iPhone 2.0 - bigger, better, faster, stronger...

[pacificrounder]

With all the hype that I read on this board before the release of the iPhone 1.0, I am surprised to see that no one has started a 2.0 discussion thread. The WWDC keynote entertained me all day today (live streaming audio, sadly no video), but delivered, IMO, no big surprises.

They spent a great deal of time talking about how amazing the SDK is and how much developers love it, and apparently did some neat demos, including games that make full use of the tilt sensors. They also had an app that tracks your friends in the nearby area, allowing you to call or text them asking if they want to meet up - a little too big brother for me, but it could be cool.

The software update doesn't sound like it is going to be a major upgrade, besides the searchable contacts which is going to provide some much needed relief for those of us who have large fingers and trouble using the alphabet on the right side of the screen. It will be free for iPhone users and cost $9.95 for iPod Touch users, available in early July. The biggest part of the software upgrade will be the AppStore, which will be HUGE. It sounds like there will be quite a few free apps along with some that you have to pay for, including games.

And for the real meat and potatos:

- GPS is here
- the new model is actually called the "iPhone 3G," and 3G is 2.8x the speed of EDGE, and the iPhone 3G outperforms competing 3G phones like the Treo 750
- the headphone jack is no longer recessed
- the backing is now a sleeker looking black plastic
- it is slightly thicker than it's predecessor, and though I haven't seen any specifics I would expect it to be lighter because of the switch to plastic

Ready for the best part? It has a maximum price of $199 for an 8gb model. That means that with subsidies, it could be even lower when you sign a contract. The iPhone is becoming a more "real" phone, and not just a neat gadget, and I think that is a great thing because it will make it much more accessible. They are also going to be selling a 16gb model for $299, which comes in both black and white color schemes.

Oh, and for those of you logging on from overseas, it will be supported in 70 (yes, 70!) countries. Included in the software update is a language package that has tons of different languages and - because of the lack of buttons - the virtual keyboard makes it universally adaptable to different alphabets. Apple even developed a touch-entry for characters from Asian languages.

Needless to say, I am extremely happy with the fact that Apple took many of the criticisms of the 1st iPhone and actually improved them. One thing that I did not hear mention of was the ability to rotate the keyboard horizontally while texting - but they did rotate the calculator horizontally to make it a scientific calculator, so I'm not sure why the text keyboard wouldn't be able to do the same thing.

Release date: July 11.

[2535Miles]

With all the hype that I read on this board before the release of the iPhone 1.0, I am surprised to see that no one has started a 2.0 discussion thread. The WWDC keynote entertained me all day today (live streaming audio, sadly no video), but delivered, IMO, no big surprises.

They spent a great deal of time talking about how amazing the SDK is and how much developers love it, and apparently did some neat demos, including games that make full use of the tilt sensors. They also had an app that tracks your friends in the nearby area, allowing you to call or text them asking if they want to meet up - a little too big brother for me, but it could be cool.

The software update doesn't sound like it is going to be a major upgrade, besides the searchable contacts which is going to provide some much needed relief for those of us who have large fingers and trouble using the alphabet on the right side of the screen. It will be free for iPhone users and cost $9.95 for iPod Touch users, available in early July. The biggest part of the software upgrade will be the AppStore, which will be HUGE. It sounds like there will be quite a few free apps along with some that you have to pay for, including games.

And for the real meat and potatos:

- GPS is here
- the new model is actually called the "iPhone 3G," and 3G is 2.8x the speed of EDGE, and the iPhone 3G outperforms competing 3G phones like the Treo 750
- the headphone jack is no longer recessed
- the backing is now a sleeker looking black plastic
- it is slightly thicker than it's predecessor, and though I haven't seen any specifics I would expect it to be lighter because of the switch to plastic

Ready for the best part? It has a maximum price of $199 for an 8gb model. That means that with subsidies, it could be even lower when you sign a contract. The iPhone is becoming a more "real" phone, and not just a neat gadget, and I think that is a great thing because it will make it much more accessible. They are also going to be selling a 16gb model for $299, which comes in both black and white color schemes.

Oh, and for those of you logging on from overseas, it will be supported in 70 (yes, 70!) countries. Included in the software update is a language package that has tons of different languages and - because of the lack of buttons - the virtual keyboard makes it universally adaptable to different alphabets. Apple even developed a touch-entry for characters from Asian languages.

Needless to say, I am extremely happy with the fact that Apple took many of the criticisms of the 1st iPhone and actually improved them. One thing that I did not hear mention of was the ability to rotate the keyboard horizontally while texting - but they did rotate the calculator horizontally to make it a scientific calculator, so I'm not sure why the text keyboard wouldn't be able to do the same thing.

Release date: July 11.

The WWDC usually doesn't attract attention like MacWorld. I've got a developer there so I'm going to wait for his report next week. I didn't watch the keynote but I did pick up a few of the live reports. I'm really excited about the improvements!

[Lavabe]

I want it, but here's the dealbreaker:
Just ATT, or can we now get contracts with Verizon and other services?

I think I know the answer to the question ... and I hope I'm wrong.

