Time traces

AT&T has posted to its Web site details of free Wi-Fi access it is offering at hotspots around the country. Those hot spots include Starbucks coffee shops, airports, hotels, convention centers and bookstores.

Details about AT&T’s plans to offer free Wi-Fi for iPhone users first appeared in May, but shortly after posting details of the plan, AT&T pulled them again. AT&T is the sole provider of data and voice plans for iPhone users in the United States.

AT&T says it has more than 17,000 Wi-Fi hot spots nationwide. The company counts 12 airports, 31 hotels, 23 universities, 18 convention centers, five sports centers, 8,000 or more restaurants, 700 or more bookstores and more than 50 supermarkets.

One of my initial thoughts after hearing about the iPhone 3G was, “Hmmm, I wonder how the enterprise is going to keep this device out of the office.” Last year, the checklist of reasons why IT shouldn’t support it was pretty long, but Apple appears to have seen the lists and solved lots of these items.

First on the list was support for Exchange. The initial iPhone couldn’t do it easily (you could, technically, access corporate e-mail if you used the Safari browser and went through the Outlook Web client), but the new version supports it “out of the box.” I’m assuming that many of the major functions that mobile users are going to want from Exchange will work on the iPhone 3G. E-mail, of course, but calendars and contacts will also be synchronized over-the-air.

Other enterprise features on the new iPhone include VPN support (Cisco IPSec supported) and wireless security for the Wi-Fi connection (including WPA2 Enterprise and 802.1x authentication). The release of the iPhone SDK (Apple claims more than 250,000 downloads since the beginning of the year) means that enterprise applications (especially commercial enterprise apps) will be able to be ported to the iPhone

There are still some small items that may cause an enterprise to take note. There’s still no user-replaceable battery, so mobile workers who experience a battery failure have to figure out a way to get Apple (or AT&T) to replace it. The same goes for memory – while 8GB and 16GB seem like enough space, there’s no way to add additional memory. The lack of physical keys on the device may be an issue for users who love typing on their BlackBerry, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see an attachable keyboard at some point, either from Apple or an accessories vendor.

And despite the “half the price, twice the speed” mantra from Apple, when you add in the data plan from AT&T, which increased the data plans for the 3G network by about $10 per month, the costs for owning a new iPhone are about the same as the old one. But you get the new features and the faster network, so I’m not so sure that argument holds up. The $45 per month for the right to connect an iPhone to Exchange e-mail might be the last objection from IT, it seems that AT&T is sticking it to business users. But most enterprises probably won’t object to this since it’s a cost of doing business for them, and it’s not much more than what BlackBerry and other corporate e-mail services cost.

It seems to me that if there are any remaining objections by IT regarding the iPhone, they would seem to be personal opinions about Apple, or AT&T, rather than the technical features.

When I tried the iPhone last year, I loved a lot of the “personal” features that transformed mobile devices. With this year’s version, I have a feeling I’ll love the “business” features as well. We’ll see what happens in about a month, when the

AT&T Mobility put some asterisks on its iPhone 3G pricing Tuesday but also revealed an interesting option coming in the future: an iPhone without a contract.

In the news release disclosing terms and monthly rates for iPhone 3G service plans, the carrier hinted at the upcoming offer without saying anything about when it will become available. Freedom will come with a price — $599 for an 8G-byte device and $699 for a 16G — but this will mark the first time consumers in the U.S. are able to buy an iPhone without being tied down to a two-year contract.

The phone probably would still be locked for use only on AT&T’s network, said Jupiter Research analyst Michael Gartenberg. But buyers could choose a pay-as-you-go plan for voice service — there is no prepaid data plan from AT&T — or just use the device as a media player and calendar and access the Web via its Wi-Fi radio. Unlike the slimmer iPod Touch, the iPhone has a camera and a small speaker. The numerous third-party applications coming to the iPhone later this month presumably also could be used without a service plan.

However, the no-contract phone is likely to have a narrow appeal, he said.

“That’s a pretty hefty premium you’re going to pay over an iPod Touch,” Gartenberg said.

The iPhone 3G is set to go on sale July 11. On Tuesday, AT&T revealed details of the four plans it will offer for the iPhone 3G. They range from $69.99 per month, for 450 anytime minutes and 5,000 night and weekend minutes, to $129.99 per month for unlimited anytime minutes. All the plans include unlimited data but not an SMS (Short Message Service) package. Taxes are extra. There are more details at AT&T’s iPhone page.

Also on Tuesday, AT&T said the iPhone 3G’s vaunted $199 price would only be available to three kinds of customers:

– people who bought the iPhone before July 11

– customers new to AT&T, or ones activating a totally new line

– existing AT&T customers who are eligible for an upgrade discount

This means current AT&T customers with handsets other than the iPhone will have to pay $399 for an 8G-byte iPhone 3G or $499 for the 16G-byte model unless they are due for a phone upgrade discount.

Any AT&T customer upgrading to the iPhone 3G will be charged an upgrade fee of $18 instead of the standard $36 activation fee that newcomers to AT&T will pay. Those who bought a 2G iPhone on or after May 27 will be able to swap it for a 3G model and pay only a restocking fee. However, anyone upgrading from a 2G iPhone to the new model will have to enter into a new two-year contract under a 3G iPhone plan.

