iphone 2.0

It is hard being a fan of Apple. Just when you secure bragging rights for the newest gear, they release a newer and better version. Such is the case with the new iphone due out in July.

The real new is the built in GPS. Not so impressive in its currant form, but just wait till 3rd party apps start dreaming up new ideas to use GPS tracking. Imagine walking down the street and having playlists by location? Walking into Best Buy and having the sunday circular come up as you enter. State park audio tours... I can't wait to see what emerges.

There is also 3g internet speed. Not sure this will make much of a difference to me out in the woods of Central Mass. I can't get a normal edge signal in my house- don't get me started on that....

So what to do with your year old latest, but no longer greatest? Part of me thinks that my old one still makes me love it on a daily basis- But.....Ebay has offered a real good solution....

The 2.0 phones can't be hacked yet. Apple has beefed up the tie to ATT's network. To activate the new version, you need to sign up with at&t at the purchase point. That means, using it on a network other than at&t has just become impossible- or at least very expensive. Not so with the first gen. Run a simple program, and unlock your iphone to use any sim card, on any network. Right now, prices on ebay are around $400. They are expected to move further up as the grey market dries up. So, buy an new $199 phone, unlock your old one and unload it on Ebay for a nice bit of $$. I have always had great luck selling Apple hardware on Ebay over the years. It has allowed me to upgrade my laptop every 12 months. I can sell the old one for about the cost of the newer model- Education Discount+loaded with software= new computer.

So, not sure if I plan to sit this one out. AT&T will add another year on my contract (it will reset to 2 years) But while AT&T holds exclusive connection, I will continue to pay for the Apple-crack.