iPhone 3G - Even Faster (Comedy?)

Getting juicy tips and phone rumors is always incredibly exciting… but on the flipside you get “news” announcements like the iPhone 3G is even faster music video:

We have no clue what the heck this is or what it is supposed to mean. Is it iPhone 3Gay Pride? Is it dissing the iPhone? We don’t know but its funny in a pitiful way.

[Thanks bizarre, anonymous tipster and watermarker!]

uReady for the iPhone 3G?

AT&T has just released details on their July 11th launch of the iPhone 3G complete with in-store information, pricing plans and more. What do you know - they seem to have tacked on some additional fees and charges that make the $199 pricetag a bit more irrelevant.

Interesting points to note:

Here is info on the Service Plans available with the iPhone 3G:

And if you really feel like reading the entire press release, we’ve posted it below. Please note that there is a website set up for iPhone 3G FAQ and such here. And the PR text you requested:

AT&T Announces iPhone 3G Pricing and Tips to be iReady

Online Resources Available to Help Customers Prepare for Purchase

Variety of Attractive Plans Combine Voice and Unlimited Data

Dallas, Texas, July 1, 2008

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) today announced iPhone 3G pricing for new and existing AT&T customers, several attractive voice and data plans, and tips on how to be “iReady” when iPhone 3G goes on sale at AT&T retail stores at 8 a.m. local time on Friday, July 11.

“We can’t wait to offer iPhone 3G to our customers, and we want to make sure the buying process is as easy as possible,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO of AT&T’s wireless unit. “Considering all the great new features of iPhone 3G, we think our pricing and monthly plans present a tremendous value for consumers and businesses alike.”

Pricing and Eligibility

AT&T is making it easy for customers to prepare for their iPhone 3G purchase by posting “Get iReady” tips and frequently asked questions at www.att.com/iphone. The site also will include a link for customers to check their upgrade eligibility and other wireless account information.

iPhone 3G will be available for $199 for the 8GB model and $299 for the 16GB model. These prices require two-year contracts and are available to the following customers:

  • iPhone customers who purchased before July 11
  • Customers activating a new line with AT&T
  • Current AT&T customers who are eligible, at the time of purchase, for an upgrade discount

Existing AT&T customers who are not currently eligible for an upgrade discount can purchase iPhone 3G for $399 for the 8GB model or $499 for the 16GB model. Both options require a new two-year service agreement. In the future, AT&T will offer a no-contract-required option for $599 (8GB) or $699 (16GB).

Current customers may also choose to wait until they become eligible for an upgrade discount. Eligibility is generally determined by amount of time remaining on a current contract and payment history.

Current AT&T customers who are upgrading to iPhone 3G will pay an $18 upgrade fee and new AT&T customers will pay the standard $36 activation fee.

Voice, Data and Text Messaging Plans

AT&T brings iPhone 3G customers the best coverage on the globe and the largest mobile-to-mobile calling community with unlimited calling to AT&T’s 71.4 million wireless customers. iPhone 3G customers can choose from four individual AT&T Nation plans, which bundle voice and unlimited data (e-mail and Web browsing).

  • AT&T NationSM Unlimited: Includes unlimited Anytime Minutes for $129.99 a month.
  • AT&T Nation 1350: Includes 1350 Anytime Minutes and unlimited Night & Weekend Minutes for $109.99 a month.
  • AT&T Nation 900: Includes 900 Anytime Minutes and unlimited Night & Weekend Minutes for $89.99 a month.
  • AT&T Nation 450: Includes 450 Anytime Minutes and 5,000 Night & Weekend Minutes for $69.99 a month.

All AT&T Nation and AT&T FamilyTalk® plans for iPhone 3G include nationwide long distance and roaming, Visual Voicemail, Rollover®, unlimited Mobile to Mobile calling, Call Forwarding, Call Waiting, Three-Way Calling and Caller ID.

AT&T will offer FamilyTalk plans, with bundled voice and unlimited data, starting as low as $129.99 a month for two iPhone 3G lines. Up to three additional iPhone lines can be added for $39.99 each.

Unlimited text messaging can be added for an additional $20 ($30 for FamilyTalk plans of up to five lines); $15 (1,500 messages), or $5 (200 messages).

iPhone for Business

Business customers interested in iPhone 3G should contact an AT&T business sales representative or review their account information online to determine their eligibility for upgrade pricing. Corporate e-mail and other business applications require the Enterprise Data Plan for iPhone, which is $45 a month and bundled with an eligible voice plan. Small business customers may qualify for AT&T BusinessTalk, the industry’s only shared plan specifically for small businesses. Additional details on iPhone business offerings are available at www.att.com/iphoneforbusiness.

iPhone 2.0 Software

All iPhone customers will benefit from the iPhone 2.0 software, which will be pre-loaded on all iPhone 3Gs and available as a free download for current iPhone customers. The new software will include numerous enhancements, such as business-class e-mail access via Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync; the iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK), which allows a business to easily create applications customized to its needs; and the App Store, which offers a wide-range of applications — from games to business, education to entertainment and productivity to social networking. For example, AT&T has developed YELLOWPAGES.COM Mobile for iPhone, which takes local mobile search to a new level by allowing users to discover businesses and local events based on their popularity among other iPhone users, get directions and access business reviews.

