Apple releases the software for the newest iPhone on Wednesday, with the phone itself to hit shelves Friday.
The iPhone OS 3.0 software, available on iTunes, supports MMS, Spotlight search and an improved version of Mobile Safari.
Another notable feature of OS 3.0 is "Find My Phone," which allows users to find lost phones from a computer using geolocation.
The software also supports a number of new applications, including TomTom GPS navigation, Zipcar rental car reservations, downloadable textbooks and new games.
The software update will be free for all iPhone customers, using both old versions and new. A $10 fee will apply for iTouch users, and the software will work on both first and second generations of the iTouch.
The iPhone 3G S, the third version of the iPhone, will be available Friday in 16 GB and 32 GB versions for $199 and $299 respectively. The current 3G model will be sold for $99.
What's new about this version of the iPhone? The processing speed, to start. The "S" in iPhone 3G S stands for speed, and the improved processor in the phone will run applications at up to two or three times past speed. The new phone also features voice control, video recording and improved battery life.
Chris Duran, a retail sales consultant at the Atlantic Station AT&T store, said he expects a long line Friday.
"For the first two iPhones there was a line that went almost a full block," Duran said. "I would anticipate another line like that."
Duran said the store ran out of iPhones last year within 45 minutes of opening.
"There's a lot of hype about it," Duran said. "A lot of people don't even question the differences, they just want the newest."
About 100 customers pre-ordered the new phone at the Atlantic Station store, and if they pre-ordered before June 12, they will get their phones at 7 a.m. Friday. The store opens at 8 a.m., an hour earlier than its usual opening time, for general iPhone sales.
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