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Apple slashes price of iPhone 3G, updates firmware to 3.0, launches 3G S model

8 June 2009 21:22 by Andre "DVDBack23" Yoskowitz | 17 comments

Apple had a busy day today at the WWDC 2009 event, revealing that they will be slashing the price of the lowest capacity iPhone 3G to $99 USD, launching an new iPhone 3G S model, and introducing the 3.0 firmware update for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

The 3.0 firmware will be available on June 17th for free for iPhone users or $9.95 USD for Touch users. The most notable new feature available are the ability to purchase and rent movies, TV shows, music videos and audiobooks directly through iTunes right from the device.

Other features include the ability to shake the device to turn on shuffle in music playback and new parental controls that will allow users to limit App Store apps. Also notably, Safari will now include autofill and much faster JavaScript.

AT&T will also finally begin supporting MMS features such as picture and audio mail in "late summer."

A couple of the new software features will only work on the new 3G S model, and those are specifically, support for voice control, new camera controls, video capture, electronic compass, hardware encryption of all data and Nike + iPod support.

The voice control allows for, as expected, voice dialing. The new camera features include "rapid shutter, low light, macro and autofocus, touch controls for automatic refocus, exposure and white balance settings." The camera will also be 3MP.

Video capture will allow for trim editing and easy uploads to MobileMe and YouTube. The hardware encryption will encrypt all internal data, making remote wipes instant. The compass, well, shows what direction you are facing on a map display.

The 3G S will hit stores on the 19th.

