iphones, whats the deal with these?

craptakular · 22 Jun 2008 at 17:45

are they any good? My phone on pay as you go is dying & with my current macbook purchase im looking at an iphone.

1) Do they break easy?

2) Is o2 on £35 a month the only option?

3) What does the term "jailbroken" mean? Are you stealing them from woolies or something?

Anything else I need to know?

VaderDSL · 22 Jun 2008 at 17:51

Hehe

The new one is out soon, but to answer your questions :

1) I do think the first generation had some niggles, it was the first release after all. The second release should have seen them learn a lot from the past years experience so I'd be inclined to think that they are just as susceptible to failures as any other brand.

2) Not sure about the new phone, but on the V1 you could unlock the phone to allow you to use other sim cards/networks so you could unlock it to use it with your Orange pay as you go sim.
But for the most part you'll have to go with an O2 contract, especially if you want it at the reduced price.

3) I'm not allowed to Jailbreak my phone, always wanted to do so but I believe it allows you to install many many 3rd party unofficial applications to the V1 phone, some of them are really really nice looking

JoDaMa · 22 Jun 2008 at 17:51

1) Theyre pretty tough from what i've heard from other members. I have a touch, the same screen, it does not scratch at all.

2) Its £35 a month or more if you are planning to stay with o2 and not unlock it.

3) No, you are not stealing from anyone

. Its basically hacking the iphone software allowing you to install custom applications.

Edit: Beaten

Kemik · 22 Jun 2008 at 17:53

Oxy said:
are they any good? My phone on pay as you go is dying & with my current macbook purchase im looking at an iphone.

1) Do they break easy?

2) Is o2 on £35 a month the only option?

3) What does the term "jailbroken" mean? Are you stealing them from woolies or something?

Anything else I need to know?

1. In my experience they don't break easily. There are the usual youtube vids where they stress test it.

2. The new iPhone has several plans, like the one one. Check out O2's website for more info.

3. There's two terms. Unlocking and jailbreaking. Unlocking allows you to use it on any network (minus visual voicemail) and jailbreaking allows you to install third party software on the iPhone. An SDK has already been released and third party programs should be officially available from mid July (afaik).

craptakular · 22 Jun 2008 at 18:01

ok so next stupid question, as you have probably worked out I never keep up with phone technology

4) 3G thats the magic that allows fast broadband on phones isnt it?

5) is access to this technology free with o2 contract @ £35 a month?

6) Is 3G quality variable depending on where u live? I only ask as I live in Lowestoft in suffolk and we still consider horses and carts new technology

VaderDSL · 22 Jun 2008 at 18:11

Hey Oxy

cheers for the TF2 server btw when I get my imac I'll be back on

4) 3G is one of the bigger new features in the new iphone, it is a lot faster than EDGE which the current iphone has. Other big releases are the built in GPS feature and the behind the scenes software updates.

5) We're not sure exactly on the pricing structures yet, I work in a store and we have zero information on what we'll be doing regarding the phone yet, at the moment your best bet is the O2 site, It is possible that it will be £99 to buy on the £35 contract, however that might just be the upgrade price.

6) Go http://www.webmap.o2.co.uk/ not sure how up to date it is but it might let you see what the network coverage is like in your area. Edit I believe the HSDPA coverage is what is being banded as the 3G capability, hopefully someone will correct me if I am wrong

craptakular · 22 Jun 2008 at 18:22

VaderDSL said:
Hey Oxy cheers for the TF2 server btw when I get my imac I'll be back on

4) 3G is one of the bigger new features in the new iphone, it is a lot faster than EDGE which the current iphone has. Other big releases are the built in GPS feature and the behind the scenes software updates.

5) We're not sure exactly on the pricing structures yet, I work in a store and we have zero information on what we'll be doing regarding the phone yet, at the moment your best bet is the O2 site, It is possible that it will be £99 to buy on the £35 contract, however that might just be the upgrade price.

6) Go http://www.webmap.o2.co.uk/ not sure how up to date it is but it might let you see what the network coverage is like in your area. Edit I believe the HSDPA coverage is what is being banded as the 3G capability, hopefully someone will correct me if I am wrong

Thanks for the link, it seems my house is just within the zone for HDSPA what ever it is, so 3g should work. If in the real world it turns out to run like a dog, can I just hook the phone up to my wi-fi router and get my e-mail and stuffs?

VaderDSL · 22 Jun 2008 at 18:24

Yeah it connects to wi-fi just fine also

I probably do about 70% of my surfing and email checking in areas with open wireless networks.

craptakular · 22 Jun 2008 at 18:26

VaderDSL said:
Yeah it connects to wi-fi just fine also I probably do about 70% of my surfing and email checking in areas with open wireless networks.

yeh thats probably best, as im assuming there data charges for 3g use, ontop of the £35 a month?

VaderDSL · 22 Jun 2008 at 18:29

Oxy said:
yeh thats probably best, as im assuming there data charges for 3g use, ontop of the £35 a month?

I don't think there will be, however I imagine some sort of loose FUP.
Edit Here is the information, you get access to the Cloud network also for free, which is basically a wireless network that you can access around the country in various places and also unlimited data use as well.