio confirmation of the track name and artist.
The iPhone 3g S still has the standard 3.5 mm headset jack, as did both previous iPhones, but now Apple has finally included stereo Bluetooth compatibility. This is great for listening to music without tangled headset wires. Apple has also updated the iTunes store so that you can rent and purchase moves, download tv shows, and buy audio books directly on the iPhone 3g S; along with the album and individual song downloads that were available before.
There are various companies that make docking stations for the iPhones, which makes using your iPhone as the center piece of your entertainment system possible. Whether you use external speakers or a wired or Bluetooth headset, the audio quality is crisp and full. There is a suite of EQ presets, minimum background hiss, and ample volume. Battery life is rated at 30 hours of music playback.
Overall, the new Apple iPhone 3g S is a wonderful evolution of an already great device. And if you listen to a lot of music or podcasts, you just can’t beat its built in iPod Touch. See full specs below:
iPhone 3g S
•Manufacturer: Apple
•Part Number:iPHONE3GS32GBBLKATT
Telecom
•Data services SMS , MMS
•Cellular enhancement protocol EDGE , AGPS
General
•Dimensions (W x D x H) 2.4 in x 0.5 in x 4.6 in
•Weight 4.8 oz
•Built-in devices Camera , Digital player
•Color Black
Operating System / Software
•OS provided Apple Mac OS X 10.4.11
•Software included iTunes 8.2 or later
Memory
•Flash memory installed 16/32 GB
Messaging / Data Services
•Internet Browser Yes
•GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) Yes
•Mobile Email Yes
•Supported Email Protocols POP3 , IMAP4
•Messaging / Data Features PDF support , Microsoft Word support , Microsoft Excel support
Cellular
•Cellular technology WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM
| 57 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
