Apple iPhone 3G - 8GB, black (AT&T)

• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 194 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• ...
• 20
• next

• Sort by: Most helpful Highest rating Lowest rating Most recent

• 5 stars

  returning it for a b-berry

  by bakertc0 on August 18, 2008

  Pros: sexy, cool, innovative

  Cons: buggy, fails to perform as a business communications tool

  Summary: I have been a user of smartphones for almost 10 years. I have to say that the best one I ever had was the Palm Treo. The last one I ...

  Read more

  Summary: I have been a user of smartphones for almost 10 years. I have to say that the best one I ever had was the Palm Treo. The last one I had was the Cingular 8525 HTC TyTn and I hated it - rife with performance problems. I waited for months for the iPhone 3G so I could ditch the HTC device. I suffered like many did just trying to get AT&T/Apple to fulfill my order - another long story there. Now that I have been an iPhone 3G user for almost four weeks, here are my frustrations listed in priority order:
  
  1.) Buggy Phone UI; When you are on a call and holding the iPhone to your ear, the accelerameter (I guess) knows this and shuts off the display to conserve battery. When you pull the phone down to look at it, the display turns back on. Neat idea, when it works. I have found that mostly when signal strength is weak, the phone fails to turn back on the display. No matter what orientation I put the phone in, can't get the display to come back on. This is maddening when you are on one of those already maddening IVR menu systems (like Verizon's) trying to enter your phone number but you can't because the display won't let you access the keypad.
  
  2.) 3G Network; I live in Union County, NJ, which according to AT&T's coverage map is completely saturated with 3G network support. BS. In my house I get 'no service' or one bar, which exacerbates problem #1 above. Already well documented is the problem in which iPhone 3G fails to down shift from 3G to Edge network support. This is just plain unacceptable - to require the user to go into settings, general, network, to disable 3G in order to get analog/Edge service is ridiculous. BTW, I confirmed this phenomenon - in my house when I disable 3G I go from 'no service' to three bars. Tolerable when I'm sitting at home, unacceptable when I'm traveling for business.
  
  3.) No Copy/Paste; I had no idea how frustrating this would be. Someone txt's you their contact details? You have to write it all down on a piece of paper in order to type it all back into Contacts.
  
  4.) "Not designed for iPhone"; Apparently the 3G is so different from last generation that Apple decided to block/prevent older accessories from working. Already documented is the lack of A2DP stereo bluetooth support. I read a blog from a guy recommending the iCombi AP21 bluetooth adapter as a workaround (while he likewise complained about Apple's decision not to support A2DP), so I bought one on eBay. When I plugged it into the iPhone 3G a popup message says 'Not designed for iphone' - so it does nothing for you. (I've reverted to using it with my old ipod). Likewise, I bought a car charger (because the iPhone out of the box doesn't come with) and even though it says right on it 'works with iphone' the 3G says "Not designed…" and refuses to accept it as a charging device. And I have an older iDoc stereo - same thing, refuses to accept a charge (but does play music through it, thankfully).
  
  5.) Phat fingers; I was worried that typing on the display would be awkward. I am very fast and pretty accurate on keyboards of almost any size. Learning how to 'trust' the intelli-type's ability to guess what I'm trying to type when I press the wrong letter isn't working for me. If you are a one finger typist, maybe you'll love this. I'm finding it pretty frustrating.
  
  I rated it average, which to me is a major disappointment after all the expectations building. It is truly innovative and does many things well, it's sexy and cool and lives up to lots of the hype. But it fails me because it's not a convergence device if it fails to perform as a basic phone and email machine first.

  Show less

  11 out of 12 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 8 stars

  Nice but FAR from perfect!

  by HektikLyfe on August 6, 2008

  Pros: The Interface

  Cons: The Limitations

  Summary: After using this phone for over a month I have done nearly everything there is to do with it on a regular basis. I will summarize my thoughts below.
  
  Pros
  
  ...

  Read more

  Summary: After using this phone for over a month I have done nearly everything there is to do with it on a regular basis. I will summarize my thoughts below.
  
