Soooo, the 2nd generation iPhone that uses 3G technology was announced today by his Steve-ness and, as usual, I’m kind of unimpressed. I knew I wouldn’t go with a 1g (1st generation) iPhone because it usually takes Apple a couple tries to get stuff right. However, I expected a bit more from the 2g 3G (!) iPhone. Sure, the GPS is great, the higher data rate (download speed) 3G can bring is also great and the lower pricing (8GB=$200, 16GB=$300) is definitely welcome, but still no Flash support? Still no video recording?

I saw somewhere that you can record video on the current iPhone with a 3rd party app. Usually when something like this happens it only takes Apple one iteration of a product to add the features of that 3rd party app to said product. Not so this time. So, if I get this new iPhone, I’ll still have to keep my SLVR around for mobile video recording. :\ Lame.

Then there’s the lack of a user-facing camera. This wasn’t make or break for me, but it’s so easy to do, you’d think they’d have done it. With the 3G connection speeds low-end video chat is totally doable. Odds are someone will still do it and we’ll just need a mirror to make it work, but Apple could have made it easy for us.

People are also upset about the new plastic casing for the iPhone, but the metal casing of the 1g iPhone probably limited signal reception dramatically. I have a MotoSLVR that is largely metal and while it feels nice and solid in my hand, it’s often hard for me to get a signal, while my plastic Sidekick 3 gets nearly full bars. So while not the metal backing we iPod-o-philes are used to, it will help reception and to be honest, look pretty damn slick, too.

So, where am I going with all of this? Well, for the price, I’ll definitely be picking up a 2g 3G iPhone. I’m living in a new city and just today I got semi-lost trying to find the nearest Starbucks to where I was in the 100+ degree Manhattan heat. I’m all over that new GPS thing. MUST know where I am and where I need to go in heat like this. My head felt like it was going to explode today. I’m not kidding. It felt all puffy and when I made it home today a glance in the mirror made me wonder if my face was always that red-ish/purple. O_O

Yes, a comprehensive GPS feature is very welcome, thanks.

As far as calling plans go, I’m hoping to stick with T-Mo (T-Mo has 3G in NYC now), but if not, I’m hoping to find a pre-paid data plan from AT&T since I will be using the iPhone for data only. I seem to recall, during the early days of the first iPhone, that there was a way to enter all zeros for your social security number and have it default you to some sort of pre-paid account. I wonder if this is still the case.

And what about cut & paste? One of the most basic features in the world of computing was left out of the first iPhone–is it in the second?

Sooo many questions!

But that’s my plan now. My Sidekick 3 has served me well, but it’s time to upgrade and considering that the high-end 2g/3G iPhone is $100 *cheaper* than my Sidekick was when I bought it (almost 2 years ago, now) I think it’s a perfectly reasonable thing to do even from an economic standpoint. Hell this new iPhone will hold 5 gigs less than my first iPod could and that cost me $400 just like the SK3!

The other thing is that because it’s, essentially, going to be the new RAZR (it’s so cheap!) I’m sure there will be loads of people developing apps and hacks for it. I have a feeling we’ll see support for everything short of Flash before too long.

Now comes the hard part–I know I want it, now I’ve just got to wait for it. Four weeks from this Friday is when the 2g 3G iPhone comes out–July 11, 2008. Ugh.

I’d better have an apartment by then. ;)