reviews of the new iPhone....

iPhone 3G: Good news for those who want to buy it and good news for those who already had an iPhone!

Recently, I had an accident. I was getting out of my car and I dropped my iPhone. If you are not familiar with the iPhone, almost everything is done on the touch screen. Its fantastic. There are only 2 real buttons you can actually push.

I happened to drop my iPhone on one of those buttons. I didn't damage the screen (as I have done to MANY iPods) or the inner mechanics of the phone. Since the button was now jammed into the phone due to its impact with the ground, the phone kept turning itself on and off.

Luckily I still had my old Motorola Razr phone to use in the meantime! (Read: I hate that phone.)

So I brought it to my TC (technology consultant) at work who has many Apple Certified plaques and things hanging on his wall. I thought, maybe this man can help me. Do you know what he did? He attacked my phone with a screwdriver and a little tiny chisel. I HAD ALREADY TRIED THAT!! ....and I don't even have a certificate! (although once someone did call me a Mac expert...and I am the Apple Computer Consultant to FolderWave (hahah) but seriously, that part is true!)

So I sort of came to the realization that I would need to buy a new phone, now that it was ruined way beyond just dropping it on the ground.

Randomly a few days later I was near the new Boston Apple Store.. ooooh! Its so shiny and glassy and pretty. I can't delay telling you how wonderful the experience was:

I walked in and was greeted by a girl who I immediately fell in love with. She had a headset on and called up to the genius bar to see if they could sneak me in earlier than the next available appointment. So 10 minutes later I was sitting with my genius, Mike. I explained to him everything I just typed for you (leaving out that I am a Mac Expert). Mike says, "usually this is not covered under warranty, but today we'll hook you up." He opens the cabinet behind him and gives me a new iPhone. A NEW iPHONE! Now, it is one of the old versions, but it was still BRAND NEW! I went back down the shiny glassy stairs, trying not to fall since you can hardly even see the steps and high-fived the girl I had fallen in love with at the entrance only 15 minutes before.

AND THEN! When I plugged the new phone into my dock, all my numbers, texts, photos, and videos magically reappeared! I LOVE APPLE.

And now the new 3G Phones. The back of the phone is black. I think I like that a lot. But the even better news is that people with the old version of iPhone will be able to download the free software update, essentially giving them the features of the new 3G Phone. Network and speed aside (and I really don't mind the speed of my current iPhone), they will be very similar.

Read the experts write ups of the new phone now:

Mossberg: “If you’ve been waiting to buy an iPhone until it dropped in price, or ran on faster cell networks, you might want to take the plunge, if you can live with the higher service costs and the weaker battery life. The same goes for those with existing iPhones who love the device but crave faster cellular data speeds. But if you already own an iPhone, and can usually use Wi-Fi for data, you probably should hold off and get the free software upgrade before deciding whether it’s worth getting the new hardware.” (link)

Pogue: “So the iPhone 3G is a nice upgrade. It more than keeps pace with advancing technology, and new buyers will generally be delighted….But it’s not so much better that it turns all those original iPhones into has-beens. Indeed, the really big deal is the iPhone 2.0 software and the App Store, neither of which requires buying a new iPhone. That twist may come as a refreshing surprise to planned-obsolescence conspiracy theorists — and everyone who stood in line last year.” (link)

Baig: “Extra, extra: iPhone 3G: The Sequel, is worth the wait….It’s cheaper, faster and a lot friendlier for business. Apple’s blockbuster smartphone already had nifty features such as visual voicemail, a splendid built-in video iPod and the best mobile Web browser I’ve ever used. With GPS newly added to the mix, this handheld marvel has no equal among consumer-oriented smartphones.” (link)

Mossberg also wins the multimedia race. Although Pogue is reportedly working on a sequel to last year’s “I Got An iPhone” (an earnest musical number sung to the tune of “I Did it My Way”), Mossberg’s video is already up, and available here.