No one on FR said that the EDGE was as fast as 3G... they said that EDGE was usable and sufficiently fast for most purposes. The iPhone's WIFI was and is faster than 3G. I know that was what I said.
The iPhone 3G is still limited in that the 3G network only covers about 6% of the area that AT&T and EDGE cover. Most of those are in major metropolitan areas. The iPhone will step down to EDGE when 3G or WIFI are not available.
The iPhone (when taken in context of the total package pricing) is actually more expensive than the old iPhone. Jobites sure don't know how to do basic business math.
And who says it isn't. It is less expensive up-front but more expensive in the long run. The cost is $15 more per month ($10 more for data and $5 for text messaging) but $200 less expensive to purchase. That results in a net increase of $160 over the two year contract. Because it is now being subsidized by AT&T, the data rate is the same as it already was for their other smart phones. Voice rates remain the same. For that extra $10 for data you get the added advantage of higher connection speed and GPS.
Last point - when will the Jobites finally get tired of not being able to replace their own batteries?
I've never had the need in the year that I've owned my iPhone. The battery lasts long enough to get from charge to charge. I've never even had to use my car charger. if I did find such a need, there are inexpensive supplemental battery powered chargers available that will recharge the iPhone on the go that I could carry. I don't need it, so I don't.