1) Palm's webOS is tremendously usable. The new concepts they introduce—gestures under the screen, cards to represent running apps, searching for contacts and apps from the main screen—are all intuitive and easy to pick up. The look of the UI is also soothing, with largish icons and largish text, fluid animations and rounded corners. It's definitely a "web" OS in that it takes a lot of cues from web design patterns and motifs.

2) The Pre is a fantastic size and shape and feels natural in both your pocket or your hand. The rounded pebble shape is pleasurable, and the weight is solid without being weighty. That said...

3) When you open up the phone, the story changes dramatically. The edges are too sharp—sharp enough to cut cheese—and the keyboard is tiny and difficult to type on. If Palm had included iPhone/Android-level word correction, basically a system that would basically fix misspellings for you to correct for inaccurate typing, this wouldn't be a problem.

4) Multitasking is handled elegantly. Palm's webOS introduces the concept of "cards" as apps, where you can shuffle them around, scroll through your deck and deal them off your phone to close them. It's great most of the time to be able to swap between emailing and texting and YouTube and your browser without having to close out and lose your spot in each app. Unfortunately, multitasking works the same as it does in your PC in that you have a limited amount of system resources to go around, and using heavy apps will mean you can't do much else without a significant slowdown—like having your music stutter.

5) There will be various hardware editions with this OS. Unlike the iPhone, where there's basically only one phone with the iPhone OS every year, Palm's planning on releasing different phones in different form factors all running the same OS. There's already been one leaked: the Centro-like Palm Eos that's heading to AT&T.

6) It works with iTunes. Palm went to the trouble of making the Pre pretend to be an iPod when synced to iTunes, allowing you to transfer your music and video and photos without a problem. Playlists make it over just fine, but song ratings and play counts aren't supported on the Pre. And your DRM'ed iTunes songs won't make it over either, but your MP3 and DRM-free ones will.

7) Facebook and Google sync well. Not only does it have push Gmail, there's something called Synergy that grabs your Facebook and Google contacts and merges them together on your phone. You may not want ALL your Facebook contacts or everyone you've ever emailed from your Gmail account to be on your phone, but it's all or nothing at this point.

8) It works with your old Palm apps. If you're an old-school Palm OS user that really needs some random app, like the eBook reader or Epocrates medical software (before their Pre version comes out), this can ease your transition.

9) The screen and multitouch are both high quality. Like I said in the review, the screen is crisp and sharp and clear, and the multitouch seems to track slightly better and quicker than the iPhone.

10) The app catalog is tiny now, but will most likely grow quite fast since the phone is slightly more consumery than Android phones (Android is a little more hardcore-based than this). Although I don't see an explosion as big as the iTunes App Store, I do think there will be quite a few apps for the phone eventually.

11) BONUS! The Touchstone charger charges really slowly. If you're looking to charge in a hurry, plug the microUSB charger directly into the Pre. But if you're just docking it at work and want to keep the screen on standby so you can see emails and texts come in, the Touchstone is a decent solution. It does, however, make your phone quite hot. I think there was something wrong with the first Touchstone charger unit. The second unit Palm sent out charged fine (without heating up the phone), and brought the phone from 0 to 100% in 2:30. Charging via microUSB filled it in 1:55. It's not a huge difference, but if you're in a hurry, use the microUSB.

These are the ten main points, and serve as a fast introductory course to knowing the Palm Pre. If you're interested in doing more research on the device before you buy, here's the review and the FAQ.

Should I get the Pre over the iPhone? WIll it make a good replacement for my old Phone?
It depends. I'm glad you're educating yourself by reading this FAQ, but read our Palm Pre review full of videos, fresh photos and a complete run down of how this phone stacks up.

PALM PRE LAUNCH
When and where can I buy It?
June 6, and you can buy it at Sprint Stores, Best Buy or Radio Shack. Sprint Premier customers—if you don't know what that is, you're not one of 'em—will be able to hit up a special launch party in select cities on June 5.

How much is it gonna cost me, really?
Sprint's touting $199. That's with a two-year agreement and $100 mail-in rebate (which we think is pretty irritating). However, if you buy it at Best Buy or Radio Shack, the rebate is instant, so it'll be $199 out the gate at either of those fine establishments. If you don't want to deal with an icky contract, most signs point to $549, though Sprint hasn't confirmed that.

It will require an Everything Data or Business Essentials With Messaging and Data plan, both of which start at $70. If you're special and have a Sprint's Everything Plus referral plan, which starts at $60, that'll work too.

Will I have to camp outside?
Good question! Mostly 'cause we're not exactly sure, for a couple of reasons.

For one, we don't know how many are gonna be available at launch. Sprint's CEO talking up just how badly they wont' be able to meet demand doesn't make us feel any better, even if he's just trying to add to the hype. And there were some scary numbers floating around, like 30-40,000 total, with 3-4,000 allocated to Best Buy. The latest we've heard on the Best Buy front is that "large box Best Buy stores will only have at most about 15-20 and smaller stores at best 7-10" units.

We've got fairly solid info Radio Shack is getting 11,000 units, so 30,000 total seems a bit low, since it seems like Best Buy would get at least as many as Radio Shack—if not more—and Sprint's definitely going to keep the bulk of the phones for themselves.

From what we've heard, not every Best Buy or Radio Shack will have one. On the Best Buy front, we're told the allocation is going to depend on how well they've sold other high-profile phones, as well as general Sprint stores. Some won't get any at all, at least at first. Supposedly, the stock will get more plentiful in July/August. We're not sure how Radio Shack is divvying up their stock, just that not every Radio Shack will get one.

Demand is the other part of the equation. Will it match the hype? Hard to say!

