IPHONE 4GS: SIMPLE REVIEW

The Apple iPhone 4S for Sprint makes it easy to call, take photos, surf the Web and play games - the tasks that most people want to accomplish with their smartphones.

Pros
>Excellent Web speeds
>Terrific camera >Solid call quality
>Siri is intriguing
>Lots of apps

Cons
>No 4G
>Poor social-networking integration
>On-screen keyboard is quite small.

Conclusions:
The iPhone 4S makes simple tasks easy and does them very well. It takes excellent photos quickly. It connects clear calls. It plays great games. It displays Web pages well. And it has Siri, an intriguing voice- command system that, like Motorola's Webtop technology, is clearly just at the very beginning of a long and interesting life. Sprint also has very good Android-powered phones, the Motorola Photon and theSamsung Epic 4G Touch ($149.99, 4 stars). They offer things the iPhone doesn't: bigger screens for easier typing, an uncrowded (if not terribly far-reaching) 4G network, free voice-enabled GPS navigation, and Facebook contact and calendar integration. But the Android Market is more of a chaotic bazaar than Apple's store, and Android's user interface is more of a mishmash than Apple's highly policed rows of apps. There isn't a clear winner here, and there doesn't have to be. Sprint has 50 million subscribers. I suspect with the iPhone, it will soon have many more. It has room for a great simple, petite smartphone, and for great smartphones with bigger screens and lots of options. The iPhone 4S brings most people what they want, very elegantly. For that, it's worthy of our Editors' Choice. And what of the devoted iPhone owner looking to upgrade or switch carriers? We intend to review all of the new iPhone's carrier models, so keep an eye out for that. Sprint offers unlimited data at lower prices, but potentially slower speeds than Verizon and AT&T do. The iPhone 4S is a no-brainer upgrade from the 3GS. For iPhone 4 owners, I think it really comes down to how much you need the improved camera. MY RATING ****