3G iPhone Thread - [sourcing Qs / news about 3G iPhone here *ONLY* !!!]

Quazzie

I have just completed my first month as an iPhone3G owner and at the moment am more frustrated than impressed.
Good Points:
Large Screen – Looks great at all times.
Interface – Using it at times is brilliant and so smooth. Ease of navigation in excellent and everything is so brilliantly laid out.
Internet accessibility – It is second to none in terms of internet usage.
Emails – Relatively easy once the initial set up is done.
Applications – Most are absolutely amazing and are so helpful/playful/entertaining.

Bad Points:
File storage – Or more importantly lack of. I fail to see the point of all that storage on the phone when all that it can be used for is music. Surely there has to be an easy way to set up a filing system on the iPhone??
Connecting to Computer – Why is everything through iTunes? Why can’t it be easier to browse like early version iPods that showed up as an additional drive on Windows.
Battery life – It isn’t the greatest if we are honest. Although the fact you have to connect to iTunes on your pc so often does charge it up a bit.
MMS – Although I don’t usually use MMS that often, the lack of it is just ridiculous. Standard Phones from 6-7 years ago were capable of MMS.
Message Forwarding – Why is this not possible? Really?
Ringing Volume – It just isn’t loud enough.
Ringing tones – Why can’t we use MP3’s as ringtones?? Message tones are also unchangeable.
Profiles – Why can’t we change the profile (ring volume, message alert, etc.) to suit what we want as other phones allow us to?
Youtube – We can’t even log into our accounts on it. Why?
Maps – Great maps as its google but cannot be used as a serious GPS.
Camera – Again not something I have a major problem with but surely it could’ve been better.
O2, in general – Their Customer Care is appalling. I had one agent ask me to take out the battery and then restart it. When I told her you can’t take out the battery she had to go get back up in a supervisor who proceeded to ask me if I had any small screwdrivers, presumably to open up the phone to access the battery. That’s when I hung up.
The simple things – The amount of small simple things that could’ve made this phone great but just simply weren’t addressed is both frustrating and disappointing.

Conclusion
This phone is the one I love and hate the most.

wayne040576

Quazzie2002 wrote: »

I have just completed my first month as an iPhone3G owner and at the moment am more frustrated than impressed.
Good Points:
Large Screen – Looks great at all times.
Interface – Using it at times is brilliant and so smooth. Ease of navigation in excellent and everything is so brilliantly laid out.
Internet accessibility – It is second to none in terms of internet usage.
Emails – Relatively easy once the initial set up is done.
Applications – Most are absolutely amazing and are so helpful/playful/entertaining.

Bad Points:
File storage – Or more importantly lack of. I fail to see the point of all that storage on the phone when all that it can be used for is music. Surely there has to be an easy way to set up a filing system on the iPhone??
Connecting to Computer – Why is everything through iTunes? Why can’t it be easier to browse like early version iPods that showed up as an additional drive on Windows.
Battery life – It isn’t the greatest if we are honest. Although the fact you have to connect to iTunes on your pc so often does charge it up a bit.
MMS – Although I don’t usually use MMS that often, the lack of it is just ridiculous. Standard Phones from 6-7 years ago were capable of MMS.
Message Forwarding – Why is this not possible? Really?
Ringing Volume – It just isn’t loud enough.
Ringing tones – Why can’t we use MP3’s as ringtones?? Message tones are also unchangeable.
Profiles – Why can’t we change the profile (ring volume, message alert, etc.) to suit what we want as other phones allow us to?
Youtube – We can’t even log into our accounts on it. Why?
Maps – Great maps as its google but cannot be used as a serious GPS.
Camera – Again not something I have a major problem with but surely it could’ve been better.
O2, in general – Their Customer Care is appalling. I had one agent ask me to take out the battery and then restart it. When I told her you can’t take out the battery she had to go get back up in a supervisor who proceeded to ask me if I had any small screwdrivers, presumably to open up the phone to access the battery. That’s when I hung up.
The simple things – The amount of small simple things that could’ve made this phone great but just simply weren’t addressed is both frustrating and disappointing.

