Faster New iPhone 3G S Supports 7.2 Mbps Data, Video Capture

They call it the iPhone 3G S for a reason. The S stands for speed, and everything on the new iPhone is up to 2X faster or more. This includes opening apps, surfing the Web, e-mails, and more. The iPhone 3G S supports 7.2 Mbps HSDPA, a network upgrade that will be coming to AT&T later this summer.The 16GB model will sell for $199 and the 32GB will cost $299. They come in black and white, and go on sale June 19. The existing iPhone gets a price drop to $99 today. Look out, everyone else. The new device features a 3-megapixel autofocus camera. You can also tap to focus on a specific object. The iPhone 3G S also has a an auto macro mode, so when you get close to an object the function will automatically kick in. The new camera also captures video, and you can record 30 fps footage at VGA resolution. This could give the Flip a run for its money, although it’s not HD. Not only can you edit footage, you can put it up on MobileMe or YouTube or share via MMS (if the carrier supports it.) Apple predicts that the iPhone 3G S will be the most popular device for sharing video. And Apple will allow developers to tap into this feature, too. The new voice control feature looks pretty slick. Hold down the home button and a new interface pops up, complete with search terms floating by you can use. You can do voice dialing, as well as play songs by certain artists or tell your iPhone 3GS to start playing a playlist. You can even say play more songs like this, which taps into the iTunes Genius feature. A new built-in compass and compass app is on board. You can go right into Google Maps and it will orient to the direction you’re facing. This is a great feature that will make it easy to get your bearings. Another new feature is integrated Nike Plus functionality, so you can track your workouts and get your distance. On the business side is a new hardware encryption feature, which supports instantaneous remote wipe. Battery life is now up to 9 hours of web surfing vs. 6 hours, and improvement across the board in other categories is promised, including video and music playback. The current iPhone 3G will sell for just $99 (8GB version). That’s quite a drop, starting today. Overall, the iPhone 3G S doesn’t look all that different, but it’s the new guts that will make people want it. I just hope AT&T can ramp up its network to support 7.2 Mbps data fast enough to keep up with this speed demon.