shinyPlasticBag

So, the iPhone GS has been announced, and is due out a week from today. I really, really want one. Or rather, I really, really want to want one. I have been anxiously awaiting the release of the next iPhone for about six months. My first gen is starting to feel a little long in the tooth. Sure, it runs all the apps I want just fine, but the call quality is a bit iffy*, the screen is quite scratched, and every now and then, the screen does a very strange “OMG loose wire somewhere” dance. Plus, it crashes like a mofo.

So, when the keynote started yesterday, I was anxiously awaiting the new device, hanging my hopes on one of the rumors attached to it: tethering. Having the Internet in my pocket has really changed a lot of things in my life, but I really want the Macintosh Internet experience everywhere. Tethering was confirmed as a capability due to some intrepid people ripping apart the iPhone OS 3.0 builds, but carrier support wasn’t determined until yesterday.

Of course, AT&T was not on the list of carriers supporting it at launch. Shit! Trust my luck to move to the only country where phone service is as bad as Canada. Sigh. So, despite the fact that the iPhone GS looks amazingly wonderful, it won’t be coming to live with me until there’s tethering support available (and affordable).

I’m one seriously unhappy nerd.

* Now, somewhat ironically, I can’t entirely blame the call quality on my phone. The two scenarios where I generally make phone calls both have other limiting factors: Google Voice, for my long distance calls to family & friends back home, and my car’s Bluetooth hands-free unit. Google Voice really does mutilate calls at time, but I think I can expect better from the Bluetooth.