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Is an iPhone 3G addon a possibility?

J

johnnybluejeans

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 16, 2006
294
0
New York, NY
We all know that 3G capability is not packed into the first generation iPhone.. but if Apple decides to include 3G in a later iPhone, would it also be possible to add 3G to current iPhones with an accessory attached to the dock port at the bottom? Basically, a small 3G "wireless card" with the required chipset.

Not that I want some bulky accessory hanging off my iPhone.. but I'm sure curious if it is even possible. Belkin, are you listening?
 
johnnybluejeans said:
We all know that 3G capability is not packed into the first generation iPhone.. but if Apple decides to include 3G in a later iPhone, would it also be possible to add 3G to current iPhones with an accessory attached to the dock port at the bottom? Basically, a small 3G "wireless card" with the required chipset.

Not that I want some bulky accessory hanging off my iPhone.. but I'm sure curious if it is even possible. Belkin, are you listening?
Click to expand...

Possibly? probably. Likely? I doubt it.
 
It's far more complicated than an FM adapter and the other accessories that connect to the dock port. You're dealing with SIM cards, AT&T's network, etc. It would be very difficult to make that work.
 
It would also get rid of one incentive to upgrade to a second generation iPhone which I assume will prominently feature 3G connectivity. I'm hopeful we'll see a second gen 3G iPhone in early 2008, but who knows, right?
 
I don't see why not it wuld require a software update of course but no reson it shouldnt work

It wuld be no different than a Card for you mac
 
johnnybluejeans said:
Care to elaborate? Either you didn't read what I wrote, or you are just being an ass, or both.

If they can make addon hardware for iPods (FM tuner, voice recorder, etc), than there really should be no reason why they cannot make a 3G adapter for the iPhone.
Click to expand...

he means its been beaten to death, the iphone does not have 3G hardware PERIOD, it can never be upgraded to have 3G, 3.5G, 3.75G, you are STUCK with 2.75G until you buy another $600 phone (maybe iphone v2?)

FCC documents state with pictures that it does not have any kind of highspeed hardware. you cannot lie to the FCC or you are screwed
 
pr5owner said:
he means its been beaten to death, the iphone does not have 3G hardware PERIOD, it can never be upgraded to have 3G, 3.5G, 3.75G, you are STUCK with 2.75G until you buy another $600 phone (maybe iphone v2?)

FCC documents state with pictures that it does not have any kind of highspeed hardware. you cannot lie to the FCC or you are screwed
Click to expand...




Looks like you didnt read his post either
 
Me1000 said:
Looks like you didnt read his post either
Click to expand...

a 3G adapter on the 30 pin connector while your phone already has 2.75G? that is beyond ghetto and i can almost guarentee apple will not produce something like that when they can sell a phone with 3G and make you buy another $600 phone.

apple is not your wallet's best interest and never has been, most likely never will be.

some things off the top of my head, 3G requires your simcard's acct number, you cannot "Share" your simcard with your iphone's onboard radio with another source, its 1 or the other.

IE: it is illegal to copy a sim card (although it can be done easily) and use the same acct on 2 diffrent phones.
 
pr5owner said:
he means its been beaten to death, the iphone does not have 3G hardware PERIOD
Click to expand...

The first sentence of my post is "We all know that 3G capability is not packed into the first generation iPhone."

This post is about adding on hardware that attaches to the data / charging port at the bottom of the phone.
 
johnnybluejeans said:
Learn to read asshat, the first sentence of my post is "We all know that 3G capability is not packed into the first generation iPhone."

This post is about adding on hardware that attaches to the data / charging port at the bottom of the phone you troll.
Click to expand...

read my other post, you may have misunderstood my original post

the iphone v1 will NEVER HAVE 3G
 
StealthRider said:
It's far more complicated than an FM adapter and the other accessories that connect to the dock port. You're dealing with SIM cards, AT&T's network, etc. It would be very difficult to make that work.
Click to expand...

I understand it would be more complicated, and I also understand the battery issue. I'm not even saying that if it can be done then it will or should be done...