Conclusion
This phone is the one I love and hate the most.

The problem with it is that it's a great device but a poor phone. It does everything else ok but gets all the basic phone functions wrong. Messages, Bluetooth, battery, camera. All things that have been working well on phones for years. This is down to apple's habit of telling customers what they want instead of listening to them.

godskitchen

I have just been loooking at the deal O2 UK are offering for the iphone 3g, its 10000000000000x better than what they are offering us here!

£75 a month
3000 mins and 500 texts

To an network at any time + UNLIMITED data!

O2 ireland are jokers/the Irish people are stupid!

andrewh5

godskitchen wrote: »

I have just been loooking at the deal O2 UK are offering for the iphone 3g, its 10000000000000x better than what they are offering us here!

£75 a month
3000 mins and 500 texts

To an network at any time + UNLIMITED data!

O2 ireland are jokers/the Irish people are stupid!

I said that many posts ago and got shouted down for it. We are being ripped off (not just on mobile phones) and people are gleefully accepting it for some reason.

godskitchen

andrewh5 wrote: »

I said that many posts ago and got shouted down for it. We are being ripped off (not just on mobile phones) and people are gleefully accepting it for some reason.

Its just crazy, O2's selection of phones here seems to be from the dark ages, some of the XDA stuff they offer is a joke.

Back on topic, has the 3G iphone been "cracked" how are all these ones on ebay getting sold as unlocked with the "Turbosim"

homer1916

Would it be possible to buy a 3g iphone in the states and use it here on my meteor sim?

Basq

homer1916 wrote: »

Would it be possible to buy a 3g iphone in the states and use it here on my meteor sim?

Short answer: no.

nava

homer1916 wrote: »

Would it be possible to buy a 3g iphone in the states and use it here on my meteor sim?

In the US you will need to sing a contract with AT&T and it will be locked, only options so far for unlocking are the SIM adapters, you can buy from Italy as they are fully unlock.

homer1916

nava wrote: »

In the US you will need to sing a contract with AT&T and it will be locked, only options so far for unlocking are the SIM adapters, you can buy from Italy as they are fully unlock.

Could you pay someone to unlock it here if i was to get one in states?

nava

homer1916 wrote: »

Could you pay someone to unlock it here if i was to get one in states?

So far there's no way to unlock the Iphone other than a SIM adapter and even with them I think there's only a few of them that will work.

homer1916

nava wrote: »

So far there's no way to unlock the Iphone other than a SIM adapter and even with them I think there's only a few of them that will work.

Do you know which ones?

nava

homer1916 wrote: »

Do you know which ones?

No, there's so many out there that's hard to know which one does really work, best way to get feedback search in Google, but reading about them some of them get stock on the tray others work only for a couple of days, others do not get 3g coverage, etc.

I'm waiting for 1 that does not have any problems and slim enough so does not get stock and proven to work by lots of people.

andrewh5

godskitchen wrote: »

Its just crazy, O2's selection of phones here seems to be from the dark ages, some of the XDA stuff they offer is a joke.

Back on topic, has the 3G iphone been "cracked" how are all these ones on ebay getting sold as unlocked with the "Turbosim"

You can jailbreak the 3g I.e. activate it and install third party apps but there is as yet no software unlock method. There are lots of sim adaptors out there: Rebelsim, yessim, universalsim etc. Google for them and read up on them. They are getting more stable and most offer a money back guarantee if they don't work for you.

godskitchen

andrewh5 wrote: »

You can jailbreak the 3g I.e. activate it and install third party apps but there is as yet no software unlock method. There are lots of sim adaptors out there: Rebelsim, yessim, universalsim etc. Google for them and read up on them. They are getting more stable and most offer a money back guarantee if they don't work for you.

