iPhone 3.0 will put the iPhone years ahead of the competition?

"The new iPhone OS 3.0 is a major software release packed with incredible new features and innovations for iPhone customers and developers alike," said Apple Senior Vice President Philip Schiller. "It will keep us years ahead of the competition."

Uh…so what’s the major, killer features?  Here’s a few:

  • Cut-and-paste
  • Phone-to-phone wireless connection
  • Push-notification system
  • Landscape view for email
  • Phone tethering (maybe)
  • Flash support (maybe)

 

Years ahead of competition?  Gimme a break.  Windows Mobile has been doing this for years.  Apple is just catching up – not releasing breakthrough features.

Looks like a scam, but it’s real

http://www.freeiphoneswap.com/

After signing up thousands of existing iPhone owners for cash trade-ins, Freeiphoneswap.com today announced an even greater incentive for customers to trade their 2G iPhones for the new 3G model. The Miami-based company, freeiphoneswap.com, originally offering iPhone 2G owners the chance to trade their old phone for $100, $200, or $300 depending on the model has now upped cash payouts an additional $50 to $150, $250, and $350, thereby allowing the consumer to upgrade to the new 3G for free and receive additional cash in their pocket.

“We are providing a unique service to consumers, allowing them to upgrade their equipment without the risks involved with something like eBay or Craigslist,” said Freeiphoneswap.com spokesman, Sam Hickson. “After the release of the 3G iPhone, demand for such a service was so high we were able to increase the offer price. We take in all working original iPhones and give the consumer, in most cases a payout equal to the cost of the standard upgrade to the new 3G.”

Freeiphoneswap.com presently has representatives in New York City, as well as Miami, New Jersey and California to facilitate the transactions. They are working on establishing drop-off points in other cities as well. When they were first introduced, the new 3G iPhones cost as much as $600. For existing iPhone owners, upgrades are now available for $200-$300 depending on the model.

The iPhones that are traded in are stripped for their essential components which are re-used, with non-essential parts disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner. The owners of Freeiphoneswap.com also donate 10% of the trade-in proceeds to youth educational programs. Consumers can obtain more information or perform the transaction itself at www.freeiphoneswap.com or call 1-877-899-7779.

The Top 10 cell phone alternatives to the Apple iPhone

According to Wirefly, the Top 10 cell phone alternatives to the Apple iPhone are:

  1. LG Vu CU920 (AT&T) – This sleek touch-screen phone has a large display and a matte black finish, with 3G data speeds, wide-screen virtual keyboard for texting, and streaming live TV.
  2. LG Vu CU915 (AT&T) – If you can live without live TV on your phone, the new LG Vu CU915 may be the best deal in touch-screen phones today. It’s the same phone as the LG Vu CU920 without live TV.
  3. LG Voyager (Verizon Wireless) – The Voyager has a unique design with flip-up touch-screen and hidden full QWERTY keyboard, plus Verizon’s EV-DO can be up to 40% faster than the iPhone 3G’s maximum data speeds.
  4. HTC Touch (Sprint/Alltel) – The most compact touch-screen phone on the market features the incredibly easy TouchFLO touch-screen technology and the faster EV-DO high-speed internet.
  5. LG Dare (Verizon Wireless) – This brand new model for Verizon is super thin, with a brilliant huge touch-screen and EV-DO data speeds; 3.2-megapixel camera/camcorder includes face detection.
  6. Samsung Glyde (Verizon Wireless) – Samsung’s high-end phone is the best of both worlds, with a full touch-screen interface and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, plus EV-DO high-speed internet.
  7. HTC Tilt (AT&T) – This powerful and popular smartphone with a full tilt-up keyboard does it all, from WiFi to GPS to a 3 megapixel camera/camcorder, plus Microsoft Windows Mobile.
  8. BlackBerry Curve (AT&T/Alltel/Sprint/T-Mobile/Verizon Wireless) – The best-selling BlackBerry is available for all carriers, with internet browsing, texting, instant messaging, plus camera, music, and video.
  9. LG Glimmer (Alltel) – The cool slider phone for Alltel has a touch QVGA display plus a traditional keypad; music player, camera, and expandable memory round out the feature set.
  10. Palm Centro (AT&T/Sprint/Verizon Wireless) – The slimmest and best Palm ever is power-packed with Microsoft Windows applications plus high-speed internet, camera, video and music player.