Apple Unleashes iPhone 3G S at WWDC

By Nick Mokey June 8, 2009

Apple Unleashes iPhone 3G S at WWDC

Confirming long-standing rumors of a new iPhone for 2009, Apple officially released the iPhone 3GS at its Worldwide Developer’s Conference in San Francisco on Monday. The beefed-up iPhone will include a faster processor, better camera with video capabilities, and a handful of other updates, such as a software compass.

Despite an exterior that looks nearly identical to the existing iPhone, the 3G S has received a processor transplant inside, and up to 32GB of memory as well. Apple claims the faster processor will allow it to load Web pages and application up to two times faster in some cases, as well as enable better 3D graphics.

Besides leaping from 2.0 megapixels to 3.2, the camera will now include auto-focus, auto-exposure and auto-white-balance, which should help it better compensate for a range of shooting conditions. It will also shoot video now, to tune of VGA quality (640 x 480 pixels), and users can edit video directly in the phone, then upload directly to MobileMe or YouTube.

Apple has also addressed one of the other chief complaints from the last-gen phone: battery life. According to Apple’s own specs, the 3G S will get five hours of 3G talk time and 24 hours of music playback.

Users will also notice a new compass running on an internal magnetometer, tethering capability (though details from AT&T haven’t yet been released), support for the lossless A2DP Bluetooth format, and voice control.

The 32GB and 16GB iPhone 3G S will replace the existing iPhone 3G at the $299 and $199 price points, respectively, while a new 4GB version of the existing iPhone 3G will sell for $99. The iPhone 3G S will go on sale June 19.

Editors' Recommendations

Managing Editor

As Digital Trends’ Managing Editor, Nick Mokey oversees an editorial team delivering definitive reviews, enlightening…

Mobile

Best prepaid phone deals: Android, iPhone, flip phone

episode 209 https cdn cnn com cnnnext dam assets 190910135448 20190910 apple event iphone 11 02

Buying some of the best phones on the market can be expensive, especially if you don't really need anything that fancy. Of course, you could always take advantage of some great phone deals, but even those can sometimes cost hundreds of dollars, and that's not even taking into account the cost of the plan you're locked into. As such, prepaid phones are a great alternative since you can get cheap phones at a very budget-friendly price while not locking yourself in a particular plan.

There are, of course, some downsides, and we do go into that a bit at the end, but in the meantime, we've collected our favorite prepaid phone deals below. While these aren't the best phones you can get, quite a few of them come from the best Android phone brands out there.
Straight Talk Samsung Galaxy A03s -- $40, was $60

Mobile

Are you having iPhone alarm problems? A fix is coming soon

A person holding the Apple iPhone 15 Plus.

If you’ve slept through an important meeting or missed your alarm lately, it may not be entirely your fault if you’re an iPhone user. For weeks now, iPhone users have been reporting on social media that their devices are no longer ringing.

Today, The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern finally confirmed this. According to Stern, Apple has confirmed that it’s aware of the issue causing some alarms not to play a sound and is working on a fix.
iPhone alarm issues explained
The iPhone alarm problem seems to be tied to Apple’s Attention Aware features. For those unfamiliar, it’s a feature that lowers the volume sound of your alerts and alarms if you’re looking at your device and avoids dimming the screen, similar to how Samsung phones keep the screen on if they see you looking at your screen.

Mobile

Best iPhone 14 deals: Unlocked and refurbished

The Apple iPhone 14 Pro's camera module

While the iPhone 15 may be Apple’s most recent iPhone release, that only makes the iPhone 14 a better way to save. The iPhone 14 isn’t far removed from being among the best phones on the market, and it’s still a powerhouse option for most smartphone users. There are a lot of ways to save on an iPhone 14, with shopping refurbished models being one of the best. You'll get a good warranty and a large return window shopping refurbished with most major retailers, which makes them some of the best iPhone 14 deals you'll find. With so many to take advantage of right now, we thought we’d do the heavy lifting and put all of the best iPhone 14 deals together in one place. Reading onward you’ll find some impressive savings on all models of the Apple iPhone 14.
Apple iPhone 14 -- from $479, was $699

With the Apple iPhone 14 you’re getting what is still one of the most popular smartphones on the market. This is the iPhone 14 model that’s meant for everyone. It holds back a few features you can only get on the Pro model, but it still has an impressive 6.1-inch display, an impressive camera, and dozens of ways to personalize your iOS experience with widgets and fonts. The phone can reach up to 26 hours of battery life on a single charge, and it’s powered by Apple’s A15 Bionic chip. Face ID, emergency SOS via satellite, and super fast 5G cellular connectivity round out the top features of the Apple iPhone 14.
Buy Refurbished at Amazon — from $479