Don't you understand most new contracts are 18 month only. The tariff includes unlimited (subject to fair usage) mobile data and wifi. unlimited data is probably worth 10 quid and unlimited data a lot more. O2 were charging 3 pounds per meg!!
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iPhone Launched in the UK on O2 Network
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Don't you understand most new contracts are 18 month only. The tariff includes unlimited (subject to fair usage) mobile data and wifi. unlimited data is probably worth 10 quid and unlimited data a lot more. O2 were charging 3 pounds per meg!!
Unlimited data makes no difference to me as i'll mostly rely on wifi if i decide to play around. The tariffs need more minutes/texts IMHO
thats what i am wondering too,
it would be cool to get an american cheapy iphone, and whack a cheap contract sim in
Wait, that is strange. Why would Apple chose to release a SIM phone but seal of access to the SIM card? O2 is a GSM/SIM card based carrier, right?
Agreed that not everyone needs 3G and WiFi is a faster alternative (although at least as big a battery drain), but some of us do need 3G access and a phone that can be tethered to a laptop: I do a lot of government contract work where they don't have any outside internet access at all, so I use my phone tethered to my laptop to gain internet access. This isn't just collecting e-mails, it's SSH / RDP / VPN access to other customer sites for support purposes. Cost isn't an issue (As a small business owner, I run 6 phones on my plan and spend just shy of £300 a month), and I love the look of the iPhone so was tempted to get one as a second phone and use my 3G device purely as a data access point, but I can't help feeling a iPod Touch would be a better option for me (or at least I did until Steve dissed it in the keynote!). That's not to say the iPhone is a bad phone, just that for some of us the lack of 3G and / or the ability to tether the iPhone genuinely is a deal breaker.
Edge will be useful as wifi is not everywhere. This will give you the true roaming internet device..
Oh yeah because a cut paste and edit from apple.com is always accurate
Anyway i didn't say i thought that was the case i just said it wasn't impossible given what the O2 site says.
Even though I am not happy that the iPhone is on O2, I'm glad the thing is finally going to be available here.
O2 has one of the largest networks in this country with a very good coverage, it's just too bad that they absolutely suck in customer service. I really mean that, they are extremely bad, and therefore, I will have to wait to get an iPhone, when they will be available with other providers. The rates are pretty appaling too, considering you already have to pay for the phone. But that is typical of most phone companies in europe, rip of deals everywhere, because they all give away too many phones for 'free'..... oh and try and call internationally, from the US to the UK for instance, those prices are a real joke! close to £1,- per minute, that's nearly $2,- per minute!! crazy!
Anyway, the iPhone is a great product, yes no 3G, but I understand the reasoning for not including it. It's power hungry, so fair enough, and since Edge is now being rolled out too here, I'd say the UK will soon have one of the most comprehensive mobile phone services in the UK, offering nearly all modern technologies
O2 has one of the largest networks in this country with a very good coverage, it's just too bad that they absolutely suck in customer service. I really mean that, they are extremely bad, and therefore, I will have to wait to get an iPhone, when they will be available with other providers. The rates are pretty appaling too, considering you already have to pay for the phone. But that is typical of most phone companies in europe, rip of deals everywhere, because they all give away too many phones for 'free'..... oh and try and call internationally, from the US to the UK for instance, those prices are a real joke! close to £1,- per minute, that's nearly $2,- per minute!! crazy!
Anyway, the iPhone is a great product, yes no 3G, but I understand the reasoning for not including it. It's power hungry, so fair enough, and since Edge is now being rolled out too here, I'd say the UK will soon have one of the most comprehensive mobile phone services in the UK, offering nearly all modern technologies
I don't think you can out of the box: there are several unofficial routes (which involve hacking in apps to the phone).
Battery performance not an issue.
What battery issues? Just use GSM for what it's good at. And then turn on 3G when you need (fast) data access (and don't have WLAN access). Piece of cake. Not that anybody I know does this; they don't seem to manage to drain their battery in a day anyway with 3G turned on all the time.
