There's a Map for That

This is good, and Apple must realize the customer explosion they could get if they drop the exclusive agreement in the US like they have in other countries.

Blackberry Bold Having 3G Connection Issues?

Well it looks like the 3G iPhone isn't the only hot new phone having connection issues on the 3G network. The Blackberry Bold is already in the hands of lucky bastards in German, Chil, and Canada tomorrow morning. But reports are coming in that the Bold is plagued by the same 3G connection issues that the iPhone has been dealing with. Rumor has it that the Bold drops you to the Edge network even when there's a perfectly good 3G signal.

That I'm sure sounds familar to some iPhone owners.

Citigroup analyst Jim Suva thinks this is why AT&T has delayed the release of the new Blackberry in the States. Until AT&T sorts out the iPhone mess (some speculate that it's hardware releated), Suva thinks that AT&T will not introduce the new Blackberry.

Sounds like AT&T only wants to deal with one issue at a time, and I can't really blame them.

[Electronista via Gizmodo]

3G iPhone is here - well July 11th

Yes, it is finally here. The second coming of the Jesus Phone (does that mean the apocolypse is near?)

Introducing iPhone 3G. With fast 3G wireless technology, GPS mapping, support for enterprise features like Microsoft Exchange, and the new App Store, iPhone 3G puts even more features at your fingertips. And like the original iPhone, it combines three products in one — a revolutionary phone, a widescreen iPod, and a breakthrough Internet device with rich HTML email and a desktop-class web browser. iPhone 3G. It redefines what a mobile phone can do — again.

UPDATE: Here's the specs page.

3G iphone Is Here!!!

The new 3G iphone is now official!!!!

Here are some of the dirty details.

• Available on July 11
• $199 for the 8GB model, and $299 for the 16GB
• GPS is confirmed
• 16GB model is available in white
• iPhone 3G customers will be $30/month with business users paying $45/month. This on top of the voice plan that you have to have, starting at $39.99.

[Crunchgear]

AT&T 3G Network To Reach 20 Mbps In 2009

photo courtesy of Gizmodo

AT&T said today that they will upgrade their 3G network to run at speeds at 20 megabits per second in 2009. Currently AT&T is running at 3.6 megabits per second, which isn't to bad right now. I'm sure all this has something to do with the likely hood that everyone and their mother owning a 3G iphone soon. AT&T states that it is in the test phase, and that they currently are running at 7.2 megabits in the lab. All of the upgrade will be software based and won't require any hardware upgrade, so 3G phones that you purchase now should be ready for the speed.

So the question is, will the speeds still be as fast with the entire world drinking from the same fountain?

[AppleInsider via Gizmodo]

Screen Shot Of 3G iphone?

One of the reasons that Lord Jobs said that he didn’t include 3G into the first gen iphone is because of issues with battery life. While I was hoping that the great magic Apple would have come up with a solution to the issue, it seems to still exist. If this screen shot is to be believed, it shows the option to toggle off the 3G settings in order to conserve battery life. I’m still hoping that Apple has improved the battery life on the new second gen iphone, so as to make this more of a convenience than a necessity.

Giving the user the option to turn off the 3G until it is needed has been the answer to other 3G capable phones. I just hope that Apple will figure out a way to make, battery life a non-issue.

Come on Apple…. Show me some of that “Think different” skills that you parade about!

[Chronic Productions via Crunchgear]

AT&T 3G iphone To Cost $199

Well this is certainly a good way for AT&T to keep people from running out and unlocking the new 3G iphone due out soon. According to Fortune, AT&T will subsidize the new 3G iphone as much as $200. Making the iphone as low as $200 with a soul sucking 2 year contract, which isn't that bad when you think about it. The catch is that you have to buy it from AT&T, as the 3G iphone will go for $399 and 499 for the 8GB and 16GB models at Apple stores. People who want to take their new iphone to T-Mobile or to export it will have to pay the higher price.

So buying straight from Apple will cost you extra!

Fortune's source also state that the 3G iphone does has GPS and is 2.5mm thinner, not thicker as previous reports. Fortune said that you'll know when it will ship, because Apple will cut off shipments of the original iphone to clear inventory.

