I've always had mediocre-to-terrible service with my first-gen iPhone. My wife switched jobs and got zero reception at her new workplace. She's a nanny and a cell phone is an important tool to have, so not having service was not working out. We were going to switch back to Verizon, but discovered that Apple has a 30-day return policy on the iPhones, so we decided to try the new 3G models for a week to see if they worked better. And BOY do they ever!
First, I get much better service. I got 5 bars at the mall (inside the Apple Store, even), where I used to get zero to 2 bars. At home, I got zero bars to like, half a bar lol. Now I get a 4 bars. Calls are much much much clearer. The volume is louder. Speakerphone is still pretty useless, but at least I have a real headphone jack now! Yay! The shape is very nice, I like the smooth, tapered feel - it's a bit easier to hold. 3G is still pretty slow, but it's faster than EDGE, which is nice. I can actually download free apps within a minute or two now instead of 2-6 minutes.
The battery life is also much better, but that's probably because I've had my first-gen iPhone for nearly 2 years without a battery swap. The phone was 1/2 charged when I opened the box and I used it all afternoon, got a 20% battery left message, and kept right on using it on and off for another few hours. Still haven't gotten that 10% left message!
So overall, I'm very pleased with the upgrade. If you have a first-gen iPhone and your reception stinks and the battery is starting to go out, definitely think about an iPhone 3G. I can't remember the last time I got 5 bars consistently on my first-gen, lol. Whoohoo!
First, I get much better service. I got 5 bars at the mall (inside the Apple Store, even), where I used to get zero to 2 bars. At home, I got zero bars to like, half a bar lol. Now I get a 4 bars. Calls are much much much clearer. The volume is louder. Speakerphone is still pretty useless, but at least I have a real headphone jack now! Yay! The shape is very nice, I like the smooth, tapered feel - it's a bit easier to hold. 3G is still pretty slow, but it's faster than EDGE, which is nice. I can actually download free apps within a minute or two now instead of 2-6 minutes.
The battery life is also much better, but that's probably because I've had my first-gen iPhone for nearly 2 years without a battery swap. The phone was 1/2 charged when I opened the box and I used it all afternoon, got a 20% battery left message, and kept right on using it on and off for another few hours. Still haven't gotten that 10% left message!
So overall, I'm very pleased with the upgrade. If you have a first-gen iPhone and your reception stinks and the battery is starting to go out, definitely think about an iPhone 3G. I can't remember the last time I got 5 bars consistently on my first-gen, lol. Whoohoo!