iPhone 3G S: A week later

As the title suggests, I have had the iPhone 3G S for about a week. I switched from a Verizon Wireless BlackBerry Storm. I have had the two previous versions of the iPhone and have been using Blackberry off and on for about three years. I like to test drive the new release BlackBerries, but it seems I always come back to the iPhone. Here is a list of what I love about the iPhone 3G S (and iPhone 3.0 in general) and what is still needed (we can have everything, right?):

Likes:

1. The 3G S lives up to its hype about improved speed and performance; it is a huge jump in stability from the second-generation model. The phone operates with lightning speed and with little to no bugs.

2. Cut/Copy/Paste and a Landscape Keyboard are two needed and welcome editions to iPhone 3.0. I know some people say Apple was behind the ball in adding these features, but often when it does add new features, it does it right.

3. Video Recording on the iPhone 3G S is amazing. When it announced this feature, I was skeptical on what would be its performance. However, after two YouTube uploads, I am amazed at the quality, stability, and speed.

4. Voice Control is a welcome addition with the iPhone 3G S. This is something you could point to and say many other phones have long had this feature. However, as mentioned above, when Apple does add a feature, it does it right. This feature is more robust in comparison with similar voice control on other phones. We should have seen this feature coming when it introduced the new iPod Shuffle earlier this year.

Needed Improvements / Additions:

1. Maybe it’s just me, but I see no drastic improvement in battery life. I would say it is no worse than other smart phones, but I was hoping Apple would really raise the bar for this feature.

2. I think there needs to be better usage of the lock screen. I wish it could display calendar events and unread messages, not just pop-up alert boxes.  Seems to be a waste of empty space.

3. Maybe I am just missing this, and it’s there, but I would love a “mark all read” option in the email app, this is a feature I loved about BlackBerry.

4. Are you still not able to run apps in the background? I thought this was going to be made possible with 3.0. I would love for my XM Radio app to still be running when I am checking email or SMS, like the iPod feature does.

I will not even get started on, what I believe, is the epic fail of a wireless network – AT&T. No MMS or Tethering for the iPhone yet? Unacceptable.

Overall, the iPhone 3G S is a revolutionary device, and though it may not manage email like my BlackBerry did, the many other features it offers allows me to easily overlook that!

What are your likes / dislikes about the iPhone 3G S / iPhone 3.0?