If you jail break can you install things like Fring for VOIP or does the firmware have to be before 2.0?

MiloFoxburr

godskitchen wrote: »

If you jail break can you install things like Fring for VOIP or does the firmware have to be before 2.0?

Fring hasn't been updated for 2.0.x yet It was pretty buggy for the older firmwares as well

OCD

andrewh5 wrote: »

I said that many posts ago and got shouted down for it. We are being ripped off (not just on mobile phones) and people are gleefully accepting it for some reason.

let me precede this with the fact that this is not aimed at you, more of a general statement:

simple answer is to take your business elsewhere. there's no point in people giving out about the prices compared to the UK market cos it's a different bloody market! why can't people accept that?

cars don't cost the same, houses don't cost the same and phone don't cost the same. why is there this big effort made to compare Ireland with the UK when they have roughly 15 times (yes, fifteen!!!!) the population Ireland has? most businesses that operate in Ireland know that it costs more to run a business here and therefore prices on the street are going to reflect that. if my business was located in the UK i would change my pricing structure because chances are I would have 15 times the clients and therefore I could reduce my cost per client and still make a profit.

companies aren't in business to do you a good deal they are there to offer a service at a price-point they believe will make them a profit in return for that service. if you don't agree with the valuation a business puts on their product or service then take your business elsewhere. do something about it but stop giving out about it in the meantime! you'll be happier for it!

remember, cheapest isn't always best.

OCD

Quazzie2002 wrote: »

Bad Points:
File storage – Or more importantly lack of. I fail to see the point of all that storage on the phone when all that it can be used for is music. Surely there has to be an easy way to set up a filing system on the iPhone??

I downloaded the MobileFinder app and it's great. Now have access to the iPhone's free memory.

Battery life – It isn’t the greatest if we are honest. Although the fact you have to connect to iTunes on your pc so often does charge it up a bit.

I typically get 2 days out of it with 4 hours per day use and that typically includes emailing, browsing, ipod, text, phone and other apps.

Ringing Volume – It just isn’t loud enough.

see below

Ringing tones – Why can’t we use MP3’s as ringtones??

you can make your own free ringtones here.
http://www.appleiphoneapps.com/2008/08/how-to-create-free-custom-ringtones-for-your-iphone/

the ringing volume should increase when you choose your own ringtones.

Maps – Great maps as its google but cannot be used as a serious GPS.

it's not really a serious GPS in fairness. It's for walking around and finding your bearings or getting your overall route, finding nearby restaurants, etc. the demo on apple's website before launch didn't allude to the fact that it was a turn-by-turn GPS so i don't think they can be accused of misleading. get a garmin or tomtom if you want a proper satnav.

Camera – Again not something I have a major problem with but surely it could’ve been better.

the camera's ok but again, as above, use a proper camera for proper photos. a lot of 5mp cameras are just as bad. companies play on the number of pixels but the sensor and lense are even more important.

O2, in general – Their Customer Care is appalling. I had one agent ask me to take out the battery and then restart it. When I told her you can’t take out the battery she had to go get back up in a supervisor who proceeded to ask me if I had any small screwdrivers, presumably to open up the phone to access the battery. That’s when I hung up.

whilst you can come across some people like that, i would say that O2's CC is the best. i have actually been in the centre and listened in on calls and if you heard some of the things they get asked, you'd probably want to kill someone. they have won many industry standard awards and they do deserve credit for a tough job. always be nice and chances are you'll get all the help you need.

Quazzie

OCD wrote: »

I downloaded the MobileFinder app and it's great. Now have access to the iPhone's free memory.

I have that too but I don't have a wifi network at home or in work(my two main pc workstations) so I can't properly use it. Its a pity that you can't just plug in and transfer with MobileFinder as it seems to be a real good app otherwise

OCD wrote: »

you can make your own free ringtones here.
http://www.appleiphoneapps.com/2008/08/how-to-create-free-custom-ringtones-for-your-iphone/

the ringing volume should increase when you choose your own ringtones.

