Second Generation 3G iPhone To Be Released June 9?

PC World reported we can expect the "first of an impressive wave of new products" announced at the Apple Conference June 9-13 in San Francisco. Rumor has it one of those new products will be the second generation iPhone which will incorporate 3G technology.

I wrote last November about 3G technologies, AT&T's 3G build-out, and the iPhone:

3G technologies provide approximately 144 Kilo-bits per second (Kbps) to around 2.4 Mega-bits per second (Mbps) to mobile devices like cell phones and non-mobile devices like computers. For AT&T, 3G is a significant upgrade from the current EDGE network which, according to PCWorld, averages around 109 Kbps.

First generation iPhones run on the AT&T EDGE network. Here's more from the November blog entry:

EDGE is commonly referred to as "2.5G" or "2.75G" (between 2nd and 3rd generation) and has been the source of a lot of discussion with regards to the iPhone. Many questioned Apple's decision to go with AT&T/EDGE and have debated why Apple did not go with a 3G option for the iPhone. Steve Jobs has always said the decision to go with EDGE instead of 3G (on the first generation iPhone) was based on battery life.

According to PC World and Shaw Wu, an analyst with American Technology Research , Apple will not stop making the "2.5G" model but will upgrade the case and drop the price to between US$299 and $349, compared to the current $399.

Apple is also expected to announce an updated Mac laptop and new iPod versions.

AT&T Wireless Upgrades and the Second Generation iPhone

A small article in the Springfield, MA Saturday Republican paper caught my eye. AT&T has been quietly updating their cell phone towers to 3G in Massachusetts along with 220 other metropolitan areas in other parts of the country. Just last week the company updated 30 towers in the Western part of the state with plans to do the New Bedford area next. Both Boston and the Worcester area have also been upgraded.

3G technologies provide approximately 144 Kilo-bits per second (Kbps) to around 2.4 Mega-bits per second (Mbps) to mobile devices like cell phones and non-mobile devices like computers. For AT&T, 3G is a significant upgrade from the current EDGE network which, according to PCWorld, averages around 109 Kbps.

EDGE is commonly referred to as "2.75G" (between 2nd and 3rd generation) and has been the source of a lot of discussion with regards to the iPhone. Many questioned Apple's decision to go with AT&T/EDGE and have debated why Apple did not go with a 3G option for the iPhone. Steve Jobs has always said the decision to go with EDGE instead of 3G was based on battery life. Here's a quote from Steve jobs in a piece from MacNN:

"The 3G chipsets that are available to semiconductors work reasonably well except for power. They are real power hogs," .... "So as you know, the handset battery life used to be 5-6 hours for GSM, but when we got to 3G they got cut in half. Most 3G phones have battery lives of 2-3 hours [of talk time]."

There have been rumors (see Mathew Millers post at The Mobile Gadgeteer here ) going around since the current iPhone was announced in January that the next generation iPhone would be 3G capable. People have also been questioning whether the current iPhone has both an EDGE radio and a 3G radio built in, which would allow current iPhones to software update to the faster 3G network as the network becomes available.These rumors have pretty much died out after people have taken iPhones apart and have not been able to find an upgradeable radio.

Some complain about EDGE network performance with the iPhone but this has not been an issue with me personally. Perhaps it is because of the places I find myself at - I may be unique - I find myself on a WiFi network probably 90% of the time with the iPhone. The 10% of the time I'm not on a WiFi connection I'm usually checking email, looking up directions on a map or searching for a phone number on the web. On these occasions the EDGE network performance/bandwidth has been fine for me.

Is this 3G build-out by AT&T in (at least partial) preparation for a 3G enabled second generation iPhone? Partial is the key word here but i would say yes - it's time to move to 3G. I'm excited to see what Apple comes out with for the second generation iPhone and it will be interesting to see (if it is 3G enabled) how the battery life issue is dealt with. My bet right now would be on a multi-mode EDGE/3G/WiFi second generation iPhone that would operate on all three types of wireless networks. Time will tell!

5 Days with the iPhone

I've been relatively quiet here about the iPhone I purchased last Saturday evening. I did mention it in a podcast with Mike Q last weekend and I did tweet I got one on my Twitter micro-blog earlier this week. Overall I have to say I am very impressed so far. Here's a quick rundown of my initial impressions:

WiFi: Performance/range is good and comparable to my MacBook.

AT&T EDGE Network: Used when out of WiFi range, I find it performs well. I don't find myself getting impatient with the slower bandwidth (EDGE runs at a maximum of around 180Kbps).

Safari Web Browser: The browsing experience on the smaller screen works well and comes very close to a larger screen experience. I'm looking forward to a Firefox version next year!

EMail: I'm using my GMail address as my primary account and have enabled IMAP. Over the course of an average day I find myself accessing email via a web browser on various machines, via Entourage on my MacBook and via Mail on my iPhone. IMAP has allowed me to better keep track of what I've done using different access devices and applications. For example, if I read and delete a message on my iPhone the message does not appear if I go to another device (like it will with POP access) and access the account.

Attachments: I can view email attachments (pdf, doc, docx, etc) with the iPhone but cannot edit them. I do have iZoho - iPhone Office, an office app that runs on the iPhone, linked on my Mockdock (explained below) but have not used it yet.

Calendar: I'm accessing my Google calendar using Safari on the iPhone. The Google mobile calendar interface takes some getting used to and it is time consuming to add calendar entries. I also cannot delete Google mobile calendar entries.

