iPhone 3G - first day

UPDATE: 2.1 Update fixed all my problems. Works great now and battery life seems better too.

UPDATE: Looks like I'm not the only one having problems getting a reliable 3G connection. You would think that San Francisco would be well covered. If I could do it over again, I would probably just buy a used original iPhone and use that until the 3G kinks have been worked out. I'm still considering returning my 3G. $30 extra a month for a 3G network with bugs is a rip-off.

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My office is just a few blocks from the downtown San Francisco Apple store, but I kept putting off buying a 3G because I didn't want to wake up early and stand in line. But last Sunday I was working late and it was already 3am, so I decided to just keep working until 8am and I picked up a white 16GB phone Monday morning on my way home. The line was very short, just 3-4 people. I only waited for 2 minutes before being helped.

When I was buying the phone at the Apple store, I asked the sales guy how I could wipe my old iPhone clean so I could give it to my wife. I explained to him that it's a developer phone with the beta of 2.1 installed and that I didn't know how to downgrade it back to 2.0. I knew it wasn't something that wouldn't be possible unless I knew some trick to get iTunes to download and install a clean copy of 2.0. The sales guy was totally clueless and just lied to me saying just to plug it in to iTunes and it would do the right thing. I knew that was wrong and just said forget it then, if you don't know how to do it I don't want the phone. He then went upstairs, asked the Genius bar and they were also clueless. He assured me that iTunes would revert it back automatically. Well, when I got home he was wrong. iTunes refused to downgrade it. It's amazing that after all this time, the geniuses at one of the most high profile Apple stores on the planet can't answer a simple question. I called the store back and they said to call Applecare and ask them. I called Applecare, waited on hold for 20 minutes and they guy told me the procedure. Turn off the phone, unplug it from USB, hold down the home button and plug it in. iTunes then goes into forced recovery mode downloading the latest 2.0 OS and installing it. Very simple. I have know idea why the Apple store employees didn't know about this simple procedure.

I've been using the phone and have been disappointed with the 3G coverage. I live in San Francisco and I can't get a very strong signal in my house. It seems that most of the time I have 1 bar showing unless I'm in downtown. I've been cut off many times, and I've only made a few calls so far. Downtown coverage seems much better. My old iPhone didn't have problems with signal. I tried turning off 3G. It seemed to help, but can't be sure. I didn't do much testing.

Here's an interesting story. I was iChatting with one of my friends in Japan, and he bought an iPhone but couldn't get a signal in his house. So he calls up Softbank and they send a guy over to install an indoor antenna so he could get a signal. They didn't charge him anything, but my friend says you have to remain a customer for 2 years after the installation otherwise they will charge him. Do they offer a service like that in the US?

Another big disappointment with the iPhone 3G is the price of the service plans. I didn't read the agreement, but the guy at the Apple Store said it was $30 extra a month and NO text messages included? He said the old iPhone gave 200 messages, but the 3G costs extra. I think I heard it was $15 extra a month for text messages. Is this true? Seems insane to increase the price by $30 for a 3G network that's still in "beta" and no text messages? I wonder if I heard wrong. That doesn't make any sense, unless AT&T is evil. :)