Upgraded to an iPhone 3Gs

So I’ve done it… taken the plunge and bought the 3Gs.

To be honest I probably wouldn’t have forked out the money ($400) for the hardware upgrade, had it not been for my wife bugging me to so she can inherit my old iPhone 3G. Guess I can’t complain…

First (not-too-technical) Impression:

• Speed. oh yes, speed. Probably one of the main reason for the upgrade is noticing how sluggish my 3G was becoming.  Was starting to run into low memory issues and sluggish apps. The 3Gs didn’t appear snappier at first. But after revisiting my old 3G. You definitely notice the difference! (hope my wife doesn’t read this)
• Size. Yes Size does matter. I found myself running out of space on my old iPhone and having to select less and less content in iTunes for my 16GB 3G. With my 32GB 3Gs… I just sync it all! …with room to spare.
• Autofocus. One of my biggest pet peeves was the 3G camera. I can’t say the 3Gs camera is better overall, but it focuses! No more blurry out of focus crap photos from my 3G camera. Wow what a difference a little focus makes. (really hope my wife doesn’t read this)
• Compass. I honestly don’t see myself using the compass on its own. And can’t picture myself spending the $100 for the navigation apps. But the one thing I will use the compass for is augmented reality. Just downloaded and played with the Urbanspoon app updated with augmented reality… very cool!
• Video. A bonus is the ability to capture video and video editing. Not sure I’d take advantage of this often, especially editing. But I’m sure it will come in handy when a friend decides to do something stupid.
• Voice Control. Cool feature. Impress friends. But likely won’t use.  Rarely does it get my request correct. But “Play songs by the Beatles” never fails. That’s what I use to demo and wow friends. When they ask me to request another song, I quickly change the subject… “… and it also has a compass! Look!”

So overall, unless you are really irked with your 3G performance, or have money to spare,  or have a wonderful wife willing to take your hand me downs … love you honey :) … I would recommend waiting for the next generation iPhone. And don’t forget the upcoming Tablet!

Trapster

trapster

Here’s a recommendation for an iPhone app: Trapster. Trapster allows you to view and identify speedtraps. The application even provides a voice warning system to warn you of oncoming known traps.

I have to admit though that I am recommending it for my own benefit. Because trapster is a perfect example of Network Effects.

The standard example to demonstrate Network Effects is the telephone. The more people have and use the telephone, the more valuable the system becomes.

Well with trapster, as people contribute their knowledge of speedtraps, all local trapster users benefit. The application allows you to rate existing traps as well as delete ones on your map.

Even more critical is the ability to identify live speed traps in real-time. I won’t go into the details here of all the features. Best to check the site for that. I have yet to understand how Trapster Trusted Groups work. Perhaps someone can post a comment explaining.

I will however recommend it be used with a car adapter. I have seen it suck the life out of my battery when not connected to a charger.

Does it work?…

I was out for lunch one day with a buddy from work and wanted to demonstrate the voice feature. So we went in search of the closest trap identified, which wasn’t hard to do given the number of traps in the Markham vicinity. As we went approached the voice came on and warned “Warning, approaching common speed trap” or something to that effect. And as we went over the hill I said, “It says the trap is usually over …” and before I could finish my sentence, we both were stunned in silence as we caught the glimpse of a man in uniform pointing his laser gun at us…. Needless to say my buddy was convinced. :)

The app is also available for Blackberry, Andriod phones, etc.