Used 2G iPhones can be handed down to family or friends, but their new owners will have to take the handsets to an AT&T store for activation before using them as phones, according to AT&T.

Despite the debuts of alternatives such as the Samsung Instinct from Sprint Nextel, there’s still no real competition, Gartenberg said. The iPhone’s iPod features and direct connection to iTunes, plus its software overall, make it stand out.

“None of them are quite delivering on the same experience that Apple is, just yet,” Gartenberg said.

10 things Apple did right in the iPhone

1. The display, the display, the display. Everything looks good on it.

2. The menu design: It’s simple and clean, and the home screen icons look like so much eye candy.

3. Fingertip navigation, zooming and scrolling that’s intuitive, effective and fast.

4. Video playback that’s so good you can tell when you’ve done a sub-par job of ripping your movies.

5. Visual voicemail lets you get to the calls you care about faster.

6. Great integrated applications, including Google Maps, YouTube, and a world clock that packs a timer, stopwatch and multiple alarms.

7. Cover Flow. It’s incredibly fun to choose your music by visually flipping through album art.

8. It’s tough: Our initial stress tests suggest that the iPhone is more durable than you might expect for such a sleek handset.

9. The first Apple music player with a built-in speaker–and it’s not half bad for a phone.

10. No disconcerting “do not disconnect” messages when syncing with a PC.

10 things they did wrong

1. We want our AOL Instant Messaging–and Yahoo and MSN IM clients, too.

2. What about MMS support for sending picture mail?

3. No voice recording–and more importantly, no voice dialing support.

4. How are you supposed to use an iPhone with a hands-free car kit?

5. It’s the most locked-down phone we’ve ever seen. Not only can you not swap out the AT&T SIM card for one from another network, you can’t even swap it out for another AT&T SIM card.

6. AT&T is building out its mobile broadband network, but iPhone users are stuck with older EDGE technology–or battery-consuming Wi-Fi.

7. You know those great headphones you already own? They won’t fit the iPhones headset jack, so your first iPhone accessory will be a bulky, ugly $10 adapter.

8. The software keyboard invites typos–but when you’re entering passwords there’s no way of telling whether you’ve got them right.

9. It’s great that the iPhone can reorient pages in Safari, CoverFlow, and the photo album, but why not extend that capability to other apps such as e-mail? Some messages could benefit from a widescreen display. And even when it does reorient, it doesn’t always follow through with all features: CoverFlow loses access to the volume slider, for example. No support for custom ringtones, surprising in a music phone.

10. The camera’s rudimentary, with no audio/video or even zoom capability. No to-do list support, a basic in most calendar applications.

You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers (no disrespect to RadioShack intended). Besides releasing rate plan details, AT&T has also posted answers to some of the lingering queries that new and existing AT&T customers might have about snagging themselves an iPhone 3G. Here are a few that we hope will answer questions that readers have frequently been asking us.

So the iPhone costs $199 or $299, right?

Sure, Steve Jobs has touted the $199 price tag for the iPhone 3G, but as with anything where a non-Apple company is involved, the truth is not quite that straightforward. If you’re a new customer to AT&T, you will pay $199 for the 8GB model or $299 for the 16GB model, as long as you also sign up for a 2 year contract.

If, however, you are an existing AT&T customer, it will depend on your upgrade eligibility. If you are eligible for an upgrade and your account is in good standing (check your My Account page AT&T’s website to find out if you qualify), you can also take advantage of the $199/$299 pricing. Otherwise, you can purchase an “early upgrade” which will run you $399 for the 8GB or $499 for the 16GB model. Both of those cases will require you to extend your current contract for another two years, and you’ll have to pay an $18 upgrade fee to boot.

Can I get an iPhone without signing up for a two-year contract?

No. Well, not yet anyway. According to AT&T, a “no-commitment” version of the iPhone 3G (perfect for those of us with commitmentphobia) is “coming soon”, and will run $599 for the 8GB model and $699 for the 16GB model. Yowch.

What about prepaid plans? Can I sign up for one with the iPhone 3G?

‘Fraid not. According to AT&T’s cutely named iReady checklist (PDF link), prepaid plans are not available for iPhone 3G.

I want to buy iPhones for me, my dog Ralphie, and my Aunt Marge; can I do that?

Nyet. AT&T says you may purchase only 1 iPhone per person in line. Your Aunt Marge and Ralphie will have to wait in line for their own.

If I buy a new iPhone 3G, how do I transfer data from my old iPhone?

Fortunately, iTunes will take care of that. Make sure you sync your existing iPhone with iTunes before trying to sync your new phone so that all your data is current.

Will my new iPhone 3G be able to retrieve my existing voicemails?

Apparently not. AT&T says “Check and clear your voicemail. Any existing voicemail messages will be lost once your new phone is activated.” So if you were hoping to retain that hilarious message your friend sent you from their bachelor party, you might want to find some other way of recording it.

What do I do with my old iPhone once I’ve got my shiny new iPhone 3G?

Well, whatever you want, really. You can hand your old phone off to your friend or family member who can then activate it themselves via iTunes. AT&T provides full details for how to do so in this PDF. If you decide not to pass your old phone on, here are some suggestions for what to do with your old unit.

Alternatively, there are software programs out there that will probably let you turn it into a pretty functional iPod touch.