In the past, upgrading your older iPhone model to the latest OS release is a no-question decision.  With Apple's latest iOS 4, however, you may want to keep your old setup instead.

Why?  For the most part, news we heard from folks still using their 2G and 3G devices isn't  all that favorable, with users reporting issues such as:

• Slow speed.  Yes, many people are reporting that iOS4 turns their older iPhone models into a laggy device.
• Lots of absent features.  The slower operation might be an acceptable trade off for the spanking new features, but too many of them just aren't available even with last-gen devices - more so than originally advertised.
• Voice and messaging problems.  We're not sure what's causing it, but some users have reported being unable to use either their handset's phone or messaging functions with iOS 4 in tow.
• Some of your apps won't work.  This will probably be fixed in due time after updates from the developers themselves.  If one of those apps turn out to be crucial to your day-to-day business, however, you're screwed.

If you'd still like to try (let's face it, we all want to), it's unfortunately not as easy.  Most people are reporting installs that take very long, so prepare to keep both your phone and computer busy with that for at least an hour or so (some users are reporting up to over three hours, but that may be the exception, rather than the rule).

Of course, direct installs don't work for everyone.  It would be too easy if it did, and where's the fun in that?  In that case, your likely best bet is to do an update and restore.  If you're not sure how to go about it, here's a quick rundown of the steps:

1. Upgrade your iTunes 9.2 to be ready for iOS 4.
2. Back up all your apps and data.
3. Once backup completes, click Restore in iTunes, which will refresh your device to its original state, then perform a firmware update to iOS 4.
4. When that's finished, restore all your apps and data from the earlier backup.

Good luck and don't worry - we haven't heard about anyone bricking their phones yet, so it's probably safe.

This week, Apple has been reported to be shipping iPhone 3GS handsets using a new bootrom, one that's expected to keep jailbreaking hacks at bay.  However, a source from the popular hacking group iPhone Dev Team, which publishes jailbreaking tools for the platform, says it only makes the process a little more cumbersome.

That means earlier news of a jailbreak-proof (seriously, though, nothing's ever exploit-proof at this day and age) iPhone 3GS isn't even close.  With the new hardware, users will be required to connect to a computer before being able to power up a jailbroken iPhone 3GS that's been shut down.  Obviously, if you never turn off your handset, you won't be affected.

In a conversation with Wired.com, team member Eric McDonald explained that the current set of tools will continue to work for the latest batch of shipments.  While the new bootrom disabled the "24kpwn" exploit currently used in the process, he said that the tool merely made it easier to boot up the phone after shut down.  With the change, you can no longer boot solely via the handset.

Is it a hassle?  Most definitely.  Imagine running out of power on the road.  Sure, you can charge at the nearby Starbucks, but without an available computer, you can't turn the phone on.  At the least, jailbroken devices will feel like an impractical burden.  Will it discourage people from jailbreaking?  I doubt it.

According to the Dev Team, they have also found a new exploit that can potentially be used to jailbreak the new hardware without dealing with a tethered boot.  Implementing it into a new PwnageTool may take some time, however.  I have to say, though, that was exceptionally fast.

[via Wired]

Apple's recently-released iTunes 8.2.1 update, which the company says “addresses an issue with verifying Apple devices,” actually does something a little more specific than that. In particular, it draws up a list of hardware units that are allowed to sync with iTunes, barring those that are merely masquerading as Apple devices.

The prime target of the update, of course, is the Palm Pre, which has used the fact that it syncs seamlessly with iTunes (identifying itself as an iPod) as one of its selling points. While the Pre did manage that capably, pulling down songs, videos and podcasts like a natively-supported gadget, Apple wasn't so keen on the idea. In fact, the iPod-makers already dropped a hint about its plans for "unsupported third-party digital media players" with a knowledge base article last month.

With iTunes 8.2.1, Apple made good on its threat, dropping the ability to sync with the erstwhile iPhone 3GS competitor. Palm confirmed this with Down Jones, even going so far as to suggest that Pre users not upgrade to the latest iTunes update. Of course, that's as terrible a solution as you can think up, considering all future updates will likely come with the same facility anyway.

All is not lost, of course, for Pre users, who have a number of syncing options available at their disposal, albeit none of which are as convenient as iTunes. Users can copy files to the Pre, after all, much like a USB drive, although that's undoubtedly a more laborious process. There are also various third-party apps that can do the job, including The Missing Sync and DoubleTwist. If anything, I'll bet we'll see a few more pop up in the next couple of weeks, trying to bridge the gap the latest move by Apple creates.

With the iPhone 3GS now touting a variety of voice-controlled features along with video recording, it's only fair that a few more folks out there start asking for better microphone hardware to take full advantage of it. Brando's Flexible Mini Capsule Microphone looks to fit the bill, claiming ten times better audio reception than the iPhone's built-in mic.

Specially designed for iPhone OS 3.0, the mic offers plug and play compatibility, automatically available for use as soon as you slot it in. A flexible design allows users to angle it in any direction needed, a definite step up from the fixed bottom-fitted design of the handset's original hardware. That way, you can focus it directly to the audio source, resulting in better audio for video recordings, among other functions.

The mini capsule microphone gains up to 25 decibels, capably increasing both the clarity and quality of sound received by the phone. It comes with a jack cover and should work with all variants of the iPhone (3GS, 3G and 2G), along with several iPod models. Two colors are currently available - black and white.

Brando's products are particularly interesting because of their low price point. The Flexible Mini Capsule Microphone, with which they expect to bring voice and other sound recordings on the iPhone up a notch is available for $14.

Brand0

With all the talk of processing power and graphics accelerators in the new iPhone 3G S, people seem to be forgetting one of the phone's best features: iPod-quality music playback.  In truth, Apple has fitted both the new handset and its new OS with a few small updates to its media capabilities too.

