Almost one year after the original Apple iPhone went on sale, Apple CEO Steve Jobs has announced a 3G version of the device, finally putting to rest months of rumors and speculation. While some of the rumors panned out–the new handset will offer full GPS–other rumors, like the addition of a 32GB model, fizzled. But even with the long list of basic features that Apple still is denying us (hello multimedia messaging?), the addition of 3G support is a big win. If data speeds hold up as Jobs demonstrated (more on that later), the new iPhone really will put the Internet in your pocket. We also approve of the new price: 9 for the 8GB model and 9 for the 16GB version, a pleasing price for all but the poor souls who shelled out nearly 0 a year ago. The new iPhone will go on sale July 11.

Though the iPhone 3G is thinner at the edges than its predecessor, the Phone measures a hair thicker (0.48 inches versus 0.46 inches) in the gut. The other measurements are the same except that it weighs just the slightest bit less (4.7 ounces versus 4.8 ounces).

What makes iPhone a great business phone? Simple. The same features that make it a revolutionary mobile device. With iPhone 2.0 software, iPhone does even more for your enterprise. It supports Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, delivering push email, calendar, and contacts. And it gives mobile users secure access to corporate resources with Cisco IPSec VPN and wireless network services with WPA2 Enterprise and 802.1X authentication.

3G Speed

With support for three 3G bands (850, 1900, 2100) and both UMTS and HSDPA networks, the iPhone 3G is well positioned for using high-speed networks all around the world. Considering that Apple is promising to bring the device to 70 countries, it had better be. During his WWDC keynote, Jobs compared Web download speeds between the two iPhones. On the original model, which runs on a 2.5G EDGE network, a photo-heavy Web site loaded in 59 seconds, while the same site loaded in 21 seconds on the new device--impressive, but we take it with a grain of salt for now.

iPhone in Enterprise

Email on iPhone offers a viewing experience unlike any other mobile device. Its rich HTML format means email looks and acts like email on your computer. With support for Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, PDF, JPEG, and now iWork, attachments can be viewed exactly as they were designed to. Users can even zoom in on important information with the tap of a finger. And now that iPhone has built-in support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, users get all the benefits of push email.

Worker bees will be pleased to know that the iPhone 3G will offer support for Microsoft Exchange Server. That will bring push e-mail, contacts and calendar, remote wipe, global contacts access, and auto-discovery. That’s another welcome change as it puts the iPhone in the hands of a whole new class of corporate users who now will be able to get their work e-mail on the iPhone.

iPhone has even more great features for business users. Find a customer’s address and get directions with GPS-powered Maps. Send SMS messages to multiple recipients. Get a one-tap weather report before your next business trip. Check stocks at a glance. Write notes to save or email. Even perform complex calculationswith the built-in scientific calculator.

Internet

iPhone features Safari — the most advanced web browser ever on a portable device. And with 3G and Wi-Fi, you can browse the real Internet really fast. iPhone also syncs your bookmarks from your PC or Mac and has Google and Yahoo! search built in.Access the web with Safari whether you’re connecting via EDGE, faster 3G, or even faster Wi-Fi. iPhone automatically connects you to the fastest network available.
Get a closer look at any web page by zooming in and out with a tap or a pinch. View websites in portrait or landscape mode: Rotate iPhone 90 degrees and the website rotates, too.

Battery

Last year Jobs said that Apple had not included 3G in the first iPhone because it would have made too many compromises with the handset’s battery life. But now it appears that Apple has solved that problem. The iPhone 3G promises a solid 5 hours of 3G talk time, 10 hours of 2G talk time, 5 hours of 3G Internet time, 6 hours of Wi-Fi Internet time, 7 hours of video playback, 24 hours of audio playback, and 12.5 days standby time. The audio and video times are unchanged from the original iPhone.

GPS

This is one feature that was on our original iPhone wish list. While the current iPhone location services find your position via nearby cell phone towers and satellites, the iPhone 3G uses Assisted GPS supplemented by satellites. It also offers live tacking so you can monitor your progress as you drive (or walk) along.