Do I Really Have to Go With Sprint to Get Some Pre Action?
If you're in the US of A, it looks that way, at least for 2009. But that doesn't mean you have to go Sprint to get a phone with the Pre's WebOS. Palm's confirmed there's more than one WebOS phone in the pipeline, and the Centro of the family—the Palm Eos—has already leaked out. Rumor has it this little WebOS phone will hit AT&T this fall, maybe as cheaply as $99 (after contract and rebate voodoo).

SPECIFICATIONS
• Linux-based Palm-built WebOS operating system and UI
• 3.1-inch, 320x480 capacitive LCD multitouch screen
• Vertical slider form factor with full QWERTY keyboard
• 8GB flash storage
• Multitouch gesture area
• 3G EV-DO rev. A and Wi-Fi (802.11b/g)
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR w/ A2DP stereo support and GPS
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• 3-Megapixel camera
• LED flash
• Texas Instruments OMAP 3430 CPU (ARM-based, likely at 600MHz)
• Micro USB connection with mass storage support
• Supported formats: MP3, AAC, AAC+, AMR, QCELP, WAV; MPEG-4, H.263, H.264; GIF, JPEG, PNG BMP
• Wireless induction charger
• 4.8 Ounces

HARDWARE
Innovative Design
Palm's Pre smartphone is unusual in that it slides vertically to reveal the QWERTY keyboard. It uses the same curved sliding action found on phones like the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1. The vertical keyboard was used partially to stand out from other phones, and partially to adhere to the philosophy of easy one-handed use. The phone has a multitouch screen and, when the keyboard is hidden, just three physical controls: A top button, a side volume rocker, clickable button at the bottom. It also has a 3.5mm headphone jack, 3MP camera on the back (w/LED flash) all in a 4.8-ounce package. It's smaller than the iPhone in surface area, but it's noticeably thicker—even thicker than the BB Bold.

Gesture Area
The gesture area is the black space that extends below the screen of the Pre. Like the screen itself, that area is fully multitouch-capable, and allows you to perform various gesture-based actions within WebOS. Palm said they implemented the gesture area because they feel one-handed control directly on the touchscreen itself can be difficult at times. They say the gesture area will make it easier to move through WebOS without the need for a second hand.

One touted use for the gesture area is the wave dock, which appears whenever you drag your finger up from the gesture area to the screen. Up pops the dock—viewable in the homescreen but otherwise invisible when you're doing stuff—for a quick change of activity. (This is a bit reminiscent of the Mac OSX Dock.)

TI OMAP Chip
The TI 3430 OMAP chip is the great wizard running the show in Pre's Emerald City. It's an ARM-based CPU likely clocked at 600MHz with built-in graphics acceleration that's high-powered enough to handle multiple apps running (15-20). Let's just hope that performance doesn't cost too much in battery life.

Touchstone Wireless Charger
Touchstone is a wireless charging base for the Palm Pre, one of the first magnetic induction chargers to make its way out of the bathroom. (Sonicare and Oral-B toothbrushes power up using a similar system.) It's referred to as "The Puck," and you just click the back of the Pre onto its flat surface and the juice starts to flow. It'll be $70.

SOFTWARE
Cards
Cards, whose flick-friendly interface promises to make smartphone multitasking simple, are arguably the biggest revolution in the WebOS interface. Each app is represented by a panel or "card" with all its relevant info. To the side of each card are similar cards for other running apps. You can flick your way from one to the next, and do things like pause a song, or launch a new email. If you tap the card, you can enter the full app and really get to work. WebOS is designed to handle many apps running at once, and the Palm Pre has the power to support that. (Image via Palm Goon.)

Synergy
Despite its lame 1990s corporate-culture name, Synergy is a very cool feature that integrates contact info, calendars, messaging clients and search capabilities into a seamless menu system.

Synergy takes contact info from sites like Gmail and Facebook (plus any other site that takes advantage of the SDK), and presents all that info for any contact on a single screen, then shows all the ways you can contact that person electronically. Most of this is done automatically, but if WebOS can't detect multiple online accounts for the same contact, you can manually link contacts together.

Even better, whether you're texting, emailing, or IMing, all those conversations are placed into one chat style screen, so you can see all the conversations you've had with a person over a given period of time.

Universal Search
The entire contents of your phone are searchable. Whether it's contacts, old conversations, appointments, media file, etc., you can easily find what you need on your phone with all the results provided in a single screen. But if what you're looking for isn't on the phone locally, you can take that same search to the internet with a tap or two of the screen, where it will be run through sites like Google and Wikipedia.

Notifications
Palm tried to master that all-too-fickle smartphone feature: background notifications. The problem is, notifications tend to be either too distracting or not distracting enough. Palm's notification system pops up on the bottom half of the screen, but the app UI adjusts so you can still carry out whatever you're doing. Obviously, you'll have to acknowledge the message (or cancel it) eventually, but this feature will definitely save you some frustration.

Multitouch Browser
WebOS's browser is the first since Mobile Safari to support multitouch gestures. And like the iPhone's Mobile Safari and Android's browser on the G1, it's built on top of WebKit, which means you can expect the same speedy, responsive performance found on those phones. (Image via Palm Goon.)

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
(Many of our answers were pulled from our interview with Palm during our Pre hands-on.)

Will there be a GSM Palm Pre?
Yes, but it will be a UTMS, Europe-only phone available later this year. No announcement for a US GSM phone has been made as of yet.

What kind of internet connectivity does the Palm Pre have?
The Pre has an EVDO rev. A mobile broadband chip (for average connectivity upwards of 1Mbps) in addition to Wi-Fi (b/g).

How long will the battery last between charges?
Palm hasn't officially revealed any info on this yet, but Pre Central, based on photos of the battery, have made a highly educated guess that the battery is identical to that found in the Centro (1150mAh-1350mAh).

As John Herrman points out in his post, the Treo Pro has a 1500mAh battery that goes about two days between charges; the iPhone has a 1400mAh battery that's okay but sometimes runs out too fast; and the G1 has an 1150mAh, considered woefully inadequate in the eyes of many.