Now if I could get one of those drones at Apple to tell me when shippments have stopped, my journey will be complete.

[Fortune via Gizmodo]

3G iphone Has GPS, Other Cool Stuff

Engadget got a tip on from some reliable sources who got a chance to test the second-gen iphone, which is said to be well under the testing phase. Here are some of the bullet points and details that the tester got to see:

• The first thing people will notice: the 2nd gen iPhone will be about the same size and shape as the first gen.
• It will, of course, have 3G. And proper GPS!
• The most noticeable physical difference is back of the phone is no longer metal -- the whole thing is glossy black, from top to bottom. The volume buttons are now chrome.
• Because it's got a little less metal to deal with, it doesn't have quite as many angular edges. The battery is (still) not removable.
• The phone itself will be slightly thicker than the first gen device.
• The headphone jack will no longer be recessed, and will finally be flush with the body.
• The device itself uses roughly the same size and resolution screen as the first generation product.
• No solid word on battery life or storage capacity.

The new iphone is set to be announced June 9th, with a release as early as July.

Thanks to Engadget for this info.

3G iphone To Cost $399

The rumor mill is churning again about the 3G iphone, and this time it's about price. According to tgdaily the 3G iphone which is said to be launched at the WWDC 2008, will cost $399 for the 8GB model and $499 for the 16GB. There is even talk about a 32GB model that will cost $599, although all of this is speculation.

It is also said that the new iphone will have a overhaul new look, but keep the UI and the OS that everyone loves. Personally I haven't used more than 9GB in my ipod, and that's including movies, photos, and music.

So I think the 8GB 3GB iphone will be just fine for me!!!

[tgdaily via Crunchgear]

Walt Mossberg Says iphone Will Be Here In 60 Days

Most rumors about the iphone have to be taken with a huge grain to salt, but Walt Mossberg has confirmed what we've all been waiting to hear. The version 2 iphone with 3G will be available in 60 days, and that makes sense considering that it will be the one year anniversary of the original iphone. This rumor is more solid because Walt gets his hands on the goods long before the rest of us mere mortals do. Along with Walt's statement, AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega has also hinted that the 3G iphone will be out by late May or early June. If you want to hear it from the horses mouth, check out the statement at the 6:53 mark on the video.

Hurray!!!!

[Crunchgear]

AT&T CEO Says 3G iphones Next Year: Really?!

Well in what seems to be the most non-news story that we've come across, the CEO of AT&T Randall Stephenson states that the 3G iphone will be here next year. No real date or anything useful like that, just next year!

Well duh!!!

The thing is is that we've expected this as the next step in the iphone, and with Apple on the schedule of releasing a new ipod/iphone every year, this was expected. What is said to be the delay is that 3G just kills battery life, and Lord Jobs is looking for a low power consumption chip set for the iphone.

Lets just hope that GPS comes in the next version, now that would have been new Randall!!!

[Gizmodo]

Nokia 8800 Gets 3G For $800 More

I remember when the Nokia 8800 first hit the streets, I instantly fell in love with this phone, until I saw the price. The Nokia 8800 had no touch screen, no 3G, no Wi-Fi, just a phone, Edge technology and a staggering sticker price of $800. That was two years ago, so with all the new features out today, you would think the price would've dropped by now? Nope!

In fact, the price is going up. Now Nokia is introduced two 3G edition 8800s, and jacking up the price to $1,470 for the Arte version of the 8800, and $1690 for the Sapphire Arte. But Nokia was kind enough to though in a 3.2 megapixel camera, 1G of on board memory, and anti-fingerprint coating.

Yay!!!

I know that this phone is Nokia's "flagship", but that's just plain dumb. I guess this phone was made for rich people ust to say "I've got a phone that you can't afford". If that's the case, well done Nokia, well done!

HTC Polaris Renamed "Touch Cruise"

Who's ready for the new HTC Polaris phone?

Hell, you might not have even heard of this smartphone, but this little guy has been talked about for a bit, and now is being renamed the Touch Cruise.

And you guest it, it has touch features now.