This is not my experience. Typically the people that I know get 3-4 days standby, and that is with 3G activated all the time. But, in all honesty, most phones are charged every working day, so at most this would sample the standby times as measured from friday afternoon to monday morning...
Battery performance simply isn't an issue. Apple could have shipped an iPhone with the same (or similar) radio that the Nokia N95 has, and then talktime-chasing users could have turned off 3G/HSDPA and used Edge for their surfing. This is the phone I would have bought (and probably will once it is released, unless the competing products have improved drastically in the meantime).
[...] THERE IS NO 3G BECAUSE OF BATTERY ISSUES, PERIOD.
Go figure...
What battery issues? Just use GSM for what it's good at. And then turn on 3G when you need (fast) data access (and don't have WLAN access). Piece of cake. Not that anybody I know does this; they don't seem to manage to drain their battery in a day anyway with 3G turned on all the time.
This is not my experience. Typically the people that I know get 3-4 days standby, and that is with 3G activated all the time. But, in all honesty, most phones are charged every working day, so at most this would sample the standby times as measured from friday afternoon to monday morning...
Battery performance simply isn't an issue. Apple could have shipped an iPhone with the same (or similar) radio that the Nokia N95 has, and then talktime-chasing users could have turned off 3G/HSDPA and used Edge for their surfing. This is the phone I would have bought (and probably will once it is released, unless the competing products have improved drastically in the meantime).
Dark blue on the O2 network coverage map is HSDPA (~1.3Mbps), light blue is the slower R99 (384Kbps - which is still considerably faster than EDGE at ~180Kbps). Both HSDPA and R99 are considered "3G". To those here that have used 3G and say it's slow, you've probably experienced the slower flavour of 3G. Just wait until you try EDGE! HSDPA is very good on O2, and I'm lucky to have full coverage in my home town.
So the full(?) list of technical step downs from my current phone:
- No camera flash
- Awful camera resolution in this day and age
- No 3G
- No MMS messages
- No ability to record video
- No video calling
- £10 more per month than what I'm currently paying - which will have unlimited 3G data with O2 from October 1st
- No abillity to swap the SIM card for a local PAYG one when I go abroad
I don't think I'll be buying one of these technologically neutered iPhones. As Nana Taylor would say "what a load of sh*t"! I am a self-confessed Apple fanboy but they have really have missed the mark this time. The fact that it won't even hold 5% of my music/videos/photos is also a huge reason this convergence device just isn't ready for market. Maybe when the 2nd or 3rd generation of the device is released, I'll change my mind. I can't understand why they've kept us waiting 5 months just to announce the same old heap of 2G junk they've got in the States.
I was starting to convince myself that the free Cloud subscription was enough of a sweetener, but I have come to realise now that it just doesn't make sense to tie myself into a device for a whole 18 months when I know that so much more is just around the corner, be it through Apple, or one of the countless other manufacturers who are just about to release iPhone clones. Apple has changed the market, sure, but it certainly won't be the pioneer it's claiming to be in a couple of months.
And I'm really getting fed up with providers of internet services saying "unlimited" when they mean capped. The daily allowance of 1400 web pages or 1.4MB could be used up by downloading an email with 1 PDF!! OK, I think I'm starting to rant now...
And no, I won't shut up complaining. Keep your opinions to yourself if you aren't prepared to listen to mine.
Okay, this is going to sound like sacrilege amongst you uber-techy fellas but... here goes...
I don't want the iPhone for 'internet speed'. I want it for the fact that it's the most gorgeous, slick, enjoyable, fun, iPod-included, video-playing, mail-receiving phone out there.
I don't want the iPhone for 'internet speed'. I want it for the fact that it's the most gorgeous, slick, enjoyable, fun, iPod-included, video-playing, mail-receiving phone out there.
I work at Canary Wharf and as part of the launch today, I think that o2 may have turned on their Edge network. I was connecting to the internet from a Nokia 6300 this morning and instead of the usual "G" when I had a GPRS connection, an "E" appeared. I cannot recall if the connection was any faster and I noticed it until about 13:30 this afternoon when it when back to the "G". When I read about the iPhone launch, it made sense. Did anybody else notice the same?