A Palm PR rep told PalmInfoCentral to expect the battery to have a 1200mAh life, though how long that lasts in real time depends on the processor and the demands of the OS.

Is the battery removable?
Yes.

What does the top button do?
The dedicated button found on top of the phone not only slides between silent and normal modes, but you can also press it to turn airplane mode on or off.

Does the Pre's screen auto-rotate between portrait and landscape mode?
Yes, like most other high-end smartphones, the Pre has built-in accelerometers that are quite responsive.

Does the Pre have a standard headphone jack?
Yes, the Pre uses the standard 3.5mm headphone jack, located on top of the phone, that works with all mainstream portable headphones.

Does the Palm Pre have expandable storage?
Nope. The 8GB that comes with the phone is what you're stuck with.

Did Palm discuss the availability of a 16GB or 32GB Pre?
No.

Will apps from the older Palm OS (aka Garnet) work on WebOS?
This was a total surprise, but yes. The Pre's got an built-in emulator coming to run classic Palm apps. Don't expect everything to work 100 percent amazingly, though.

Does WebOS have an on-screen keyboard?
No specific mention has been made, but from what we have seen so far, it does not. This could be a specific omission, since the Pre already has a physical keyboard. It would be hard to believe that WebOS does not have provisions for a software keyboard in future phones.

Is HTC involved with the design or manufacturing of the Palm Pre?
No. The Palm Pre and WebOS were designed entirely in house, using only Palm employees. Some worked on the original Palm OS, while others were new to the project this time around. As for manufacturing, Palm hasn't revealed who is assembling the phones, but it has been confirmed that it isn't HTC.

Does the Pre record video?
Palm said the Pre will not have video recording capability when it first launches, but it is something they are looking into for future updates.

Is there visual voicemail?
No.

Whaaat? What about MMS?
Yep.

Is there Flash support on the Pre/WebOS
Probably not at launch, but it's definitely coming.

Do apps really run in the background?
Yes. Any app will be allowed to function in the background. They won't close out or go dormant when you switch to another app or return to the home screen. This is different from the iPhone, which can only run Apple-created apps in the background at this time.

How many can run at once?
No official number has been given, but Palm thinks it's reasonable to assume the Pre will be able to run 15 to 20 apps simultaneously.

I CAN HAZ COPY AND PASTE?
Yes, the Pre has copy and paste (now enough with the LOLspeak, dammit).

How will I get apps? How much will they cost?
There will be a central apps store that will serve as the only method of distribution for the Palm Pre and future WebOS phones. As of now, pricing models have not been released, but we assume there will be free and cheap apps.

Will you be able to sync apps via computer?
No. The app store will function entirely within WebOS.

Is there an app approval process? Will it be as strict as Apple's?
Yes, there will be an app approval process for WebOS apps. However, according to Palm, they're less concerned with what the apps do, and more focused on making sure there aren't any security exploits or stability glitches. (Here's how it stacks up with every other mobile OS store.)

Will the SDK be open to everyone?
Yes, Palm will make the SDK available to anyone who wants to develop apps.

Will apps be as good as those on iPhone or Android?
That's a question still up for discussion. Palm's SDK, as we understand it so far, will allow developers to create apps that lie somewhere between web apps and native apps in complexity. While apps will be installable directly to the phone, developers will not have the same level of hardware access that iPhone and Android developers have.

What does this mean? The average Yelp/Mint/Pandora type app will probably work, look, and act the same on WebOS as it would any other mobile platform. But when it comes to those trying to code resource-heavy apps—video and gaming apps for example, that require optimization and special hardware access— they will probably run into development issues using the SDK alone. Palm says they'll work with selected developers to give them more access to the intricacies of the phone, such as Telenav on the GPS app, for example.

Where can I get a closer look at some apps?
Palm Goon has some suspiciously good—like a little too good—screencaps and walkthroughs of Google Maps, the web browser, Tasks and Memos apps. We got some hands-on time with Google Maps and Pandora.

Will the Pre sync to PCs via Outlook or some other desktop program?
There's no special client application that we know of. You can connect the Pre as a mass-storage device and drag-and-drop media (music, video, photos) into preexisting folders made for those files, allowing them to appear in the media player. As for other types of syncing, such as Outlook, we're not quite sure how that will work yet. We've heard and seen things about it having online backup and remote wipe through a "Palm profile."

Does WebOS have a thin and beautiful figure?
Well Palm doesn't like to talk about its own software, but they did manage to imply that Mobile OS X is an obese, Crisco-guzzling lard ass.

CES ORIGINAL HANDS-ON IMPRESSIONS
Neither the Pre hardware or WebOS software are anywhere near final, so it's tough to draw too many conclusions from our brief exposure, but I can say that Palm is rivaling Apple in the user experience department with this new phone.

The screen is responsive and accurately detects the position of your finger. I didn't feel like I had to pay special attention to what I was touching or how I went about it. The multitasking cards for app management are really intuitive, letting you zoom in and out, add and remove, and cycle through cards with a mere flick of a finger. And having the WebOS desktop sit as a sort of frame around the cards prevents you from feeling too overwhelmed by the amount of data you might be flipping through (sort of like Xbox 360's newly revised "blades").

The gesture area below the screen interacts really well with the onscreen UI. I never had a problem launching the wave dock from that area, for instance.

The hardware feels like it's a quality build. It's plasticky, but it doesn't feel too light or cheap, and the phone's size works well for one-handed control. The hinge design is smooth, though it would have been nicer to have a spring-loaded design—it does not. The buttons are reminiscent of those found on the Treo Pro, that is, not spectacular but good enough not to be a nuisance. The phone's design is a little too pebbly and roundish in shape for me personally, but as far as usability goes, that's hardly a problem.

Media Gallery

Historical Background
Palm has come a long way since their days making PDAs for the business crowd, and as the saying goes, to truly understand where Palm is going with the Pre, you've got to understand where they've been. So here's a brief recap of software, devices and events leading up to the Pre/WebOS announcement.

