On Thursday, wireless carrier AT&T launched a new service that will allow iPhone 3G customers to set up their accounts online prior to going to an AT&T or Apple store location to have the handset activated and the purchase finalized. According to iPhone Alley, new customers can perform a credit check at att.com/iphone and existing customers can check to see if adding another line to their current iPhone plan is feasible.

The new service is intended to make the purchasing process as fast and simple as possible and joins the Buy-At-Home program that Apple announced last month, which allowed users to do the same thing at Apple's website.

If you've tried the service or have any thoughts on this, let us know in the comments or forums.