But I guess the more important aspect of my post is this: What kind of additional hardware is feasible with the iPhone platform. Supposedly we have a full fledged OS X and a USB 2.0 data port on this thing. Why not an external 3G card? Why not a TV Tuner?

Apple would have to work with 3rd party vendors for writing drivers, but it seems to me like the possibilities are endless.
 
The question was is it possible, not will it happen!

yes it is possible, it may even require you to get a 2nd data plan...
but there is no reason it couldnt work, as long as apple pushes out an update!
 
darngooddesign said:
However a little GPS adapter would be cool.
Click to expand...

if apple uncrippled the bluetooth, you can have a bluetooth GPS (requires bluetooth SPP)

they would need to update/upgrade google maps as well to support it.

a gps attachment maybe too much of a power drain. most good bluetooth gps's last well over 12-13 hrs
 
pr5owner said:
some things off the top of my head, 3G requires your simcard's acct number, you cannot "Share" your simcard with your iphone's onboard radio with another source, its 1 or the other.
Click to expand...

The data can flow two ways on the USB port, therefor the iPhone *could* share the SIM data with an external device.


darngooddesign said:
However a little GPS adapter would be cool.
Click to expand...

That would be cool..
 
johnnybluejeans said:
Care to elaborate?

If they can make addon hardware for iPods (FM tuner, voice recorder, etc), than there really should be no reason why they cannot make a 3G adapter for the iPhone.
Click to expand...

sorry for being short, I'm pretty bitter about the whole 3G whining everyone has been doing, it in NO way makes this device any less of a pleasure to use. The absence of 3G is one thing in a list of 'coulda, shoulda woulda's. No device is perfect, and no device will ever have EVERYTHING, there will always be a whiner.
 
johnnybluejeans said:
... would it also be possible to add 3G to current iPhones with an accessory attached to the dock port at the bottom? Basically, a small 3G "wireless card" with the required chipset.
Click to expand...

Depending on the dock pins, you probably could build such a thing. Software would be the harder part, in fact.

Many years ago, before converged devices, you could fit PDAs with addon Compact Flash phone/data cards. Same scenario here.

Heck, nowadays you can buy MicroSD cards with WiFi for Windows Mobile phones that are made without it.

As for power, well just add a battery to the addon gizmo as well. Again, in the "old" days you could get PDA cases that included a thin battery for spare power to run extra cards.
 
Possible? I'd bet that Apple COULD make one....but there are SO many issue that would come up.


It won't happen....the iPhone using EDGE, and thats the way its going to stay(atleast this gen)
 
zap2 said:
Possible? I'd bet that Apple COULD make one....but there are SO many issue that would come up.


It won't happen....the iPhone using EDGE, and thats the way its going to stay(atleast this gen)
Click to expand...

thats what i said, anyways,

why would apple give you the cheap way out when they can make another phone WITH a newer gen of wireless tech and charge you $600 AGAIN?
 
johnnybluejeans said:
We all know that 3G capability is not packed into the first generation iPhone.. but if Apple decides to include 3G in a later iPhone, would it also be possible to add 3G to current iPhones with an accessory attached to the dock port at the bottom? Basically, a small 3G "wireless card" with the required chipset.

Not that I want some bulky accessory hanging off my iPhone.. but I'm sure curious if it is even possible. Belkin, are you listening?
Click to expand...

Actually, in talking in the IRC channel it would appear that one of the chipsets may indeed be 3G, by Samsung. This became apparent after AT commands were sent to the baseband in an effort to unlock the GSM radio.

To the dude that commented that the docs from the FCC indicates that the iPhone does not have 3G - I have no idea where you read those dogs because Apple had those docs sealed for years. It may be possible that Apple does not want to talk about 3G until AT&T deploys a large enough 3g network to be available nationally. Apple doesn't want to say - you can now use 3G when you really can't in your area.

Apple has already done this in the past - ::hint::hint:: Airport Wireless Card after an update now supports 802.11N

Don't be surprised by an update later this year to unlock 3G on the iPhone
 
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