Ever since Apple announced that they’re cutting $200 from the iPhone’s price and lowering the iPhone 3G down to $199, people have been rumbling about how the increased AT&T data plan price negates any savings you get up front on the phone. Screams of “IT’S NOT ACTUALLY CHEAPER, APPLE IS FOOLING US” have us wondering about how much more you’re really paying over two years compared with the old iPhone or similarly featured 3G smartphones on AT&T and other providers. Here’s what we found.

Over two years, the iPhone 3G will cost $160 more than the original iPhone. This includes the unlimited data plan plus the additional $5 SMS plan you need to get to match the original’s 200 included messages. What the chart doesn’t indicate, in pure dollars, is how much 3G is worth.

Compared with a similar 3G phone on AT&T, the iPhone 3G costs exactly the same over two years as AT&T’s HTC Tilt (minus $100 for the increased initial phone price). Compared to Sprint, you’re coming out slightly behind by $20 because of Sprint’s included unlimited SMS/MMS, but unlimited 3G data still costs the same $30. Verizon’s data and texting plan is also on par with AT&T’s, and you get an extra 50 text messages.

So what can we conclude? Yes, the iPhone 3G will cost you $160 more than the original iPhone over two years. If you don’t need 3G at all (or GPS), you might not need to upgrade if you’ve got an old one. Otherwise, $160 is a small price to pay—for us at least—over the course of two years to drastically increase your email and browsing speeds.

source: gizmodo.com

Over the last year and half, the iPhone has taken the tech world by storm. The original version was released in June of 2007 and the newer version in July of 2008. The original iPhone was credited for being very ingenious, but it also had several speed bumps along the way. Upon its release date, the public was lined up outside AT&T and Apple stores looking to grab one of the first phones. The price was about $600 which many people thought was a lot to pay for a phone. However, the early adopters gladly paid it and went on their way with their phones. Problems with the battery and other features had these same early adopters on hold with Apple tech support for hours.

The new iPhone 3G that recently came out has gone a lot smoother for Apple and AT&T. Contrary to popular belief, 3G does not mean three gigabytes. It actually refers to the data network that the phone uses. This means that it is able to connect at faster speeds to the network. This allows people to use the internet and other features up to twice as fast as the old iPhone. The price for the new iPhone 3G is also a lot more agreeable than the original version. The cheapest version is being offered at $199 with the 16 gig iPhone offered at $299. This has opened the door for many more people being able to afford the smart-phone.
The iPhone 3G has many amazing features that you really can’t find in another phone. The touch screen is revolutionary and makes navigating the phone extremely easy. You can simply touch what you want and the screen is only activated by your finger. You don’t use a stylus or another device to navigate which makes it quicker to get to where you want. There isn’t even a keyboard on the phone, but instead you get a virtual keyboard on the screen. You can email, send pictures, or browse the web extremely fast regardless of where you’re at. The phone even operates as a video iPod. You can store all your songs and videos on the phone and watch them or listen to them at will. With all of these cool features, the best new feature is the GPS capability on the iPhone 3G.
It integrates with several iPhone features to give you a completely unique experience with your phone. The phone triangulates your position and gives you the ability to find where you’re at and find directions. The phone integrates with Google Maps and can find your location within a matter of seconds. A map is brought up and your location is represented by a blue dot on the screen.
With so many potential uses for the iPhone and its revolutionary GPS tracking system, it is the phone of choice for many people. If you’re looking for a new phone or are eligible for an upgrade, you should strongly consider checking out the new iPhone 3G.

Article by: Herbert Reich

iPhone links: www.apple.com/iphone ; www.apple.com/iphone/features/maps.html