An analyst survey showed that 77% of the people who had lined up to buy the iPhone 4 on the first day of its launch were already using unlocked iPhone 3GS and were just upgrading from their previous Apple smart phones. It showed that 6% of the buyers were previously using a BlackBerry, 3% had a device like myTouch 3G and the second largest category comprising of 12% of users were using “other” devices.

The answer to this surprising revelation lies in the fact that although technologies like the 3G and 3GS caused improvements in the hardware of the smartphone, the Unlocked iPhone 4 was a class apart. It not only was sleeker in form with a stainless steel bezel as an antenna and looked better in the hands of the owner, but also felt like an absolute device of luxury. The use of the bezel antenna however led to problems with holding the phone. This was thought to be the primary reason why iPhone users were upgrading to the fourth version making it the biggest hardware revision in iPhone history.

When asked why they were upgrading to the fourth version some buyers like the one we met standing first in line at the Apple store stated that iPhone 4, being the only iPhone optimized to run iOS 4, was a major draw to them. It enabled multitasking, social gaming networks etc. Also schemes brought out by few service provider added to the frenzy surrounding the iPhone 4. The sharp brained Mr. Jobs & Co. let it be known that anyone having an upgrade date in 2010 will get the Unlocked Smartphone at their entry-level price on the day of its launch. A dedicated Apple worshipper therefore did exactly as he was told because it was seen from the survey that 65% of the first-day buyers of iPhone 4 were also owners of a MAC computer as compared to the 35% using a general PC, this considering the fact that people using a PC (Windows) vastly outnumbered those using an Apple desktop or laptops.

It has been stated that even Microsoft Corporation is siding with the Unlocked iPhone 4 by launching a new Windows Live Messenger application specifically meant for it.  Apart from Canada, only three other countries have the ability of downloading it directly from Apple’s app store. These include the US, UK and France. This application from Microsoft is completely free of cost to download and with it users will have the capability of updating their social status. There is even an added option that allows users to see their friends as well as start photo sharing. It has been proposed by Microsoft that in future they will also integrate support for Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace.

This soon-to-be-released iPhone Messenger will have all the required functionalities of the desktop version of Windows Live Messenger. In fact, it is claimed that the iPhone version will be a smaller companion for the desktop version. According to Microsoft Corporation, “We have worked extremely hard in ensuring that this Messenger application for the iPhone is extremely easy to use, yet at the same time can provide users all their desired functionality. To make it recognizable and desirable to iPhone users, we decided to preserve the native iPhone colors and user interface. We also plan on having future integration of Live Messenger with MySpace, Facebook and even LinkedIn.”

Most individuals make use of mobile phones so as to capture ideal moments that can then be shared amongst friends and family. With the social tab, you will be together with your friends throughout and their status can be displayed along with pictures and other links they have used. There are several filters you can use such as ‘status message’ or ‘photos’ to easily find what you want. With this application from Microsoft, all you have to do is to simply tap the iPhone a few times and you would have immediately created your own photo status.

Knowing that the recent launch of the  IPhone 4 Unlocked gadget would set tongues wagging, OS2 has taken preventive measures by discontinuing all their unlimited data plans. So do not expect to gain any adjusted rates for a current unlimited plan you might have from O2. Starting from 24^th June, all users of O2 will now have to spend to avail of internet package plans. If you plan on making use of the 500 MB monthly data plan, you will need to spend approximately $30-$42 per month, whereas should you plan on choosing the 750MB plan, you will have to spend $48 to $55 per month. There is also an additional plan offering 1GB data transfer for $70 per month. Such plans are inclusive of voice and texting options.

Says a representative of O2, “We now have specific plans that our users can avail of with the iPhone. Irrespective of whether you are an existing or new subscriber, you have the option of choosing an 18 or 24 month tariff. At the same time, you can also decide to pay the complete unlocked iPhone 4 Pay & Go price and simply choose a monthly iPhone tariff. With every plan of ours that you choose, you can be certain of availing of unlimited Wi-Fi and Visual Voicemail.”

Considering the fact that O2 is not the only carrier deciding to move away from unlimited plans, it looks like the life of such unlimited data transfer plans is limited. Recently AT&T also announced that they no longer have any unlimited data transfer plans available for subscribers- you now have to purchase 200 MB for $15 and 2GB for $25 a month. Even Verizon has come up with limited data transfer plans.

While the death of such unlimited data plans is not well like by many, there are others that find such limited plans more cost efficient for the amount of data they use per month.

