In the iPhone 3GS during the conversation test. The “guards” DVD just there to simulate the user of the phone to the ear, thereby shutting off the screen. Music from the Zune is being played through the phone MICS.

(Credit: Eric Franklin / CNET)

Last year I had a bone to pick with Apple not including a call feature on the iPhone. Not a big deal for most people, I am sure, but when it comes to talk about testing here at CNET Labs, I can not think of a more useful function.

Last year, the iPhone 3G, I was able to circumvent this inconvenience by tracking the phone “Time since last full charge” duration. This figure, as you might guess, tells you the amount of time that has passed since the last time the phone is fully charged. So, what I should do was to charge the phone completely run the test, wait until the battery dies, plug it back and make sure that number.

This worked fine in the past year, and since the current round of iPhone 3G and 3GS testing, I get a very wide range of outcomes - so diverse, that I can no longer rely on this method.

No question, but since the latest iPhone OS 3.0 update function call. I realized I just created a test call - which includes the tape earbuds with MP3-player with a microphone in the iPhone and the landline phone, calling to landline phones, as well as the expectations of the battery dying. Then I came back a few hours, and the delicious results are waiting for me (types of iPhone-testing results crock pot).

Again, I slapped me back to reality, as, unfortunately, several times I tried using the call to the functions of 3G and 3GS I was a bit of luck. Obviously, if the phone battery is dying in the middle of the call, the duration of a call that is not stored in the phone .– another checkpoint.

The ban was sitting around monitoring multiple phones (3G, 3GS and Palm Pre), waiting 10 to 12 hours of their death - and I am around in the hope that, when in fact happening - my only option is to connect to AT & T wireless site and access to the duration of the call from there. Of course, nothing could be easier. As it turns out, we only have the account information on one of the phones. Apple told us that he either does not or can not access (they are not very clearly) Include information on 3GS.

Thus, as suggested by me, our resident iPhone expert Kent German, I decided to switch to SIM-card into the 3G (which we have the account information) and use it to 3GS. While testing the application of this method will take twice the time, at least, the results will be accurate.

None of this would not be so bad if, in addition to the talks of testing, I did not have to test the phone on the web site to download the performance (via 3G and Wi-Fi); the battery during the term of music, and the battery during the term of videos - each on 3G, and flight mode.

In addition, we face a test at least twice to ensure accurate results. In addition, music can take the test up to 35 hours or more. A video test, which lasted from 8 to 12 hours, requiring me to attend all the time, due to the lack of iPhone video replay function. I am obliged to go back and restart a movie every two hours. I can monitor the audio, no problems, thanks to the device, referred to here.

Here’s hoping that next week, all testing is completed, and we will be free from the iPhone testing … at least one year.