All the phone sees is a network ID code. The sim translates that into the correct network name. If it’s a more recently issued Cingular/AT&T SIM the phone will display AT&T rather than Cingular.

The iPhone is going to have to support at the very least basic 3G before it launches in Europe and elsewhere. A ’smart phone’ without 3G in Europe would be like trying to sell a laptop that could only be connected to the web with a 56k modem, you’d get laughed at rather hard.

Most of the higher end smartphones support full HSPDA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) which gives speeds of 3.6 and 7.2mbit/s on some of the networks already and up to 14.4mbit is possible with current rolled out technology!
HSPA Evolved promises 42Mbit/s !!!

Also, it’s a terrible shame that the iPhone doesn’t link to the apple laptops by bluetooth for data access i.e. using the iPhone as a bluetooth modem. That would be a rather nice feature in Europe anyway where there is plenty of HSPDA (3GSM). I’m already using my Sony Ericsson as a data modem on a 3G network and it is sooo useful. Broadband anywhere!

Then I went to the mall Sunday afternoon to pick up a pair of shoes and it was over! While strolling through the mall I passed the Apple store & saw the crowds and thought I’d at least pop in to take a look at one up close.

I was amazed at how COOL it was, how easy it was to use, and afte playing with it a few minutes I just had to have it.

10 minutes later, and $599 poorer than I had originally planned, I left the mall with my new shoes…& my new 8gb iPhone!

Setting it up was a BREEZE. From start to finish I don’t think it took longer than 15 minutes. All of my Safari bookmarks transferred over easily as well as my contacts from my Mac.

I’ve been using it for three days now & I have to honestly say I don’t think I could live without it! Yes, other phones might do similar things (& cost less), but I none of them do it as well as this one…& in such a beautiful package!

I hope that the newer versions in the next year or two have more of the “missing” features that alot of people are complaining about now (ability to hold more songs, GPS, ability to test message people, easily replaceable battery), but for the moment I am 110% satisfied with my iPhone!

European 3G’s been quite a long time in the planning process and the spectrum was ring fenced for it years ago. ‘3GSM’ phones operate on 2100Mhz downlink + 1900 mhz uplink.
This is standard across all European implementations of 3GSM/UMTS. It’s also been the standard adopted worldwide outside the US and Canada.

The US has this at the moment:
AT&T / Cingular are using 1900mhz / 850mhz independently as both uplink and downlink!
T-Mobile USA and others are using 2100Mhz (downlink) / 1700Mhz(uplink) for America

If the mobile network in the US could have, believe me they would have rolled out 3GSM/UMTS nationally in the same kind of time frame as their European counterparts. It’s nothing to do with lack of demand, technological differences or market differences. It’s simply a case that the FCC didn’t do its job properly.

There was a similar mess with the roll out of digital mobile phones in the first place too!

It would make sense for Apple to avoid 3G in the US for the timebeing until the FCC and the network operators come to some kind of sensible agreement on spectrum planning. The current system would simply mean the phones are going to have to support way more frequencies than they should need to.

In Europe 3G service is an ‘add on’ pretty much. 3GSM / UMTS is fully backwards compatable with 2.5G ‘traditional GSM’. So, basically if you’re in a 3G coverage area you have massively fast data transfer rates as well as all your normal voice/text services and if you’re not in a 3G area, you’ll fall back onto your carrier’s normal 2.5G GSM/EDGE/GPRS network and will just have voice/text and slower data services.

It’s all very seamless.

They will have to provide a user-accessible SIM card as it’s legally required to have such a setup within the EU to allow customers to switch carrier and keep the handset once the network’s subsidy has been paid off.

Also, they’ll have to go with multiple carriers in Europe as even the very biggest networks like Vodafone, Orange, O2/Movistar and T-Mobile are not in absolutely every country. I’d say they’ll have to do quite a few deals to get into all of their European iTunes markets.

You can be sure though that the networks will want to get onto the marketing hype bandwagon that is iPhone though. It should be interesting to see who gets it.

The technology isn’t too unique anyway as AT&T (Cingular) is simply a GSM network. I can’t imagine they’ll have any issues rolling out visual voicemail etc etc on other GSM / 3GSM platforms in Europe and elsewhere.

So my advice is that once its out here (in Europe) the americans can get an iPhone here and use Verizon in US

my sony has GPS option, fm radio, 2 megapixel camera, holds 4 gigs of music/vid with no need for extra software or expensive rate plans. my sony is a year old and cost me $40 bucks.

The only people that would argue otherwise are just in love with their primitive phones, or Microsoft shareholders, etc…

Anyone can see this is an awesome device.

People with an axe to grind here (again, the windows administrators, etc…) are refering to this as a ‘non-removeable’ or ‘non-replaceable’ battery? Are you that inept? I changed the battery in my iPod, it was a cinch. You order a kit and do it yourself if you want to save money and you have the dexterity of a sober person. There is a simple plastic tool to open it. Otherwise, you take it to an apple store or at and t store. Just like your WATCH for crying outloud. If you use your comptuer, it will automatically charge the iPhone. You need to connect it to your comptuer to sync contacts and such anyway. If you do this most days, you will never have to ‘charge’ it otherwise.

The iPhone has excellent battery life compared to most any of the primitive alternatives.

Not that you would have to connect to your comptuer, but it is designed for that, primarily. With the iPhone, you hardly even need a computer for 80% of the things you would do, at least you are much less likely to need one at home, you could probably just get by with the one you use at work.

That being said, when the iPod came out, people complained that it was too pricey and didn’t have the features of other MP3 players (no FM tuner, no Ogg Vorbis support, etc, etc). The iPhone will be just the same: it’s user interface is so far beyond anything I have seen on any other phone, people will forgive its flaws. The high price will limit it’s initial adoption, but I expect future iPhones that are cheaper and perhaps smaller.

Five years from now, you will either be using an iPhone or something that is directly inspired by it. It is that good.