Voice Commands. In the iPhone 3G S, you can now enter playlist commands by speaking them directly into your handset, ordering it to load up particular songs, albums or ones similar to what you currently have playing.  If you enjoy listening to music on your phone while doing other things (like driving or jogging) or just aren't interested in fiddling with the touchscreen, you can skip the whole finger motions and just voice your commands into the device.

Shake To Shuffle. Like the 4GB iPod Nano, the new 3G S allows you to shake your handset (as if saying, "What the hell are you playing?") in case you want to listen to a different song than the one currently on.  Just make sure to hold it firmly while you're rattling, lest you drop and damage your brand-spanking-new phone.

Better Search. With the 3.0 software, you can now conduct searches for new tunes either from the iPod portion of the handset or via the new Spotlight feature.  Once the search find its, just tap the ditty and let it play on.

Parental Controls. If you let your kids use your iPhone (or, worse, if they have their own), the OS now comes with a facility to disallow downloads of explicit and mature content from the iTunes Store.

While those changes aren't necessarily game-changing, they do offer a little more flexibility for those upgrading to the new iPhone 3G S.  What features would you like to see the iPhone's music facility to feature that is not yet there now?

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On the surface, the iPhone 3G S offers little separation from its previous iteration.  Opting to not fix something that isn't broken, Apple chose to update the new iPhone with a dose of performance upgrades, instead of cosmetic touches.  In fact, other than a very slight difference in weight and a new screen coating, there's really nothing to tell both versions apart.  For the most part, it's a difficult phone to review because it doesn't blow us away with features the way other new releases do.  Instead, it offers its improvements in less-superficial terms.

Inside, the changes become a little more pronounced, with a faster CPU, larger RAM, bigger storage, a new internal compass and an improved camera module.  Adding even more weight to the update is the release of iPhone OS 3.0, which coincides directly with the new handset's arrival.

S stands for speed and the 3G S lives up to the claim.  Every single software we tried, from native apps to downloaded games, ran faster when put through a side-by-side test.  The boot-up alone should clue you in as the 3G S starts up almost twice as fast as the older model.  If you think that kind of speed is not that big of an issue with your old iPhone, try to imagine the difference between using the same software on a three year old computer and a brand new one - the experience mirrors that.

Camera gets a much needed boost on this iteration, getting a bump up to 3 megapixels, with video recording and autofocus ("Tap to Focus").  Photo quality, as you can imagine, is considerably better than the 3G.  It doesn't offer that much difference from other camera phones, though, in that there's some occasional blurriness, along with less-than-desirable quality during indoor shots.  Apart from the VGA video capture (which is also decent), the phone comes with a pretty good editing application.  It's probably one of the most intuitive and useful video editors that I've seen bundled with a phone.

All the rest of the promised features - from stereo Bluetooth to voice dialing to landscape keyboard - are here, with the exception of MMS and tethering, although both are just temporary setbacks due to problems on AT&T's end.  As you well know, the phone also comes with a built-in magnetometer (which should pave the way for some cool compass-based apps, like in Android) and a beefed-up graphics processor.    One huge surprise out of all this, is that the iPhone 3G S actually fosters improved battery life compared to the 3G.  We totally thought it was a dubious claim on Apple's part, but our results seem to mirror the same conclusion.

On the connectivity end, however, we didn't notice any difference in both data and browser speeds.  It's obviously because AT&T is still in the process of upgrading their network.  We'll be sure to check back in once that 7.2Mbps HSPA implementation is rolled out later this year.  As a phone, call quality is on par with the 3G, although not as good as the original iPhone (which, in comparison, easily offered the best voice reception).

Overall, the iPhone 3G S is just as anticipated, with Apple living up to its promise in a better software and faster hardware performance.  Let's hope AT&T does so too and provides those much-delayed features soon.

Phone ReviewsiPhone 3G S Review: A Faster, More Powerful Handset In The Same Familiar Package
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On the surface, the iPhone 3G S offers...

Apple's latest handset, the iPhone 3GS, is now available for pre-order, sporting looks that are 100% identical to its predecessor.  Why fix a design that isn't broken, after all, right?  Instead of focusing on remaking the aesthetics, Apple chose to focus the update on where it really counts: performance.

The "S" appended to the old name stands for speed, a trait which the device offers in spades.  Sporting a new processor and more streamlined execution, the 3GS loads apps and renders websites up to 300% faster than the iPhone's previous iteration.  HSDPA reception has been updated to 7.2 Mbps, twice the data connection speed previously available over AT&T's network.

Now sporting a 3.2 megapixel camera module, the handset boasts auto-focus, auto exposure and auto white balance, along with macro capabilities.  Video support is also included (with geotagging, no less), allowing for 640 x 480 recordings at 30 fps, together with quick sharing of motion capture recordings via email, MMS, MobileMe and YouTube.  Even better, the camera functions are opened up for access by all the apps, allowing for some nifty applications likely to come our way in the near future.

Remember how people were touting the iPhone as a potential gaming platform?  That sounds even more realistic now, as the device comes fitted with hardware-based 3D support, paving the way for faster games with more complex graphics.  Touchscreen comes reinforced with a special oleophobic coating, which should help keep off  fingerprints much better than the handset's previous iterations.

Voice dialing also gets a nod, with the capability available both for making calls and issuing commands during media playback.  Other features include a magnetometer (available to the onboard Compass app, along with any other software that wants to use it), greener building materials, data encryption and increased battery life (up to 12 hours of talk time on 2G).

The iPhone 3GS, which comes in both black and white colors, is scheduled to ship on June 19th, with 16GB ($199) and 32GB ($299) models.

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Photo Credit: Gizmodo