Palm OS/Treo
Palm OS, the first major platform for the company was first designed for the Pilot line of PDAs back in 1996. The early Palm OS (1.x-4.x) releases had forward-thinking features such as stylus touch control, handwriting recognition, a grid-based app home screen (adopted by most handset UI designers in the following years), eventually adding mobile internet support, mobile web clippings, email and USB support.

Handspring's first Palm-based phone—the Treo—came out in 2002. It caught on among the smartphone crowd, with mainstream features such as high-res color displays, threaded text messaging, multimedia playback, homebrew apps such as NES emulators and arguably the worst mobile browser ever, Blazer.

In 2003, Palm bought Handspring and launched the first Palm-branded Treo, the 600. Palm continued to build phones with QWERTY keyboard on the front, SD card slots, and cameras. (Fun fact: Palm CEO Ed Colligan left the company, which he helped establish, in order to create Handspring; he returned to Palm only when they bought Handspring in 2003.) The Palm Centro, launched in 2007, was the last Palm device to run the Garnet OS (v5.4.9). But by then the software—as well as the hardware—had begun to show signs of aging, prompting calls for a new OS and industrial design.

Palm OS II Announcement
In May 2007, Palm announced they were working on a completely new, Linux-based operating system for their future phones, tentatively calling it Palm OS II. No other details were given at the time.

Between Summer 2007 and Fall 2008, Palm OS II was constantly pushed backed, delayed and ignored as Palm's stock tumbled. Many believed the company would disintegrate beyond repair before the OS would reach market.

Nova
In the fall of 2008, Palm OS II rumors resurfaced, this time mentioning the platform carried the codename "Nova." Later news confirmed it would be revealed at CES 2008. Still, many remained skeptical as to how much of Nova Palm would show, if anything at all.

Shortly before CES, rumors started popping up about a Palm phone which would accompany the Nova OS. The phone was said to be a squarish, touchscreen device with a slide-out keyboard.

CES Unveiling
On January 8, 2009, Palm announced the Pre smartphone and WebOS platform at the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas to much fanfare. Multitouch functionality and seamless web integration were the two big points of emphasis for their new product.

What's the Palm UI Animation Like? See these walk through videos taken at CES.

If you have any questions about the Palm Pre that you think we can answer, shoot an email to tips with the subject line "Palm Pre Question."

Meet Dorothy. At 150 inches diagonal, she’s the world’s largest plasma screen and the biggest direct-view TV ever made, built (and named) by Panasonic. We got to play with her recently and as you've seen, it was mind-meltingly awesome. Even though firsthand experiences with Dorothy are akin to filling a leaf blower with nitrous oxide to jet-huff directly into your brain, Dorothy's backstory is almost as incredible, especially when it comes to manufacturing, shipping and yes, managing all the electricity needed to fire her up. So even though you will absolutely never own one—except for you Giz-reading NBA stars and platinum-selling rappers—the story of the world's most advanced television is a thrill, and serves as a crystal ball to the future of all TV. Come, talk to her. She's intimidating, but it'll be good for you.

Why "Dorothy"?
There are currently five 150-inch Panasonic plasmas in existence—and a sixth for CES 2009 is currently being assembled. They’ve been named, appropriately enough, like hurricanes—starting with A and working down. Dorothy’s number 4, hence the D.

Why 150 inches?
It’s all about the upper limits of the manufacturing process. Panel factories crank out the largest single piece of “mother glass” they possibly can, so that they can cut more large TVs per pane of manufactured glass. The ultimate size of a piece of mother glass is limited by the glass’s strength and uniformity—how large the thing can get without cracking. Panel makers will always be pushing this boundary, because the more 50-inch TVs you can get out of each single assembly-line run, the more money you can make on them even if they're selling at lower prices in stores.
Panasonic’s previous biggest piece of mother glass was 103 inches (remember?), from which four 50-inch plasmas could be cut. Their new manufacturing plant, Amagasaki 5 in Japan, has pushed the max to 150 inches—enough glass to birth nine 50-inch plasmas. Dorothy’s as big as she is because she literally swallowed nine TVs. When manufacturing evolves further, creating even larger panes of mother glass, you could see larger trade-show sets, provided they fit through the convention-center doors. 103 inches, how quaint. And look at that lil' 42-incher, looking fit for bathroom viewing only by comparison.

What’s the resolution?
Typically called 4K, it's resolution is 3996x2160. Even though you could technically call this 2160p, it's important to recognize that it's four times as tight as 1080p. Think four 1920x1080 panels Voltroning together to make something that's 8 megapixels, as opposed to the best current TVs' 2 megapixels. The annoying thing is that the industry went from measuring vertical resolution—720p and 1080p—to horizontal resolution—2K and 4K. (More on that here.)

As a result, watching a 1080p Blu-ray disc upscaled on Dorothy is akin to watching a standard-def DVD upscaled on your HDTV. As you can see in the shot below, the upscaler uses two pixels to render a one-pixel wide line from a test disc. But at Dorothy’s scale, it’s less about spotting compression artifacts, which are most visible when you’re close enough to induce nausea anyway. It’s about getting your face blown off.

How’s it stack up to Pioneer’s Kuro, one of the top plasmas in the game?
As far as motion-resolution goes—the all-important ability to maintain crisp images while they’re in motion on the screen—it's actually better. According to HD Guru Gary Merson (who was more interested in running his calibration discs on the 150 than sticking with us for some Counter Strike, God bless ’im), the 150-incher, even as a prototype, scored a resolution of 920 lines on a 1080i signal. Pioneer’s ’08 Kuros, the next best, scored 900. Our bet is that Dorothy can't best the Kuro in the contrast department, but as you can see from all of our shots, it's no slouch. Check out more performance specs in Gary’s 125-TV mega-guide. Below: Gary testing motion resolution.

