iPhone 4S-- early in hands review.

As discussed on CBS Early Show this morning (link to come), here are a few of my thoughts on all things iPhone 4S.  I have had the opportunity for quite a few days to get hands on early and give it a spin.  I have an iPhone4 and a Blackberry so I am giving you the perspective from a previous user.

Was this iPhone 4S met with disappointment?
Most were expecting a full design overhaul and were disappointed because we kind of guessed all the updates heading in to the event.

But there are some notable features on the 4S:
·      Faster processor - A5 chip (same as iPad) its noticeably fater
·      Dual mode - GSM and CDMA 'World Phone'
·      Available on Sprint with unlimited data plans
·      Camera updates: 8MP camera, 1080p video recording

Siri - Reminder

·      Voice Recognition Feature: Siri  (hold down home button to access voice recognition feature) This feature is kind of fun – it will definitely save you a few seconds creating reminders using your voice “remind me to send that document at 1pm” or texts “Text mom and let her know I am running five minutes late.”  You can even tell Siri you love it and it changes it's response, “I hope you don’t tell other mobile phones that.”

Apple also announced record sales on pre-orders with 1 million sold the first 24 hours.

And some of the best features come merely on an operating system update iOS5 (available now) for current iOS users with an iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad or iPod Touch 3rd and 4th generation.  


Most notably this will give you :

iCloud – wirelessly store and send photos, documents and music to all your devices -- It is to be able to sync my photos and stead of iTunes music wirelessly - no cables! I know it sounds lazy but I get so annoyed finding the cables plugging it in – hitting sync, meh! I like to just turn on my iPad and the pics I took or the new songs I downloaded are there.

iMessage – The BBM killer - it lets you know when someone is writing you a text back, lets you know when you're message is read and sent.  I love this feature with Blackberrys - it can be dangerous though when you see someone has read your message and has not written back.  Note - this feature has to be enabled.

Find My Friends - take advantage of instantly pinpointing friends and family on a map.   This is a new app now available that allows you to locate anyone else on an iPhone (3GS to 4S) or iPod Touch (3rd and 4th generation) or iPad.  Sure there are apps that can track location but this is the smoothest option.

Cards - Also, another new Apple app option announced that I really like (especially for the holidays) is Cards.  While there have been others in the market for years, I always welcome a clean Apple approach.  In short - create a card and send anywhere domestically for $2.99 or globally for $4.99 on high quality stock.  When the post office scans the card, it will send you a push notification that it has arrived.  21 different designs in 6 categories.  Cool!

Twitter - Integrates nicely with iOS5.  Most notably when I want to quickly send a photo the Twitter button is there as an option for a quick push. (see pic)

Twitter as push option

Should I upgrade?
The million dollar question.  If you have an iPhone 3GS its time for an upgrade.  If you want a better camera and you have the iPhone 4 - it's worth the upgrade if your contract is up.  If you are looking to obtain your first smartphone - in my subjective opinion there is no better option.  I just put my two sisters and mom on the iPhone 4S.

For me it's all about the camera.  Our go-to camera should be the device that is on us 24/7 and for me that's where I turn to the iPhone.