Apple premieres iPhone 3GS

Presenting at the 2009 WWDC keynote, Apple has announced the iPhone 3GS. Said to use the same exterior design as the 3G, the interior is nevertheless described as "entirely new," able to load apps two to three times faster, and render websites as much as three times faster. OpenGL ES 2.0 rendering is present for games, and the phone's HSDPA reception is now rated at 7.2Mbps instead of 3.6Mbps.

A new three-megapixel camera with autofocus is present, which should also have better ISO sensitivity, as well as macro capabilities. Video capture has been confirmed, rated at 30fps in 640x480 resolution with audio. Videos can be shared via e-mail, MMS, MobileMe and YouTube.

A new voice-dialing function is enabled by holding the Home button, which pops up the voice control and enables "call" or "dial" commands. The control scheme can also be used to play iPod audio, by speaking an artist or playlist name, or saying "play more songs like this" to spawn a Genius playlist. Asking "what's playing now" will read out current track info.

Other features include a magnetometer with a compass app, and hardware support for Nike+, as well as data encryption including iTunes backups. Battery life has been raised to nine hours for Wi-Fi, 10 hours for video, 30 for music, 12 hours for GSM calling and 5 hours for 3G data.

A 16GB model will cost $199, while a 32GB phone will be $299. Black and white colors will be options for each; the iPhone 3G is expected to remain available in 8GB form for $99. The 3GS ships June 19th in regions including the US, Canada, France and Germany.

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