Thanks for the review. I expect a Billybreen PW frenzy on this topic.
Cheers,
Lavabe

[billybreen]

I'm just happy not to be the one to start an Apple rave thread for once. I have a bit of a reputation for fanboiism (hush, DA! ).

I have positive sticker shock for the first time in a while. I'm very surprised at how cheap they are. Coupled with some killer features and an SDK that will allow for very cool apps, this will take the iPhone mainstream in a big way.

Push mail is huge for competitiveness re: Blackberry, so I'm looking forward to that.

[billybreen]

I want it, but here's the dealbreaker:
Just ATT, or can we now get contracts with Verizon and other services?

I think I know the answer to the question ... and I hope I'm wrong.

AT&T, sorry.

I have to wait 5 seconds to post this because my last post was less than 30 seconds ago. How's that for a PW frenzy?

[2535Miles]

I'm just happy not to be the one to start an Apple rave thread for once. I have a bit of a reputation for fanboiism (hush, DA! ).

Wait a minute, you're a Mac guy too?

[Lavabe]

Wait a minute, you're a Mac guy too?

Didn't you see it in his Wiki entry?

[billybreen]

Wait a minute, you're a Mac guy too?

Well, labels are so confining. But, if we are using labels, I think DA would call me a 'hopelessly starry-eyed Steve Jobs-worshipping fanboi.'

I, in turn, would call her a 'Zune owner.' Enough said.

[hc5duke]

The gist of the keynote I got was: "we're doing what RIM and Danger have already been doing, except shinier!!!".

There were two huge inexplicable dips in AAPL today in the middle of the keynote (around 2pm and 3pm EDT). Only down 2% for the day, but that's surprising since I expected it to hit 200 at some point today, then come back down to low-190s. Currently sitting at just below 182.

[billybreen]

The gist of the keynote I got was: "we're doing what RIM and Danger have already been doing, except shinier!!!".

Funny, I read it at as 'we're already vastly superior to RIM and Danger in all the ways that matter to the average user, now we're going even beyond that and adding feature-comparable support for all you Enterprise dorks as well, while matching their price point.'

[NashvilleDevil]

My current cell phone contract is up on July 4. I am curious about the service plan cost. I read that AT&T is going to charge $70 for the basic package up $10 from the basic plan with the iPhone 1.0.

[billybreen]

My current cell phone contract is up on July 4. I am curious about the service plan cost. I read that AT&T is going to charge $70 for the basic package up $10 from the basic plan with the iPhone 1.0.

Yeah, that explains some of the price drop, but it seems reasonable for the move to 3g speed.

[2535Miles]

Well, labels are so confining. But, if we are using labels, I think DA would call me a 'hopelessly starry-eyed Steve Jobs-worshipping fanboi.'

I, in turn, would call her a 'Zune owner.' Enough said.

Enough said indeed.

Funny, I read it at as 'we're already vastly superior to RIM and Danger in all the ways that matter to the average user, now we're going even beyond that and adding feature-comparable support for all you Enterprise dorks as well, while matching their price point.'

Enough said.

[DevilAlumna]

Well, labels are so confining. But, if we are using labels, I think DA would call me a 'hopelessly starry-eyed Steve Jobs-worshipping fanboi.'

I, in turn, would call her a 'Zune owner.' Enough said.

Enough said indeed.

Hey, another one of you picking on me? BB usually gets enough jabs in for two, we don't need another one on the boards...

And I *love* my Zune. Or mostly, the Zune music pass. $15/mo for all-you-can-eat music -- I'm having so much fun with it!

The gist of the keynote I got was: "we're doing what RIM and Danger have already been doing, except shinier!!!".

Hmm, and who just finished the acquisition of Danger?

Frankly, I'm waiting for the Touch Pro. (aka HTC Raphael.)

[TNTDevil]

...Frankly, I'm waiting for the Touch Pro. (aka HTC Raphael.)

I'm with you DA, my 8525 is almost two and ready to handed down...

I'm a big fan of HTC devices having already owned three.

[2535Miles]

Hey, another one of you picking on me? BB usually gets enough jabs in for two, we don't need another one on the boards...

My level of picking will be directly proportional to the number of times you roll the red carpet out for me.

[hc5duke]

Frankly, I'm waiting for the Touch Pro. (aka HTC Raphael.)

Looks promising - if it ain't got a tactile keyboard, I ain't buyin' it I've used the iPhone a few times at work, and it's pretty clear that it wasn't designed for the fat-fingered engineers like myself. Where's my typing-wand, Steve?

[2535Miles]

Where's my typing-wand, Steve?

Taking up space in land fills next to CRTs and dial-up modems.

[billybreen]

Looks promising - if it ain't got a tactile keyboard, I ain't buyin' it I've used the iPhone a few times at work, and it's pretty clear that it wasn't designed for the fat-fingered engineers like myself. Where's my typing-wand, Steve?

You just haven't achieved the Zen mindframe yet. You can't think about whether the letters are correct. Just hit the screen in roughly the right places and the software will figure out the rest. At least, that's what the RDF keeps telling me.

[hc5duke]

You just haven't achieved the Zen mindframe yet. You can't think about whether the letters are correct. Just hit the screen in roughly the right places and the software will figure out the rest. At least, that's what the RDF keeps telling me.

Note to self: eat up Marthabreen