Do you know what an iPhone 3G is? This grandmother is confessing…I don’t know what an iPhone 3G is.  Am I the only grandparent that doesn’t know what an iPhone 3G is? What makes it different from my Cell Phone?

As a grandmother who owns an iPod, knows html, blogging, texting, her way around the Internet, downloading and uploading, and currently learning php…I thought I was up to date in the computer world, but I don’t have a clue what an iPhone 3G is.  Sometimes I think there is just too much coming too fast for a baby boomer grandparent to be able to keep up.

So, to bring this grandmother up to date on the subject of the iPhone and the new iPhone 3G, I’m doing some research, as I blog, for information by those in the knowing world of iPhones.  Here’s a list of the facts as I find them:

  1. iPhone was introduced by Apple one year ago for twice the price of the 3G, the latest model.
  2. iPhone 3G is a phone, iPod, and computer all in one starting at $199 for 8GB…how does that work?
  3. 3G refers to the speed of cellular fast access to the Internet – the technical stuff doesn’t mean a thing to me so I left the rest of it out here.
  4. Multi-touch screen, virtual keyboard, assisted GPS – what is a virtual keyboard? Speak grandma-ese please!
  5. Surf the web, download email, get directions, and watch video — even while you’re on a call – multi-tasking I can relate to…I’m a grandmother and teacher…it’s what I do….
  6. the iPhone 3G has many other features…too many to discuss here…and some I don’t know what they’re talking about…see if you can figure it out here.
  7. iPhone 3G was launched last weekend and there is a shortage already – maybe 4 or more weeks wait time – this reminds me of when the Cabbage Patch Dolls came out – I was ready to buy them just because I happened to be in a store when a shipment came in – supply and demand – create the demand by limiting the supply and this drives the price up…hmmm.
  8. Apple has an iPhone 3G finder…follow this link…it will show you where, if any, there is inventory…tonight there is only one store showing an 8GB iPhone 3G in stock…an hour away from my home…by the time I would arrive, I’m sure it would be gone!
  9. The iPhone 3G looks cool, but I’m not sure if it works in the “dead zone” where our Verizon cell phones don’t get a signal…where our son lives…now that’s important to me…more than all the bells and whistles that come with it. Before you purchase the iPhone 3G, have the salesperson check your area for dead zones.
  10. iPhone is now known as the new personal computer, replacing the desktop and laptop in that role – the iPhone 3G’s applications make it a computer that you can carry in your pocket or pocketbook, easily accessible anywhere, anytime.

The iPhone 3G can be purchased, when in stock, exclusively at Apple and AT&T stores on a first-come, first-served basis.

Use the link above for the Apple iPhone 3G finder and I recommend you also call ahead for availability. If you want an iPhone 3G for yourself, let it be known…the holidays are only a few months away!  Maybe by then, Apple will have enough iPhones in their stores so that all the grandparents…or non-grandparents…can enjoy their own very personal computer anywhere they go with their grandchildren!