FreshPhoneNews.com

So we’ve been covering and drooling over the new iPhone, the iPhone 3GS. Notice how I write that, ‘iPhone 3GS’, no space between ‘3G’ and ‘S’. that’s what this post is going to be about, that little something called ‘brand sense’ that every successful company pats itself on the back. And Apple’s been one of the leaders in this area, great products, great marketing. Till now. Sure, the sky hasn’t fallen yet, but just try and Google ‘iPhone 3G S’ and see what you get. I mean exactly what were they thinking when they named it that? Also, initially, Apple supported the name ‘iPhone 3G S’, the space was there between the ‘3G’ and ‘S’. So the whole web is full of full references to that name. Now Apple’s website goes and makes a correction that the handset had been ‘iPhone 3GS’ all along. How confusing and plain ole’ sloppy is that? If ever the absence of Steve Jobs and his meticulous attention to detail was felt, it is felt now. If you’re searching up on the new iPhone 3G, trying typing “iPhone 3GS”you may have better luck, you may even land here at FPN. Hehe.

Every Canadian is sitting on the edge of their sagging chair in front of the PC waiting for news on either Rogers or Fido about the release and pricing of the Apple iPhone 3G. Early adopters in the Canadian region made the iPhone 3G the coolest kid on the block or at least as far as wireless communication and carriers go. The two carriers, Rogers and Fido, had this to say regarding their offers for the iPhone 3G.

There has been a lot of excitement around the new iPhone 3G S and we wanted to recognize the early adopters who helped make the iPhone the hottest-selling handset in Canadian wireless history. We will be discounting the price of the iPhone 3G S by between $250 and $500 to provide savings to many of our iPhone customers.

What this means is that eligible iPhone owners can acquire the iPhone 16GB 3G S for as low as $199 or the 32GB for as low as $299 until July 31, 2009.

For Fido customers, we’re offering the Fido Rewards iPhone 3G S promotion. This enables iPhone customers to redeem FidoDollars towards a new iPhone 3G S with an additional $100 top-up from Fido.

For customers who don’t qualify for these extra savings, we are pleased to offer Rogers Wireless customers the iPhone at our cost on rogers.com. This cost – $580 for the iPhone 3G, $680 for the iPhone 3G S 16GB and $780 for the iPhone 3G S 32GB – represents the price we pay for the device plus a nominal fee for the SIM card. Customers can access these devices at retail locations for just $19 more for the three devices.

We’re also happy to announce that Rogers and Fido are extending the 6GB/$30 data promotion until July 31. This offer is valid for customers on a new or existing iPhone plan or customers buying an Android-powered HTC Magic or HTC Dream.

Five ways to save

1) For Rogers Wireless customers who bought an iPhone 3G between July 11 and Sept. 30, 2008, and with an average monthly spend of at least $100, Rogers will provide $500 off the cost of an iPhone 3G S. This special offer expires July 31, 2009 and comes with the addition of a one-year term to the customer’s existing service agreement.

• 16GB 3GS $199
• 32GB 3GS $299

2) For Rogers Wireless customers who bought an iPhone between July 11 and Dec. 31, 2008, but aren’t eligible for the above offer, Rogers will provide $250 dollars off the purchase of an iPhone 3G S. This special offer expires July 31, 2009 and comes with the addition of a one-year term to the customer’s existing service agreement.

• 16GB 3GS $449
• 32GB 3GS $549

3) All Rogers’s Wireless customers can upgrade to the iPhone 3GS at our cost at Rogers.com, or for a suggested retail price of just $19 more than our cost through our retail channels.

• 8GB 3G $580/$599
• 16GB 3GS $680/$699
• 32GB 3GS $780/$799

4) Fido customers can take advantage of the Fido Rewards iPhone 3G S promotion:

• Use FidoDollars towards the purchase of a new iPhone 3G S
• Fido will top up the FidoDollars amount by $100
• This promotion does not include an extension or renewal of their service agreement.

5) New and existing iPhone customers can take advantage of a limited-time promotion of 6GB of data for $30, now extended until July 31. Other Rogers and Fido data plans will remain the same, including the only national standalone data plan at $25 per month for 500 MB. We know that this is the right plan for most Canadians – 93 per cent of current iPhone customers on a data plan use less than 500 MB of data per month

Early bird getting the worm? No not really, usually the early bird is the first to sit on the electric pole and get fried, and if you are either an Apple iPhone user or an AT&T subscriber, you’re probably used to this. However, the people at Apple and AT&T have had a change I heart and in hopes that this one actually works, they have relented for those who bought the iPhone 3G between July 2008 and September 2008. They will get the upgrade to the iPhone 3G at discounted prices. $199 for the 16GB model and $299 for the 32GB model.  Now that we no longer have to sell our souls for the upgrade, I think its time to, well Upgrade. There is some fine print here though. A few criteria conditions to fulfill like plan minimums and credit ratings. If you still don’t fell like coughing up the cash and taking you iPhone to a high class place, then I guess you wait for refurbished handsets or the end of next year.

Happy to have your new iPhone 3G S? Loving it? Anything bugging you? How about an irritating sound that ensues from the handset right after the sound files are done playing. For instance you may have just unlocked the handset or gotten an SMS, right after the music alert is over, you may hear a high frequency tone that lasts for about 3 seconds. The sound frequency is estimated to be as high as 15kHz. The problem is rather recurring and a good guess is that it’s software related, because when you set the handset to vibrate, no more annoying tones. Now let’s see how soon Apple rolls out a fixer…and some folks who’ve gotten theirs fixed recommend getting an upgrade from iTunes. But that will jet-rocket your phone bill from AT&T, which you probably won’t notice because you’ll be drooling over your new iPhone 3G S.

