Without a doubt one of the best and most leading edge features of the iPhone 3G is its user interface (UI).
It really helps the 3G stand out from the crowded market of also ran smart phones with their outmoded and outdated UI's.
Apple has a history of making head turning UI's dating back to the original Mac and continuing through the many generations of the iPod.
The iPhone 3G arrives without a stylus or a hard keyboard.
This can be a little daunting at first as its very apparent that you are going to have to use your fingers but after a little familiarisation and practice it becomes very natural and effective.
Using your finger to interact with the phone begins to feel right.
In iPhone 3G speak these are called Gestures.
We often found ourselves using our fingers on the other smart phones we have owned (generally because we had misplaced the stylus and the spares) but they never quite worked as well as we would have liked mainly as they weren't designed to be used that way.
Enter the iPhone 3G.
No stylus to lose and you always have your fingers, well, at your fingertips! And now, the good stuff and how to get the best from your iPhone 3G with a quick run through of its gestures: - The Single Tap - this is the most regularly used and most obvious one.
If you want to select something whether it's an application, a track on the iPod or a contact to call, simply tapping the icon with your finger will do the job nicely.
The Double Tap - an extension of the single tap.
If you are viewing a picture, video, web page or email the double tap will zoom in.
To zoom back out, just double tap again.
If you are viewing the map the double tap will keep zooming in to more and more detailed view.
A two-fingered double tap will zoom back out.
Press and Hold - if you are using the Safari Browser application and you find the text on links too small to read there is a shortcut to save you having to zoom in on the page.
Press and hold your finger on the link and the iPhone 3G will bring up a balloon with the link in larger text making it easier to read.
This can eliminate the need to fumble for your reading glasses.
In a Pinch or Un-pinch - Now this is probably going to take a bit of practise as it is a somewhat strange gesture to do to your iPhone 3G.
Ladies with long nails may want to try pinching with sides of your fingers.
Try a few methods to find the one that suits you best.
Pinching the screen involves placing two fingers on the screen (most people find it easiest to use their thumb and forefinger but you can use any two fingers) and bring the fingers together on the screen in a pinching movement.
This will reduce the screen areas.
To expand the screen, again do the move in reverse in an un-pinching motion.
This technique can be used in most applications.
The iPhone 3G Drag - If you have un-pinched (expanded) your screen and the bit of the screen you want to see is no longer on the screen, you place a finger on the screen and drag it up, down, left or right.
You do this until the area of the screen you want to see is visible.
You can also use this technique when you are reading an email, note or list.
For example when your are viewing the iPhone 3G track list, use this gesture to scroll up and down the list in a controlled manner.
Swipe - The swipe allows you to delete text messages and emails and to switch panes in the iPod, Safari Browser and Weather applications.
To perform the swipe place your finger on an item, for instance a read email, swipe your finger across the screen either left or right and you will see a red Delete button appear.
You can then press the button to delete or just press the item again to remove the delete button.
This is another technique that may require some practise to perfect.
Flick it Fast - if the drag is too much of a drag, and you want to quickly zoom through your list of 400 tracks then flick your finger across the screen.
This uses the same technique as you did with the drag but with speed and you will see the list rush across the screen.
All Stop - the flick wouldn't be much use if the thing you want to access just flew past your eyes with no way to stop it.
This is where the Stop comes in.
When you want to stop the screen do a single tap and the screen scroll will stop.
With a little practice you will soon be flicking, pinching and swiping your iPhone 3G into submission.