The headless R2-D2 case for the Apple iPhone 3G and 3GS (iPhone 4 model will have a head?)

Just last week we caught a glimpse of the “special” Motorola DROID R2-D2 Edition. As it turns out, that bleep-blooping bot gets around. He’s found his way over to Cupertino for the iPhone, or at least tried to.

Before you get too excited not only about a white iPhone 4, let alone your dreams of a special Star Wars edition from Apple, you should wake up and smell the coffee. This is just a case, and for some reason the designers cut off R2′s head.  Regardless, it simply means that George Lucas and crew have no issue playing friendly with multiple teams. I can see Steve Jobs now calling up Mr. Lucas after he saw the Android R2D2 last week. Steve: “Um George, wtf? We gave you mad coverage on our trailer site for Clone Wars.” Mr. Lucas: “Listen Steve-o, it’s already a fricken Droid.” The designer however, is playing in outer space. Maybe they plan to launch an R2 D2 head expansion pack? Unless they really wan’t us to believe the front side is the head.

So anyone who felt left out last week (iPhone owners of course), not to worry. You can get in on the licensed Star Wars memorabilia. The bad news is that this R2-D2 case isn’t designed for the iPhone 4; they’re making it for the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS. After all, this is happening a long time ago in a galaxy far away.

Still no sign of C-3PO either.

R2-D2 iPhone Hard Case with Sculpted Details [$30 from the Star Wars Shop]

R2-D2 cheats on the Droid, shows up as an official iPhone case [MobileCrunch]

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It seems that the processor is to blame. Whereas the iPhone 3GS has a peppier 600MHz ARM 11 processor (and thus runs iOS4 without a hitch), the older iPhone 3G only has a 412MHz ARM 11 chip under the hood. Naturally, the iPhone 4 is more than at home with iOS4.

So, what recourse do iPhone 3G owners have? They could revert back to OS 3.1.3, but even that’s quite the process. It’s almost as if Apple is trying to convince all of them to buy a new iPhone 4 instead. What say you, readers? Have you upgraded to iOS4 on your iPhone 3G? Is it as slow as people say? If not, do you plan to?

[Gadget Lab]
Photo: originalgoast/Flickr

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iPhone 3gs and iPhone 4, should you upgrade?

With all of the pandemonium surrounding the iPhone 4, the question surrounding Apple’s new masterpiece is: should I upgrade?  The decision right now fueled by the excitement of innovation and hype is to do so, but if you take a step back and think, it may not be as clear as you had imagined.

Certain situations warrant the upgrade, while others do not. If you own a 3G or less, then upgrading as soon as possible could be what you need to do.  Let’s face it, your 3G is at least two years old, probably scratched, not looking too fresh and is filled to the brim with music, apps, and other goodies.  It served you well, but it’s sluggish and inferior to the speed you have evolved to in respects to navigating and loading apps on your device. Perhaps your contract with AT&T has expired.  The iPhone 4 will be available to you for less, and you can retain your unlimited data plan which is a huge bonus since AT&T recently discontinued it for new users.

If you have a 3GS, then it may serve you well just to hang on a little longer.  It’s still a pretty solid iPhone.  It performs well, the newer processor is pretty speedy, faster then the 3G, but lets face it, its no A4.

The 8GB or 16GB 3GS still performs decently, but may be lacking the space you need. The 32GB could be all you need.  You will get the iOS4 update bringing you up in that department, and your battery could be still running strong so running this bad boy into the ground a little longer won’t hurt.

The iPhone 4 doesn’t have 4G speeds yet, and that will probably be the next thing on Steve Jobs’ agenda as we head into 2011.   It does have the front facing camera for video chat, the speedy A4, which from my iPad experience is going to put an end to lag in most apps.  The upgraded HD camera and LED flash are also a huge improvement.  And if you’re the guy who has to have the latest and greatest, then why are you even reading this?

But of course, stick with what works for you.  Just weigh out the benefits of an upgrade against the cons, and remember, you are dealing with another expense come June 24.

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iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G Side by Side

With summer just around the corner, many of us tend to refresh our mobile phones.  Perhaps your contract is coming up, or you’ve just had enough of that damn phone shutting down on you sporadically. Whatever the reason may be, we’re going to make it a bit easier on you.  Many of you already have an iPhone (60% of Mobile Magazine reader’s according to an internal survey), that leaves the rest of you with something else.  If you’re out looking for a new phone, and the iPhone is a contender, the question remains: which iPhone is right for you?

It’s easy to say just go with the best, but for many that isn’t in your budget. If you want a cell phone and iPod built in, you can still get the iPhone 3G from many carriers.  It’s smaller, at 8 or 16 GB variants, and also the cheapest ($99).   But with 8/16GB that’s more than enough room for a couple days of music, and you even have room to spare for some apps.

If you are heavily into apps, or plan to be.  Have a vast collection of music, and generally want to do more, the iPhone 3GS may be the way to go.  It’s more expensive than a 3G, but with 16 and 32 GB storage capacities ($199 and $299 respectivefly).   Along with more storage you get a 3 megapixel camera, compared with 2 megapixels of the iPhone 3G.  You are getting autofocus too, and video recording, voice controls, and a compass.

If you already have an iPhone 3GS and want to buy a new iPhone, the only thing you can do at this point is wait for the iPhone 4G or iPhone HD, we’re still guessing what it will be called at this point.

The best recommendation I can make though, is to stick it out until June. This is when we expect the new iPhone 4 to come out.  It will without a doubt be superior to the iPhone 3GS,  however, it will be the most expensive.  Apple may drop the price of the 3GS and move the new model into that price category, or just up the anty and charge anywhere between $300-$600 for the models, and that’s with a contract.  On the flip side, the new 4.0 OS update will atleast be 3GS compatible, and that means multitasking too.  A side-by-side comparisson of both iPhone’s specs are available from Apple.

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No future updates for 1st Gen iPhone

When Steve Jobs began to announce the new iPhone OS 4 features last week, the excitement was palpable. Years of anticipation finally realized with the addition of multitasking as well as other tent-pole features. That was the climate of the room until the very end when Jobs casually mentioned during the Q&A that many of those shiny new features you were just made to drool over were not going to be available on the iPhone 3G (so iPhone 3GS and newer only).

At no point was our good ‘ol metal battle ax iPhone (first generation) mentioned. Steve Jobs has now confirmed what many had assumed. MacStories published an email between a reader and Jobs, asking if Apple will supply any updates to the first gen iPhone in the future.  Steve’s answer: “Sorry, no.” So that’s the word from the mountain. The “original” iPhone has peaked in its glory days and will be running iPhone OS 3.1.3 for the rest of eternity.

My advice: Don’t be the Zack Morris of the iPhone age, this summer will be good enough reason to just go out and get a new iPhone already!

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