3G iPhone / iPhone2 / iPhone3G

Michael · Last edited by Michael on Mon Jun 09, 2008 1:40 pm; edited 2 times in total

Thought I would start a thread on the upcoming 3G iPhone, now called iPhone3G

On the day the first iPhone came out, we wrote a blog entry on it:

iPhone EVDO

We were disappointed that the iPhone didn't have 3G but only offered EDGE speeds. Many people that rely on data have found this issue as well (unless you are near a WiFI Hotspot).

Fortune has some specs on the upcoming iPhone3G, which include:

* Price: $399 for 8GB, $499 for 16GB, possibly $599 for 32GB (TGDaily, citing “industry sources”)
* Timing: Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference, presumably on June 10, during Steve Jobs’ keynote address. (ditto)
* Body: Less “plasticky,” 2.5mm thinner (current dimensions are 115 x 61 x 11.6mm). (ditto)
* Accelerometer: Re-tuned. (ditto)
* Bandwidth: Up to 7.2 Mbps from Infineon (IFX) S-GOLD3H chipset (ZiPhone, see here)
* Camera: Higher res (3 megapixel) (Silicon Alley Insider, citing “a friend of a friend” who claims to be a beta tester)
* Video: Video recording capability, upload directly to YouTube (ditto)
* Added to apps: Contact searching, meeting invites (Engadget SDK screenshots)
* Available unlocked: In Australia, starting last week of June. (MacTalk, citing Apple resellers)

All the above of course are rumors, BUT, if true, what do YOU think? Would you purchase a iPhone3G when available?

Keep in mind that this would only work on AT&T HSDPA network - which is not as widepread as Verizon or Sprint.
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mhtyler · EVDO Heavy User Joined: 01 Jul 2007 Posts: 132

HSDPA is so slow here isn't it? Overseas its quite fast. In South Africa I got speeds consistently over 2megs down, and voip worked quite well, and the service was fairly ubiquitous.

Here the service is apparently slower, which is not compensated for by its lack of ubiquity.

What good is a sexy phone if it can't perform? ...or is that changing on ATT?

I have a Mogul Rev A right now, and I've decided that fat can be pretty sexy.

I'll be keeping an eye on this, but I don't intend to switch to a slower and less available network for a more expensive phone.
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firedude · EVDO Junkie Joined: 26 Mar 2007 Posts: 414

I agree. I wouldn't switch to either carriers and especially for a slower service. I already have a Samsung i760 and simply connect through my MBR 1000 using the WM6 interface. Works great. I would just be throwing the money away and degrading my service at the same time. for the customers of the above mentioned carriers it may be great. By using my phone with the WM6 interface I can connect to any router from any service practically with no problems, so I'm not limited to any one carrier if I choose so.

kalen43 · EVDO Heavy User Joined: 30 Apr 2007 Posts: 129

I saw the new instinct demo'd and while it doesn't have some of the iphone functionality I was still impressed with it!

xchpstang · Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 12:41 pm Post subject:

ATT is supposed to have some full scale 3G rollout in 2008 so it may be worth it. I have ATT for work and wouldn't mind trying this. I absolutely will not do this if it's any harder than swapping my SIM card. If it's still the same BS of itunes activation, renew contract, special plan, etc.. I won't bother.

orangepeel · EVDO User Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Posts: 31

I like the iphone,but in my area Spring is king in the 3g market,so the iphone is a no go for now.

I'm looking forwaed to seeing what will come out of the Google Android phone.I watched some videos of it on utube,and it looks pretty durn nice.....so far.

capnben · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 14 Mar 2007 Posts: 11

I am on AT&T, so I would be tempted by a 3G iPhone, even if it doesn't have the coverage of Sprint. I love my AT&T service, and for where I work, it beats Verizon/Alltel hands down. What I find interesting is the rumor that the next batch of iPhones will be subsidized and if you are signing a new contract (which has thus far been required) AT&T will discount the iPhone by $200. That will make a huge different in how many they sell!

Ben

thomasz · EVDO Newbie Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 9

AT&T will discount the iPhone by $200. Do you know when exactly they discount?

Alex · Site Admin Joined: 19 Sep 2006 Posts: 1893

At today's WWDC, Steve Jobs announced the new Apple iPhone 3G. Major features over the previous generation include compatibility with AT&T's 3G network for faster data, built-in GPS navigation with Google Maps, enhanced enterprise support, and more. It also differs from the previous iPhone with its plastic back (the old one has a metal back) and flush headphone jack. It still has a 3.5" screen and features at least 5 hours of talk time (more if you switch off 3G).

The new iPhone is $199 for Black/8GB for $299 for 16GB in Black or White. It will be available on July 11 only at retail Apple Stores and AT&T Stores. (It can't be ordered online.)

Sigh. Still no EVDO.

jackrodgers · EVDO Addict Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 1127

If those prices are correct then the plastic back cuts $200-$300 off of the price! Those prices are quite competitive.

A few weeks ago I was in the Boca Apple Store and played with the iPhone and the iNotAPhone. The iNotAPhone dowload video off of wifi quite quickly but the iPhone was really slow and jerky. Hope this improves.

SammySlim · EVDO Newbie Joined: 19 Nov 2007 Posts: 10

Does anyone know if the new iPhone 3G will do tethering? I fear not because I didn't see anything about it on the Apple site.

Michael · Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 6:57 pm Post subject:

Those prices are when you purchase with a *new* 2 year contract, just like all the other carriers do, the iPhone3G is now subsidized for the carrier. So, you get a much better price, but you have to sign a new 2 year contract.

Most likely, for those that purchased the current iPhone, wishing to upgrade to the latest and greatest - they will either pay a much higher price OR add another 2 years to their existing contract (just a guess).
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dima · EVDO User Joined: 20 Mar 2008 Posts: 82

xenophon · EVDO Addict Joined: 30 Aug 2005 Posts: 1969

I don't think bluetooth on 3G iPhone has a DUN profile to allow tethering. I do wish the iPod Touch had a DUN BT profile. Then you could connect to most any EVDO phone with DUN and essentially have a 3G iPod on EVDO.

Apple is too restrictive for me anywho. Not even an SD slot. If the iPhone were like a true relatively open PDA platform, I'd be much more interested.

Price is great though, but apparently only for new contracts? What's the price for existing contracts?

dima · EVDO User Joined: 20 Mar 2008 Posts: 82

Reading some more material, I learned that almost ALL BT profiles, including BT DUN, stereo BT (A2SD-whatever) OBEX and just about all the others are NOT offered so now I'm thinking no USB modem support either. No Flash support in the web browser.

Wheras Opera 9.5 is kick-ass on win-mobile phones it's been seen on so far, can't wait till it pops on their website. So I think the new Samsung (8 Gig + SD slot) or HTC will be better choices when they hit the States. Who knows, they might even have dual mode HSPA/EVDO chips in them but all being said I think the iphone 2.0 looks like another noper for me.

Oh, and will iphone's GPS be included with the data plan? Or will it be an EXTRA $10 a month?