[Via AT&T]

Omnia vs. iPhone

We’re not going to make any reference the letter after H cellular device murderer here… those talks are tired. But what we WILL do is show some pictures comparing the Samsung Omnia with the iPhone. Afterall, both of these bad boys will be on AT&T and before you drop some hefty coin, you want to make sure you’re buying what you want.

Not bad looking - either of them - eh? See the difference in the upper left hand corner? That’s the Omnia’s 5MP phone compared to the 2MP of the iPhone - one of the nice edges that the Omnia offers.

The Omnia also appears to be slightly thicker but also shorter and less wide. But don’t get the idea that its “stocky” or “frumpy”… they are pretty compareable as you can see below:

[Via IntoMobile]

Samsung Omnia: Coming Soon to AT&T

Rumor has it that the Samsung Omnia will suit up for the Blue Team with AT&T offering the phone in the near future. And by near future we mean July, August or September. Seeing as how initial conventional wisdom reported the Omnia wouldn’t make it to the states, this news couldn’t be any more exciting.

In addition to the regular AT&T multimedia features such as AT&T Music, AT&T Video and AT&T Navigator, the Omnia will also feature AT&T Mobile TV!

Here are some other specs to keep your mouth watering:

[Via Samsung Omnia]

4 New Sprint Phones Launching Sunday

Sprint is launching 4 brand new phones on Sunday, Father’s Day. And while they are technically “new”, you’ll likely think they’re about as “groovy” and “jiving” as the forced lingo your wannabe cool dad uses. ALL of the following phones feature Push-To-Talk Technology.

First up is the the LG LX400, is a clamshell with push-to-talk Q-Chat feature, 1.3 MP camera, GPS and bluetooth that will set you back $79.99 with a 2-year contract and rebates:

Next we have the Samsung Z400 which claims it is rugged enough to pass Military Specification 810F for conditions such as dust, temperature and altitude. Doesn’t this sound like the upcoming Motorola Adventure for Sprint? These two will likely go head to head, with the rugged nature being the top selling point. $99.99 with 2 years and rebates.

The Sanyo Pro-200 and Pro-700 are pretty run of the mill as well, but do boast e-mail support. The Pro 200 runs $49.99 with 2 years and rebates. The Pro-700 is the exact same phone but ruggedized to pass those Military Specifications 810F you keep hearing about.

[Via Sprint]

Instinct vs. iPhone 3G Heats Up at $199/Each

Samsung and Sprint themselves played up the whole Instinct vs. iPhone thing with a $100 million dollar advertising campaign featuring promotional videos that directly pit the two phones against eachother. Obviously, the Instinct won each “battle”.

While the annoying “iPhone Killer” crap gets perpetuated by bloggers, analysts and fanboys across the globe, the Instinct ad campaign was the first time it was purposefully force-fed by the competing manufacturer/carrier themselves. Many predicted once the iPhone 3G was released, the Instincts talking points against the iPhone would be moot and the “iPhone Killer” hype once again debunked.

But as the story unfolds, the Instinct has gotten tremendous reviews across the board and looks to remain competitive. One of the most exciting developments for the iPhone 3G was it’s $199 price point. After spending so much on head to head comparison ads did you really think the Sprint would let them walk away with a differentiating factor of price?

Of course not, and thats why the Samsung Instinct will $199 dollars with a 2-year Sprint Contract… JUST like the iPhone 3G.

I’m not sure what the marketing guys at Sprint are thinking, but if I were them, I’d change that pricepoint to $198.99 and get some more mileage out of those head to head Instinct vs. iPhone videos. Cmon Sprint, it will be amusing!

iPhone 3G Commercial

The iPhone 3G was announced by Apple and Steve Jobs at WWDC 2008 to a loudly applauding crowd. The commercial for the 3G iPhone featured a witty joke alluding to the fact that there is no such thing as an “iPhone Killer”:

We were waiting and waiting and waiting for unveiling of the iPhone 3G, wondering what they would call it all along. Would it have a new name? Would it just be the “3G iPhone”?

Instead, Steve Jobs referred to the device over and over again as the iPhone 3G. So, we’re assuming thats what you can call it from now on. We realize that most people have thus far called it the 3G iPhone. The only other possibility is that Steve Jobs is dyslexic.

The iPhone 3G it is!

And by the way, the 8GB version will be $199 and the 16GB version will be $299 - a significant drop in price for a significantly better product. Release date is set for July 11th.

UPDATE: We almost forgot, here are some articles from some of our favorite sources who covered the WWDC event:

Keep in mind these articles were written MINUTES after the presentation ended and cover some of these sources favorite topics. They by no means offer exhaustive analysis but you just want the rundown anyway.. right?

Hit up our iPhone 3G Forum to talk about the latest…

Real Pictures of the BlackBerry Thunder!

