Island Dog

Join Date 06/2003

+1048

Are You Upgrading to the iPhone 3G?

Well Friday is almost here, and even right now there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people lined up around the world to get their hands on the new iPhone 3G. Last year I didn't stand in line, but I did go on launch day and picked up an iPhone. I have been very happy with it and you can ready my two-part review here.

So am I upgrading my iPhone to the new 3G iPhone.....no. However, I will be in line early in the morning to buy my wife one for her birthday. I have a couple of reasons I'm not upgrading my current phone to the 3G.

3G means very little to me. About 90% of the time I use wi-fi for my data connection, and rarely use EDGE for that purpose. The times I do are short and far between, and 3G isn't that great anyway's.
I don't have much need for GPS either. I work out of my home office, I live in a small town, and I rarely travel. Yeah, GPS is cool, but it doesn't justify the upgrade cost at all. The Locate Me feature is good enough, and hey, my wife will have it just in case I do need it.
I'm getting the cool stuff anyway's! The iPhone 3G hardware is nice, but it's the 2.0 software update that is the real star this time. The best part is I get the 2.0 update as well, so I'm not missing much aside from GPS and 3G.

With the 2.0 update which brings a host of new features, also comes the App Store on iTunes. The only big gripe I had with the current iPhone was the lack of native applications, games, etc. That’s all going to change now. The 2.0 update also solves some big issues like the ability to delete multiple e-mails, dedicated contact application, and a few other things. This will only be enhanced by the tons of applications that are being developed for the iPhone.

We will also have the ability to have real games on the iPhone. Two of the most highlighted games so far has been Spore and Super Monkey Ball, which makes use of the iPhone’s accelerometer for an almost Wii-like game play. We touched a bit on this recently in the SkinCast, and I think we will get some games and give them a review to see how they stack up.

So how about you? Are you planning on upgrading, or are you tempted to make a first time purchase of the iPhone this week?

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I haven't even "upgraded" to a cell phone yet. ;~D

Two convicts were talking in the exercise yard, one says to the other, "what's your cell number?" Hmmmm ;~D

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starkers

Join Date 05/2004

+1153

I haven't even "upgraded" to a cell phone yet.

Me either... never had a need for one (having mobility issues that keep me at home a lot) and I'd rather spend that kind of cash on my bettering my PC. Besides, the trusty old landline is all I need... and IF I ever need to call a mobile, I can do that via my home phone, too.

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As I am situated in Canada and we are just getting the iPhone for the first time, so there is nothing for me to "upgrade" from. But, yes, I am getting a 3G iPhone!

The rates the we Canucks will be paying for our data plans will make most of the rest of the free world either laugh or puke, but that is the price that one has to pay sometimes when you have a regulated communications industry like we do.

http://www.rogers.com/web/content/wireless-products/iphone_voice_data_packages

FWIW, I'm looking to drop my landline and transfer the number over to my iPhone. I'm expecting a few bumps in the road.

The one thing that does concern me is that most of the reviews that I've read about the original iPhone indicate that the voice sound quality is inferior. I'm hoping that they've licked that one. Being locked-in for 3 years with a crappy sounding phone would not be fun.

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Daiwa

Join Date 07/2001

+351

Buying my first one Friday. No more lugging the laptop on trips.

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I desperately want this phone. Rates in Japan will be the same as for other phones. I won't be getting one though. The company (Softbank) is trying to get new subscribers from other companies so they are set up for new customers. I have 7 more months on my current phone contract and I can't buy it out.

Maybe in seven months...

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Not as long as it is exclusive to AT&T I'm not...

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TheDarkKnight2008

Join Date 04/2007

+16

Who cares about 3g Iphone?

http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/04/the-htc-touch-pro/

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starkers

Join Date 05/2004

+1153

Not as long as it is exclusive to AT&T I'm not...

Here in Oz the iPhone is being distributed by two major providers, Telstra & Optus, as well as Vodaphone, Virgin and others... no exclusives here.

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I have a current iPhone (16 GB) and will certainly get the new one too.

