Testing the iPhone 3GS in Argentina

Two of Argentina’s top cellular phone companies – Movistar and Claro – last week said they will start selling the new iPhone 3Gs in Argentina.

I’ve been testing the new 32GB version of the phone for the past two months and can highly recommend it.

As someone who’s used numerous Blackberries, as well as all previous versions of the iPhone, I can say this is hands down the best phone I’ve ever had.

The iPhone 3Gs works splendidly on Movistar’s 3G network. It is noticeably faster than previous versions. Almost all applications work faster.

E-mails works faster, Apple’s Safari browsers loads quicker and all of the audio and video streaming features work very nicely.

Most importantly, perhaps, the phone’s GPS unit works smoothly, though it worked well on the 3G too. You can easily type in street addresses in Argentina and have the GPS application tell you how to get to your destination.

Argentina lacks a turn-by-turn GPS voice application for the iPhone but the GPS company Tom Tom will be releasing one in the near future, the company told me recently.

Meanwhile, killer applications such as National Public Radio’s real-time radio app allows you to tune in to U.S. public radio stations and listen live.

I often plug the phone into my car stereo and listen to NPR while driving to my office in Palermo.

The audio quality is generally very good, though sometimes the signal gets dropped momentarily while driving under bridges.

Games and other applications also work seamlessly. And the phone’s higher-quality camera and video editing features work well too, though low-lighting is still a problem when taking still photos.

For anyone who needs Internet access at all times in all places, the iPhone is easily the best phone on the market. For those who need instant access to email, however, the Blackberry still has a slight edge, in some ways, over the iPhone.

Blackberry’s fixed-rate international data roaming service is far better than anything offered by Apple’s carriers. But all in all, the iPhone beats the competition in almost every other category.

Apple’s Apps store offers a stunning diversity of applications for every interest, making the iPhone 3Gs the most versatile phone in history (and, no, I’m not getting paid to say that).

For a look at an extraordinarily revolutionary augmented reality App available only for the 3Gs, click here.

On top of that, the phone now boasts a 600Mhz processor and 256MB RAM, compared with 400Mhz and 128MB previously. In some ways, the phone is even faster than some older desktop computers.

The iPhone’s camera has been upgraded to 3 megapixels too, making it much less awful than before. It also has a new autofocus feature.

One problem for some expats in Argentina has been the inability to buy local cellular phone contracts without a national ID card, or DNI.

Movistar, at least, is aware that this is an issue and is looking at possible alternatives to allow foreigners to purchase contracts without a DNI.

My experience with Movistar has been generally positive. I do have a lot of dropped calls, however, and text messages are often delayed by long periods. I haven’t tried Claro’s service, and so can’t comment on its quality.

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