Rumors of the BlackBerry Thunder have been spreading like wildfire ever since the BGR dropped news on the upcoming and unannounced device. He created a “mockup” of what HE thought the device would look like, many people confusing it for official pictures.

Now the BGR has the REAL pictures and he wasn’t far off. Emblazoned with a Verizon Wireless logo, the phone is rumored to be a lifetime exclusive on Verizon’s network.

Just when you thought the weekend was slipping away with nothing notable happening… The phone has all the buttons we expected… Send, Menu, Escape and End with a few odds and ends here and there. It looks as beautiful as we thought it would, but a few questions remain. Mainly:

  1. Is BlackBerry capable of putting out a highly competitive product with the BlackBerry Thunder since it is their first ever attempt at creating a touchscreen? Or, can we expect it to have flaws that the BlackBerry brand can’t overcome?
  2. We want one… when does it come out?

It’s amazing how one guy got the scoop on EVERYTHING for this phone… finding the rumors before anyone else, announcing them, making an oh-so-accurate mock-up, disputing claims of others that it didn’t exist and now releasing these.

Big props to the Boy Genius Report!

Breezers for Geezers, Courtesy Pantech & AT&T

While the race to make the best, smallest, most feature packed sleek device continues, it’s nice to see that companies aren’t ignoring other markets. The baby boomer generation represents the largest portion of the population and AT&T and Pantech don’t intend to miss out on offering them what they need as they get older.

The Pantech Breeze is now available on AT&T and is, put bluntly, just what we suggest: a phone for the refined Geezer. The AT&T Press Release says it in a more politically correct way:

At its core, the Pantech Breeze is an uncomplicated mobile phone, specifically designed for people needing an easy way to stay in touch with friends, caregivers and loved ones. From its clean and uncluttered design to its simplified menus, oversized display with large keypad and quick-call keys, the Pantech Breeze includes a host of convenient features in a comfortable, modern design.

The opening paragraph even includes the phrase, “For first-time phone owners,”…. ummmm… are you kidding me? Sometimes we take for granted how quickly the mobile ecosystem has evolved. We’re sure the market research made it pretty obvious that phone like this could do gang busters by focusing on the features that the older generations want and need and we applaud AT&T and Pantech for getting it done.

That being said, we hope by the time we are geezers, our mobiles will be complete with a flux capacitor and 1.21 gigawatts of power. Until then, the Pantech Breeze is available on AT&T for $49.99 on a two-year contract and with mail-in rebate of $30

[Via AT&T]

BlackBerry Bold Release Dates Announced

It might just be rumor, but InfoSyncWorld has definitive dates, prices and carrier info for the upcoming BlackBerry Bold. Here’s what you should know:

We’re not sure why T-Mobile is pricing it at $50 more, but apparently neither is anybody else.

[Via InfoSyncWorld]

Blackberry Bold Officially Announced

The rumors have been confirmed by Blackberry with an official announcement and full website feature for their brand new product: The Blackberry Bold 9000! It’s looking like AT&T will roll it out in the summer and T-Mobile will follow.


Their marketing folks took a trip to clicheville with their opening promo copy: “Be Bold. Accept no substitutes. Power the passions you pursue with a smartphone that expresses your style and simplifies your life.”

Here is a look at the down and dirty specs… this story is developing so we’ll keep this updated as the details emerge:

And if you’re curious what RIM has to say about their new Blackberry… we’ve copied/pasted what’s on their Features list. Warning: beginning trip back to clicheville.

[Via Blackberry.com and BGR]

LG Vu Now Available on AT&T Website

It appears as though the LG Vu is now available on the AT&T Website (you can buy it HERE).

The LG Vu weighs in at only 3 ounces but packs a powerful punch. It has a 3-inch Touch Screen with Haptic Feedback and plays Mobile TV like a champ. A 2 megapixel camera and camcorder are nice as well. But perhaps most importantly, using it is simple and intuitive… the thing just makes your life easier.

If you’ve got big hands you might find typing on the touch screen keyboard a bit of a hassle, but otherwise, the LG Vu looks like a real winner.

LG Vu Quick Start Guide Leaked

For those of you who have been patiently waiting for the LG Vu to pop into their local AT&T Stores, we have a little something to hold you over. The LG Vu Quick Start Guides have been slowly making their way into local stores and we’ve got the copies to share with you!

LG Vu Qiuck Guide

The 4 page document doesn’t have any earth shattering revelations, but it will get you ridiculously familiar with this beautiful handset before the phone is even available. If you want to be a jerk you could even pretend April Fools is free game all month… walk into the store the morning it goes on sale and give the salesmen a pop quiz.

“I’m from the AT&T/LG Joint Operations Corporate Training Task Force and we’ve randomly chosen this store to conduct a test grading training and preparation of employees regarding specs and features of new devices.”

Ha! As if you’ll take any additional steps that would prolong that magnetic attraction between your hand and the LG Vu.

Here’s all 4 pages of the Quick Start Guide:

LG Vu Qiuck Guide


[via EngadetMobile]