AT&T gets with the program, starts selling iPhone 3G online

Want to buy an iPhone 3G without trekking to your local Apple or AT&T store? Before today, it was an impossible dream; now, it's reality.

AppleInsider noticed a prominent new promo on AT&T's Web site Thursday morning: one that reads, "iPhone 3G: Now Available Online!" Um, excuse me ... online??

Click through, and you'll be lead through the standard phone ordering process—well, standard for every cell phone on the planet except the iPhone 3G, which until now has only been available for purchase at brick-and-mortar Apple and AT&T stores. (Apple unveiled an online tool in September that lets you choose a rate plan and undergo a credit check, but you still have to complete your purchase at an Apple store.)

Once you choose your iPhone 3G model (16GB or 8GB, white or black) and pick voice/messaging plans and other options, you can complete your purchase, and get your new iPhone shipped—overnight, free of charge—to your house. (Note: According to AT&T via Gadgetell, your iPhone 3G will arrive already activated; there's still no at-home activation, contrary to some earlier reports.)

The conditions? Only one iPhone per household, and yes—you'll have to sign a new two-year contract.

So, why didn't AT&T accept online orders for the iPhone 3G back on July 11—launch day? Good question. Instead, eager customers had to go wait on line for hours, as Apple's activation servers buckled under the crushing load. That was fun.