[jqp]

So many are in this situation I'll bet - considering the new iPhone.

My phone contract is expiring this month and I am ready to switch phones. I have heard the iPhone may be as low as $200 in June, but I am unclear as to what the current consensus is for what features there will be.

Any have an educated guess?

[Crimson]

From what I've heard, it'll be $200 cheaper than the current gen iPhones, available as 8 and 16 GB models, slightly thinner, 3G-capable, will support MS Exchange, and will support CUT & PASTE (something I've been bitching about since I got mine last June!).

Other than that, it's got the best browsing capability I've ever used in a smart phone, lags behind slightly in email support compared to the Blackberry (no push service, although it does support POP and IMAP), and about even with regards to tasks, schedules, contacts, etc. And it's a wifi-capable video iPod.

Sometimes I love mine, other times I want to smash it against a brick wall.

EDIT: If you get a lot of voice mail messages, visual voice mail is the best. Such a simple idea I wonder why it was never introduced prior to the iPhone.

[jqp]

Anyone planning on getting the new one this week?

Is there an upgrade plan?

[low.pfile]

I'm going for it....I am a V2.0 person not an early adopter. So this makes sense. Though I've got an ipod touch now.

Who knows what the G3 phone will be or if there will be others. also talk of a less expensive iPhone (not clear if G3) and G3 being 16MB and 32MB.

so, tick-tick-tick.

[low.pfile]

Announced:

Key Features:
Charcoal Back
Solid Metal Buttons
Same 3.5" Display
Camera
Flush Headphone Jack
Dramatically Improved Audio

3G Advantage
Showing a EDGE vs 3G comparison loading a webpage, 3G took 21 seconds. EDGE...waiting...waiting...uhh...59 seconds! Same phone, same location. 2.8X faster - and they claim loads webpages faster than Nokia N95 (33 seconds) or Treo 750 (34 seconds).

Battery Life
5-6 hours of browing
24 hours of audio battery

And GPS!

And it's coming to 70 countries over the "next several months."

More Affordable
$199 for 8GB
$299 for 16GB (which also comes in white)

above summary is from gizmodo.com

[maxwalrath]

Is there any word on the i-Phone opening up their exclusive contract w/ service providers? 

I'm happy with Verizon, who doesn't currently carry the i-Phone, and I won't be due another phone for about a year and a half...but at the rate these prices are dropping, I'll almost certainly be in the market for a phone like this when my contract is up.

[Woodsea]

The key is to buy an unlocked phone then hack it.  This is not messing with any true intellectual property as you are still paying for the unlocked phone which will not be priced down for cingular service.  It will be interesting to see where they are priced.  I can sell my tmobile phone for good money here in Cuba.  So, with my tmobile SIM card, I can buy any phone that takes a SIM card (with a little hack), and it will work.  I find not having a calling plan, is the best way to go.  I am not single, nor use my phone for business, so the minutes I buy serve me quite well.

[TONEPUB]

buying one for my daughter.  Keeping my gen 1 for now...

I just get email on mine, don't surf the web much so I'm ok
with doing the v2.0 software.

[Rashiki]

Is there any word on the i-Phone opening up their exclusive contract w/ service providers? 

Yes, there is word -- it's still exclusive to AT&T in the U.S. AND you'll need to sign up for a new two year contract or extend your existing contract for another two years.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/09/iphone-3g-is-finally-official/

 -Rob

[jqp]

The $200 price drop for an 8GB iPhone 3G is actually offset by the $10 increase in the mandatory data plan over the 2 year mandatory contract in the US with AT&T

$10 x 24 = $240

But... you do get a better phone and a better data plan theoretically.

I just had to get a new (free) HTC 6800 phone since my other one died. Luckily I had been paying $7/mo insurance. This phone is a nice improvement over the PPC 6700. But I am likely to go with the iPhone come July 12 or 13.

Should I get 8GB or 16GB (Black or White). Not a big MP3er via earbuds, so the 16GB would be for something else