iPhone 3G: iPhone 3G video

The second-generation iPhone 3G

Apple has updated its touch-screen iPhone, adding new features including GPS and faster 3G connectivity. The basic 8GB model went on sale on 11 July 2008 for £99 – half the price of the previous version – with a £30 monthly tariff from mobile network O2. Tariffs range up to £75, which includes a free iPhone 3G. A 16GB model is available in white or black.

New features

The iPhone 3G is able to download data up to twice as fast as the first iPhone, which used the slower Edge network, and will work on phone networks worldwide, according to Apple.

The company has also added assisted GPS support. This links to the iPhone’s maps program to locate the handset and plan journeys. Assisted GPS uses a mix of satellite navigation and phone mast locations to give a more accurate position, although Apple says the iPhone 3G's antenna is too small to deliver turn-by-turn GPS navigation similar to that found in in-car satnavs. Early reports say the GPS accuracy is very good.

New software

The iPhone’s software has been updated, Apple says, and a new scientific calculator and parental controls to restrict image viewing have been added.

The previous model wouldn’t allow Microsoft Office documents to be edited, but the new iPhone will handle Word, Excel and PowerPoint files, as well as PDF files.

Extra software for the iPhone, such as games, health and reference programs, are available to download in a similar way to buying music from iTunes. Prices are around £5 for a software program, and some are free to download, such as an AOL instant messaging application.

Apple says it has doubled the iPhone’s battery life, with 10 hours of talk time on a 2G network, and five hours on a 3G network. Our tests certainly found an improvement, if not quite as much as Apple claims - we found the new iPhone 3G gives around eight hours of talk time on a non-3G network (the first iPhone gave five). And while using the old model for texting and other non call purposes drained the power fairly quickly, the new one lasts around twice as long (14 hours).

Pros and cons

However previous complaints, such as mono audio when using Bluetooth headsets or the inability to send multimedia messages, have not been addressed.

Buyers will be tied into a contract with mobile phone operator O2 – although O2 says it plans to launch a pay-as-you-go tariff with no monthly contract 'in time for Christmas'. 

The camera is still a lowly 2Mp, and the iPhone 3G still can't record video using its built-in camera.

Pros: Faster data speeds over 3G, built-in GPS satnav, download extra software using the App Store icon

Cons: Camera is still 2Mp, mono Bluetooth, no support for Multimedia Messaging (MMS)