The applause shook San Franscisco’s Moscone Hall when Steve Jobs announced built-in GPS in the 3G iPhone.

Although I’m pretty satisfied with the location approach taken by the current iPhone, I am happy the 3G will have built-in GPS.

Then this came from Gizmodo–

iPhone Built-In GPS Official, With Live Tracking (But No Turn-by-Turn Navigation)

This time last year that would have been the end of the story. This time last year if Apple said "No Turn-by-Turn Navigation" on the 3G iPhone THERE WOULD BE NO TURN-BY-TURN NAVIGATION ON THE 3G iPHONE. PERIOD END OF DISCUSSION!

But that would be so… 2007.

The question has been lingering during the weeks leading up to today’s WWDC kickoff as to whether or not the new iPhone hardware and software would be released at the same time.

The release of iPhone 2.0 is a bit more complicated than it might first appear since it really consists of three different, and equally important, components. There’s the 3G hardware. There’s the 3G firmware. There’s the iTunes AppStore.

All three need to be in place and functional in order for us to move into the next stage in the iPhone’s march toward world dominence.

The good news is… it is looking increasingly like that is the case!

According to a post over at Engadget the firmware for the 3G iPhone (you know- the one that’s going to be revealed in less than 5 hours) has been released to carriers for field-testing.

Add to that numerous reports that unmarked, sealed boxes have been arriving at Apple stores everywhere and it looks like we are locked and loaded.

Five hours and counting before we start seeing all kinds of application goodness.

June 9th 2008 will long be remembered as a turning point in mobile computing. It is the day that, for all intents and purposes, the iPhone came out of its year-long beta period.

"Year long beta period?" you might ask… "Hasn’t the iPhone already been a runaway success? Hasn’t it already changed the face of hand-held computing forever? Beta?!?! The iPhone already owns a huge percent of the mobile marketing. You call THAT a Beta?"

Yes, We Do!
 
Sure, when the iPhone first made its way into consumer’s hands back in July of 2007, it wowed many. It also, however, angered many. And for good reason.

The first generation iPhone was beautiful. It was, on many levels, a work of art. However, it was also controversial.