After selling millions of its Time magazines’ 2007 Invention of the Year – “iPhone”, Apple Inc had launched the iPhone 3G in July, 2008. As expected, they went on to sell a million handsets in just 3 days with customers lined up for hours outside the stores in 22 nations where it was first released.

So what is it about this ultra-hyped phone that some people lined up for six days to get one while many returning home empty handed. Though on the outside it is quite similar to the standard iPhone launched earlier, it had some significant features over its predecessor. By the end of this article, we will help you adjudge whether all the fuss created was of any good.

The new iPhone 3G is simply the old standard iPhone plus something additional. Half of the people stating the difference do not really know what 3G is. The only thing they can say is that it is faster than its predecessor. Of course, it’s definitely faster but then, there is something more to it than the speed factor.

Technically speaking, 3G is not the latest in telecommunication technology. Companies like Samsung have already developed 4G technologies too. However, speaking with respect to the current consumer market, 3G is the latest.

With regards to consumer end technologies, comparing 3G to 2.5G will be more relevant and makes more sense. 3G not only dominates over 2.5G on the data transmission speed but also has an added feature of video calls. The data transmission rate is more than what we have been experiencing for the last 3 to 4 years. Along with that, it enables video conferencing too. Unlike the 2.5G which is based on the 802.11a, the new 3G technology is based on the WCDMA (Wireless Code Division Multiplexing Access).

The voice clarity in the iPhone 3G is much better as compared to the standard model but it comes at an expense of battery longevity. The battery extends for 10 hours on 2G talk/5 hours, on 3G talk/6 hours on using Wi-Fi Internet or 5 hours on 3G Internet usage. While using it as a multimedia device the battery can play upto 7 hours of video playback. The stand-by time is a substantial 300 hours with the battery retaining upto 80 percent of its capacity for full 400 cycles, as Apple claims!

On the data storage side, you have an option of 8 GB or 16 GB internal flash drive. The standard iPhone came with a 4 GB model too, but that option is no longer available. Sadly, there is no scope for inserting any other data storage device.

One feature that has received mixed reactions is the new panel on the phone. It’s made up of plastic as opposed to metallic one in the standard. It feels a bit cheap and low-end but is less prone to scratches and can be replaced more economically. The new iPhone also comes in with a built-in GPS unlike the standard one which used information from network towers to get GPS information.

The most important disadvantage of the phone is its inability to use outside the purchased country. All iPhones in the current consumer market, come along with the service contract from mobile phone service providers like AT & T. The point is, one has to continue with the default contract for a minimum period of 12 to 18 months in order to switch packages. One alternative to come out of the contract is to avail an iPhone unlock service.

The unlocking service providers use different methods to unlock iPhone mobiles and a very few percentage of these methods are foolproof. Owing to the innumerable scams involved in unlocking Apple iPhone, it is risky to avail one. These scamming services render your precious phone unusable after their services.