Looking into getting an iPhone 4. Few questions

[gpatrick15]

So I finally decided to move to iOS. I do, however have a few questions.

1. My T-Mobile contract ends on the 23rd. Should I order the phone a week prior? I noticed last time I looked at apple.com it had ~ a five day lag time. So if I order it online through at&t premier, should I order it around the 16th?

2. I tend to switch phones a lot, so my decision to leave t-mobile only came with the provision that I will only go to a gsm carrier, which leaves at&t. Say I got tired of the iPhone mid contract, and wanted to buy, say, an HTC XYZ, will I be able to just go into the store and swap my micro sim for a mini sim?

3. Any app suggestions? Like must have, killer apps? I don't browse the Android market that much because outside of the apps I already have on my Nexus, theres not much more out there I need.

4. If I wanna go into a store, will they activate me with premier? Or is that only possible at the AT&T store or online?

5. Does the iPhone 4 sync contacts wirelessly (without mobile.me)? Or does it only sync with iTunes?

6. Any general suggestions to make my transition to iOS from Android easier or less nerve-wrecking?

Thanks in advance

-Glenn

 

[baconroll]

So I finally decided to move to iOS. I do, however have a few questions.

1. My T-Mobile contract ends on the 23rd. Should I order the phone a week prior? I noticed last time I looked at apple.com it had ~ a five day lag time. So if I order it online through at&t premier, should I order it around the 16th?

2. I tend to switch phones a lot, so my decision to leave t-mobile only came with the provision that I will only go to a gsm carrier, which leaves at&t. Say I got tired of the iPhone mid contract, and wanted to buy, say, an HTC XYZ, will I be able to just go into the store and swap my micro sim for a mini sim?

3. Any app suggestions? Like must have, killer apps? I don't browse the Android market that much because outside of the apps I already have on my Nexus, theres not much more out there I need.

4. If I wanna go into a store, will they activate me with premier? Or is that only possible at the AT&T store or online?

5. Does the iPhone 4 sync contacts wirelessly (without mobile.me)? Or does it only sync with iTunes?

6. Any general suggestions to make my transition to iOS from Android easier or less nerve-wrecking?

Thanks in advance

-Glenn

1. Don't know
2. Don't know
3. ANGRY BIRDS
4. Don't know
5. No - iTunes only unless you have Mobileme
6. Yeah - don't do it. I have had 2 iPhone 4's and have switched to Galaxy S. iPhone 4 is nowhere near as stable as my 3GS was. Glitchy, Signal issues, Proximity Sensor, too fragile and way, way to heavy. To mention nothing of the ridiculous outlay and contract cost.

 

[ds111]

So I finally decided to move to iOS. I do, however have a few questions.

1. My T-Mobile contract ends on the 23rd. Should I order the phone a week prior? I noticed last time I looked at apple.com it had ~ a five day lag time. So if I order it online through at&t premier, should I order it around the 16th?

2. I tend to switch phones a lot, so my decision to leave t-mobile only came with the provision that I will only go to a gsm carrier, which leaves at&t. Say I got tired of the iPhone mid contract, and wanted to buy, say, an HTC XYZ, will I be able to just go into the store and swap my micro sim for a mini sim?

3. Any app suggestions? Like must have, killer apps? I don't browse the Android market that much because outside of the apps I already have on my Nexus, theres not much more out there I need.

4. If I wanna go into a store, will they activate me with premier? Or is that only possible at the AT&T store or online?

5. Does the iPhone 4 sync contacts wirelessly (without mobile.me)? Or does it only sync with iTunes?

6. Any general suggestions to make my transition to iOS from Android easier or less nerve-wrecking?

Thanks in advance

-Glenn

Unlike the person above me, I will try to answer your questions:

1. If you already have an AT&T account -- order it then. Delays always occur, and if it comes sooner...why not? I'd recommend seeing if any Apple retail stores near you actually have the iPhone as they will take care of the upgrade process 100%.

2.Yes, but you'd have to stay with AT&T and buy the HTC XYZ at full price, or buy out your contract with the ETF (Early termination fee of I think $400). ATT will/can switch your SIM. It's either free or like $10.

3. Browse the App Store when you get the iPhone. I guarantee you will find something. I dont know what your interests are.

4.That is possible both over the phone at AT&T, and at both ATT and Apple stores.

5.Only syncs with iTunes.

6. You will love the new iPhone Make sure you get a case, a consider getting insurance for it (not AppleCare, something that covers water damage, theft, etc). It's a very nice and expensive phone.

Hope that helps

 

[Marconelly]

I hope the OP doesn't mind me joining in with some questions about my soon to arrive iphone 4.

I ordered it from apple.ca, and it will take them at least 2 or up to 3 weeks to ship it. It will be September 15th by then, at least.

What I'm wondering is, does my 30 day return period start from the day I receive it, or from the day I ordered it? Are there any clauses to the product return in Canada? Do they have a right to refuse the return if all I can tell them is "I didn't like it"?

