I'm thinking about buying a new one for myself and giving my son mine. I was going to buy him one anyway for his birthday so... surely I deserve the new one and he'd be happy with my old one.

~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager

Flamingo House Happenings

> surely I deserve the new one and he'd be happy with my old one.

That sounds right to me Denise! ;-)

In addition to speed, I'm also hopeful that the new iPhone will have a better camera and a louder phone -- an 8 megapixel would be nice and a phone I didn't have to strain to hear when there's any kind of background noise (like traffic...) would be great.

I need the new one...because I'm on the thing 24/7, and the speed will make me happier.

Better camera, yes! Video or voice activation would be nice, but I'm not holding my breath.

And yes, the audio can be tough...especially when I'm talking to Lisa, and we're both on our iPhones and in our cars...forget about it!

As for what I'll do with the old one? The guy who just leased me my new car said he'd buy it off me :)

So, I got that goin' for me...which is nice.

Elisa Camahort
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.org

The iPhone is still not "ofiicially" in Canada (people have bought them in the states and then gotten them to work on local networks - too much work for me). Rumours abound as to when it will be. Sigh. I'll live vicariously through all of you. Beside, with cell phone plans being what they are in Canada I probably couldn't justify the monthly plan for one when they do come (no matter how pretty! and shiny! the iPhone is).

Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.

Yeah Elisa, cramming the phone up to my ear goes only so far. Plus, during a call I don't seem to ever believe that the volume is ALREADY on max and so I keep hitting the volume hoping it'll get better, it doesn't.  Another minor thing on my wish list for Apple would be for a longer (say 6 feet) power cord. I found out a couple of months ago that some hotel rooms tend not to have power outlets right next to the beds (where I could sit comfortably using my iPhone) but instead, they're located just out of reach. :-|

Tick- tock! Thirty minutes to go before the big news. :-)

Latest buzz is that in addition to being 3G it's also going to be $199!

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/06/09/the-games-begin-live-coverage-of-apple-wwwc-event-in-san-francisco/ 

If so, that should boost sales through the roof.  

Following on Summize :)

Elisa Camahort
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.com

http://www.macrumorslive.com/

Elisa Camahort
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.org

$199 and possibly even subsidized! Wow - if that's true, the lines to get one are going to be long.

Tech Crunch is a bust. Now following on:

http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/09/steve-jobs-keynote-live-from-wwdc-200...

Are they going to improve the camera?

Elisa Camahort
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.org

Thanks Elisa! Now following on Engadget AND MacRumorsLive (I knew there was a good reason for this 20" monitor!).  So where's the audio for this??

http://www.ustream.tv/swf/3/viewer.133.swf?&loc=/&cid=205852

http://www.iphonealley.com/news/wwdc-2008-keynote-live-audio-stream

Elisa Camahort
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.org

Thanks so much Elisa!

Having audio makes all the difference - yay! :-)

I was just at the AT&T store in Santa Rosa and asked them about the data plan for the 3G -- they told me "100% sure" that it's going up to $30/mo :-|

(oh well, I'm still buying the thing!).

BTW, no word (here at the Apple Store a buzz with too many people!) whether or not the camera is any better, or if the phone is any louder. Apparently even the ''Mac Geniuses" don't know the specs.

During the keynote, so I am COUNTING ON IT, Bob :)

And $20/month for unlimited data is just unbelievably low-priced. No one should feel any right to complain, compared to what those other services change!

Elisa Camahort
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.com

Hi Elisa,

Yes, I heard him say that too (though I'm not sure if he was referring to the iPod part of the phone, or the volume issue). BTW, I read on Engadget last night that the camera is the same, still only 2 megapixels :-(

On another note, I actually prefer the look of the brushed aluminum of my original iPhone over the black (or white) plastic backs of the new model. Is it possible to switch them? Would they fit? (probably there's a reason why they went plastic now, like GPS reception and the like).

 anyhow...

 -Bob

I'm sure modding will become common, but you could be right that the material change has some other effect they didn't discuss.

Elisa Camahort
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.com

Hi Elisa,

Speaking of mods, I've been watching the Keynote from yesterday (why Apple can't just go live with this at the time escapes me). About fifteen minutes into it, they talk about SDK (coding) for the iPhone - pretty impressive (mind blowing really!). Is there a mobile BlogHer in the works somewhere?

http://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/0806wdt546x/event/index.html

-Bob 

There's quite a lot of 'talk' going on regarding the new iPhone and the carrier plans that accompany them -- from furious Canadians bashing Rogers to American's upset with AT&T. After reading comment after comment on Digg, Engadget and other forums, my enthusiasm for the 3G has cooled markedly. At this point, I'm more interested to see how my original iPhone performs with the new 2.0 software than I am getting the 3G phone.

