3g iPhone officially announced with great price and some disappointments

June 9th, 2008 · 2 Comments

(Photo: new 16GB white 3g iphone. source apple.com)

Steve Job revealed the 3g iphone at the WWDC (developer event) today.

So what’s new about the 3g iPhone?

Price! The price will be USD199 for 8GB version and USD 299 for 16GB(black or white).
3g. Fast mobile internet. 2.8 times faster then EDGE.
GPS. Build-in Assisted GPS system for realtime accurate positioning.
Longer talk time (5 - 10 hours) depending if you’re using edge or 3g network.
Launch in 25 countries on July 11, 2008. 48 more country coming soon.
Mulitple language support. Including hand written recognition for chinese.

Here’s a list of disappointments:

No flash! The iPhone still can’t take photo at night
No camera at the front. Yes. No video conference / video call unlike most 3g phones in the market.
SAME 2mp camera.

quicktime required for viewing the new iPhone 3g ad.

For the first generation adapters, if they don’t really need 3g connectivity and GPS, there’s no good reason to upgrade. The star of this update is not really hardware, but the new iphone 2.0 software which can be downloaded for free after July 11 if you have the first generation iPhone.

So what is iPhone 2.0 software? It’s the operation system that runs your phone. Much like XP for window and OSX for mac. This new software will provide much enhancements to the iPhone experience and functionalities.

exchange mail support
contact searching
iWork document support
Office document support (now includes PowerPoint)
bulk delete and move for Mail
save images you receive
scientific calculator in landscape mode
parental controls
language

With the new software, iPhone user will be able to download all types of Application from itunes. Anything from 3D games, blogging to eBay. Here’s some to look forward to:

Sega Super Monkey Ball

Initially previewed at the SDK launch, Super Monkey Ball now includes over 100 levels. In playing through the last world, Sega demonstrated how they used the iPhone’s accelerometer to control the movement of the character.

Loopt

Loopt is a location-aware social networking app that displays a map with pins representing where your friends are. User profiles can show a log of where you’ve gone and its simple to blog, send in a photo, text, or call your friends.

Pangea Games

Pangea Software is bringing 2 games to the iPhone. The first game is Enigmo, which is a physics-based game. The second game is Cro-Mag Rally, described as a “cave-man racing game.” Both applications are priced at $9.99.

Band

An independent developer from the UK developed Band that includes a virtual piano, drums, 12-bar blues “instrument”, and a bass. And you can record when you play any of the great sounding instruments.

eBay

Post, Manage, Browse your eBay listing with this native app. The app’s main screen allows you to quickly view the auctions you’ve listed, have bid on, or have been out-bid on. It also includes a custom photo viewer.

The same 2.0 software will be a 9.99 upgrade for iPod Touch users.

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