  Pros
  
  The interface is prettier than any mobile software I have ever used.
  3G data is super fast compared to any smart phone I have ever used. (Even faster than the terrible Verizon DSL I had at home! )
  Webmail access for those of us who purchased it for home use works great as long as you have at least 2 bars of EDGE reception.
  Wireless Mobile App functions are cool although most of the free software out there is utter garbage.
  Transferring photos off the iPhone is incredibly easy.
  GPS works great when you have reception.
  Great SMS interface.
  Great remote iTunes control if you have your PC connected to your home stereo system.
  
  Cons
  
  E-mail access does not work with IMAP for MSN, Microsoft Live mail or Microsoft Hotmail. This is ALL Microsoft's fault of course but the point remains, it doesn't work.
  The system chokes up frequently like EVERY iPod I have ever owned.
  Cell phone reception is typically sporadic.
  You really do need a bluetooth headset for this phone, you don't want to have to have this garage door opener sized phone against your face, people will think you came back from the dentist and are holding an ice pack against a sore molar.
  Synchronizing and updating are PAINFULLY slow. The latest update took me 45 minutes to synch and backup!
  Battery Life is a joke. There is no way you could go a day without charging it. Even in standby my battery is dead by the end of the day whether I use it or not.
  Photos appear a bit blurry but it might just seem that way because the images are so HUGE on this great screen.
  You can't transfer ANYTHING to the iPhone without iTunes. Even though you can see the photos you have you can save any to your phone through Windows. You HAVE to synch through iTunes.
  No custom ringtones.
  No cut and paste text. <--This is rediculous.
  No flash support for the browser, yet YouTube works fine...:S Guess they don't want free flash games available when the exact same ones cost $10 in the app store.
  No 3G iTunes store. You can browse like crazy, watch videos and see countless images but not purchase music. :S The technology and capability is there.
  No GPS turn by turn directions.
  I thought this phone would allow you to see where your friends were at all times but in actuality it requires them to update their status and location manually AND the software that does it communicates via SMS not data! So SMS overages begin....NOW!
  No voice dial. There is an app called Voice Dialer...but...(it doesn't work all that well.)
  No quick way to speed dial.
  No easy way to synch Contacts and no way at all to synch your Calendar unless you have a Mac at home.
  Music and podcasts playing don't all have that last page of notes about the track playing anymore.
  Memory doesn't seem to contain as much information as before. I could pause podcasts on my 30GB and go back to them days later. If I pause two or three on the iPhone, it doesn't seem to remember where I left off and starts over again.
  
  All in all it is a GREAT phone. Far from perfect but it is capable of being greater if they would just loosen the reigns a little. Once you get one, there is no turning back. Integrated maps, GPS, Internet, iTunes (impulse buying access), MySpace & Facebook - slightly neutered apps, movie reviews trailer previews and ticket purchases etc. etc. etc.
  
  Oh yeah, and its an iPod.

  Show less

  5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Bringing smartphones mass-market

  by stevieeg on June 10, 2008

  Pros: Intuitive interface, desirability

  Cons: Price, closed development

  Summary: The Exchange ActiveSync compatibility is a great bonus and makes it easier for corporations to give users a desirable, reliable email device - let's face it Windows Mobile isn'...

  Read more

  Summary: The Exchange ActiveSync compatibility is a great bonus and makes it easier for corporations to give users a desirable, reliable email device - let's face it Windows Mobile isn't great and Blackberry is too IO heavy on Exchange servers and incurs expensive licensing.
  
  3G on Windows Mobile devices is slower in actual use (as a mobile browser) that the version 1.0 iPhone's EDGE so it will be interesting to see if there are real improvements. Of course the Windows Mobile devices are brilliant as an internet access point for mobile users with WM6's Personal Area Networks so this is a major drawback for some.
  
  The GPS features, are of course moot; let's face it TomTom won't come to the device any time soon and unless all your friends buy an iPhone 2.0 tommorow, location based social networking isn't likely to be a compelling experience.
  
  The major features with the new iPhone aren't the device itself; it's quite simply the lower price and the newer firmware.
  
  If you're still an iPhone hater; just remember that it's making your vendor of choice (HTC, Blackberry and of course the "old" mobile makers) make more of an effort to finally get their act together and make decent devices that are flashy, reliable and intuitive to use.

  Show less

  6 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 10 stars

  Fantastic smartphone

  by jtrath on October 2, 2008

  Pros: Excellent, easy-to-use (intuitive) interface. Lots of free apps to download (TruPhone, Pandora, Yelp, AirSharing, PixUp and ArtGallery are faves). Fast 3G. Outlook/Exchange connectivity works well (though sometimes push is delayed). Safari is great.

