iPhone 3G

iPhone 3G users were disappointed when Apple's iOS 4.0 made their devices all but unusable due to sluggish performance and short battery life. The iOS 4.1 update was a step in the right direction, with iPhone 3G owners reporting that Apple had made significant improvements. With the release of iOS 4.2 coming any day now, many are wondering if upgrading the firmware on their devices will speed things up even further or lead to more problems.

Apple has released the golden master of iOS 4.2, which is the last version that goes to developers before public release via iTunes. The iPhone Blog has thoroughly tested iOS 4.2 on the iPhone 3G and they have revealed that iOS 4.2 runs pretty smoothly in a video demonstration.

Many iPhone 3G owners have complained of poor performance and other issues after installing iOS 4 on their devices. The new operating system limits features such as multitasking on the older hardware to keep an acceptable level of performance. Unfortunately something went wrong and Apple has been investigating why iOS 4 brought so many iPhone 3G units to a crawl.

Fortunately, the company is poised to release iOS 4.1, a major update that's already in beta 3 with developers. Joel Evans over at ZDNet has confirmed a vast improvement in iPhone 3G performance with the iOS 4.1 firmware update. In fact, he reports that some functions on the iPhone 3G are faster with iOS 4.1 that they were using 3.1.3. This is welcome news for iPhone 3G owners, whose problems were overshadowed by reception issues on the iPhone 4 antenna.

Unfortunately for some iPhone 3G users the iOS 4 update did not go very well. Reports have surfaced that the new firmware has problems running on the older hardware. The good news is that Apple is working on iOS 4.1, which will alleviate many of the problems with iPhone 3G compatibility.

In the meantime, upgraders have experienced premature battery drain and excessive heat coming from their devices. Performance has slowed to a crawl for some users as speed issues dominate, with many unable to run simple tasks without a headache.

It's only happened once before, but another iPhone model is about to become history. The iPhone 3G was launched on July 11, 2008, meaning early adopters of the model will see their two-year service contracts expire just as their devices become one step closer to obsolete.

Apple recently announced the original iPhone (iPhone 2G) would not be supported in iPhone OS 4, the latest and greatest iPhone operating system coming this summer. Although no such announcements have been made about the 3G model, supplies are said to be short and reports have indicated that Apple has ceased shipments of the device.

Now that Geohot has released the blackra1n RC3 jailbreaking tool, activating tethering on an iPhone 3G or 3GS is a snap. Many international users already have tethering, meaning they can share their iPhone data connection with a computer. AT&T does not offer this option in the US.

Fortunately it's never been simpler to tether if your iPhone is running the latest firmware (3.1.2). Follow these steps to activate tethering, just keep in mind you are breaking all kinds of agreements with AT&T and Apple in the process.

The latest firmware update released by Apple may have improved security and added features, but some iPhone owners are having problems. Reports from users on the Apple support forums indicate a major problem with updating to iPhone OS 3.1 on the iPhone 3G.

Users are ending up with bricked phones, and iPhones that crash several times, requiring a hard reboot. Holding the sleep and home button doesn't always work, however. Some users are finding it necessary to downgrade to iTunes 8 and firmware 3.0.1 to solve the problems.

AT&T does not currently allow tethering on the iPhone even though Apple's iPhone OS 3.0 includes the feature. The company is still deciding what a tethering data plan for iPhone would cost and how it would be structured.

Tired of waiting? If you have an iPhone 3G or 3GS running OS 3.0 and a computer running iTunes 8.2 on Mac OS X here's how to activate tethering. You will be able to connect your computer to the AT&T data network using USB or Bluetooth via your iPhone.

ZAGG is offering a 30% discount on all invisibleSHIELD products for the iPhone and Palm Pre. The sale runs now through June 30th. Just enter the discount code "iphonepalm" without quotes on the checkout screen.

When the invisibleSHIELD was launched in 2007 we featured an in-depth review of the invisibleSHIELD for the iPhone and found it to be the best product of its kind. As a long term user of the product myself, I can say the invisibleSHIELD continues to deliver on all of its promises.

The Core Cases aluminum slider is a sharp looking hard case for the iPhone 3G. Although the product is a little expensive at $30, it's made of aluminum for strength and low weight. After using the Core Case for seven months, here are some observations.

When the aluminum slider case (brushed black) first came out of the box, I was impressed. Unlike some other hard cases, there's an EVA foam layer on the inside to protect the plastic back of the iPhone 3G from scratches. Installation was easy, just place the phone in the back, and slide the front down until the side tabs click into place.

Vodafone Australia has officially been notified by its distributor of the iPhone 3G that the 16GB model is an EOL (end of life) product. Only a few weeks' supply is left and the model will be discontinued when these are sold.

Further signs point to the impending release of a next generation iPhone, possibly by July 17th. According to sources who have contacted the company, AT&T is drawing down current iPhone model inventories and has no plans to restock.