My 3G iPhone in the Philippines

I have been following all the iPhone 3G rumors posted on various Apple-Computer-related blogs and websites for the last few months. After years of reading technology rumors as an insider, an investor and an enthusiast, I have learned to take everything with a grain of salt until I have the product, in this case the new 3G iPhone, in my hot little hands.

I plan to have one in the Philippines as soon as it becomes available in the States, which is sometime after Steve Jobs’ keynote presentation at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference beginning on June 9, 2008 at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. I will test the 3G iPhone using Globe Telecom and Smart Communications wireless networks. So stay tuned.

In the meantime, here are some of the features that the new 3G iPhone “promises” to deliver. First, it should connect to 3G network worldwide through Infineon S-Gold and Skyworks 77427 /77414 / 77413 chipsets. It should serve as a handheld GPS unit using Global Locate chip purportedly from Broadcom and Global Locate Library (GLL) software. Also, it should enable geo-tagging of photos taken with the its built-in camera. Broadcom chipset and Global Locate Library handle the actual tagging process. Finally, it should contain a 5-megapixel camera. The current iPhone only has a 2-megapixel camera.

I can’t wait to test the new 3G iPhone here in the Philippines. Maybe my days of lugging around my Apple MacBook to access broadband Internet, my Nikon DSLR to take high resolution pictures, and my 1st generation iPhone to keep in touch with friends and family (and listen to my music) while traveling to places like Boracay, El Nido, and Tagaytay are coming to an end. With the new 3G iPhone, I can do it all in high speed and high resolution. Hmm.