So we’ve got it on authority that the second-gen iPhone is already well into testing, and numerous units are floating around in super secret pockets. A trusted source got a chance to check one out, here’s what we’ve heard.

• The first thing people will notice: the 2nd gen iPhone will be about the same size and shape as the first gen.
• It will, of course, have 3G. And proper GPS!
• The most noticeable physical difference is back of the phone is no longer metal — the whole thing is glossy black, from top to bottom. The volume buttons are now chrome.
• Because it’s got a little less metal to deal with, it doesn’t have quite as many angular edges. The battery is (still) not removable.
• The phone itself will be slightly thicker than the first gen device.
• The headphone jack will no longer be recessed, and will finally be flush with the body.
• The device itself uses roughly the same size and resolution screen as the first generation product.
• No solid word on battery life or storage capacity.

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I’ve got my load-shedding life half sorted out. My garage doors have a manual override, my laptop will keep me going through three out of every four load-shed hours, and my 3G cards from both operators protect me from bad planning, i.e. it is unlikely that both operators’ base stations in the area will run out of power during load-shedding.

But my laptop will last only if I keep to the basics and avoid heavyweight applications like watching DVDs in the absence of a functioning TV set. Movies chew up laptop battery life faster than an aluminium smelter chewing into Eskom’s reserves. That means the option of charging your cellphone from your laptop via USB charger is not on if you want to maximise operating time.

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