Slacker radio is one of the best music discovery, custom radio station websites on the internet.  It is a website that I use daily on my unlocked cell phone and really helps pass the time while surfing on the internet.  This website works much like Pandora where you can search for artists or songs and create radio stations to listen to based on your likes and dislikes.  During the recent CTIA conference Slacker Radio announced that their Windows Mobile app will be launching very soon and with that release Slacker will be available for every major smartphone platform.

All early accounts are very positive when it comes to this new app.  The album art is quite massive and really allows you to enjoy all of the aspects of each album you are listening to.  The user interface is very easy to use and really helps the whole app seem to be very user friendly.  Their new app had most of the aspects you would come to expect from Slacker including artist bios, album reviews, song lyrics, liking/banning songs, etc. except for the offline station caching feature which allows you to listen to your stations without a data connection.  Slacker also confirmed that a Windows Phone 7 port of the application is in the works.  This will make a great addition to the highly anticipated Windows phone set to hit the market this summer.

Slacker is also in the process of creating a station caching version for the iPhone.  With this version you will be able to listen to all of your favorite songs and stations without having a data connection.  This will certainly take the Slacker app to new levels and really allow the app’s users to fully enjoy all of the fantastic features that are commonly associated with Slacker.

If you have a cell phone you absolutely have to have a phone case, in this case the Moshi iPhone case. This case is actually pretty cool because it is specifically made for the Apple iPhone 3GS. And it is made of a really thin, but very strong and durable silicone material. I liked this because I can still put it in my pocket when it’s not being used, but it doesn’t protrude a ton. Also, since it is silicone, this almost always adds a promise of extra protection! The pros of this phone are that is covers the phone all the way, which is really important if you want to keep your phone safe from getting crushed or scratched.

Also, unlike some of the other full-covers out there, this one makes sure that you can still use all the functionalities that the phone offers such as the power and volume buttons. I have used cases and covers before that were supposedly contoured and designed to allow for the same functions as if you didn’t have the cover on, and it simply did not do what it was supposed to do. So this was a nice change. One of the things I didn’t like about this, and maybe it’s just me, but the top of the latch for the cover wouldn’t close completely.

I tried this every which way and it simply would not close. Maybe this is a user-problem (just me) or maybe it happens with everyone! However, even though this was a problem, and a little one at that the rest of the features made up for it. I especially liked the flip over option which covers my screen completely. This adds an extra layer of protection and allows your phone to work for years to come. No scratches, no smudges, no dents!

As the number two cell phone producer in the world, Samsung is no slouch.  But in order to hold this position against increasing competition and innovation, they needed to make a splash with their February ’10 release of the Wave.  And splash they made.  Slim and gorgeous, this phone boasts some of the most robust specs of any Samsung unlocked cell phone ever released.  Many touchscreen phones have struggled to meet the high standards of the iPhone, with the Android doing a good impression but still experiencing some growing pains.  The Bada OS, used for the Wave, is a brand new platform that is also sure to experience a few version 1.0 problems, but developers are very excited by initial reports of this OS.  It comes with a TouchWiz3 interface, web browser, email client, and social networking apps.  Many more apps will be available for download in the coming months, as Samsung has spent a lot of time and money to encourage developers to write programs for the Bada OS.

Some of the specs and features that have phone geeks drooling:  HDDPA 7.2 Mbps, HSUPA 2 Mbps, 10.9 mm thin, 3.3 inch 16M color super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen (with 480 x 800 pixels), scratch resistant glass screen, Bada OS, 2 GB internal memory, 5 megapixel auto-focus camera, video, FM radio, DivX support, 1500 mAh battery power, and WiFi.

The video camera is one feature that really stands out, with 720p HD capabilities and a 1 GHz CPU processor, this is a large selling point for those inclined to use their phone for camera and video purposes.  At the same time, it bumps the price point up a bit, so others might be less inclined to buy it.  It is still early in the game, but based on the early success of the Wave, it seems like Samsung is going to hold its own and keep the #2 position in the unlocked cell phone manufacturing industry.

For .99, you can add BugMe for iPhone from the AppStore. This handy application uses note taking to the 10^th degree on your iPhone. Your phone home screen is a corkboard and you handwrite with your finger any notes, reminders, or shopping lists on a little colored post it. You can save it there, to your email, to your photo album, or post it to twitter. With the touch of a finger, you can move and organize your notes, or just discard. The process is kind of reminiscent of the early Palm Pilot.

If you are like me, I live and die by Post It Notes. I take all the useless information and things I have to remember and toss them on a Post it Note and hope I remember where I put them. My life moves on to other hundreds of things I need to remember and more Post Its. I believe taking all of that information out of my brain, can free me up to remember and focus on new tasks, and hopefully be more productive. Taking the Post Its down when I have taken care of something is empowering.