  Cons: 2 megapixel camera is blurry in daylight, unusable at night/low-light. No copy and paste feature (not a big problem, though).

  Summary: Good video review of the iPhone 3G on CNET. This is a truly excellent smartphone--very well designed hardware and software (typical of Apple). Elegant and sophisticated, with many features made ...

  Read more

  Summary: Good video review of the iPhone 3G on CNET. This is a truly excellent smartphone--very well designed hardware and software (typical of Apple). Elegant and sophisticated, with many features made easy. I've owned the AT&T Tilt (HTC), Blackberry and Treo 650 and tried many 3rd party apps and tweaks and can honestly say that the iPhone 3G is far superior. The high-end Nokias are very slick and have lots of Symbian apps, but are unaffordable to most people. Android has good potential. But Apple's design is simply better--compare them side-by-side, doing the same tasks.
  
  I was concerned that the touch-screen keyboard would be a problem, and it has not been. I find that using the same finger for all keys (my right thumb) works well for me. Touch-screens do smudge, so keeping the wipe cloth handy is a good idea.
  
  Outlook/Exchange connectivity is a great feature. I don't miss the Blackberry and find I can type messages just as quickly. Also, I can read attachments of various file types without issue.
  
  Too bad you can't currently tether the iPhone 3G to your laptop (i.e., use the phone as a 3G modem) without hacking (illegal).
  
  3G is really good (mainly in bigger cities), with EDGE providing decent fall-back coverage. Free wi-fi is easy to find in the U.S. (much less easy to find in Europe). Get the AT&T Data Global Add-On (month-to-month, no contract) when traveling abroad--it will save you a lot of money and headaches. You can use TruPhone (similar to Skype) over wi-fi to call anywhere around the world, usually for 6 cents per minute. Eventually, we'll get 4G (Wi-Max and/or LTE) and have truly high-speed wireless data.
  
  To preserve battery life, I turn off wi-fi and 3G (enabling EDGE) until I need them. I do charge my iPhone 3G nightly, but only because I depend on it for business use.
  
  Most importantly (and often ignored in reviews, except CNET's), the call (sound) quality is good for the earphone and speakerphone. AT&T has been improving coverage (I've seen it improve significantly in areas previously very patchy/unreliable). GSM buzz is much less noticeable than in the past and sound quality is good (not quite as good as Verizon's CDMA, though). But having GSM allows for truly global coverage--big plus for travelers. Occasionally, the phone call connection will be dropped, even with 5 bar reception (and I have the iPhone OS 2.1 update). While not a huge problem, it should be resolved--hard to tell if it's AT&T's network or the iPhone's OS/hardware.
  
  For cases, I like the DLO VideoShell for iPhone 3G, which is slender, clear, lightweight, good cut-out access to buttons/jacks, durable and includes a stand for vertical or horizontal viewing. A good buy at $20. No need for screen protectors--waste of money (the screen is pretty durable).
  
  Assisted GPS is great. Geo-caching photos, using Maps, Yelp, Nearby, BlackBook Guide and Google Maps work really well--very powerful, useful and fun.
  
  iPod and Genius are excellent.
  
  Safari is the best smartphone browser available, bar none. Supposedly, Flash is coming soon--haven't missed it, though.
  
  I would probably get the 16GB next time, but do just fine with managing storage with just 8GB.
  
  Voice plan plus data plan total price is comparable to other cell phone service providers. I like the rollover minutes, too.
  
  Long review, but hope to help others in deciding.

  Show less

  3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Awesome! The World In My Pocket.

  by setolee on February 27, 2009

  Pros: A well designed and the most innovative evolution of a mobile device. This is the one to beat. Plenty of applications to meet one's needs.

  Cons: As everyone else has stated missing some good useful tools.

  Summary: I would give the iPhone 3G 5 stars if 2 basic functions were included - MMS and Cut & Paste. I was somewhat of a skeptic and being a Blackberry ...

