Meet the New iPhone 3G S

Apple's iPhone has been the must-have smartphone since the first version launched in 2007. But that doesn't mean that the iPhone itself was perfect. Critics (rightfully) derided its low-quality camera, its lack of multimedia messaging, and its inability to capture video clips. Those critics are likely to be pleased with the new iPhone 3G S, which addresses many of these flaws.

Still, while the new iPhone 3G S may be a marked improvement over past versions, it's also facing much tougher competition. Its biggest challenge may come from the Palm Pre, Palm's buzzed-about new touch-screen smartphone. The iPhone 3G S also has to compete with improved BlackBerry devices, such as the Bold and the Curve 8900.

Price and Availability
The iPhone 3G S will be available on June 19 in two versions: 16GB and 32GB. The 16GB version will cost $199, while the 32GB version will cost $299.

But those prices are good for new AT&T customers or existing AT&T customers who are eligible for an upgrade. If you were one of the many who stood in line to buy an iPhone 3G last summer, you're not yet upgrade eligible. That means you'll have to pay $399 for the 16GB iPhone 3G S and $499 for the 32GB version.

Without any contract at all, you'll have to pay $599 for the 16GB version and $699 for the 32GB version.

Design
From the outside, the iPhone 3G S looks exactly like the iPhone 3G. It measures 4.5 inches tall, 2.4 inches wide, and .48 inches deep, and weighs 4.8 ounces. Like the iPhone 3G, the new model comes in black and white versions, and sports a 3.5-inch touch screen.

Most of the changes to the iPhone 3G S have been made on the inside. Battery life is supposed to be better, and storage capacity has been doubled to 16GB and 32GB. Apple also says the iPhone 3G S runs twice as fast as the iPhone 3G.

Web Browsing
The speedier performance of the iPhone 3G S extends to surfing the Web, Apple says. The phone will support AT&T's upgraded HSDPA network, which can reach speeds of 7.2 megabits per second. (Note, though, that AT&T's network is still being upgraded, and the process is expected to continue for two more years, so those high speeds will not be available everywhere.)

Like previous iPhone models, the 3G S runs the mobile version of the Safari browser. This provides, hands down, the best mobile browsing experience available today. You can see entire Web pages as they were meant to be displayed, and can zoom in and out with ease.

Software
The iPhone 3G S comes with the most recent version of the iPhone Software -- version 3.0 -- installed. That means it offers instant access to many of the features that users have been clamoring for, including cut and paste, universal search, and a landscape keyboard that works in most applications.

The iPhone doesn't come with a lot of individual applications installed on it, but it does come with easy access to Apple's App Store. The App Store allows you to browse through thousands of applications (both free and paid), and select titles to download directly to your phone. If you're looking for software for your iPhone, you'll find it in there. The App Store revolutionized the way we get software on our smartphones, and for good reason: It's incredibly easy to use, and incredibly useful.

Messaging
The notable new messaging feature on the iPhone 3G S is support for MMS, or multi-media messaging. This means you can send pictures and videos by SMS, rather than having to send them via e-mail. Past iPhone models allowed you to send plain text messages only. The caveat here, though, is that MMS will not be available until AT&T is ready to offer it, and that's not likely to happen until later this summer.

Other new e-mail features include the ability to search through your e-mail messages and contacts, as well as the option to use a landscape-oriented keyboard when composing messages.

Camera
The camera on the iPhone 3G S is one of the major improvements over past models. It's been upgraded from 2 megapixels to 3 megapxiels, and adds autofocus. It also adds the ability to capture video clips at 30 frames per second. It even includes on-board video-editing software.

Music and More

The iPhone 3G S will retain the excellent iPod features found on previous versions, but will sport a few upgrades. Thanks to the iPhone 3.0 software, you'll be able to rent movies and videos directly from the phone, using iTunes. In the past, you had to purchase or rent most video content on your computer, and then manually transfer it to your phone.

Additional features include a voice control interface, an included digital compass, support for Nike + technology (which allows you to sync workout data with your computer), enhanced GPS capabilities, and support for stereo Bluetooth.