Although the Apple iPhone 3G may look like the original with a couple of tweaks, the hardware hidden behind the black or white casing has received a total makeover. As always, Apple is reluctant to provide technical information for a number of reasons, but among the key upgrades there should be a new motherboard and a new GPS chip.
The new motherboard should feature support for 3.6 Mbps HSDPA, 2-megapixel camera and NAND memory. If you are one of those who didn't find Steve Jobs' keynote earlier this week too exciting, there's a good chance that the next-generation Apple iPhone 3 will feature 7.2 Mbps HSDPA, HSUPA, NAND memory support and possibly an improved camera. And we think that one will appear already late this year or early next year - perhaps named iPhone 3.5G, given its HSUPA capabilities?
Anyway, when it comes to the Apple iPhone 3G's new GPS chip, it should be one of the best GPS chips available to date. Unlike the GPS chips found in most cell phones today, the Apple iPhone 3G should feature a chip that could easily be used in standalone personal navigation devices. The chip provides faster signal searches, improved tracking sensitivity and low average power consumption.
The chip is also optimized for cellular integration, so combined with features like Assisted GPS (AGPS) and Long-term orbit (LTO) extended ephemeris assistance, the Apple iPhone 3G will be capable of reducing time-to-first-fix (TTFF) to less than one second in certain conditions. Apple will also make use of Wi-Fi networks when available, to ensure that especially location-based services always work as smoothly as possible.
Since the original iPhone had already received a memory upgrade, the Apple iPhone 3G will "only" come with 8GB (priced at $200 on AT&T) or 16GB (priced at $300 on AT&T) flash drives. However, the Apple iPhone 3G could receive memory upgrades down the road, in the shape of 32GB and 64GB flash drives. It all depends on pricing and Apple's roadmap for the "iPhone family".
The Apple iPhone 3G's battery life, which promises up to 10 hours on 2G, 5 hours on 3G, 7 hours of video playback and 24 hours of audio playback, is another welcome improvement. We obviously look forward to do some extensive battery testing on this device, as soon as it becomes available on July 11 in 22 countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and the US.
Apple iPhone 3G in-depth look:
Apple iPhone 3G to go on sale for $200 on AT&T in July
GPS and location-based services
MMS, voice dialing and more to come soon
Price change will lead to new Apple iPhones
Apple App Store will attract talented developers
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