How much power does she suck down, and at what cost?
Dorothy is addicted to raw electricity—we’re talking two dedicated 15-amp, single-phase, 208-volt lines which produce around 3,000 watts on average. Dorothy peaks at around 7,000 watts of direct consumption. Not exactly EnergyStar.

If I plugged Dorothy in at my apartment (that is, after removing my second-floor balcony door and window and much of the exterior wall while at it, and hiring a crane to bring the TV in), Dorothy’s juice habit would run me around $1.50 per hour of use, at ConEd’s current price of 22 cents per kilowatt-hour. So, after renting the Godfather Blu-ray set, factor in about $15 more in electricity charges for watching the whole thing.

How much heat does the thing put off?
We were expecting getting close to Dorothy was going to feel like putting our faces in a toaster oven. Even standard-size Kuros can feel a little warm. But surprisingly, up front, the heat was far from extreme. It very well could be channeled out the back, but we didn’t see any industrial-grade heat sinks behind her, either, or hear any fans blowing away. (Note: We're not allowed to show photographs of Dorothy's rear, though we did have a peek.)

How much does she weigh?
Around 1,700 pounds not including the stand. For comparison, an actual Mini Cooper with Adam in the driver’s seat weighs about 2,800 pounds.

How does Dorothy get around?
With great care and difficulty. After her inception at Amagasaki 5, Dorothy and her sisters were tested then sent on the trade-show circuit. Unlike the 103, they’re too big even for wooden crates. All that protects Dorothy and her sisters from the elements are the thin membranes of bubble wrap and Styrofoam wrapped around them, and the tarp draped over the open shipping cage. That’s all. Here's a fun fact: Only two 150-inchers can fit in a single 747 cargo hold at a time.

Although we saw a 150-incher at CES last January, Dorothy’s first trip was to IFA in Berlin this September. Afterward, she headed for Panasonic’s North American HQ in Secaucus, NJ where we got the chance to meet. She’s due to appear on Wall Street today (unfortunate timing for the poor girl) for the official US debut, then on to trade shows in Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong before returning home again to Japan.

Thanks for the facts, but what was that about a "mind-meltingly awesome" experience again? Any way to demonstrate that, say with a video of Gran Turismo 5's in-car view?
Why yes we can, and we'll throw in the 42-inch steering wheel for free:

There's more where that came from: check out more hands-on 150-inch action here and here.

Is there a difference between buying the iPhone at AT&T and buying it at Apple? Only if you're a business customer. AT&T says that there's no difference between regular customers, and both stores can do things like transferring your number from another carrier. See here for more details.

What's the final pricing information for AT&T's plans? Here it is below.

What time will the iPhone be on sale on July 11? 8am, so if you really, really want one, you might have to camp out.

What new features are coming in iTunes 7.7, the update that's coming July 11 along with the iPhone 2.0 software and iPhone 3G? MobileMe stuff, parental controls for games, and various other features like using your iPhone and iPod Touch as an iTunes remote. Click here for video and screenshots.

Wait, did you just say that iPhone will be able to control iTunes? Yup. You're getting a free remote control App.

Is there a good reason why the enterprise data plan is more expensive than the standard one? A good reason? AT&T says it's because business customers use more data than consumers, so they charge more.

Is there an upgrade fee for the iPhone 3G on AT&T? Yes. $18, says AT&T.

For a shortcut to plan pricing, read on:

As for the subsidized iPhone pricing, AT&T has clarified that it's available for "new customers, current postpaid iPhone customers in good standing prior to July 11, and AT&T non-iPhone customers who are currently eligible for an upgrade discount" with a two-year agreement.

Can I activate my iPhone over iTunes like I did the first time? Apple and AT&T want you to activate your phone in stores, but there's a possibility of activating it over iTunes if you somehow didn't do it in the store. However, you will be required to sign an agreement while you're in the store stating that you're going to enter into a 2-year contract eventually, and you'll be penalized if you don't sign up within 30 days. More details are here.

What's the price for the iPhone for existing AT&T customers who may or may not be eligible for an upgrade? AT&T's just told us that yes, ineligible customers will have to pay the full, unsubsidized price for the iPhone. See the post for more, but basically it won't be $199 and $299. No official price has been set yet.

If I buy my friend's old iPhone when he updates to iPhone 3G, can I use it as a cheap iPod touch without activating it? Yup! Everything but the calling features should be active, except it will say "No SIM" at the top. Thanks Andy.

In light of MobileMe apparently being an instant push service, will iPhone 3G also support push from other IMAP service providers? We haven't heard any word from Apple that there's any kind of push email besides to MobileMe and Exchange servers, not counting Yahoo, which is already push now. Thanks Andrew.

Will you be able to buy insurance through AT&T like for other standard plan phones? AT&T's Asurion will cover all phones for $5 EXCEPT the iPhone, which is the way it's been since the first iPhone's launch. Thanks John.

What are the chances of Apple releasing an iPhone with increased data storage before the next-next gen iPhones come out? Pretty damn likely. I'd expect a 32GB iPhone some time late this year or early next year. Thanks David.

What will happen to the current Installer.app once the App Store launches? Will people keep updating this or will it be considered piracy? Apple doesn't exactly welcome the current Installer.app and jailbreaking efforts with open arms. However, since the App Store is going to be bringing in revenue to Apple, it's possible that through jailbreaking and Installer.app, you could bring pay-for-play apps for free onto your phone without actually paying for it.

My wife currently has a [insert lousy phone] with AT&T. Will she be able to keep her phone number when she upgrades to the iPhone 3G? Yes. She'll be able to renew the contract for 2 years and still keep her phone number. Thanks John.

