Rabid Richard

Hello,

Well, the second day of my blog is heating up Here are some answers to the most common questions I have been asked about the new iPhone 3G;

Can I buy an iPhone 3G for a relation, like I could with the older iPhone?

No, o2 are making it so the phone has to be registered in-store on pickup, so you cannot buy this iPhone as a gift for anyone else

Okay, how about if I get 2 iPhones in my name, and give one to a relation?

Sorry, but that’s another no. o2 are expecting the demand to be so high for the iPhone, that they are limiting the sale of iPhones to one per customer.

Hmm, so I can’t buy one, and then wait for someone to “hack” it?

Nope, to buy an iPhone this time, you need to sign up for the 18 month contract, starting from £30/month. Apple and o2 have hinted that a no-commitment iPhone 3G will be out soon, but that is expected to cost around £299 for the 8GB.

I have an old iPhone and want to upgrade, does this mean I will lose everything on my new iPhone?

Not at all, a new update in iTunes was released awhile ago to handle this very problem. Steve Jobs told us in one of his videos that to transfer all your data to the new iPhone, all you need to do, is to sync the old iPhone with iTunes, and then Sync the new one.

What about my voice mails? Will they be synced to?

Unfortunately not - you will need to make sure you are listened to all your voice mails before switching to the new iPhone.

I don’t know if o2 have good 3G coverage in my area, how can I find out?

Well, the truth is, you can’t. There is a map on o2’s website, but it is so out of date, there is no point looking. The only way you will really know, is to ask someone who has an o2 3G phone in your area.

But - If I don’t have 3G in my area, I wont be able to surf the net?

Not at all! ALL iPhone 3G’s can use the old EDGE network (2.5G). So it will be slightly slower if you cannot get 3G, but still, worth it. You can also turn off the 3G chip, as revealed on another blog, that way, you can save power when you are in an area you know does not have 3G.

Some people are saying the new iPhone does not have GPS?

That is absolute twaddle. As released on the apple website, the new iPhone 3G will have a GPS chip.

So if it does have GPS, does that mean we can use it for SatNav?

Well, this is a good question, the answer is, we don’t know. Apple have released a condition that their SDK (Software development Kit) that it cannot be used to make real time navigation software (AKA: SatNav) but TomTom have already started developing a SatNav program for the iPhone. Only time will tell. But do not expect to have SatNav on your iPhone on Friday when you pick it up.

Oh - So no SatNav, whats the GPS actually for then?

First of all, I never said no SatNav - But at the moment, Apple have not made up their minds, for all we know, they will be releasing their own version of a SatNav system. For the time time being, we just don’t know, and cannot hope to know before Friday at the very earliest.

But. If no SatNav, the GPS chip can be used for locating yourself, and nearby restaurants, or hotels, etc. It can also be used by developers for parents to track the movements of their children, or owners to track the movements of their iPhone. The possibilities are endless. But I for one am hoping there is some form of SatNav system for the iPhone shortly.

Well, that’s it for now. More to come shorty.