i am also confused
yesterday, i qualified for the $499 price, and no upgrade date was given
today though, i must pay full price ($699), and am upgrade eligible in march
i purchased my 3G on launch day, and I upgraded from an original iPhone, so from other reports, I should be eligible 12 months after purchase (this july), but I am not, and i cant even get the early upgrade price
im starting to think that theyre still getting this upgrade thing worked out, and will have issues with those that have already preordered
i also think that for some reason, getting your iPhone replaced may have an effect on your eligibility date (ive had it replaced 3 times)