Apple announces iPhone 4S

[haven]

iPhone 4S speed test

Gizmodo put the new iPhone 4S through data download and uplaod speed tests at their office in downtown NYC. Conclusion: "Wow, it's slow!" Read the results here

http://gizmodo.com/5849953/iphone-4s-test-notes-data-speeds-wow-its-slow

Here are the numbers for the data download test. All phones were receiving maximum bars. Each download was run 5 times and the scores averaged.

iPhone 4S, AT&T …1.47 megabits per second
iPhone 4S, Sprint … 1.18 mbps
iPhone 4S, Verizon … 0.58 mbps

AT&T should be faster because its network uses 14.4 mbps radios, and the iPhone 4S can take advantage.

iPhone 4, AT&T … 0.67 mbps
iPhone 4, Verizon … 0.58 mbps

This seems about right for 3G service in a crowded metro area.

HTC Amaze, T-Mobile … 11.38 mbps
Samsung Galaxy S II, T-Mobile … 9.78 mbps

The Amaze and Galaxy S II are the first phones to be able to take advantage of T-Mobile's new 42 mbps data service.

Samsung Galaxy S II, Sprint … 12.26 mbps

This phone of the Galaxy S II uses WiMax, and posted the fastest time.

Motorola Droid Bionic, Verizon … 10.1 mbps

The Droid Bionic uses Verizon's LTE network.

My conclusions, based on these results:

The AT&T version of the iPhone 4S is at least 25% faster downloading data, compared to the Verizon and Sprint versions.

The iPhone 4S is at least 6 times slower downloading data than Verizon LTE, Sprint WiMax and T-Mobile's enhanced HSPA+

 

[Corey]

10.1 mbps on the Bionic?
New York is slow compared to my 4G LTE speeds of 20+ mbps here in Washington state.

 

[dzzz]

The only need I see for high speed is video, which isn't a realistic mobile service for most people considering data charges. I'm much more interest in good coverage rather than high data speeds in urban areas where it's easy to find wifi as an alternative.

Wimax seems like a dead end, with Sprints interest now in LTE. The 4S data rate on verizon is disappointing. Good reason to wait for the iphone 5.

I'm still trying to figure out how all this fits with icloud and backing up camera files when traveling.

 

[bunduguy]

Got mine last week and loving it!

 

[haven]

Apple's support forum has received a large number of complaints about the battery life of the 4S. Apple has confirmed the issue, and has released an iOS software update to developers for testing. The operating system update should be released to the public in a week or two.

http://allthingsd.com/20111102/apple-some-ios5-bugs-prompting-iphone-battery-issues/

While we're waiting for Apple's update, you can achieve some improvement in battery life by turning off location services, diagnostic and useage reporting, iAds, and automatic adjustment of the time zone. Also reduce the frequency of checking for notifications. Here's one article that shows how:
http://gizmodo.com/5854933/how-to-save-your-iphone-4s-crappy-battery

 

[haven]

Siri, the iPhone 4S's voice activated personal assistant program, is widely viewed as the only truly revolutionary aspect of Apple's new phone. While other mobile operating systems have voice command software, they are primitive in comparison to Siri's ability to understand natural language.

It should be noted that Apple considers the current version of Siri to be a work in progress, with the occasional glitches and outages that beta software can produce.

Here's an article that describes how Siri is just the beginning of a new way to interact with computers, and why Google should be very, very worried.
http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/09/gary-morgenthaler-siri-will-eat-google/

 

[4xdog]

I have an iPhone 4, and got to play with Siri on a colleagues 4S. Astounding. One of those things I didn't know I needed until I saw it.

Don