new camera and video

Outside of the CPU and GPU, the 3GS benefits the most from an upgraded camera sensor. The 3.2-megapixel resolution is still well below that of some challengers, which are now often at 5 megapixels or higher, but through our testing it's clear that the new iPhone's camera is almost uniformly better than its predecessor and may be more useful than those of challengers. Without including other changes that affect output, images appear to be cleaner and less prone to noise in low light. It's still a bad idea to take photos in a dark nightclub or other areas, as Apple still doesn't include a flash, but it's much better than the at times all-too-grainy images of previous iPhone models when taken in less than ideal conditions. Colors are vibrant without being overdone and images don't seem to suffer the "smear" symptomatic of a poor-quality plastic lens.

The new handset is much more accomplished than that thanks to the addition of autofocusing. This has existed on many other phones but is particularly advanced on the iPhone 3GS through the touchscreen. Touching on a particular area of the screen now not only puts objects in that area into clearer relief but also adjusts the exposure and other settings based on that point. Effectively, it's spot metering without needing an SLR or an advanced point-and-shoot. Adding this one feature instantly transforms the quality of most iPhone images; it's now possible to get shots with a mild amount of bokeh (shallow depth of field) as well as to shoot macro images. You still won't replace a dedicated camera, but the change is enough that iPhone owners can be truly creative without resorting to accessories or being fortunate with their choices of subject.

Video recording, too, is new and is surprisingly well-executed for a first attempt even compared to companies that have had years of practice. Apple's recording scales up to VGA (640x480) at a TV-speed 30 frames per second and appears to maintain a fairly high bitrate that preserves much of the audio and visual quality. There are still signs it's not a camcorder: there are slight signs of the "wobble" inherent to a cellphone-sized sensor and lens, for example, and it doesn't handle transitions to bright or dark lighting well. Similarly, autofocusing also doesn't seem to be as dynamic as in still shots. Even so, it's visibly better than many modern phones with video recording. For comparison, the HTC Magic we recently tested not only records at a quarter the resolution but at a reduced frame rate as well as with more visible compression and optical artifacts.



The post-shoot software is enjoyable to use as well, albeit not without its limits. Editing a clip is as simple as dragging starting and ending points and tapping "trim." Uploading is also extremely easy and supports renaming, tagging and other common features for both MobileMe and YouTube. We had our test video online quickly and thankfully without stress. Our chief complaints center only on the complexity of edits: we don't expect iMovie, but it's not possible to keep multiple segments of a given clip or to recover footage that's been cut out. Still, we'll take the quality and rapidity of producing video, and we can see mobile-generated videos on YouTube exploding in popularity due to what Apple's accomplished at this early stage.

the compass

While it positions itself as a technology leader and certainly is one in mobile chips, the iPhone 3GS is actually late to the field in adding a digital compass, also known as a magnetometer. It now lets the iPhone indicate its direction without first needing to move, as the earlier iPhone did for those few apps that can recognize it.

For now, Google Maps benefits the most from the feature. Tapping the location button a second time now orients the map view relative to the iPhone's facing. This can be particularly useful for confusing streets or just for those without a good sense of position; we didn't find it critical, but it was certainly appreciated.

The same can't be said for the self-explanatory Compass app. Simply put, it strikes as loaded on to the 3GS solely to advertise the new hardware. There are a few niche uses such as hiking, but for the most part it comes across as a novelty.



As with the graphics technology, though, the compass will be useful in the future. Turn-by-turn GPS will benefit by providing more accurate guidance. We could moreover see Google Maps' Street View using it in the future should Apple choose to link the compass to the user's point of view, much as Android phones already do. No matter what happens, Apple has at least put in place a useful addition with groundwork for the future.

by Jon Fingas