It’s been more than a year since we got the original iPhones … so when Apple announced the new hardware version for the iPhone, I figured it was probably worth getting.   The new version has a lot of features that I wanted … and, frankly, thought should have been in the first version.

I ordered new phones for both Ginny and I … it was a bit of a pain, because I had to place two separate orders for the phones … the Apple store wouldn’t let me order both at the same time.

Yesterday the phones arrived yesterday (Friday) and mine was quickly setup.   It didn’t take very long at all.   If nothing else, I have to say Apple & AT&T have the setup process down pat.   I did hear about some activation problems, but we encountered none of them.

The general form factor of the new phone is pretty close to our old phones (1st gen, not the 3G), although not perfect … so cases we had didn’t fit correctly.

A few things I really like about the new phone …

• Improved CPU speed is very obvious.   Web pages load faster, applications seep snappier, etc.
• The voice command is very nice.   It responds quickly without problems.
• The GPS location is much nicer.   As I don’t think I’ll be using the iPhone for navigation, I don’t really have a specific use for the compass.
• The video record feature might end up being nice … we’ll have to see about that.
• It will work with standard head phones … no need for an adapter that accommodates the sunken jack in the old phone.

A few things that I don’t like about the new phone…

• The voice command, although nice, doesn’t work over bluetooth.   This is a significant disappointment. It appears that the next version of the iPhone OS (3.1?) will allow voice command over bluetooth.
• Ginny’s current iHome clock radio won’t charge it.   We ended up having to buy a more current version of the same radio.
• Similarly, the sync / charging cable that I had at the office (granted, a cheap one) won’t charge the phone either.   I have to get a new cable for the office.
• Although not Apple’s fault … the fact that MMS and Tethering aren’t available on AT&T yet is an annoyance.

All in all, I’m not entirely disappointed … but not as happy as I could be.   To me, the biggest problem is the lack of voice dial over bluetooth … maybe Apple will fix that?