On Monday, Etisalat, an Emirates Telecommunications company, landed the first iPhone deal of 2009. It announced its plan to bring the iPhone 3G to the UAE and Saudi Arabia later this month. The iPhone will be carried by Mobily.

Mark Davis, Program Director for the iPhone at Etisalat, went on to say that "Etisalat will be launching only the latest version." Which is the iPhone 3G. Announcing that the latest version will be available on February 15th. Mark Davis went on to say, "next version of the device, which is due out in June, will be launched in the UAE at the same time."

So it seems that we can expect a brand new model of iPhone this June, a year after the iPhone 3G appeared on to the scene. There have been a number of rumors sprouting up concerning the new iPhone, and a mysterious iPhone 2,1 appeared in the 2.2.x firmware, suggesting that testing of a new devices is happening now. But, the hardest evidence could be from Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller. In an interview last month, Phil outlined Apple's general product cycles, which show an iPhone cycle in June.

The newest iPhone could undergo a complete architectural overhaul, making this update a much more significant one than last year's. It is suggested that the new model with include the use of customized "System on a Chip" components developed by Apple using ARM processor cores. And, it has been rumored to be using Imagination Technologies' new PowerVR video and graphics.

We're already getting ready for our in-line at the Apple Store special-edition podcast and BBQ. We just hope Cat Piano is pre-installed on the next-gen iPhone.