I've got international roaming on my AT&T plan now. Can I take the iPhone 3G to various countries, including Japan? We don't have official confirmation of this from Apple yet, it's likely that your phone will work in Japan. The iPhone is Quad-Band, which means it works on GSM/EDGE on the 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz frequencies and UMTS/HSDPA on the 850, 1900 and 2100 MHz frequencies. Because of the reports that Apple's using Softbank to distribute iPhones in Japan, we can deduce that you should be able to roam just fine. From Wikipedia:

SoftBank Mobile currently operates both PDC (Japanese 2G) and W-CDMA (UMTS 3G) networks. SoftBank's 3G network is compatible with UMTS and supports transparent global roaming for existing UMTS subscribers from other countries outside Japan. Subscribers of GSM networks having roaming agreements with SoftBank Mobile can also roam on the SoftBank 3G network by using UMTS handsets.

Thanks Randall.

Will MobileMe users have the ability to perform a remote wipe of their lost/stolen iPhone 3G? It's not one of the features listed on Apple's site for MobileMe, and it's more a business/Enterprise feature. It's unlikely, but we don't know for sure.

Will you need the $45 AT&T Enterprise data plan in order to use Exchange or MobileMe? For MobileMe, no. That'll be available to everybody. We're checking on the Exchange part. Thanks Thomas.

What will happen to my rollover minutes I accrued over the last year? AT&T's preliminary answer says that you'll keep your rollover minutes, but there's no official statement on this yet. Thanks Brian.

I have 2 years of AppleCare through October of 2009. If something happens to my phone in the future and they want to replace it, will I get an iPhone 3G or the old one? That depends on Apple. If they've got any stock of the original one, they'll give you a refurbished unit. If they've only got iPhone 3Gs left, you might get lucky? Thanks Boyd.

After I activate my iPhone 3G, will I be able to sync all the settings from my old iPhone onto it? Yes. When you activate the new phone, iTunes will ask you if you want to sync the old existing data onto it. Do a sync with your old phone before docking your new one and you'll be set. Thanks Andrew.

The Phone

How much will an iPhone 3G cost? $199 for the 8GB version, which comes only in black, and $299 for the 16GB version which comes in black and white.

What's changed between the first generation and the iPhone 3G? Honestly? Not all that much. The iPhone 3G has all the features of the first one, plus faster 3G data downloads, GPS, and a better battery life. Externally, the phone's casing is slightly changed, with a thinner edge and thicker middle, but a flush headphone jack and solid-colored back make up the only other major differences visually. Everything else from the screen to the number of buttons and switches on the outside are the same.

How much will it really cost me over 2 years?. That depends on how many minutes you use and how many text messages you want to sign up for, but at AT&T's lowest plan price of $39 a month for 450 minutes, plus a mandatory $30 data charge and $5 for 200 text messages, you're looking at $1975 over the course of two years. Before tax and other fees. Here's how it stacks up against the old iPhone and against other 3G smartphones on Verizon and Sprint.

When can I buy it? If you're in one of the first countries to get the phone, which includes the US, Canada, the UK, Spain, Japan and Mexico, it's July 11. Otherwise, it's still unknown. Come July 11, there's going to be a gigantic line of people wanting that phone. You'll have to wait not only for people in front of you to buy a phone, but activate it too—which is now mandatory and takes about 10-15 minutes. If you can wait, we'd recommend going after July 11.

Where can I buy it? In either an Apple store or an AT&T store. There won't be any online orders for this one.

How fast is the 3G over 2G (EDGE)? During the WWDC keynote, Steve Jobs showed a demo that compared the iPhone 3G vs. the old iPhone when downloading a large web page with lots of images. Apple's site lists the result of that matchup as 20 seconds vs. 48 seconds, which is 2.4x faster. We've got a explainer about the details of 3G as well, if you're interested.

How does the GPS work? We've got a great tutorial on how the iPhone's GPS works. Long story short, it's A-GPS, or assisted GPS, which means most of the time it uses the cell towers and Wi-Fi to help triangulate (but doesn't necessarily need help). If you're looking to use the iPhone 3G as a GPS in your car for navigation, there's a catch. There's a restriction in the SDK that prohibits developers from using the phone for "real time route guidance". You can still use Google Maps to help guide you if you're lost, but it's not as smooth a system as a real GPS. TomTom may have an iPhone 3G guidance suite already in the works, despite the SDK restrictions.

Will the added 3G and GPS hurt my battery life? Apple's improved the battery life compared to the old version, which ups the talk time on 2G (same as the first iPhone) from 8 hours to 10 hours. On 3G, you get half that. So yes, your battery life will be significantly degraded when you're using 3G instead of 2G. Apple still hasn't provided numbers on how much GPS use will degrade your talk time.

What about that rumor that the iPhone 3G has a front camera? Yeah, not so much. Apple didn't say anything about that during their keynote, and there's been no evidence of it yet. There's a weird anomaly on the demo iPhone that Apple's Phil Schiller was using on stage during the event, but it's probably just a weird fingerprint.

What comes inside the iPhone 3G box? Not a whole lot. There's no dock, but there is a smaller charger that's great for children.

Does the iPhone 3G finally have MMS/picture messaging? Unfortunately not. Not officially, anyway. There are third-party apps already available that give your iPhone a sort of MMS functionality, but it's not great.

Can I tether the iPhone 3G to my laptop to get on-the-go internet? Not out of the box, no. The old iPhone was able to be hacked into doing this, but EDGE speeds meant that people only really used it in emergencies. With 3G, it'll be much more useful. We'll keep an eye on this one.

How durable is it compared to the first-gen? Our hands-on will tell you more about that, but from what we heard, the new backing is a lot more fingerprint-smudgy than the first.

The Software

When will the iPhone 2.0 software be released? At the very latest, July 11, when the iPhone 3G is launched. There are rumors that it can come as early as June 27, but Apple hasn't given any official word yet.

Do I need an iPhone 3G to get Exchange and other businessy features? Actually, no. Apple's site makes no mention of needing iPhone 3G, and specifies that you only need iPhone 2.0 software. Since iPhone 2.0 is available on the old 2G iPhones, you should be in luck.