  Read more

  Summary: I would give the iPhone 3G 5 stars if 2 basic functions were included - MMS and Cut & Paste. I was somewhat of a skeptic and being a Blackberry favorite with TMobile for 12 years the reluctancy to change was prevalent. After a few months of researching for my next device I thought that the new Curve 8900 would give me the WOW factor. After waiting 2 months for it the disappointment in both the Curve 8900 and TMobile customer service cannot be expressed (see my review on the Curve 8900). It was either stick with TMobile and get terrible customer service (which use to be quite good) or take my chance with another service provider. Loyalty is a 2 way street. Having no choice but take a shot with ATT I got the iPhone and have never looked back at the last 12 years except to say to "myself why didn't I do it sooner". ATT has been impressive with their customer service and coverage. During a call to them and driving I lost my connection in a remote hilly area to my surprise the CSR called me back (TMobile never did this). Areas that I use to get 1 bar or no service with TMobile I now have 4-5 bars. To fully appreciate the iPhone you must make sure that full phone & 3G service is available in your areas of usage. The iPhone 3G has given me the WOW factor. Like having a mini computer in my pocket at all times. The screen size and resolution blows me away. Having over 15000 free and low cost applications available everyday life has just been made more convenient. With overall very good call quality I now have the quintessential mobile device. From my first hand experience - the Blackberry devices are great for true business users, but if you want a mobile device that can enhance overall conveniences in everyday life get an iPhone.

  Show less

  2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Almost Perfect

  by yankeefan_01 on December 30, 2008

  Pros: Sleek Design, Amazing UI, 3g, iPod, Decent Camera, Safari, App Store, and there are plenty more pros.

  Cons: Service isn't Verizon, Battery life, Lacks MMS, Copy and Paste (I guess).

  Summary: I personally think the iPhone is one of the best phones on the market. I know that there are some crucial features missing, none of these are deal breakers. If ...

  Read more

  Summary: I personally think the iPhone is one of the best phones on the market. I know that there are some crucial features missing, none of these are deal breakers. If you notice, nearly every new phone is immediately compared to the iPhone and there must be a reason for that.
  
  Cons:
  My major qualm with the iPhone is that AT&T's service isn't as good as Verizon's. Don't get me wrong, its decent service, its just Verizon's is better. Not really sure why they passed up this opportunity, but they've definitely lost customers because of it.
  
  Battery life could be better on the iPhone. Its pretty good, but if you start using it a lot, it drops significantly. Standby life is crazy, usage not so much. I would recommend turning off some features when not using them, definitely Wi-Fi, 3g in spotty areas, Location services, bluetooth, brightness, push and fetch settings.
  
  Lack of MMS is something that also bothers me. I'm not an avid user of MMS, but I like having the feature for when I do use it.
  
  Copy & Paste is something that others have complained about, but I don't really see the need for it. Others do, so I can see why they would want it. Its a basic feature.
  
  Pros:
  The design on the iPhone is really amazing. It really does set the standard for other phones. I've haven't encountered another phone that catches my eye more than the iPhone 3g. White or Black. It would be nice if it was a little thinner, but considering all that the phone does, it makes sense that its a bit on the thicker side. Nonetheless, it feels great in your hands. This also means it breaks your heart whenever you drop it. :(
  
  The UI compliments the design with its cleanliness and simplicity. Icons look great with the screen's resolution and so does the iPod's interface. Extremely user friendly as well.
  
  The 3g is a definite plus. I don't really know what people expect from this phone, obviously its not going to run as fast as a computer would or with Wi-Fi, but for me 3g is really fast and Edge isn't as painfully slow as people make it out to be. 3g does drain the battery a bit more, so keep that in mind.
  
  The iPhone essentially has an iPod touch built in and it's awesome. I have both so I didn't load all my music and videos and I use the iPod feature sparingly, again to save battery life. Its nonetheless a great feature to have and the speakers are decent for playing music/videos for friends.
  
  The camera is pretty good all things considered. Even though its only 2 megapixels, photos look great on it. It shouldn't be your digital camera, but its great for quick snapshots and contact ID's.
  
  Safari is probably the best feature on the iPhone. It's been labeled as the best mobile browser around and I agree. It really is like having the internet in your pocket.
  
  The application store allows for almost endless possibilities, Only issue is probably Apple's strict process of submitting apps. This is probably the only place where I feel the G1, is better than the iPhone, but only slightly.
  
  There are a ton more pros to the iPhone that I'm not mentioning. There's the Youtube app, Wi-Fi, iTines store, Mail with Exchange Support, Maps, and more.
  
