New iPhone 3G aids stalkers…

by Phil Long

… maybe. GPS and Geotagging for the camera so stalkers will be able to locate their prey through social networking sites with location awareness as well as checking out where they go on Flickr. Disturbing.

On a more serious note, there is talk of the GPS on the iPhone 3G being useful if it can work with other mobile devices with GPS and Internet connectivity to locate your friends and guide you to them. Can’t find the bar your mates are in on a night out? Fire up Google-maps and get directions to another friend with a GPS aware ‘phone. Loopt were named in Jobs’ keynote as one GPS social-networking site that will have an application available at the launch of the iPhone 3G - but doesn’t appear to have UK support and a quick Google doesn’t turn up other UK GPS social-networking sites; hopefully other services will arrive at launch though (feel free to post a comment if you know better).

TomTom have been quick to announce that they’re working on an iPhone version of their software - so if Google maps doesn’t do the job for you you’ll have the old-faithful and familiar available.

For me, GPS is really a bonus and doesn’t in itself make it worth upgrading to the iPhone 3G. The critical factor is really right there - ‘3G’. EDGE would be fine if I lived somewhere with decent EDGE coverage - but Rochdale is not such a place. Friends with 3G however reliably inform me 3G coverage is good from O2.

Not exclusive to the 3G version of the iPhone is the ability to use ActiveSync with the next version of the software which will finally return to me the only functionality I miss from my old XDA IIs; having my work calendar information available wherever I am.

Third party-apps, again available on old and new iPhone, will be a major bonus to me as I wasn’t keen to hack my iPhone to use the stuff that’s available so far - but I’m sure there will be things of interest. Already there will be a Typepad app for updating Typepad blogs from the iPhone (including putting up pictures) - so something similar for Wordpress would be pretty funky. Oh - and Super Monkey Ball using the accelerometer.

My brother will be pleased as well as the iPhone 2.0 software is also adding scientific calculator functionality.

O2 has already announced the deals for the iPhone 3G on its’ release on July 11 - £99 to upgrade (committing to a new 18 month contract) to the 8GB version - which comes in any colour, as long as it’s black. Alternatively there is the 16GB version (also available in white) which will be £159 with a contract. The 8GB is free with the contracts from £45 per month - and the 16GB version is free with the £75 per month contract. I’ll be sticking with my £35 per month deal when I upgrade.