3G iPhone details from Vodafone employee, leaked iPhone 3G firmware confirms tri-band HSDPA and GPS

And they just keep rolling in like unstoppable forces of nature. The iPhone 3G (or 3G iPhone / iPhone 2, call it what you want) rumors are starting to get dizzyingly out of hand. Late last night we saw some purported marketing material leaked out for all 3G iPhone hopefuls to drool over, but it didn’t stop there.

Apple’s next-generation iPhone will run on an as yet unreleased version of the iPhone firmware, and it seems that said firmware has already been leaked and it’s details have seemingly found their way through the labyrinth of inter-tubes to land on many a blog’s front-page. So, it’s only appropriate that we clue our dear readers in to what the iPhone 3G firmware purportedly confirms.

The code apparently confirms that tri-band (850/1900/2100Mhz) HSDPA is in the cards for the iPhone 2. There are numerous mentions to UMTS/HSDPA hardware running on all three frequency bands, and the code confirms that the Infineon-sourced S-GOLD3 3G chip will be handling the bulk of the data-legwork. We’ve been expecting this for a while now, so it’s not really new news, just newsworthy news (get my drift?).

We also see that A-GPS is a lock for the upcoming iPhone 3G. The firmware code shows that software for determining location based on network data and satellite signals is embedded within and should make for some snappy GPS location-acquisition times.

Oh, and the next-generation iPhone will be powered by the same CPU as the current generation – which means that the ARM 1176JZF-S CPU will be running the show.

There’s more. To keep things exciting, iPhone Atlas has apparently been tipped off by a Vodafone employee who’s had a chance to get some hands-on time with the 3G iPhone. The employee says that the iPhone is glossy black, serves up location data with haste (it purportedly determines position through WiFi, cell tower triangulation, and A-GPS – in that order) and has a 3-meter accuracy, will be about 20% smaller (thinner, in other words), and gets an average throughput of 140Kbps.

Now, that 140Kbps throughput value is a bit disappointing, as the current iPhone’s EDGE speeds easily hit that mark indoors and outdoors. The data speeds quoted by alleged Vodafone employee are likely (if true) UMTS numbers and not HSDPA speeds. Still, it’s good to here that the A-GPS is quick and the handset is slimmer than the original. Interestingly, there’s no mention a video-call camera occupying that mysterious third optical sensor location.

Perhaps more importantly, we’re hearing that the 3G iPhone is locked down like no other iPhone before it (which is to say, the first iPhone). The hardware bootloader exploit for jailbreaking and unlocking the iPhone has been closed, which means that jailbreaking the next-generation iPhone will be tougher – if not, dare we say it, impossible. Let’s hope the iPhone Dev Team’s Pwnage Tool works with the new firmware.

Now, all we have to do is sit back and wait for the iPhone to get announced more 3G iPhone rumors to roll in. At least it gives us something to do while we wait in agony for the iPhone to launch.

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