My plan is to use the 3G phone here in Ireland and keep the old phone, unlock it, and get prepaid cards for Germany and Israel for it, so I have a phone for foreign countries that has wireless Internet access where available.

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Island Dog

Join Date 06/2003

+1048

Who cares about 3g Iphone?

A lot more people care about the iPhone than the Touch. LOL.

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Lantec

Join Date 07/2003

+346

Got one for my step father......not 3g tho....He loves it.

Personally, I need more PDA so I use an ATT Tilt (HTC Kaiser)

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TELL ME SOMETHING IT HAS, that i cannot already get with the much more felxible windows mobile touch screen 3G pdas - -- that have been out for years already!
Seriously, I want to know more.

Is this just dogmatic behavior based on good apple marketing dept?

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I am seriously thinking about it. Sprint/Nextel is my primary carrier but I have no service at my house (primarily used for work). However I have a pre-paid AT+T account

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TELL ME SOMETHING IT HAS, that i cannot already get with the much more flexible windows mobile touch screen 3G pdas - -- that have been out for years already!

You said it. The Windows PDA is "more flexible". But "more flexible" is deadly for applications. What you need is a huge market of identical devices. The iPhone offers that. Windows Mobile doesn't.

What the iPhone offers that Windows Mobile doesn't have:

- a UNIX operating system: you can run UNIX applications on the phone and you get the stability and multitasking abilities of the BSD kernel

- real multitasking

- memory protection: the phone doesn't crash when one big application crashes

- Cocoa Touch API: Windows Mobile never took off as an system to develop for, the iPhone has been out for a year and there are hundreds of applications out there

- Syncing works: I have a Windows Mobile device and it has trouble syncing with Mac OS X, Vista, and XP

- Safari: traditional mobile browsers tried to solve the problem of the smaller screen by formatting things differently, Apple tried for a zoom solution; Apple's solution is better

- Mail: Mac OS X has an excellent mail program and the iPhone version is excellent too, I never trusted mobile Outlook

- exactly ONE way to sync the phone: it's done via USB and an iPod connector, that's it

- Calendar, Address Book applications: all iPhones have the same calendar and address book application and Mac OS X has the desktop counterparts, MobileMe (and before it .Mac) have the Web counterparts; ALL iPhones access addresses in exactly the same way

- a decent data plan: Apple realised that a key to the mobile market is making sure that people use the phone on the Internet; to do so flat rate Internet access was required, Apple pressured phone companies to offer specific iPhone plans, so that everyone would know that they can use the Web and what it costs (in many countries the iPhone plans are cheaper for data than other plans)

- touch keyboard: Apple gave up on the traditional phone number pad AND the physical mini-keyboard; while some Windows Mobile devices have a touch keyboard (I have seen them, they are smaller and a lot more difficult to use) NOT ALL Windows Mobile devices do; but consistency is important for application development

- developer tools: I never could get Microsoft's device emulator to work, the iPhone emulator worked immediately and it took me two hours from not knowing Cocoa Touch (but only the desktop Cocoa API) to setting up the dev tools, the emulator, and writing a Hello World program for a phone and have it run on the emulator

- One vendor for hardware and software: a mistake in the personal computer market, but apparently the right way to handle phones

Remember: Flexibility is what it is for one user, for more users it simply becomes lots of different devices to support.

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First you can load unix os on windows mobile phone.

The iphone is good if you dont know what you are doing. Its a dumb phone (not a smart phone) for the masses.

2 big changes that the I phone is finally doing that has been available for YEARS is over the air syncing and 3g.

3G is 8 times faster then edge. I can get 1 MB or faster downloading. Makes a difference when you tether a laptop to your phone. Tethering for all you iphone users is the ability to use your phone as a wireless modem so you can you have internet with your laptop anywhere you have a signal. There is a hack to make the old iphone do an ad-hoc connection but I doubt many iphone users would even know how. Again its a phone for the lame who dont know better.

