Taken With An iPhone

Riding the free Vango shuttle in Silver Spring.

Apple has reportedly signed a number of distribution deals in Germany and Italy to increase the availability of the iPhone 3G in countries without a network of Apple stores to supplement sales from local carriers.

In Germany the iPhone will be available in the stores of computer reseller Gravis, the phone will be sold with a T-Mobile contract.

At this time Apple has one retail store in Italy located in Milan. Beside being available form Vodafone and Telecom Italia, the local carriers, the iPhone 3G will also be sold at local Apple Premium Resellers.

The 3rd party distribution model is expected to be extended to Holland where the iPhone 3G will possible be sold at A-Mac, Ivizi and MacMe.

Softbank the Japanese iPhone carrier, has released their price and rate information for the new 3G version. The 8GB iPhone 3G will be 23,040 yen ($215) and the 16GB model will be 34,560 yen ($322). This is a subsidized price.

According to reports the monthly bill for the iPhone should be 7,280 yen ($68) which will include  unlimited data. This is less than Softbank’s normal charge for other smartphones that have internet access but according to a company spokeman it is based on the iPhone’s projected sales volume.

JohnCow.com with a little help from MarketLeverage are offering the new iPhone 3G as a prize in an online contest. There are a number of ways to gain entry into the contest:

• Subscribe to John Cow’s RSS via email - 1 ticket
• Twitter to John Cow’s contest - 2 tickets
• Twitter to John Cow’s Market Leverage post - 2 tickets
• Make a blog post about the contest (like this one) - 5 tickets
• Follow John Cow on Twitter - 1 ticket
• Register for an account at Market Leverage under John Cow’s link - 4 tickets

The more tickets the more chances to win.

Silver Spring Caribbean Style Restaurant & Lounge

It seems to be the weekend for strange comments from newspapers. First, the Sunday Times says that international data is expensive for the iPhone, then the The Times of South Africa says that the original iPhone is “near obsolete” with the release of the iPhone 3G.

They seem to be very excited about the possibilities of playing games on the new iPhone.

Thing is, the iPhone can conceivably do anything the DS can, bar of course the dual-screen display. The iPhone offers full touch- screen operability, network connectivity, the ability to send and receive voice and video, plus it has the Wii-like trick of tracking the tilt and pitch of the device in your hands. Most of the games being developed for the iPhone now are based on this simple functionality, substituting a joystick for balance sensors.

This is all well and good except that the hardware that does the “Wii-like trick” is included in the original iPhone as well as the iPhone 3G. The ability to play games is due to the new software which will be available to the original iPhone owners.

So yes, the new iPhone 3G has some new hardware but as for making the the original iPhone “near obsolete” - I don’t think so.

Watching an outdoor concert in Downtown Silver Spring.

According to the Sunday Times downloading data while abroad will be expensive if you own an iPhone 3G. In an article with the head line “The iPhone’s shocking cost of international downloads”, they warn of the costs of downloading data while out of the country.

The thousands of consumers planning to snap up a 3G iPhone when they go on sale next month could be hit with bills of thousands of pounds if they download music or programmes overseas, industry insiders warned last week.

They make it sound as if the iPhone is is the only phone in the world with expensive data charges when you leave your home coverage.

However, the unlimited data and wi-fi allowances only apply in the UK. Once you start using the device abroad, charges shoot up to £3 for each megabyte (Mb) of data downloaded in the EU and £6 elsewhere in the world.

I know that when I leave the US my rates change and I need to sign up for International coverage from AT&T. As far as I know the iPhone roaming rates from O2 are the same as every other phone they offer, iPhone users don’t pay extra.

Now, the Sunday Times does admit that O2 aren’t the only ones with expensive, finally quoting the rates for Orange and T-Mobile in the fifth paragraph. Then it is straight back to bashing the iPhone because it has a larger screen and therefore it is “easier to watch moving images” which to them means everyone will be watching the BBC’s iPlayer all vacation long.

Roaming internationally with any cellphone is expensive when compared to your home calling rates but to single out the iPhone because it is more capable than your average phone seems to be misleading. I have to ask if someone at the Sunday Times has a problem with the iPhone or do they hope that sensational headlines will draw readers.

Colesville & 410 in Silver Spring