Not according to the specs and reviews I've read. Those said that any map functions had to connect to an external GPS via Bluetooth to function. Ergo, no internal GPS functions. I saw no mention of internal GPS antennas of functionality. . . nor does it mention anything about motion sensors. The screen changes orientation when you pull out the keyboard. It lacks all inertial sensing completely that the iPhone has built in. Sorry, it just doesn't have the degree of sensitivity to do anything like what the iPhone can do such as, for example, act as an accurate spirit level.
As for the 16GB only coming out 8 months later? There were ways to get that earlier. . . if you knew how and wanted to pay quite a bit extra. Remember, when the iPhone first came out AT&T would not subsidize it.
Again just another of your false claims made about a device you have no first hand knowledge of. Do you think that maybe someone who has had one for many years might remember calibrating the “G-sensor” on more than one occasion? Which famous military commander said that It is what you think that you know that just isn't so that is the most dangerous? If you had actually done even the most cursory search using Google you would have found that there were many questions about how to calibrate the sensors... but you would rather call me a liar wouldn't you?
Yes I am familiar with that way of getting electronic devices that have not been released yet.. You send a large money order to someone who claims they will send you the device. The only down side is that usually they don't send you the yet to be released device at all or not until after it is released.
The primary difference between you and I when first taking a look at the iPhone is that I had been using another device for many months that was more useful to me than the first iPhone could ever have been. You were probably using a Nokia or Motorola flip phone or something similar. I used the PPC-6700 to get a low cost high speed internet connection on my laptop every time I went to the fire station for many years. The PPC had a connection speed that was nearly as fast as DSL and even cable modems of the time period. The iPhone may have had a theoretical 256k connection but it typically performed at less than what you would get with a 56k modem in our area. I can still type much faster on a slide out keyboard to create documents, emails or texts than I have ever been able to on a phone screen. And yes the PPC-6700 could be used with its internal GPS for navigation, and yes it has a sensor so you could use it as a "spirit level" if you wanted. You have got it backwards... the iPhone was the "toy" and the PPC was a serious communications tool. But I have to hand it to Apple... their ability to market toys to adults has no equal.