What's MobileMe? It's Apple's replacement for .Mac, which manages your email, calendar, contacts, pictures and various other things. It's useful for iPhone users because it allows you to sync stuff automatically between your phone and your various computers. Any changes you make on one device gets pushed to the other ones.

Do I need an iPhone 3G to use MobileMe's syncing features? No, you can actually even use it on an iPod Touch, if you bought got one of those by accident.

Do I need an iPhone 3G to use the iPhone 2.0 software? No, you're free to install the new software on your existing iPhone, taking advantage of pretty much all the software features—including the App Store—that are on the iPhone 3G.

Are there limits to what kind of applications I can download in the App Store? Not really. A good 71% of iPhone applications will be free, with the rest starting at a price of $0.99 going all the way up to $999. You can pretty much download as many apps as you have space for on your phone. The largest applications will be 2GB, but we don't think there are going to be very many at that weight. The Sims for iPhone, maybe, if EA ever decides to release that.

Is there going to be iChat? Apple unveiled the AIM application back at the last event, but as far as we know, there hasn't been any talk of iChat (like the one on OS X). As such, we wouldn't count on any iChat Video chat either.

Who's making and supporting games? Unlike the iPod games, which were only made by a select few companies, pretty much anybody can make stuff for the iPhone. Look out for both major game developers and one-man coding shops to make games you want to play.

The Service

Do I need to sign a new two-year contract with AT&T if I buy a new iPhone 3G? Yes, but the good news is that your old contract gets ripped up. If you signed yourself into AT&T's grasp back when the iPhone was launched, you'll only have to stick with them for another two years starting now, not three. It's as if you're an entirely new customer.

Can I activate my iPhone over iTunes like I did the first time? Apple and AT&T want you to activate your phone in stores, but there's a possibility of activating it over iTunes if you somehow didn't do it in the store. However, you will be required to sign an agreement while you're in the store stating that you're going to enter into a 2-year contract eventually, and you'll be penalized if you don't sign up within 30 days. More details are here.

Will my old iPhone plan work with the new iPhone? No. You'll have to sign up for 3G data, which is $30 (the old iPhone plan was $20). If you want those same 200 SMS messages that were bundled with the old plan, you'll have to pay an extra $5 a month. If you want unlimited messaging, it's $20 a month.

Will activating a new iPhone 3G brick my old iPhone? Definitely not. You'll be able to give your 1st gen iPhone to someone to reactivate via iTunes on a new plan.

If I want to keep my old iPhone on the $20 data plan, will it still be around? Yes! You can keep using that for now, until the time that AT&T feels like they really need you off that plan. Thanks adrunkenmonkey

Can I use the iPhone 3G on a prepaid plan? AT&T hasn't confirmed this yet, but we'll try and find out. Thanks KJA.

Update: Reader PJ has pointed out that AT&T's policy is that no prepaid and pick your plan will be allowed with the iPhone 3G.

What are European iPhone plans looking like? You'll have to check your local provider, but from what we've been hearing, O2 in the UK and Telefonica in Spain will get free a iPhone 3G if they sign up for an 18-month plan that's at least $88/month.

What happens a year from now when Apple releases an even better iPhone? Nobody really knows, but it's likely that they'll just do what they did this time and have you buy the phone and renew the contract for another two years. Thanks Gregory.

What's the price for the iPhone for existing AT&T customers who may or may not be eligible for an upgrade? AT&T's just told us that yes, ineligible customers will have to pay the full, unsubsidized price for the iPhone. See the post for more, but basically it won't be $199 and $299. No official price has been set yet.

The Rest

Will there be cases for the iPhone 3G when it launches? Yes. Belkin and Griffin, two of the bigger case manufacturers, have already made a whole bunch of cases like this one for people who really need to protect their phones. Those should be available come July 11.

Can I get a free upgrade to the iPhone 3G? I just bought an old one! Yes, if you purchased it after May 27.

Did some feature that I wanted get added to the iPhone 3G? If the feature you wanted wasn't 3G, GPS, or a flush headphone jack, the answer is probably no. No copy and paste, no video recording and no improved camera, among other things.

Will I be able to use this thing on T-Mobile like I was before? Eventually? Probably. The iPhone hacking team says that they've got a pretty good grip on the 2.0 firmware, which means they can most likely jailbreak it soon after the iPhone 3G is released. With that done, it's only a matter of time that they'll be able to SIM unlock it to use on other networks. The only problem is getting past AT&T's mandatory in-store activation after you purchase a phone.

If I somehow get hold of an iPhone 3G and shove in a SIM from my old iPhone, what happens? That's a pretty damn good question. We're not sure. If the iPhone 3G is straight out of the box, it'll need to be activated. If it somehow already got activated (or, hacktivated), you might be able to just use it on your old iPhone 2G plan. We'll keep an eye on this. Thanks Moe.

Should I sell my old iPhone to raise money for the new one? Sure, if you don't know anybody who's worthy enough for you to give your old one to, you might as well sell it.

Should I sell my old iPhone to raise money for the new one on Craigslist if I live in a lousy neighborhood? No. No you shouldn't.

What's the return policy like? You've got 30 days to get that thing back to AT&T if you discover that your AT&T reception is super lousy at your house, or if you just don't like the thing.

Does the iPhone 3G work like an iPod with iPod accessories? Yes, it works just like the first iPhone does. Most iPod accessories will support the iPhone 3G, but some speaker docks might have some GSM interference static if it isn't shielded correctly.

Can I use the iPhone 3G on Verizon or Sprint? Nope, never. Not even if you unlock it.

Can I still buy your book teaching me how to use it? Sure. Most of the basic functions such as calling, texting, iPodding and emailing are the same in the new iPhone 2.0 firmware as they are in the old one. You or the person you buy it for will still get a lot of use out of it. Plus, you can then lead off all your emails to me with the line "I bought your book, so..." in order to coerce me into responding faster.