The phone comes with 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, GPS (I love GPS), Windows Mobile 6, and 3G, it also has built in FM radio (who uses this feature?).

It is expected to be out in November, but no word on pricing yet.

HTC Polaris Re-Christened HTC Touch Cruise [Newlaunches.com via Crunchgear]

Nokia's N95 Is In The Wild

Well if you're lucky enough to live in Chicago or New York, head on down to the Nokia store and check out the new release from Nokia. The much anticipated N95 with 3G from Nokia has finally hit the streets, and it looks pretty sweet. The phone is shipped unlocked so you can choose which ever carrier you would like (hello Apple), but the phone is going to set you back $700.

Wow!!!

Check it out after the cut. [Product Page via Crunchgear]

iphone To The UK Nov. 9th: No 3G

The announcement for the iphone hitting the UK shores is here, and November 9th is the date. O2 will carry it, and the price for the Jesus phone will come in at £269 for the 8GB model only, and WILL NOT have 3G as rumored. This is very disappointing for not only the UK, but also for the US fans waiting to get the next version of the iphone with the 3G technology.

So Apple will beat the drum of how O2 is hooking up with 'The Cloud' to provide over 7500 free WiFi hotspots for the iPhone............oh joy.

That will make me forget that there's no 3G in the iphone!

[Gizmodo] photo also courtesy of Jesus Diaz.

3G Coming To iphone Soon?

Apple continues to wheel and deal with different partners, and this time with InterDigital. It is reported that a deal was signed worth around 56 million dollars, that covers "various 2G and 3G cellular technologies."

The new deal would signal that 3G will be coming to the iphone, and I'm hoping very soon. Although I know that if that happens, we'll get another bunch of whiny punks crying about how they bought the first iphone and now they don't have 3G.

So if Apple does this, get ready to open the check book again Steve-O!!!

[Engadget]

Rumor: Europe Getting Better iphone

This rumor certainly could be bogus but with the way the rest of the world gets better cell phones than the U.S., I would lean towards it being true.

It looks like the Europeans are going to get the iphone with 16GB and with 3G coming November 12th 2007. The advertisement shows the iphone on T-Mobile with download speeds of 3.6Mbps, a monthly plan of $69-$96, and a price tag of $687. If this is the version 2 that the U.S. will be getting, I'm hoping that the time line will be the same as Europe.

Of course this is all rumor and should be taken with a huge block of salt.

[Electronista via Gizmodo]

T-Mobile to launch 3G Service Next Month?

If your carrier is T-Mobile, you already know that they are not known to have cutting edge technology first. This is proven by T-Mobile lack of 3G support, but no longer. If you're a customer of T-Mobile and have been waiting for them to catch up with the rest of the world, your wait might be over.

BGR has found a listing for a new Samsung phone that is to be released on T-Mobile's side, and the interesting thing is that it has 3G UMTS abilities. The t639 from Samsung is due out on September 10, and it has the standard Bluetooth and 1-Megapixel camera, and speaker.

T-Mobile's is expected to launch their 3G on the same date, and since they have built their new network from the ground up, they should have a leg up on the competition for the very first time. This should be interesting.

T-Mobile’s First 3G Phone Coming in Less than a Month [Boy Genius via Crunchgear]

Microsoft disses iphone, challenged to fight after school

Microsoft's Asia-Pacific head of smartphone strategy Chris Sorenson states that the iphone isn't that big of deal.

"It's a great music phone, and I'm sure it will be fantastic and have an interesting user interface, however, it's a closed device that you cannot install applications on, and there's no support for Office documents. If you're an enterprise and want to roll out line of business applications, it's just not an option. Even using it as a heavy messaging device will be a challenge,"

Read the entire article here.

While I think the iphone is gorgeous, I think the Microsoft representative brings up some good points. I think Apple needs to decide what market they're after, the Blackberry/smartphones or the Music lifestyle phones. If they are interested in the Blackberry market, they must give the user the option to sync 'Outlook' and other third party applications with the iphone. Or stay the course and go after the music lifestyle phones.

Either way, they must get 3G integrated into the iphone by the next release of the model. No one wants to surf the net at dial up speeds anymore. Come on Apple, let's get this done!!!