I'm asking because I'm getting kinda worried about this possible September 30th Iphone antenna redesign/fix. That high up telecom executive surely wouldn't spout something like that if there wasn't any truth whatsoever to it? I guess if I can return it, I'll have about 15 days to see if the antenna fix materializes after the September 30th, and decide based on that, right?

 

[Lamarak]

My two cents. If order the phone from ATT, my wait in San Antonio was two days. Tried android on ATT phone samsung captivate. Its a good phone but putting media on was a hassle but from looks of things with sites like media hub and amazon on demand that might change pretty quick. The android market is my opinion still lacks very badly. The quality is very poor and not seamless like itunes.

Besides Google based apps, anything really new and cool usually shows on itunes first, like netflix for the iphone for example. But if like user control on the phone, Android way to go.

 

[adztaylor]

I can't answer questions about AT&T (as I'm in the UK) but I can talk about the move between the Nexus One to the iPhone 4 because I have made the same switch.

I can honestly say I haven't missed the Nexus, with the exception of the notification system, it is far superior on Android. If you're a gamer you'll love the better range of games on the iPhone. There are a sheer more number of apps on iOS.

As for hardware one of my biggest criticisms of the Nexus whilst the screen looked great indoors it was absolutely poor in daylight (even on full brightness) and auto brightness was also extremely poor. (constantly fluctuating in the same environment) None of those are issues with the iPhone. In a way i do miss the trackball notification light but I can take it or leave it. You may miss the navigation and Google Goggles as both are not available on the iPhone. Goggles is due to be coming out for the iPhone however.

As for criticisms of the iPhone hardware I personally have had no problems with the antenna or proximity sensor (even though this has apparently been addressed in a software update). I think the iPhone is a very well built phone and you cannot go wrong with it. I used to carry around an iPod Touch and a Nexus One and I'm glad I now have just the one device.

Can't think of much else to write but any questions I'll be happy to answer them.

EDIT: One thing I forgot to mention was battery life. I've found it to be far superior on the iPhone, and I use the iPhone more now because I game a lot on it. It's really impressive. Can easily go a day and over on heavy use. On the Nexus I'd be lucky if a made a day with heavy use.

 

[hugodrax]

I would wait, Apple is going to release an iPhone 4 with the antenna design corrected pretty soon which would mean better signal.

 

[Fernandez21]

1. You can order it earlier, just don't port your number right away. You have 30 days from the beginning of your contract to port you number over, so just order the phone then onece you know your contract is up and you want to switch port your number then.

2. I don't think it'll be a problem goin to the store to do that, but you should try and get the adapter, that way you can switch whenever you want and even go back to the iPhone if you feel like it.

3. Not sure what your interests needs are, but for me it's navigon, plants vs zombies, credit card scanner app, docs to go, hulu and netflix.

4. Yes they can do that, just bring in your employee or student ID when you do.

5. Only in iTunes.

6. Just enjoy the hardware and keep looking into what you can do with the phone instead of what you can't. There are many things that you can't do which can bug you, but what you can is generally much better than the rest.

 

[iUser4Lyfe]

Just as a suggestion, I would recommend ordering the phone through ATT.com
I just ordered another phone this past Saturday for my girlfriend (once she saw the screen it was over). Order shipped on Monday and was at my door Tuesday morning before noon.

 

[gpatrick15]

Thanks for pointing out the 30 day process. So if I order it now, I'll essentially have two lines until I cancel my t-mobile line. Then I can port my number over. I'll look into that.

Also, I am I gamer and I will be in need of a good nav app (thanks for the navigon suggestion). I like sports, so some good sports tracking apps for the NFL, MLB, NBA, and golf will be nice, and also a fantasy football app if there is one (android doesn't have one). Also, the hulu and netflix apps are a must. Thanks again.

Anything else I should know before making the jump? One major reason I'm switching is the simplicity of syncing with iTunes on my MBP. Copying and pasting music is for the birds

 

[jebbe]

The syncing contacts only being true for iTunes isn't entirely true.

If you setup a Hotmail or Gmail account(although you have to set it up manually), you can sync them to those accounts. I'm sure there are other ways around it but I do not know.

But if you have the money I strongly recommend MobileMe, it's a great service despite what you may have heard.

 

[thespazz]

The syncing contacts only being true for iTunes isn't entirely true.

If you setup a Hotmail or Gmail account(although you have to set it up manually), you can sync them to those accounts. I'm sure there are other ways around it but I do not know.

But if you have the money I strongly recommend MobileMe, it's a great service despite what you may have heard.

Yeah man, wtf lol. A lot of FUD in this thread.

You can use an exchange account to sync your contacts/calendar/etc. Look into Google Sync and see if that works for you. There's a company called NuevaSync that will work with a lot of other carriers too. It's only $25/year, so it's a lot cheaper than MobileMe.

 

[gpatrick15]

The syncing contacts only being true for iTunes isn't entirely true.

If you setup a Hotmail or Gmail account(although you have to set it up manually), you can sync them to those accounts. I'm sure there are other ways around it but I do not know.

But if you have the money I strongly recommend MobileMe, it's a great service despite what you may have heard.

I've actually heard great things about mobileme lately, particularly the Find My iPhone feature