The 3G iPhone: It's already here

Forbes is reporting that Apple's new 3G iPhone has hit the docks in Oakland and is set to be unveiled at the imminent Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. This is interesting but mostly old news.

What is truly intriguing is the research Forbes and others have been doing to glean information about the device, from reading shipping logs to mileage counts on Steve Jobs' jet.

Is the device worth the hype? Well, I became a convert to the current iPhone by accident, and it has been a hugely fortunate accident. I get more done and can type much faster on the iPhone than I ever did on my Blackberry (and I was pretty fast on the 'Berry). With 3G and GPS, the 3G iPhone should be incredible, especially if reports are true that AT&T will be subsidizing it by $200.

That and a decent international roaming plan will make the 3G iPhone as close to manna as humanly possible.

[friedrla]

i agree that the amount of research done is incredible! But since I'm an avid iPhoner and can't wait to upgrade to 3G, I love it!

[friedrla]

i agree that the amount of research done is incredible! But since I'm an avid iPhoner and can't wait to upgrade to 3G, I love it!

[AppleSuxLeo]

Another phoney "I can type faster on my iPhoney " article...Yea , right.
Next it will be the iPhone saves the world or something. I prefer to watch the ads that point out the shortcomings of the device as compared to new offerings by LG and Sammy ! They finally got smart and are giving Apple a taste of it`s own medicine.

[ianim8]

hate much :) I guess when you get your own column you can spread all the FUD that this world needs :P

[jaxrad]

Classic iPhone/Apple envy. Like squidward that hated the carbby patty to death till he tried one.

[AppleSuxLeo]

Another phoney "I can type faster on my iPhoney " article...Yea , right.
Next it will be the iPhone saves the world or something. I prefer to watch the ads that point out the shortcomings of the device as compared to new offerings by LG and Sammy ! They finally got smart and are giving Apple a taste of it`s own medicine.

[nutjob]

ha, ha, ha Matt Asay you are so funny. This article is for Onion, right?

[sjohns2]

I'm sorry, but I just will never believe that anyone can type faster on an iPhone than a Qwerty key Blackberry. I have both and I really like the iPhone, but there is NO WAY that I could type faster with good accuracy on the iPhone than my Blackberry 8820. So yes, I'm calling you a BIG FAT LYING FANBOY!!!!!

[rdwalton]

I agree, I used to have an iPhone, but I returned it and got my Blackberry back. No way in hell can you type faster on that thing (at least accurately). Extraordinary phone, but can't touch my Blackberry.

[b_baggins]

I wonder how many people try to type on their iPhone using both their thumbs and then complain when they can't type fast or accurately. I hit about 15 words per minute on my iPhone. That's pretty darned fast. But I type with my index finger.

[cohogo]

I can't understand the responses I'm seeing here. How is it that normally intelligent (I'm assuming here) folks get all up in arms shouting out names like "lying fanboy" just because someone posted a brief blog that indicated that one person is faster at typing on an iPhone vs. a Blackberry. I'm guessing that the author doesn't share his hands with any of you, so why is it so hard to accept that one person had a different experience with the device? Blackberry devices have their strengths, as does the iPhone. I don't own either at the moment, though I do train people on all major PDA operating systems for my job. Many people I have encountered, myself included, are faster at typing on an iPhone because the error correction software does an above average job of cleaning up an otherwise imprecise input method. That being said, other people, particularly those who insist on typing with their thumbs, or have long fingernails tend to benefit from a physical keyboard, such as the QWERTY setups on most Blackberry models. Wow. Who would have guessed that different individuals might prefer different devices for perfectly legitimate reasons? That's a lot of hostility toward a four paragraph blog posting that didn't even offer any true criticism of either device.

[john55440]

Hmmm. So the writer of Open Road is a fanboy of both the closed-proprietary Mac and the closed-proprietary iPhone.

[AppleSuxLeo]

yea...closed and proprietary sux...therefore Apple SUX big time.

[cbaisa]

i agree. how could someone support open source and have an iphone? isn't apple like the opposite of open source? i guess if his iphone is jailbraked that would make sense. still, it is a bit contradictory and harmful to his street cred.

[AppleSuxLeo]

Yup...the iPhoney "keyboard" is so great , we will all throw out our QWERTY keyboards !!
NOT ! Look at what a POS the Mac mouse is. That will give you a clue. Even top Apple pros such as Leo LaPorte suggest throwing out the Mac mouse and getting a PC-style mouse.

[Joe A Flores]

I see..... You don't know between left and right. Mighty mouse is the best mouse I've ever used. I am not even a fan boy.

[AppleSuxLeo]

Yup...the iPhoney "keyboard" is so great , we will all throw out our QWERTY keyboards !!
NOT ! Look at what a POS the Mac mouse is. That will give you a clue. Even top Apple pros such as Leo LaPorte suggest throwing out the Mac mouse and getting a PC-style mouse.

[AppleSuxLeo]

Yup...the iPhoney "keyboard" is so great , we will all throw out our QWERTY keyboards !!
NOT ! Look at what a POS the Mac mouse is. That will give you a clue. Even top Apple pros such as Leo LaPorte suggest throwing out the Mac mouse and getting a PC-style mouse.

[cpriz]

I'm faster at typing on my iPhone than on my Blackjack... so yea, it is extremely possible

[sjohns2]

You must have gigantic thumbs and tiny index fingers.

[jelmd1]

Thank you for your intelligent comment. It is refreshing to see objective reasoning every now and again.

[shirowmasamune]

iPhone2...
should've been the initial iPhone!
SOB's

[john_zocco]

Bash! Bash! Bash!. That's all you whiners do. I am so sick and tired of all this freaking bickering, iPhone vs. Blackberry, Apple vs. Microsoft, etc. You love your iPhone, good for you; same for Blackberry users. My nephew has an iPhone and his wife has a Blackberry. They get along just fine. You guys are so fanatical about your cell phones, mp3 players, computers, et al, that frankly I feel sorry for you. These are just devices, not your crown jewels! Be content with what you have, and stop the bashing.

[smooth_operator2006]

I must agree with john_zocco. We don't need these comments to turn into a bunch of name-calling. What's wrong with being polite? I read these comments at the end of an article, and it reminds me of little kids on the playground during recess.

I decided not to get an iPhone, mainly because I can't use it with any network other than AT&T. It has no instant messaging capability and does not do some things that most other smartphones do, such as bluetooth file transfers, MMS, and using MP3s as ringtones, etc. So I got the Blackberry Curve from T-Mobile, and it's the best phone I've ever had.

I have a Mac Mini, which has worked very well for me. None of the crashes and other bad behavior that I had with Windows XP. I have a 5th gen IPOD, which I think is an outstanding portable media player, and I will probably get a higher capacity IPOD classic soon.

[sk0ty]

I have a iPhone and a BlackJack II. I have many WM phones with QWERTY. I type faster on the iPhone due to the fact that you dont have to depress a physical button. It takes longer to depress a plastic button than just tapping a spot on a level suface. Its common sense people.

[jacobtgaines]

BOOOOO!!!! you guys are such babies. who cares which is better, and who cares if somebody likes something you dont? I despise rap music but I don't shun my friends for enjoying it. I like rock and they dont but we somehow manage to get along. Man, if only we lived in a perfect world where the war between electronic devices didn't claim so many victims each day....*******!

[cbaisa]

i agree. how could someone support open source and have an iphone? isn't apple like the opposite of open source? i guess if his iphone is jailbraked that would make sense. still, it is a bit contradictory and harmful to his street cred.