Some of my favorite applications:

Mockdock.com is a website designed for the iPhone that allows you to add application buttons - the screen mimics the iPhone dock. If you don't have an iPhone you can still access Mockdock from any PC browser.

Twitter: I can tweet from my iPhone. I've got Twitter on my Mockdock.

Google Reader: Another application that runs in Safari and is also on my Mockdock.

YouTube: All I can say is WOW!

Things I don't like/need to be improved:

The Battery Indicator: I have a hard time determining how much charge I have left. Give me a button I can push quick that is big enough to see!

Cutting/copying and Pasting: Can't do it on the iPhone... yet.

Google Calendar: I already mentioned I find adding entries time consuming and items cannot be deleted. This goes for any mobile device running Google Mobile Calendar so it is a Google issue and not an Apple one. I'm sure this is a feature/function Google is working on. I have not used the Apple calendar application that comes on the phone.

Things that have surprised me:

The Virtual Keyboard: I'm getting used to it and am getting pretty fast. It is a major improvement over mechanicl keyboards forund on other devices (in my opinion).

SMS: I've never been much of a "text'er" but the interface is really slick. I've been using it.

Battery Life: I have not killed it yet and have used it extensively for voice, iPod playing and data. I like the fact that I can plug it into the USB port on my computer and charge it that way.

If I had to estimate I'd say I can do 80-90 percent of my PC-type work effectively and efficiently with the iPhone. It also has replaced the Cell phone, digital camera and iPod (along with the different chargers) I've been lugging around for the past couple of years. Overall I am really impressed.

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Read Show Notes and listen to Mike Q and my latest Podcast titled Apple, Microsoft and Google Updates linked here.
Listen directly in your web browser by clicking here.
Podcasts also free on iTunes.
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Hands-On iPhone Impressions

I was in Providence, RI on the fourth visiting my daughter and we ended up heading over to the Mall downtown for some lunch. There's an Apple store in the mall and - of course - we just had to get some hands-on time with the iPhone. They had a bunch of them out for people to play with and the four of us (12 year old, 15 year old, my wife and I) each ended up with one for about an hour. Here's our impressions:

Overall User Interface - Excellent. Extremely intuitive.I enjoyed the pinch zoom ans stretch features and I love the way the screen re-orients itself as it is rotated back and forth between portrait and landscape. I also love flicking the pages around - much easier than my Mobile PC device scroll bars.

Size - Perfect. Small enough to fit in a pocket and big enough so I can see everything on the screen.

Display - WOW - Incredible. Fingerprints - not an issue.

Multitouch Keyboard - Excellent interface. I've heard some negatives about it but, in our opinion, it is easier to use than a Blackberry keyboard.

Voice Quality - Incredible. You could actually make voice calls right from the demos on the floor. Both ends crystal clear.

Comfort - when held to the ear like a regular phone - excellent. And.... it was cool to the touch on my ear (the heat of my current phone drives me crazy)!

Email - Very Good basic email features and functions. You cannot BCC right now. The intelligent keyboard using predictive techniques is excellent. SSL and encrypted authentication are also supported.

Safari - Very good. I'm a Firefox fan - can't give it an excellent! Seriously, I was very impressed. On the down side - at this time Safari does not support Flash, Java, or QuickTime plug-ins.

iPod - this is a new interface, it is different than the iPod! In portrait orientation there are four buttons at the bottom of the screen that you can "shortcut" with your favorite functions. When you rient the device into landscape you get a "Cover Flow" view showing album covers that you flick as you move through them.

Speed - it starts and shuts down fast. I could not test the AT&T EDGE network because we were on a Wi-Fi connection in the store.

Widgets - these are what Apple calls the applications currently on the iPhone. The 2 Megapixel camera is a step up from any phone I have ever had. Mike has a pic he took with his posted here. There is a weather widget, a stock widget and - as you all konw - a uTube widget. All very easy to use.

It was very interesting to watch people come up and pick out up for the first time. Amazing to watch the looks on their faces and see them focus on figuring out how to use it. It is incredible intuitive - no instructions, nobody showing people how to start using it. Old timers, kids - doesn't matter - everyone I watched picked it up and immediately started using it. It was even more interesting to watch people try and put it down and, once they did, have them come back for more in 5 or 10 minutes.

One father with a couple of young children (I'm guessing around 10 years old) was dragged in by his kids. The kids each picked up one of the demos with him rolling his eyes. Within two minutes he had one in his hands and all I kept hearing was "Wow!" and "Look at this!".

After I put it down for the last time I pulled out my Razor and I could feel myself technologically taking a massive leap backwards...... as I called Cingular in an attempt to break my current phone contract......

Why Verizon Rejected the iPhone

Most realize Verizon had the first shot at the iPhone and many have been scratching their heads (Why didn't Verizon take it?) since the January Macworld iPhone announcement. The Register has an interesting post here. The piece quotes Verizon Communications president and chief operating officer Denny Strigl as follows:

"The iPhone product is something we are happy we aren't the first to market with."

It looks like the deal killers for Verizon were Apple's demands for call revenue sharing, the control of distribution channels and also customer service. The Register also quotes another Verizon vice president, Jim Gerace:

"We said no. We have nothing bad to say about the Apple iPhone. We just couldn't reach
a deal that was mutually beneficial."

According the The Register - Cingular claims this deal was cut two years ago when the iPhone was just a mock-up.

I'm going to stick my neck out and predict an announcement soon by Microsoft and Verizon......