The iPhone 3GS has now launched in Singapore, and huge crowds are lining up in hopes of grabbing the new offering from Apple. The crowds have been so large in fact, that the first customer reportedly waited in line 11 hours. That’s a bit of a wait.

On average, a customer during the peak period will queue between anywhere for three to four hours. The carrier worked to create a festival atmosphere, including fireworks and a confetti drop. Customers waiting in lines even pass through a number of “experience zones” featuring additional entertainment. The presence of Felicia Chin, a popular local actress, also helped to build the crowd.

Lines were much smaller for the iPhone 3GS launch in the United States, although AT&T encouraged customers to pre-order for a shorter wait. SingTel expects large crowds to remain for several days.

The folks in Singapore clearly win the award for most iPhone 3GS love.

More of iPhone Singapore Launch via MacDailyNews.

Consumer Reports’ recently released their latest batch of smartphone ratings, and guess who was at the top? You guessed it, the iPhone 3GS. It should be noted that the 3GS just barely nudged out the Palm Pre, iPhone 3G, Samsung Omnia, Samsung Epix and BlackBerry Storm.

The iPhone 3GS performed at the top of the heap many categories. One category the 3GS did not perform too well in was voice quality. This is not surprising. One of the nagging complaints I’ve heard about the device is voice quality. Either the person on the other end can’t hear you, or vice versa. Or you crank up the volume to full and things are still faint. It’s certainly an area of concern for many that Apple needs to address.

The Palm Pre and BlackBerry Storm performed best-in-class in the messaging category. While, (not surprisingly) the Palm Pre proved to be the best in the ‘multitasking’ category. The Pre’s ability to do more than one thing at a time is a winner.

To sum up, Consumer Reports scored all devices from 0 to 100, and here are the top 5 and their scores:

1. iPhone 3GS: 73
2. iPhone 3G, Samsung Omnia: 70
3. BlackBerry Storm 9530, T-Mobile G1, BlackBerry Bold, Samsung Epix: 69
4. Palm Pre, BlackBerry Curve 8900: 67
5. LG Incite: 66

More of this via the Information Week.

Whether anecdotal reports of iPhones overheating are true or not, Apple has taken them seriously enough to reveal the presence of a temperature warning screen for the iPhone 3G and 3GS.

Here’s the deal: an unknown but probably very small number of iPhones have been affected by overheating, to the point that some white iPhone 3GSes have allegedly turned pink.

Apple, however, has issued what some might call a “common sense” warning: a support document that warns users not to keep the iPhone in an environment where temperatures can exceed 113 degrees Fahrenheit, including parked cars.

But Apple also warns that CPU-intensive applications, such playing music or using the GPS while in direct sunlight may also overheat the iPhone.

In that case, actually using the iPhone in temperatures over 95 degrees can also trigger the temperature warning. “Low- or high-temperature conditions might temporarily shorten battery life or cause the device to temporarily stop working properly,” Apple warns.

Obviously, summer temperatures in many locations top 95 degrees. So what will happen?

Apple also says that the iPhone 3G and 3GS should not be stored where the temperature can fall under -4 degrees Fahrenheit, or used in less in temperatures under 0 degrees F.

If the phone exceeds those temperatures, Apple says, the iPhone may stop charging, its display might dim, a weak cellular signal may be experienced, and the temperature warning screen on the left may also appear. Apple’s support document implies that there’s a temperature sensor of some sort built in to the iPhone 3G or 3GS.

If that happens, Apple says, you’ll need to let the iPhone cool down before you use it again, although the phone may be able to make emergency calls during that time. How long will that take? Apple doesn’t say.

The bottom line is to be a responsible user and everything will turn out well.

You can read the full official temperature advisory from Apple by visiting their website.