Not so. EDGE can carry data speeds up to 236.8 kbit/s for 4 timeslots (theoretical maximum is 473.6 kbit/s for 8 timeslots) in packet mode (wikipedia).
Unfortunately, many people here assume everyone in the UK lives in London
. Don't bother asking an American the difference between Great Britain and United Kingdom, they'll have to consult a map.Hi Guys
I've been snooping around for a while but only registered today. First post!
Great news about the iPhone hitting the UK. I've read about people trying to negotiate with 02 so I have a few questions...
I've been with 02 for around 3 years now and my contract is up this month (I have to make a decision by 30th Sep) I definitely want the iPhone but realise I am a couple of months short of the November release. What's the deal on upgrades? Can I select an iphone tariff as of now? If so, is there any chance of me upgrading to say, an N95 in the meantime and selling it in November to replace with the iPhone that I'll have to purchase separately?
I'm also currently paying £30 a month with 02 and have a cracking deal. I feel like I'll be paying an extra £5 per month for a dramatic decrease in minutes/texts etc..
I'm a little stuck as to where existing customers stand. If anybody has any info/tips that would be great.
Thanks in advance.
I've been snooping around for a while but only registered today. First post!
Great news about the iPhone hitting the UK. I've read about people trying to negotiate with 02 so I have a few questions...
I've been with 02 for around 3 years now and my contract is up this month (I have to make a decision by 30th Sep) I definitely want the iPhone but realise I am a couple of months short of the November release. What's the deal on upgrades? Can I select an iphone tariff as of now? If so, is there any chance of me upgrading to say, an N95 in the meantime and selling it in November to replace with the iPhone that I'll have to purchase separately?
I'm also currently paying £30 a month with 02 and have a cracking deal. I feel like I'll be paying an extra £5 per month for a dramatic decrease in minutes/texts etc..
I'm a little stuck as to where existing customers stand. If anybody has any info/tips that would be great.
Thanks in advance.
I have revised the details slightly in my initial posting. Funnily enough, I was quoting from a different Wikipedia page! I'm not sure we're going to be getting "theoretical maximum" from O2 though. The Register reckons we'll see speeds of between 160-200Kbps on EDGE. That's just a joke.
Ouch...
269 pounds for the phone. Equal to $643 au.
35 pounds is the lowest plan..... This equals about $84 au per month...
Are these 24 month plans??
This got a negative vote from me!!
aussie_geek
edit : over 18 months - just checked the o2 website
269 pounds for the phone. Equal to $643 au.
35 pounds is the lowest plan..... This equals about $84 au per month...
Are these 24 month plans??
This got a negative vote from me!!
aussie_geek
edit : over 18 months - just checked the o2 website
Fine. Except 30% coverage (even in Novemberand mainly in cities, where there's wifi anyway) is not really good enough.
Hey dude, welcome.
Okay, quick answers based on having been in touch with O2 today and asking them loads of questions about it all:
- no, you can't get an iPhone tariff with another phone now. They go live when the iPhone does, and are very much tied to the iPhone. If you sign up to another O2 tariff now, with an N95 (for example) thrown in, that's a contract you'll probably have to try and get out of come the iPhone launch. However, being as you're with O2 already on that contract, it's possible they'd let you switch. After all, it wouldn't cost them anything and they'd retain you for a new 18 month period. Best thing to do is call them and find out.
- an alternative is to get that N95 and 18 month contract now, get a nice deal, sell the N95 immediately, get the iPhone with the proceeds, and use the unlock technique (free, and detailed very nicely on 9to5mac.com) to unlock the iPhone to whatever network and tariff you're on. However, you run the risk of the unlock being disabled by a future firmware update (although I think you can choose NOT to install new firmwares), and you categorically will NOT get to use Visual Voicemail (I don't see that as remotely offputting, personally). You would also need to negotiate an unlimited-data bolt-on for your tariff after October, as the iPhone tariff comes with one but other O2 tariffs don't (although they're coming in October).
Hope this helps!
*Proper* syncing? You mean you get ANY syncing with the E65? If you do, PLEASE tell me how you do it! :-(