theregoesdave

Yesterday Apple announced the latest version of its groundbreaking iPhone device, the 3G S to little fanfare. In it’s email to customers, Apple simply announced it as the next version of the iPhone.

Overall, the iPhone 3G S has a number of interesting new features. The iPhone 3G S builds on the iPhone legacy by including video capability with an upgraded 3.2 megapixel lens, voice control and turn-by-turn directions from TomTom.

However there are still a few basic smartphone capabilities missing in the 3G S. The biggest problem is that iPhone users will have to wait on AT&T, not Apple, to fix them.

The two most basic capabilities still missing from the mystical iPhone are MMS and tethering. I can’t think of another device that claims to be a smartphone that lacks these basic features.

The yet-to-be-implemented MMS means that iPhone buyers won’t be able to send their photos or video clips to other mobile phones. While iPhone owners can email their photos, people without smartphones will have to wait until they get back to a desk before opening them.

Tethering is the ability to share your phone’s internet connection with your laptop. Virtually every smartphone has the ability to tether, but often the wireless provider adds an extra fee for the feature. Not only does the iPhone 3G S have the ability to tether, so did the 3G and AT&T simply hasn’t gotten their act together on a service plan. For a year.

the new iPhone 3G S isn’t groundbreaking, but it looks like a reasonable upgrade from the 3G. however if Apple and AT&T can’t get their act together, they could get beaten to shreds by Google Android and the open source community.

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