Permalink to this article | Topic: Phones

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Discuss this article!
Lothros (Junior Member) 8 June 2009 22:23
Still useless rubbish [ + quote]
21Q (Senior Member) 8 June 2009 22:47
After reviewing the upgrades to the S, I'm probably going to sell my 3g and buy this one. [ + quote]
ZippyDSM (AfterDawn Addict) 9 June 2009 0:23
BlackBerry Storm 9530 :50$ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001HN5BPS SD micro 16GB:40-60$ http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_cps?ur...d+micro&x=0&y=0 Why is it better? no apple to deal with and you can connect a laptop to it and surf!! And its not even the best non locked and hampered(i-brand) uber phone on the market! [ + quote]
Blackjax (Member) 9 June 2009 0:51
good for them but I still ain't buying rotten apples! [ + quote]
prutsos (Member) 9 June 2009 1:30
I still do not see any reason to upgrade or even buy at this point maybe just for the name? sorry but I cant sit there and pay out the behind for another better model to come out in 6 months That is just my opinion though [ + quote]
sk8dood (Newbie) 9 June 2009 9:37
*Originally posted by ZippyDSM:* BlackBerry Storm 9530 :50$ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001HN5BPS SD micro 16GB:40-60$ http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_cps?ur...d+micro&x=0&y=0 Why is it better? no apple to deal with and you can connect a laptop to it and surf!! And its not even the best non locked and hampered(i-brand) uber phone on the market! iPhone OS 3.0 has tethering as well... [ + quote] This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 9 June 2009 9:38
ZippyDSM (AfterDawn Addict) 9 June 2009 12:13
*Quote:* *Originally posted by ZippyDSM:* BlackBerry Storm 9530 :50$ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001HN5BPS SD micro 16GB:40-60$ http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_cps?ur...d+micro&x=0&y=0 Why is it better? no apple to deal with and you can connect a laptop to it and surf!! And its not even the best non locked and hampered(i-brand) uber phone on the market! iPhone OS 3.0 has tethering as well... Can you remove the battery can you use SD cards? [ + quote]
xyqo (Senior Member) 9 June 2009 14:40
FAIL!!! major fail. And touch users have to pay for the update LOL!! [ + quote]
prutsos (Member) 9 June 2009 15:51
*Originally posted by xyqo:* FAIL!!! major fail. And touch users have to pay for the update LOL!! Yeah and apple wonders why people jailbreak there touches [ + quote]
djeazyg (Junior Member) 9 June 2009 17:03
*Quote:* *Quote:* *Originally posted by ZippyDSM:* BlackBerry Storm 9530 :50$ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001HN5BPS SD micro 16GB:40-60$ http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_cps?ur...d+micro&x=0&y=0 Why is it better? no apple to deal with and you can connect a laptop to it and surf!! And its not even the best non locked and hampered(i-brand) uber phone on the market! iPhone OS 3.0 has tethering as well... Can you remove the battery can you use SD cards? I'll agree with you on the battery thing. It's extremely annoying that I can't keep an extra charged battery around or replace the battery without dismantling the phone. But why would you care about an SD card? The thing couldn't be any easier to hook up to a PC or Mac to transfer your files. The iTunes thing is a tad annoying but you need it for any iPod you buy. Or get one of the thousands of free programs out there that do the same thing as iTunes. There is plenty of memory in the phone. If you need more than 16 gigs for taking pictures then you should really save yourself some money and consider getting a real camera and not using your phone. Or maybe transferring the pictures from the phone to you computer? You don't need iTunes for that. If you need more than 16 gigs of room for songs you should consider getting a different mp3 player. Once again it will save you some money. If you need more than 16 gigs for movies you�re just being picky or spoiled. How many movies are you going to watch on a screen that small anyway? For those of us who want it all in one little handheld device the iPhone is great. Sure the price is steep when you factor in the 2 year agreement but you can�t have everything. And don�t give me that weak excuse �there are cheaper phones that do all the same stuff�. I�ve tried most of those phones and they don�t really compare. Cheaper? Yes. But not better. Not even for the price. [ + quote]
jpc1284 (Member) 10 June 2009 9:51
I couldnt agree more. I've had the LG Dare and the Black Berry Storm. Their touch screens and internal systems are garabge compared to the iphone. i do not have an iPhone but i do have an iPod touch which is the same thing minus the phone. In fact since they just cut the regular 3g to $99 i am actually thinking of switching over. its only like 5 bucks more a month for my plan being all carriers are forcing data plans on smart phones. My biggest concern is the battery life on the iPhone. From all my apple products i know they are notoriously shitty. [ + quote]
sk8dood (Newbie) 10 June 2009 10:38
*Quote:* *Quote:* *Originally posted by ZippyDSM:* BlackBerry Storm 9530 :50$ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001HN5BPS SD micro 16GB:40-60$ http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_cps?ur...d+micro&x=0&y=0 Why is it better? no apple to deal with and you can connect a laptop to it and surf!! And its not even the best non locked and hampered(i-brand) uber phone on the market! iPhone OS 3.0 has tethering as well... Can you remove the battery can you use SD cards? Why would that be necessary? The only time i needed to remove the battery from a phone was because it was froze and needed a 'restart'. And the SD card is irrelevant... I can transfer everything over USB... I have had phones in the past with a SD card, and I bought a 1gb SD card because it didn't have ANY room for pictures or video. All of your 'selling' points for other phones is because of their shortcomings. I guess I don't get your logic for this discussion as all of your points are irrelevant. [ + quote] This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 10 June 2009 10:40
raunchynm (Newbie) 12 June 2009 9:54
By now Apple should have figured out how to build a phone that is truly upgradable to avoid the constant re-purchase necessary to take advantage of their new features. As for me, I'm not using the IPhone anymore until they dump AT&T since I can't even get one lousy bar just a few miles south of Santa Fe, New Mexico on the Iphone. For the time being, I'm having better luck using a cheap phone with the far better T-Mobile coverage. [ + quote]
puterman (Junior Member) 12 June 2009 10:06
*Originally posted by xyqo:* FAIL!!! major fail. And touch users have to pay for the update LOL!! Pay for a software update. This is a first. I've had ipods for years and never had to pay for a software update. Major Fail!!! [ + quote]
ZippyDSM (AfterDawn Addict) 12 June 2009 12:42
*Quote:* *Originally posted by xyqo:* FAIL!!! major fail. And touch users have to pay for the update LOL!! Pay for a software update. This is a first. I've had ipods for years and never had to pay for a software update. Major Fail!!! Its a way they can make more money, if the Ipods were half the price then it would not be so bad...but that's highway robbery.... [ + quote]
xyqo (Senior Member) 12 June 2009 13:20
I agree. They're not loosing any money on the hardware like some other manufacturers (for example console mfgs) they're actually making tidy profits but they still want to 'tax' you for a lousy firmware update that's really not worth anything close to $10. I say jail break is the way to go. Don't get caught in apple hell [ + quote]
Gnawnivek (Junior Member) 12 June 2009 14:15
Another $10 eh? I googled the first $10 update (got the first gen of the Touch) which allows you to install Apps (there's a restore file of some sorts, which allows you to upgrade for free). So, now another $10... Hmmm, time to Jailbreak. [ + quote]