  The iPhone is an all around great phone, not so much for business folk, but great for most. People tend to bash it for a bunch of reasons. I think a lot of people don't like that it has an Apple logo on it. You should keep this in mind when reading reviews. Its tough to find an objective one. I personally think its the phone to beat and thus far no one has done it.

  Show less

  2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 7 stars

  Good phone but many problems!

  by evan chase on September 2, 2008

  Pros: Great internet browsing, nice ipod, very good camera, the app store has great apps.

  Cons: No video recorder, no MMS, the AIM app crashes every once in a while, the phone will freeze up. It will sometimes shut down by itself.

  Summary: It would be great if it didn't have so many glitches! If it wasn't to late i'd exchange it for another phone

  Summary: It would be great if it didn't have so many glitches! If it wasn't to late i'd exchange it for another phone

  2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  iPhone vs. Belgium Laws

  by Robin VdP on June 12, 2008

  Pros: Top product for the price

  Cons: No video recording

  Summary: Apple is gone sell it in Belgium with mobistar.
  
  But the law doesn't allow excluding contracts in Belgium. So they have to sell it through proximus to.
  
  And Belgium
  
  
  
  ...

  Read more

  Summary: Apple is gone sell it in Belgium with mobistar.
  
  But the law doesn't allow excluding contracts in Belgium. So they have to sell it through proximus to.
  
  And Belgium laws don't allow dual sales. (sorry for my bad englisch)
  It means they can't sell the phone with the service plans of mobistar in one pack.
  
  Lets see if they got the balls

  Show less

  3 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 1 stars

  Not so great after all

  by iconemi on October 6, 2008

  Pros: very sleek, cute and looks professional... that's about it...

  Cons: to sensitive, very fragile phone... not so great when driving... cannot send ring tunes through bluetooth cell to cell...

  Summary: i find that this phone is in no way handy when driving because it has no voice dialing ( calling ) so basically you have to dial or answer before using the ...

  Read more

  Summary: i find that this phone is in no way handy when driving because it has no voice dialing ( calling ) so basically you have to dial or answer before using the ear piece ( bluetooth ) ... some laws like in Canada prohibit the use of hand held cell phones.. You cannot send ring tunes or recieve tunes from another cell orI-phone itself... i gave mine back in after1 week of usage.... when using the GPS it can rack up a pretty bill $$$$ ...not handy at all....i picked up a Sony Ericsson K850i.... now that's a phone i like..

  Show less

  2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Great phone! Check the dates on these other reviews

  by camron08 on January 11, 2009

  Pros: Reception, 3G Internet, Apps, GPS, WiFi, touch screen movements

  Cons: Needs faster email checking

  Summary: Before I finally bought an iPhone I decided to go to CNET and check some of the user reviews like I do when buying most of my tech gadgets. After ...

  Read more

  Summary: Before I finally bought an iPhone I decided to go to CNET and check some of the user reviews like I do when buying most of my tech gadgets. After reading what was said to be the most popular reviews on the site I was discourage. The phone I have been wanting fro a long time was getting terrible reviews on a variety of different topics. Then I looked at the date and saw that the majority of this bad reviews came During the months of July and August. Since then Apple has release updates to correct a lot of problems these people were complaining about. The latest one being in November. I sorted by date and found that the reviews had gotten much better and the next day I purchased the iphone.
  
  I previously owned a 1st generation Blackjack. I was very happy with that phone until I bought the iPhone. The iPhone reception improvement alone was worth ditching my old phone. I have owned the iPhone for 2 weeks now and have never dropped below 4 bars. Even in my underground garage where my Blackjack did not get a signal at all. The other great features are the speed for the 3G internet, the GPS and all the stuff you can get from the App Store. The functionality of the phone as well is above anything I have ever used. Apple has thought of everything when it comes to utilizing the touch scree.
  
  The only real complaint I have is with the email. Viewing, organizing, and moving emails works great with the touch screen. I just with it checked for new emails more often than it does. The majority of the emails I receive are via gmail and I find myself hitting the refresh button more often than I would like to.
  
  In conclusion, this is a great phone and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a quality phone with the added fun of all the different stuff you can do with this device. With 8 to 16Gb for memory, along with WiFi and bluetooth, the possibilities are endless.

  Show less

  1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• ...
• 20
• next

See pricing