BugMe is easy to use and with the iPhone unlocked cell phone you can set alarms to alert you that its time to complete that little thing you have to take care of. When the alarm sounds, your Post It Note will pop up on the screen as a reminder. You have to have Internet access for the alarms to work, since the BugMe is also available on the iPod Touch and the iPad, the application will not alarm on those devices.

At the introductory price of .99, you cannot go wrong. The worst thing that can happen is a few less Post It Notes will be hanging around. The BugMe for iPhone can help you keep organized and efficient, not a bad investment by today’s standards.

When looking to buy a new cell phone, you usually ask friends and read online reviews.  But it may be worth considering what the inventor of the modern cell phone, Marty Cooper, uses on a daily basis.  C-SPAN recently interviewed Cooper, and among other topics, he discussed the best cell phones currently on the market, in his humble opinion of course.  He did own an iPhone recently, but gave it to his grandson, purportedly because he’s heard such great things about the Android and wanted to get more experience using it on a daily basis.

Cooper also told C-SPAN that he uses a Jitterbug on a daily basis, simply for the purpose of making calls.  For those of you unfamiliar with the Jitterbug, it is actually a mobile network operator founded by Cooper, although he gives all the credit to his wife.  It was launched in 2006 and it is an extremely basic and no frills cell phone that caters to baby boomers and older Americans.  While the company received a number of industry awards during its initial years on the market, including being selected for the New York Times Top 10 Brilliant Ideas of 2006, it has recently come under criticism for its expensive prepaid plans.  The phones themselves are between $100 and $200, and there is also a $35 activation fee, which is rare for prepaid phones.

It was interesting that Cooper did not plug Jitterbug more during his interview, or even admit to the fact that he uses a Droid or iPhone, but after Jitterbug was bought up by Verizon maybe Cooper doesn’t feel the need to relentlessly market his product.  Although you would think the C-SPAN demographic would be perfect for the Jitterbug target?  Either way, if the Droid is good enough for the “Godfather of the Cell Phone” – it’s good enough for me.

So rumors have been going around for awhile now and with Apple having an event on January 27th it looks like they will be announcing the new operating software for the iPhone.  This will be OS version 4.0 and according to BoyGeniusReport.com there will be some good changes

• There will be multi-touch gestures OS-wide. (Would make sense for that as the rumored OS for the iTablet is close if not the same as the iPhone)
• “A few new ways” to run applications in the background — multitasking.
• Many graphical and UI changes to make navigating through the OS easier and more efficient. We haven’t had this broken down, but we can only hope for improved notifications, a refreshed homescreen, etc.
• The update will supposedly be available for only the iPhone 3G and 3GS, but will “put them ahead in the smartphone market because it will make them more like full-fledged computers” more than any other phone to date. Everyone is “really excited.”
• The last piece of information is the most vague, but apparently there will be some brand new syncing ability for the contacts and calendar applications.

The downside is that it seems that it won’t work with the first generation iPhone (also known as iPhone 2G), but at least the others will get the latest software

We guess all we can do now is wait until January 27th.

You can buy it in 22 ct. solid gold with diamonds rimming the sleek edges. It does indeed stand out from the crowd, but the unlocked iPhone 3GS Supreme is spectacularly expensive. Designed by Stuart Hughes, a designer of exclusive, elite gadgets, the iPhone 3GS comes with 136 diamonds weighing 68 cts. altogether. Diamonds also adorn the navigation buttons and front bezel. In all, this extremely high-end phone has 190 diamonds.

The granite block “chest” that houses the iPhone 3GS Supreme is spectacularly expensive, as well. Weighing seven grams, the chest is layered in Kasmir gold and lined with Nubuck top grain leather. Although Hughes and his associates have not released the price of the iPhone 3GS Supreme, some estimates place the value price at about 1.2 million dollars. Hughes lists the luxury phone on his site at a price “to be announced.”

Who would buy such an expensive phone? Almost anyone who has the money, actually. The iPhone has suffered the fate of just about every other faddish trend. It hits the market and becomes the craze. Everyone purchases one and becomes a card-carrying member of the “in” crowd that has one. Then, before you know it, everyone you encounter is a part of the “in” crowd.

This inevitable turn of popularity events makes those who have the expendable resources search for more ways beyond phone color choice, ringtones and screen wallpaper to stand out from the crowd. The most immediate way to establish distance is to make the buy that most people cannot afford to make.

All the high rollers know that the iPhone 3GS Supreme is spectacularly expensive, and most would probably not even consider such a luxury choice if they did not have access to money and privilege, but it is a nice choice to have. When their phones start buzzing, they know their diamonds are ringing.