iPhone News Updated

The iPhone’s faster speeds make App Store sing

Posted by Eric Benderoff

I would have posted this sooner, but I just can’t put down the new iPhone 3G.

Blame the 3G speed. The faster network connection is such an improvement over the first iPhone that you’ll be hard-pressed to stop using the new iPhone because it truly has become a mini Mac in the palm of your hand. If you want a new iPhone because it has a phone … well, I’ll admit that is a bonus.

With the faster network speeds, there are several functions that benefit but none more than the new App Store. This is the reason for getting an iPhone. There are already more than 800 third-party applications available for the iPhone, and more than 200 are free. Thousands more are coming.

The Apps range from innovative games to software for budgeting your finances. There’s a photo capture program built into the Facebook App that adds an on-the-spot shot to your profile page. An expense reporting tool can take a picture of your receipts to streamline office accounting. You want fuel-saving tips? The App store has plenty of advice.

And there are so many radio programs offered that one could argue the iPod aspect of the iPhone is now obsolete. Well, at least it makes buying the 8-gigabyte iPhone ($199) a more acceptable option than spending another $100 for the 16gb model.

The Apps are a big hit already, with Apple saying Monday that more than 10 million were downloaded over the weekend. Apple also said it sold more than 1 million iPhones, worldwide, over the weekend. Existing iPhone owners can download the new software, of course, but not faster speeds.

Here are a few of the Apps I’ve been using—and I haven’t spent a cent on one yet:

AOL Radio. This ties in with CBS radio stations across the nation, so it provides a mix of local news, sports and music programming (that includes WXRT-93.1 and The Score in Chicago) with Internet-based stations that have themes like Super ’70s, Awesome ’80s and classic jazz. One drawback: The CBS stations work over 3G but the Internet stations seem to like only Wi-Fi access.

AP Mobile News. Headlines, photos and videos from the Associated Press. Freshly updated to keep you posted on what’s happening around the globe. The video is good, with roughly minute-long pieces, but there are not enough at the moment. One nice touch: You can e-mail stories directly from the phone.

Facebook. Not much different than the existing Web App but the chat function is a great addition for the iPhone.

A note about Web Apps vs. the App Store: On the original iPhone, one could add “Web Apps” since January. These are basically direct links, a shortcut of sorts, to the full Web page of a site of your choice. With the App Store, Apple lets developers create applications specifically for the iPhone.

This so-called “native” approach is better, but it’s not perfect.

For example, I prefer the Web App for the Typepad blogging software because it allows me to manage—track where the readers are coming from or approve comments, for example—the Eric 2.0 blog. With the new iPhone App, I can craft a blog post, take a picture (nice) or add a photo, but I can’t manage the content flow. Not useful.

Another iPhone 3G drawback: one needs a battery charger handy.

I left my house this morning shortly after 9 a.m. with a fully charged iPhone. By 4 p.m., I was getting low-battery warnings. I’ve been using the phone fairly constantly today (downloading Apps, playing on Facebook, listening to music and a too-brief test of the GPS) and that has taken its toll.

Yet all that usage provides the most telling aspect of why the new iPhone is so compelling: I only made one call.

Got a favorite App? Please share your thoughts.

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