The iPhone 3G is the second generation of iPhone designed and marketed by Apple Inc.. It was the successor to the original iPhone, and is succeeded by the iPhone 3GS. Introduced on June 9, 2008 at the WWDC 2008 at the Moscone Center, San Francisco. The 3G was very similar to its predecessor, containing the same 2 MP camera and no support for video recording, and its performance was limited by the same 128 MB eDRAM memory unit. Nevertheless, the 3G featured several improvements over the original. It supported Assisted GPS, 3G data and Tri-band UMTS/HSDPA.
The iPhone 3G runs Apple’s iOS operating system, the same operating system used on previous iPhones, the iPad, the Apple TV, and the iPod Touch. It is primarily controlled by a user’s fingertips on the multi-touch display, which is sensitive to fingertip contact.
The iPhone 3G no longer receives software updates from Apple. The last release of iOS to support the 3G was 4.2.1, which was released on November 22, 2010. iOS 4.3, released on March 11, 2011, did not support the iPhone 3G.
Software
The iPhone 3G came preloaded with the latest version of iPhone OS both to offer the newest improvements to the software and to combat efforts of jailbreaking. Over the years, the iPhone 3G has been supported by Apple with software updates. Major iterations of the software usually released yearly.
At launch, in July 2008, the iPhone 3G came preloaded with iPhone OS 2.0 which introduced the App Store, Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync support, Apple’s MobileMe service, and push email support, along with other new features and bug fixes as well.
On June 2009, the iPhone 3G received the iPhone OS 3.0 software update which introduced the long-awaited MMS feature, copy and paste, landscape support for more applications, Bluetooth stereo support, and other improvements as well.
On June 2010, the iPhone 3G owners were issued the iOS 4.0 software update. Unlike its successor, the iPhone 3GS, it did not receive multitasking, home screen wallpaper, or Bluetooth keyboard support. However, it still got the unified mailbox feature, folders, playlist creation, among other enhancements in iOS 4. Still despite the number of new features the update introduced, it was widely criticized for its slow performance on the device.
However an update to iOS 4.1 was unveiled and released on September 2010 which improved the device’s performance under iOS 4. Unlike other iOS devices though, it did not receive the Game Center application.
On November 22, 2010, the iPhone 3G received the iOS 4.2 software update, which included new features such as YouTube voting, and security fixes. The iPhone 3G however did not receive many features including AirPlay, more options in the multitasking tray, and Safari Text Search.
On January 12, 2011, the iOS 4.3 software update beta 1 was issued to developers. However, there are no iPhone 3G download links. The iPhone 3G is no longer supported by Apple in software updates.
On March 9, 2011, the iOS 4.3 software update officially announced, which was the first iOS software update leaving out the support of iPhone 3G.
Design
The iPhone 3G’s back features a redesigned plastic polycarbonate housing, replacing the aluminum back from the first generation. The buttons were also made from plastic to metal, and the edges of the phone were also tapered, providing a better grip of the phone. The iPhone 3G also introduced colors to the iPhone bringing black and white backs to the device. However only the 16GB version was available in both colors. The dimensions of the iPhone 3G were slightly larger than those of the original iPhone. It was 4.55 inches (116 mm) high, 2.44 inches (62 mm) wide, and 0.48 inches (12 mm) deep, compared to its predecessor, which was 4.5 inches (110 mm) high, 2.4 inches (61 mm) wide, and 0.46 inches (12 mm) deep.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone_3G