Honestly,  I can live without GPS and since the camera is the same, I can live without that too.  The boost in speed would be nice but apparently, the 3G network isn't as ubiquitous as Edge, so that gives me pause as well. However, if it turns out that the new phone *somehow* has better reception for where I live and is louder than my original, then I'll probably cave and buy the thing - see y'all in line?

The brouhaha over the contract term kinda cracks me up, since I've been living with contracts my whole cell-phone-owning life. If I LOVE my iPhone, and AT&T remains the exclusive provider, then what difference does it make if I sign on for 2 years? Like, in real life where we're not looking for things to get wrapped around the axle about.

Here's my question: I too need better AT&T reception where I live, but how are you going to figure that out?

Elisa Camahort
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.com

> Here's my question: I too need better AT&T reception
> where I live, but how are you going to figure that out?

Up here in Sebastopol, the signal is awful. I can barely use the phone at home and typically have to go outside and walk around until I find a spot where I get a bar or two! As far as determining if the 3G will be any better, short of having one in my possession on the property I don't know either. :-|

Hi Elisa,
Looks like I'm not getting one :-(
Unfortunately, I found out the 3G network does not extend to Sebastopol (just Santa Rosa) and AT&T was not able to tell me when/or if they'd be building out to it. Additionally, you can't buy a 3G iPhone without 'upgrading' to the new plan, regardless of whether or not your locale has 3G coverage. So looks like I'm going to sit this one out.

I'm stlll undecided if I'll switch right away. My S.O. dropped his a few weeks back, and it eventually died, so he is going to HAVE to buy one. I'll see how coverage is in our house.

Elisa Camahort Page
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.com

My BlogHer profile truly shows you everything I do online...Check it out!!

I tried updating my iPhone to the 2.0 software and it killed my phone! I'm over here at the Apple store in Santa Rosa trying to get my phone fixed but all the Apple servers are down so consequently, nobody's buying the new iPhone 3G either -- and the line is huge! So unless you want to risk having a dead phone (and spending who knows how long at your local Apple store), I highly recommend NOT updating to 2.0 until the server mess clears up.

Hi Elisa,
Did you get a 3G?? If so, how's the reception/volume in comparison?

Thanks!
-Bob

I did not get the new iPhone yet. I think I'm going to wait for the S.O. to get it (since he broke his first one and is miserable using his old cell phone) and then we can see:

a. how the sound is
b. if coverage is better in our house

Without ME being the guinea pig :)

Elisa Camahort Page
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.com

My BlogHer profile truly shows you everything I do online...Check it out!!

Hi Elisa,
Well it,s 7:55am and I'm first in line at the Apple Store - yay. I decided yesterday to go ahead and buy the 3G. Here's why:

1.) supposed to have a much better phone
2.) 3G
3.) not sure how long the AT&T subsidized upgrade for first gen iPhone's will last. If I wait a couple of months, would AT&T still give me the phone for $199 or will I be looking at $399?

anyhow...
Should know how the 3G compares soon.

I'm waiting for the report, Bob!

Elisa Camahort Page
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.com

My BlogHer profile truly shows you everything I do online...Check it out!!

Hi Elisa,
I'm home now and so far with my new 3G, it doesn't look too much better on the phone signal front - maybe showing a bar more (i.e. 2) than the 1st gen, but I'll take it! As a test, I just called a friend and he said it sounded pretty good - plus the call didn't drop, so I'll take that also as a plus.

BTW, when I was in Santa Rosa the 3G speed was pretty peppy in comparison to the Edge speed I've gotten used to. Reminded me of the days of going from dial-up to broadband! For $199, that 3G speed bump makes buying the new phone well worth it.

As for coping with the line to get a 3G (at least at the Santa Rosa store) when I left (around 10:10AM) there were at least fifty people waiting their turn and the line was growing so in my case, getting there early paid off. In truth, I probably could of showed up at 9:00 (instead of 8:00) and still have been first in line because it wasn't until around 9:20 before other people started cueing up.

So there you have it, I'd say buy! :-)