September 23, 2008

So I got a 3G iPhone...

I said I wasn't going to do it. I already had a perfectly fine 1st gen 8GB iPhone. The 3G model wasn't worth it.

What changed my mind?

GPS
On a recent trip I heavily used the map application. It was fine for locating everything-- hotels, buildings, Starbucks, etc. -- except ME. Most of the time I got a huge circle, sometimes I got a very precise location that was definitely not where I was standing.

A colleague had the 3G model, which worked just like a real GPS should. It tells you exactly where you are. I was jealous.

Now with a proper GPS in my phone, I'm tempted to offload my Garmin Nuvi. This is a sweet device, but it's one more thing to carry around.

3G
I use my phone more for email and web than I do for calls. So if there's any way to speed that up, I'm all for it. 3G coverage in the States is not great, but it's getting better. Europe and Australia have excellent 3G.

???
I wish I could say there was something else compelling pushed me to upgrade. Unfortunately there isn't. I was sitting on the fence and it just took light breeze to push me over.

I would have grabbed this phone a month ago if it had a better camera, or could do video conferencing, or could be used as a modem. The "breeze" was seeing the GPS in action.

Upgrading cost me $340 plus a slightly higher monthly rate. I just hope they don't come out with a new model any time soon.