iPhone 3G Reduced to $99; iPhone 3G S Out June 19

Apple announced on Monday that they will be introducing the new iPhone 3G S on June 19th. They have also cut the price of the iPhone 3G (shown above) to $99 (8G) and $199 (16G). The new features of the iPhone 3G S include:

• As the name implies, the new iPhone 3G S is supposed to be faster. Apple boasts that you can load Web pages and launch apps twice as fast as the previous model. It also promises improved 3D graphics for games.
• A 3-megapixel camera with autofocus. You can also focus by tapping on the screen. It will also have settings for white balance, exposure, low-light sensitivity, and a macro mode for close-up photos.
• A camcorder. You can shoot VGA-quality video in 30 frames per second, and after you're done, you can trim the video by adjusting the start and end points. You can then send the video via MMS (included in iPhone OS 3.0) to a friend, to your MobileMe account, or even to YouTube, directly from the phone.
• Voice control, but not just for calls. Not only can you manage phone calls with your voice, you can use your voice to play music. You can ask the phone what song is playing, ask it to play a particular song from an artist or an album, and even to play songs that are similar to the currently playing track.
• A built-in digital compass. It automatically reorients the map to the direction you're facing. It works in conjunction with Maps to give you street view as well.
• Bluetooth tethering is allowed, which means you can use the iPhone 3G S as a wireless modem with your laptop. However, this is not available from AT&T for now.
• Voiceover, an accessibility setting on the new iPhone 3G S that acts as a gesture-based screen reader.
• Compatibility with Nike+ iPod, where it detects the Nike+ sensor in your shoe to track your runs.
• Improved battery life. Apple promises that the iPhone 3G S can hold up to 9 hours in Wi-Fi, 10 hours on video playback, 30 hours on audio playback, 12 hours talk time on 2G networks, and 5 hours talk time on 3G networks.
• The 16GB model will be $199 with a new contract and the 32GB model will be $299 with a new contract. They will be available June 19, 2009.

The new iPhone 3.0 operating system will also be available for older versions of the iPhone for free starting June 19th. It contains all sorta of goodies like copy and paste, multimedia messaging and voice recording.