Apple’s iPhone 3G is here. Third-generation (3G) mobile technology is essentially a wide-area wireless system that has improved performance over the older AT&T EDGE network. With the first iPhone you could surf the Internet or talk, but with its 2G connection you couldn’t do both at the same time. Now with 3G technology, you can talk more while browsing the web at the same time. Data transmission with 3G technology is much faster than with the old 2G system. Apple claims that the speeds of the iPhone 3G are much faster than those of its rivals, the Nokia N95 and Treo 750. The new iPhone 3G packs other features, too. There’s a selection of apps from the iPhone app store and access to email from the Microsoft Exchange server.
What else is new with the latest iPhone release? The volume is noticeably louder, and Apple engineers have reduced the volume background noise that was annoying on the original iPhone. Video and music quality hasn’t changed, but that’s okay as it was pretty good to start with. However, the call quality has improved with the 3G bundle. The set itself has had some minor tweaks. The back is now entirely plastic, and there’s a flush headphone jack. Some iPhone users have commented that they prefer the original design with its slightly thicker edges. The battery can cope with 5 hours of talk time on the 3G network and has 300 hours of standby power.
Unfortunately, AT&T’s contract costs have risen, likely due to AT&T’s claim that the new iPhone will have download speeds of up to 1.4 Mbps, compared to 135 Kbps on its old EDGE network. AT&T provides 3G coverage in 280 US metropolitan areas and will increase to about 350 areas by the end of 2008. But to cheer you up, did you know you can get low-cost downloads for your iPhone? I have turned my iPhone into a multimedia center and regularly download music, games and movies, for very little cost.