I'll certainly have a go at that. Thanks

grizzly

Hi, a few questions if anyone can help.

1) What's the easiest way to stop the iPod playing quickly? I've got a case and don't want to take it out, unlock and navigate into iPod software everytime.

2) the simplest way to view your usage? (I've been told that in settings, it counts time on incoming calls, so it's not accurate). Is there an app to do this?

3) can anyone recommend a screen cover I can buy over the counter in Dublin? or one that can be ordered easily (ie. not shipped from US). I'm thinking of those clear thin membrane types that are stuck over just the screen.

copacetic

grizzly wrote: »

Hi, a few questions if anyone can help.

1) What's the easiest way to stop the iPod playing quickly? I've got a case and don't want to take it out, unlock and navigate into iPod software everytime.

2) the simplest way to view your usage? (I've been told that in settings, it counts time on incoming calls, so it's not accurate). Is there an app to do this?

3) can anyone recommend a screen cover I can buy over the counter in Dublin? or one that can be ordered easily (ie. not shipped from US). I'm thinking of those clear thin membrane types that are stuck over just the screen.

1)hit the button on the remote?

3) got an ok one in carphone warehouse. ones on apple.ie with good reviews. they don't look as good as bare screen but as close to bare as you can get while still protecting screen. best option imo

silvine

Will Apple release a firmware update that allows for message forwards, MMS or will we have to wait for the next iPhone. And on that note, when do people think we will see a new version of the phone?

chrislad

New firmware today, I believe.

krinpit

chrislad wrote: »

New firmware today, I believe.

According to macrumors.com
If the iPod Touch arrives with Firmware 2.1, the iPhone's update won't be far behind. The only official feature that has been promised for the 2.1 Firmware is background push-notifications. This push-notification service allows applications to process notifications in the background while they are not actively running on the iPhone. Applications such as a Chat client will be able to notify users that a new instant message has arrived at any time.

BostonB

silvine wrote: »

Will Apple release a firmware update that allows for message forwards, MMS or will we have to wait for the next iPhone. And on that note, when do people think we will see a new version of the phone?

iPod (Classic) is its 6th generation, and still doesn't have internal FM radio. So don't hold your breath. TBH while I like MMS myself, its very expensive and tbh using email and your data bundle is probably a better way to go tbh. I try to avoid MMS now myself.

Dades

FYIs

The Eirtext Pro app is now available on iTunes for €2.39...
The pro app has extra features such as multiple recipients (brilliant!) and international texting.

Free texts does it for me!

nice1franko

BostonB wrote: »

iPod (Classic) is its 6th generation, and still doesn't have internal FM radio. So don't hold your breath. TBH while I like MMS myself, its very expensive and tbh using email and your data bundle is probably a better way to go tbh. I try to avoid MMS now myself.

I wouldn't mind not being able to send mms that much but not being able to receive them is shyte.

chrislad

krinpit wrote: »

According to macrumors.com
If the iPod Touch arrives with Firmware 2.1, the iPhone's update won't be far behind. The only official feature that has been promised for the 2.1 Firmware is background push-notifications. This push-notification service allows applications to process notifications in the background while they are not actively running on the iPhone. Applications such as a Chat client will be able to notify users that a new instant message has arrived at any time.

Confirmed for this Friday. Doesn't say much about features, just less dropped calls and better battery life.

BostonB

nice1franko wrote: »

I wouldn't mind not being able to send mms that much but not being able to receive them is shyte.

Can you not just look them up on the web?

Random

BostonB wrote: »

Can you not just look them up on the web?

Some people aren't getting the text directing them to the O2 website to check their MMS. It's a known issue O2 are working on.

nava

Looks like new version of Itunes is available online, is Itunes 8 is only the Itunes software not upgrades to the phone.