mobile geo social

Today I’m on the career cusp. After two fantastic years of looking after digital innovation at Lonely Planet, the time has come to move on to a new exciting challenge.

Here begins my uiActive journey. Stay tuned…

When Applie released its iPhone last year as a 2.5G EDGE device, I’m sure I wasn’t the only one wondering why it wasn’t 3G.

I thought it might have been a form factor issue. I imagined the product meeting where an Apple engineer cuddles his fast but chubby 3G iPhone prototype, but is beaten down into submission by the Apple designer stroking his sexy but slow 2.5G iPhone prototype.

Then Steve Jobs claimed that it was actually a battery life issue. That sounds more credible; Moore’s Law doesn’t apply to battery life.

So I have been patiently monitoring RSS, waiting for rumours of a 3G iPhone release, and playing with my brother-in-law’s 2.5G iPhone in the meantime, to fend off my appetite.

Last night however, an interim solution was identified, on the sidelines of Mobile Monday Sydney’s great iPhone “Hope or Hype?” debate.

I feel compelled to share, so here goes the instructions on how to mod your iPhone to 3G speed:

1. Put on your jacket. You’re going to need some extra pocket capacity.
2. Install JoikuSpot Light on your Nokia N95 to create your very own Wi-Fi hot spot.
3. Insert said N95 into said pocket.
4. Switch iPhone to Wi-Fi connectivity.
5. Wander around enjoying 3G data speeds on your iPhone.

Thank you Ben and Randal!

2G GPRS 0.025 Mb/s
2.5G EDGE 0.25 Mb/s
3G HSDPA 2.5 Mb/s
802.11b Wi-Fi 6.0 Mb/s