The new iPhone 3G S (S for speed) was unveiled at the WWDC (Apple Worldwide Developers Conference) last Monday. Looking back, my iPhone 3G is almost one-year old now.

This iPhone is my very first smartphone that I own. I used to think that having a data plan is an extravagant luxury. Today, having Internet access via my phone has become an integral part of my life. I can hardly imagine switching back to a regular phone now.

When I commute to campus on a bus every morning, I grabbed my iPhone from my pocket and start reading the news. If time permits (read: more traffic than usual), I would start launching applications such as Facebook, FML (sometimes I wonder if I enjoy schadenfreude…), Twitterfon (a Twitter client) etc.

Whenever I need to board a bus, I check the estimated arrival time for a specific bus stop online, since all buses have GPS tracking.

When I need to know where exactly I am, I pinpoint myself on a map using the build-in GPS. The same solution comes in handy when I need to locate, say, a Starbucks café.

I also have the most up-to-date weather forecast. And of course I am able to check my mail inbox more frequently. In Starbucks, I receive 2-hour complimentary WiFi access (via AT&T), a privilege that I already enjoy from my Starbucks rewards card.

I am so darn pampered, am I not? Anyway, my old friend Vivian Ooi (Chicago, IL) is going to be an iPhone owner. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome her into the Apple family!

Today, Apple launched their new iPhone 3G worldwide.

I have been dreaming of getting an iPhone since Apple introduced the first generation last summer. When I return to the United States this Sunday July 20, one of the tasks on my to-do list is to get an iPhone at the Apple Store in Briarwood!

Image credit: Apple.