Extra! Extra!: iPhone 3G, The Sequel, is worth the wait.
It's cheaper, faster and a lot friendlier for business. Apple's blockbuster smartphone already had nifty features such as visual voice mail, a splendid built-in video iPod and the best mobile Web browser I've ever used. With GPS newly added to the mix, this handheld marvel has no equal among consumer-oriented smartphones.
I reach that verdict after having tested the new iPhone for more than two weeks.
And that's without trying out the eagerly anticipated online Apps store. There, you'll be able to purchase programs from outside developers covering everything from social-networking tools to games. The Apps (for "applications") feature doesn't go live until Friday, when the new phone starts selling at Apple and AT&T stores.
The iPhone's successor arrives a full year after the mind-boggling hype and hysteria surrounding the first iteration's debut. Whatever your opinion of that first iPhone -- and I've been a lot more positive than negative -- its impact far outweighs the 6 million units that have been sold to date.
Apple's presence has re-energized the handheld computing category, practically begging smartphone rivals for a response: Witness the Samsung Instinct from Sprint, and LG's Voyager from Verizon.
In my first review, I wrote, "iPhone isn't perfect, or even the most ideal smartphone for every user."
The statement holds true with iPhone 3G, though frankly, the list of reasons the device doesn't make sense for a certain class of users is shrinking fast.
Start with buyers on a budget who might have loved an iPhone but couldn't afford one.
Apple has announced that an 8-gigabyte iPhone 3G costs $199 with a two-year AT&T contract, but the contract costs more. A 16-GB model fetches $299.
Next are business customers. Many companies were hesitant to cozy up to iPhone for corporate e-mail and other services. They fretted about security.
But...

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