Mini iPhone 3G Review Part 1: Initial Impressions

Even after the whole iPhone 3G launch day SNAFU, I managed to nab an 8GB iPhone 3G later on in the day. This was in Victoria where I am here to attend a friend’s wedding. On Friday afternoon I called the stores in town to see if any iPhone 3G units were in stock. Most had NONE but the Rogers Wireless at Tillicum Mall had six 8GB units left!

So upon finding out that information I hopped into the car and raced down to the mall. Due to the massive outages at Rogers and Apple, they did not activate any iPhones at this location! So I was told I’d get a call tomorrow to finish up the job.

Yesterday morning the rep called me back as promised. I gave him my info over the phone, he filled in the paperwork and once again I went back to the mall. After selecting the following plan, he activated my new iPhone 3G and I was on my merry little way! My current plan:

$35 Mega Time
$30 for 6GB data
$15 Visual Voicemail pack/2500 texts/CID/Who Called
$7.45 SAF/911
Grand total: $98.20/month after taxes.

What were my initial thoughts of the iPhone 3G?
Here are some of my brief observations from jumping straight to the 3G from my first gen:
– phone feels a lot lighter compared to first generation; feels like a toy, whereas the first gen felt very solid. Probably due to metal vs plastic backing…
– Visual Voicemail is AMAZING. It’s so easy to listen and delete voice messages! Eureka!
– A-GPS is pretty neat. Watching the flashing blue dot follow your every move during driving is pretty interesting
– 3G speeds on Rogers is BLAZING fast. At times I felt it was rivalling WiFi!
– The 6GB data plan gives you a lot to use. Today I checked email, watched a YouTube clip, and surfed the web. I used about 25MB by the end of the day. It’s going to be a challenge to max out or exceed 6GB.
– The silent switch button is much bigger and very easy to use. Volume buttons feel very sturdy.
– Speaker and ear piece volume is SIGNIFICANTLY better than first gen. Ringtones are louder, and I can hear much better during phone conversations.
– Screen contrast seems to be up a notch or two. Colors look richer and darks really stand out. Maybe it’s because I don’t have any protective films on the phone yet.
– Pictures taken by the camera seem to have improved. Shots appear more crisp.
– FINGERPRINTS: this sucker catches up everything and since it’s black–it shows! So I have an invisibleSHIELD coming my way…it should be an excellent fit to my iPhone 3G! Have you ordered yours yet?

This review will continue tomorrow with pictures. Stay tuned for side by side comparisons with my first gen iPhone, plus tips on how to setup your iPhone 3G to have the same settings as your first gen. Stay tuned!

**Looking for an iPhone 3G case? Go get an invisibleSHIELD, the strongest protection for your iPhone backed by a 30 day moneyback guarantee, lifetime replacement warranty, and FREE shipping! Order today!**

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