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Published in Mobiles

AT&T announces the scoop on 3G iPhone

by on02 July 2008


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While Sprint will roll Airave signal booster


U.S. cell phone carriers all seem to be trying to announce something in the wake of the iPhone 3G launch that will start here in the U..S on July 11th. According to what we have been able to find out, the 3G iPhone will go on sale starting at 8 A.M. E.S.T. on July 11th. The price will be $399.99 for the 8G version and $499 for the 16GB version, and if you are not eligible for an upgrade it will cost you an additional $200.

The bigger surprise, however, is that is AT&T will be making some changes and offering different plans for iPhone users this time around. Depending on which plan you choose and if it is for a single phone or a two-line package, prices range from as little as $69.99 per month all the way up to as much as $259.99 per month for a two-line unlimited plan. Of course, text messaging is additional, starting at $5 and going up to as much as $30 per month.

Despite all of the rumors, our sources continue to tell us that AT&T is planning to offer a “no-commitment purchase plan” for $599 for the 8GB model, or $699 for the 16GB model. This news is a departure from what we were hearing at the WWDC.

In other AT&T news, they have a couple of additional phone announcements that will be made soon, as well as some upgrades for existing phones. First off, they will be launching the Samsung Blackjack 3 that will come in Q4. They will also launch the Tilt 2 in the 4th quarter.

The Motorola Q8H will get the 6.1 upgrade in mid-to-late July. The BlackBerry Curve 8320 with WiFi is now confirmed. They will start rolling out the BlackBerry 4.5 OS upgrade to users of the 8820, 8120, and 8310 during the 3rd quarter. Samsung Blackjack and Pantech Duo users will get the Windows Mobile 6.1 upgrade, with Blackjack users getting it in late July and the Pantech users getting it in October.

Sprint will be launching the Airave extender starting July 15th. The Airave is made by Samsung for Sprint and it uses your broadband Internet connection to route Sprint cell calls over the Internet. This in effect can extend or boost your coverage if you live in an area that is marginal in coverage, and this can be really handy.

The Airave works with all Sprint handsets and supports both data and text messaging. The only downside is that it is going to cost you an additional $15 a month for a single line or $30 a month for those with a family plan.

Before you even think about it, the Airave will only work in areas where Sprint has service, according to them, and you will not be taking it on vacation with you outside the U.S. because it will not work, according to Sprint.

The way that this determination is made is by using the GPS that is built-in to the Airave; so if you take it outside the U.S, for example, it will know that it is not in the U..S by the GPS fix and the unit will be disabled. Still, unlike the T-Mobile solution, the Airave works with all Sprint handsets, which is a real advantage, but the extra cost is a little bit much, if you ask us.

Last modified on 02 July 2008
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