Vodafone New Zealand confirms 10 July launch date for iPhone 3GS

Vodafone New Zealand has confirmed it will be introducing the new Apple iPhone 3GS on 10 July 2009. The operator also confirmed the handsets won't be locked to a specific operator.

The Apple iPhone comes in two models. The 16GB version will cost NZ$ 1,179.00 and the iPhone 3GS 32GB will set users back at NZ$ 1,379.00. Those are the full prices for the handsets only.

Vodafone wasn't able to confirm plan pricing and handset subsidies yet.

According to Apple the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet, comes packed with new features including improved speed and performance - up to twice as fast as iPhone 3G - with longer battery life, a high-quality 3 megapixel autofocus camera, easy to use video recording and hands free voice control.

The faster mobile Internet access comes thanks to its new 7.2 Mbps HSDPA support for faster mobile networks. The iPhone 3GS supports UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz) and GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz). It also comes with built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR.

iPhone 3GS includes the new iPhone OS 3.0, an advanced mobile operating system with over 100 new features such as Cut, Copy and Paste, MMS, Spotlight Search, landscape keyboard and more.

Customers get access to more than 50,000 applications from Apple�s App Store, the largest application store in the world where customers have already downloaded over one billion apps.

iPhone 3GS features a new 3 megapixel autofocus camera that adjusts focus, exposure, color and contrast for the best possible image and includes an automatic macro focus for extra close up shots. With the new �tap to focus� feature, you simply touch the display to select an object or area of interest and the camera automatically re-adjusts focus and exposure.

You can also record high-quality video clips and edit them right on the iPhone 3GS by simply trimming the start and stop points. With iPhone 3GS you can send photos and video by email or MMS and post them to MobileMe or YouTube with just one tap.

The voice control feature in iPhone 3GS offers hands free operation for both iPhone and iPod functions. Simply speak the appropriate commands into the built-in microphone or headset microphone to dial by name or number. With voice control you can play your favorite music by artist, album or playlist and activate the Genius feature by saying �play more songs like this.� You can also tell iPhone to pause the music, play the next track, turn on shuffle or ask, �What�s playing right now?�

iPhone 3GS features a new built-in digital compass for instant navigation. The Compass app shows you which way you are headed and rotates as you change direction. You can orient yourself to true north or magnetic north, and iPhone�s built-in GPS automatically displays the coordinates of your current location. The new built-in digital compass is also integrated within Maps, so it automatically orients any map to the direction you are facing.

iPhone 3GS provides new accessibility features including VoiceOver, a screen reader that speaks what appears on the iPhone 3GS display, enabling visually impaired users to make calls, read email, browse web pages, play music and run applications. The new universal Zoom function magnifies the entire screen, and the White on Black feature reverses the colors on screen to provide higher contrast for people with low vision. iPhone 3GS also supports Mono Audio which combines left and right audio channels so that they can be heard in both earbuds for those with hearing loss in one ear.

iPhone 3GS includes the new iPhone OS 3.0 software with more than 100 new features including: Cut, Copy and Paste; MMS; Spotlight Search to search across iPhone or within Mail, Contacts, Calendar and iPod; landscape keyboard for Mail, Messages, Notes and Safari; expanded parental controls for TV shows, movies and apps from the App Store; and the ability to capture and send audio recordings on the go with the new Voice Memo app.

iPhone 3.0 software also includes a new Find My iPhone feature that works together with MobileMe so you can locate your lost iPhone on a map, send a message that will appear on the screen or play a sound to help you find it even if your phone is set to silent. If you cannot find your iPhone, you can erase all data and content on your iPhone with the new Remote Wipe feature.

New iTunes features available with iPhone 3.0 software include wirelessly downloading movies, TV and audio programs as well as iTunes U so students can download learning materials on the go.