Tech

A phone to love

After nineteen months I've upgraded my mobile. Normally I like to run kit into the ground but this time the shiny goodness drew me in. (My previous mobile lasted four years; my iPod lasted five and my compact digital camera is now six.)

The new iPhone as well as the corresponding software update have got a fair amount of press, but there are still a few features which I've not seen mentioned elsewhere.

1. iPod now lets you listen to podcasts at 2x speed. Perfect for those podcasts which prattle on way too long.
2. The iPhone 3G S adds support for VoiceOver. I think this makes it the first touch-screen phone which can be used by partially sighted and blind people.
3. Built-in compass and GPS - they seemed like gimmicks initially, but they're actually very handy when on foreign territory.
4. Apple's charger-shrinking has probably reached its limit - the new charger is now smaller than a standard mains plug.
5. A headset with built-in volume control.

The big improvements are all hidden though. Once developers have got their heads round the additions we ought to have an exciting year of new apps for this little toy. I'd love to work out how to make my living out of writing software for this thing; feel free to donate to me your app ideas!