As for the iPhone 3G S  and Rogers/Fido, it seems that the initial spur that the no-contract retail price for the 16GB and 32GB models of $699 and $799 respectively were right on. Of course this news hasn’t been met with any degree of enthusiasm; Canadians are not taking kindly to the fat price tag. There was a little speculation going around that maybe it would be a lighter on the checkbook to get one from Apple directly.  Sadly not so. The 16GB and 32GB models are selling for $699 and $799 hold true no matter how you cut it, even Best Buy Mobile has the same retail price.

“For non-qualified customers, including existing Rogers or Fido customers who want to upgrade from another phone or replace an iPhone3G, the pricing without a new agreement is $599(8GB), $699(16GB), or $799(32GB).”

Another interesting fact is that nine Apple stores in Canada will be selling the iPhone 3G S, something that Apple didn’t do with the iPhone 3G. The only positive (somewhat) point to note is that both Rogers and Fido aren’t too keen to sell the iPhone 3G S sans contract. So yeah, they will sell ‘em retail, but they don’t wanna.

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Right so all you eager beavers for the new iPhone 3G S, yes your day came with spectacular colors. Both Apple and AT&T put in their share of elbow grease to make the launch as seamless and disaster-proof as possible. But there are a few things you’ll need to know about the shiny new iPhone, which Apple and AT&T have compiled into a nice little list.  Some of the instructions are for launch day, but the rest deal with how and when you can get some iPhone 3G S love;

• The iPhone 3G S will be available from all 2,200 company-owned AT&T retail locations and all 211 US Apple retail stores.
• Customers who did not pre-order will be able to purchase the new iPhone at the regular retail opening on a first come, first served basis.
• Shipments for online pre-orders started June 19 and not an hour sooner. In case you did pre-order but still don’t have the iPhone 3G S, it may be because the initial pre-order inventory ran out, so if you weren’t among the early birds, you may have to wat till the end of June.
• The iPhone 3G S will be available for $199 (16GB) and $299 (32GB) for all new AT&T customers and existing AT&T customers who have fulfilled their contract. As we reported yesterday, AT&T extended this pricing to current iPhone 3G customers who purchased the iPhone 3G in July, August, or September 2008. Eligibility requirements apply.
• All other iPhone 3G owners who have not yet fulfilled their existing agreement can upgrade early to the iPhone 3G S for $399 (16GB) and $499 (32GB). Full retail purchases without a two year contract are also available. If you are not sure of your eligibility, you can check your online account, call AT&T or go to an AT&T store or text *639# from your current AT&T handset.
• Sorry folks, no multiple handset purchases. AT&T stores will only sell one iPhone 3G S per person for new customers, one iPhone 3G S per eligible line for current AT&T customers and one device per household for online shoppers.
• If you are porting a number from another carrier, remember to bring the appropriate documentation including a copy of your wireless bill from your current service provider, your account number, your name and billing address on the account, your Social Security number or tax ID and your account PIN or password.
• If you inherit an iPhone 3G from a friend or family member, you will need to visit an AT&T store to activate your phone. If you inherit an original iPhone, you can request a SIM card from AT&T and activate it at home via iTunes.
• Listen to your voice mail messages as all voice mail will be lost when switching devices.

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The Dev Team has updated its blog with much awaited news that you can now jailbreak iPhone OS 3.0. Yay! But this one doesn’t stretch as far as the new iPhone 3G S, sadly only owners of the iPhone 2G (original iPhone), iPhone 3G and the iPod touch (first and second generation) for the time being. Unlocking is available only for the iPhone 2G, not iPhone 3G. 3G owners will have to wait till project ‘ultrasn0w’ is up and kicking. Instructions await at the Dev Team’s blog.

It’s here, it’s here, it’s here! Shiny up your iPhones and iPods because the new OS 3.0 from apple is here. The update is now available for everyone out there to download for free to all you lucky iPhone users and for the little less lucky iPod owners, you have to pay $9.95 for your update. More info is at the Apple website. Get your updates then get cracking. The real juice kicks in when you synchronize it with iTunes.

As reported earlier, both Rogers and Fido are indeed intending to offer the new Apple 3G iPhone for the many excited Canadian fans. However, prices quoted aside, we now have details on what kind of package the two Canadian carriers will be offering. Source of the info is the ever trustful Best Buy’ Inventory system. The really great news is you can’t smell a contract with in miles of the offerings. Canadian users are going to be getting their iPhone 3G 32GB at $799.99 and the 16GB at $699.99.pretty good deal. Check out the pics for your personal pleasure.

The iPhone mania is indeed taking over and now with visual confirmation we break the really bad news that if you haven’t pre-ordered your iPhone 3G from AT&T as of June 13th then you’re in for a longer wait than you anticipated because all subsequent orders to AT&T won’t  filled until 7 to 14 days. Whether this is shortage of stock at AT&T or at Apple it’s hard to say but if someone’s been nagging you  to hurry up and order your iPhone they will be very smug indeed and might just show you their I told you so dance. It’s more likely that the stock at AT&T is more to blame and come this Friday all orders going through will not be filled until after the 19th, after the launch date.