4 major reason that make the iphone bad.
1) Access to battery. Can not be replaced on the fly.
2) MicroSD slot. No way to change/add storage. There are 8GB SD cards out.Soon 16 GB and 32 GB.
3) Keyboard. All my co workers of mine have iphones. I can text faster then they do with my sliding keyboard.
4) Ability to edit word/excel docs. Thats right not just view but actually edit them or even do a simple spreadsheet was a feature that windows mobile was able to do YEARS ago.

A few minor things would be blue tooth syncing, real GPS programs with TTS, ability to rdc to my desktop, and video conferencing.

Opera has been out for many years now. So I had no problem browsing the web.

As mentioned the htc touch pro and also the new nvidia apx2500 will blow away the iphone.

I just laugh at those iphone users. Apple made the phone cheaper, but increased the monthly plan to $30 a month. So instead of $400 for a phone and a $20 for the data (total $880 for 2 years), you now can get charge $200 for the phone but $30 for data (total $920 for 2 years)
Cheaper? lol. Again good marketing from apple. For those who dont know better.

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But the iphone has games. In fact id software is makeing games for it, like doom1, orks and elves and what ever else they can pull out of there magic black bag.

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Island Dog

Join Date 06/2003

+1048

The 2.0 update and the apps are very cool so far. Many of them are very useful and this is just the first ones out.

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Daiwa

Join Date 07/2001

+351

I just laugh at those iphone users. Apple made the phone cheaper, but increased the monthly plan to $30 a month. So instead of $400 for a phone and a $20 for the data (total $880 for 2 years), you now can get charge $200 for the phone but $30 for data (total $920 for 2 years)
Cheaper? lol. Again good marketing from apple. For those who dont know better.

Laugh all you want. Despite your snotty condescension, most of us know exactly what we're getting & exactly what we're paying. You don't want one, don't buy it. To each his own, but don't call people who have different opinions, wants & needs ignorant ("don't know better") simply because they don't match yours.

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I won't give AT&T a cent. They are just as corrupt as the US Government and willfully assist them in spying on their own citizens.

Apple's on my blacklist as well for a history of abusive and illegal litigation and bullying. They make Microsoft look like a saint.

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TheDarkKnight2008

Join Date 04/2007

+16

Android OS+Touch Pro=Laugh at Iphone users.

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First you can load unix os on windows mobile phone.

No, you can't. But you can load Linux on a "Windows" Mobile Phone. But what's the point? It won't give you anything the iPhone doesn't also offer plus you lose all the Windows features. I don't think many people buy a Windows smartphone to run Linux on it. Better buy a Linux phone if that's your thing.

The iphone is good if you dont know what you are doing. Its a dumb phone (not a smart phone) for the masses.

Perhaps. Another two advantages of the iPhone: easy to use and lots of people have it.

4 major reason that make the iphone bad.
1) Access to battery. Can not be replaced on the fly.

I have never done that with any of my previous phones.

2) MicroSD slot. No way to change/add storage. There are 8GB SD cards out.Soon 16 GB and 32 GB.

My iPhone has 16 GB. Why would I want to add storage to a _phone_???

3) Keyboard. All my co workers of mine have iphones.

No wonder you hate the iPhone.

4) Ability to edit word/excel docs. Thats right not just view but actually edit them or even do a simple spreadsheet was a feature that windows mobile was able to do YEARS ago.

??? Why would you assume that the iPhone cannot edit Word or Excel documents? There are iPhone programs for almost any task out there. I would be surprised if none of them can edit text or spreadsheets.

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Island Dog

Join Date 06/2003

+1048

Android OS+Touch Pro=Laugh at Iphone users.

I seriously doubt that.

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Daiwa

Join Date 07/2001

+351

Only 50 phones available at the AT&T store (one of only 2 in northeast Phoenix) which they refused to let you know in advance. I showed up 2 hours before opening and... Natch, I was 12 people too late for a 16Gb and 1 person too late for an 8Gb. But the direct fulfillment deal will get it hear next week. Requires a second trip to the store, of course, but I don't mind waiting a few days. So, a review post remains pending.

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kona0197

Join Date 02/2003

+86

You call getting a Apple product an "upgrade"?

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agreed with above. I use my sony psp as a phone and its more worth it than the iphone

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