Apple iPhone 3G

The original Apple iPhone was a love it or hate it device - and incredibly slick and stylish handset, but one with a number of serious flaws. The replacement iPhone has been rumoured for months and finally we can see what Apple have kept very secret - the new Apple iPhone 3G. Billed as "Twice as fast. Half the price", the iPhone certainly addresses two of the key concerns of the original - that it was expensive and slow.

Obviously, the iPhone 3G supports 3G. But it's also an HSDPA phone, which makes it 3.5G. In addition, the iPhone 3G's tri-band UMTS support, plus quad-band GSM, GPRS and EDGE data means that the iPhone 3G should be able to give high-speed data access pretty much anywhere in the world.

Another new feature is GPS - the iPhone 3G uses Advanced GPS to get quicker "fix" times. We've seen this before on many other devices, notably the Nokia N95 8GB. There's a mapping application bundled with the device, although we suspect that full blown satellite navigation may cost more.

Apple claim to have fixed on other annoying feature on the original iPhone - battery life. The iPhone 3G has up to 10 hours talktime on GSM, with a maximum of 5 hours talktime on 3G. Web browsing time on 3G is slated at around 5 to 6 hours. Standby time is around 12 days.

Enough of the good stuff - there are some things that Apple haven't fixed. Firstly, the camera is still a 2 megapixel unit , as found in the old iPhone. We would have hoped for 5 megapixels or better. The battery is still not user-removable, so a new battery involves a trip to an Apple service centre. The iPhone 3G doesn't have video calling, which is pretty standard on most 3G phones. Finally, the screen is still a 320 x 480 pixel panel when we would have hoped for a VGA or higher resolution display (as in the HTC Touch Diamond).

Of course, the Apple iPhone 3G still supports WiFi, Bluetooth. As with the original iPhone, the iPhone 3G's memory is not expandable.. but the 8GB or 16GB included should be plenty.

The Apple iPhone 3G's launch date is 11th July, and Apple intend to eventually roll out the iPhone 3G in 70 countries. The 8GB model will cost $199, the 16GB model will be $299. Those prices only apply to the US and other countries will have different pricing structures.


source:http://www.mobilegazette.com

Apple looking to launch 3G iPhone in Korea and Japan

The latest iPhone rumors to hit the grapevine seems to indicate that Apple could finally break in to the attractive Korean and Japanese wireless markets. Previous reports indicated that Japan would not be getting the iPhone anytime soon, seeing as how the nation's 3G network did not mesh well with the current iPhone. But, Apple is reportedly looking to bring their next-generation iPhone to both Korea and Japan in a joint-launch on Korea Free Telecom (KTF) and NTT DoCoMo (or is it NTT docomo now?) The 3G iPhone would work just fine on the 3G networks in both countries, which makes a good case for the Apple handset to crack the Asian market.

Given the Asian countries' advanced 3G networks and more feature-rich handsets, it remains to be seen how well the iPhone will fare the Pacific Rim. Of course, the apple of Apple's eye is still China. With more wireless subscribers than there are people in the whole of the US, China's mobile market is a potentially lucrative market that can't be ignored.

We'll see if Korea and Japan welcome the iPhone with as much enthusiasm as the US did on its initial launch. Chances are, it won't.

source:http://www.intomobile.com