If we haven't answered your question, feel free to shoot me an email (it's on the left-hand column) with the subject "iPhone 3G FAQ" and I'll try and update this FAQ with the answer. Thanks!

You can also access all our iPhone 3G coverage by clicking here as well.

Updateds for 6/16/08

If I buy my friend's old iPhone when he updates to iPhone 3G, can I use it as a cheap iPod touch without activating it? Yup! Everything but the calling features should be active, except it will say "No SIM" at the top. Thanks Andy.

In light of MobileMe apparently being an instant push service, will iPhone 3G also support push from other IMAP service providers? We haven't heard any word from Apple that there's any kind of push email besides to MobileMe and Exchange servers, not counting Yahoo, which is already push now. Thanks Andrew.

Will you be able to buy insurance through AT&T like for other standard plan phones? AT&T's Asurion will cover all phones for $5 EXCEPT the iPhone, which is the way it's been since the first iPhone's launch. Thanks John.

What are the chances of Apple releasing an iPhone with increased data storage before the next-next gen iPhones come out? Pretty damn likely. I'd expect a 32GB iPhone some time late this year or early next year. Thanks David.

What will happen to the current Installer.app once the App Store launches? Will people keep updating this or will it be considered piracy? Apple doesn't exactly welcome the current Installer.app and jailbreaking efforts with open arms. However, since the App Store is going to be bringing in revenue to Apple, it's possible that through jailbreaking and Installer.app, you could bring pay-for-play apps for free onto your phone without actually paying for it.

My wife currently has a [insert lousy phone] with AT&T. Will she be able to keep her phone number when she upgrades to the iPhone 3G? Yes. She'll be able to renew the contract for 2 years and still keep her phone number. Thanks John.

I've got international roaming on my AT&T plan now. Can I take the iPhone 3G to various countries, including Japan? We don't have official confirmation of this from Apple yet, it's likely that your phone will work in Japan. The iPhone is Quad-Band, which means it works on GSM/EDGE on the 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz frequencies and UMTS/HSDPA on the 850, 1900 and 2100 MHz frequencies. Because of the reports that Apple's using Softbank to distribute iPhones in Japan, we can deduce that you should be able to roam just fine. From Wikipedia:

SoftBank Mobile currently operates both PDC (Japanese 2G) and W-CDMA (UMTS 3G) networks. SoftBank's 3G network is compatible with UMTS and supports transparent global roaming for existing UMTS subscribers from other countries outside Japan. Subscribers of GSM networks having roaming agreements with SoftBank Mobile can also roam on the SoftBank 3G network by using UMTS handsets.

Thanks Randall.

Will MobileMe users have the ability to perform a remote wipe of their lost/stolen iPhone 3G? It's not one of the features listed on Apple's site for MobileMe, and it's more a business/Enterprise feature. It's unlikely, but we don't know for sure.

Will you need the $45 AT&T Enterprise data plan in order to use Exchange or MobileMe? For MobileMe, no. That'll be available to everybody. We're checking on the Exchange part. Thanks Thomas.

What will happen to my rollover minutes I accrued over the last year? AT&T's preliminary answer says that you'll keep your rollover minutes, but there's no official statement on this yet. Thanks Brian.

I have 2 years of AppleCare through October of 2009. If something happens to my phone in the future and they want to replace it, will I get an iPhone 3G or the old one? That depends on Apple. If they've got any stock of the original one, they'll give you a refurbished unit. If they've only got iPhone 3Gs left, you might get lucky? Thanks Boyd.

After I activate my iPhone 3G, will I be able to sync all the settings from my old iPhone onto it? Yes. When you activate the new phone, iTunes will ask you if you want to sync the old existing data onto it. Do a sync with your old phone before docking your new one and you'll be set. Thanks Andrew.

7/3 Update

Is there a difference between buying the iPhone at AT&T and buying it at Apple? Only if you're a business customer. AT&T says that there's no difference between regular customers, and both stores can do things like transferring your number from another carrier. See here for more details.

What's the final pricing information for AT&T's plans? Here it is below.

What time will the iPhone be on sale on July 11? 8am, so if you really, really want one, you might have to camp out.

What new features are coming in iTunes 7.7, the update that's coming July 11 along with the iPhone 2.0 software and iPhone 3G? MobileMe stuff, parental controls for games, and various other features like using your iPhone and iPod Touch as an iTunes remote. Click here for video and screenshots.

Wait, did you just say that iPhone will be able to control iTunes? Yup. You're getting a free remote control App.

Is there a good reason why the enterprise data plan is more expensive than the standard one? A good reason? AT&T says it's because business customers use more data than consumers, so they charge more.

Is there an upgrade fee for the iPhone 3G on AT&T? Yes. $18, says AT&T.

As for warranties and service, CompUSA has stated that all products currently being serviced in the tech shop will be completed and returned. All outstanding warranties will be a third-party provider, Assurant Solutions. Wow, going out of business during the holidays makes things easy on everyone doesn't it? Hit the link for the full details. [CompUSA via Crave]

For people already on board the death sphere, you'll have to go to an AT&T store and the retail employee will help you upgrade your phone. You'll be able to go upgrade through myWireless online later. You don't have to switch to a different plan—you just have to add the iPhone Data plan starting at $20.

But if you decide to return your iPhone within 14 days, you'll have to pay a 10% open box restocking fee.

iPhone FAQ [AT&T]

Some of the more interesting ones are: will there be different packages like the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, will there be a variety of colors to choose from, does it have a built-in hard drive, does it have DVD playback, will it accept Gamecube controllers, and will it be region free. Answer: no, yes, no, no, yes.

Lots of really good stuff here. – Jason Chen

101 most commonly asked Nintendo Wii questions [Wiichat]