Wingnut

I have read the entire iPhone thread, but thought that my questions might be better suited to a separate thread as they are much more specific to the UK carrier involved and other UK alternatives. (The UK iPhone launches tomorrow, btw.)

So, I'm tempted by the iPhone (have played with them extensively in the US) but my main problem is moving from Orange to O2. Orange is the only mobile carrier I've ever been with, and it's been 12 happy years now. Also, this will be my first ever data phone thing, so I'm a little confused by some of that (especially when it comes to unlocked phones). So perhaps I could bother those of you who understand the differences between the UK carriers for some advice?

I have four options:

1) get an iPhone on O2
2) unlock an iPhone to use on Orange
3) get an alternate device to use on Orange
4) stay as I am

Of these, I’m only really interest in (1) & (2). Yes, I’ve been brainwashed by the marketing.

So here's where I think I am:

The running costs:

I currently pay £35/month for 750 mins and 200 texts. I normally make 300-400 mins of calls and send 100-200 of texts. I currently use no data. Were I to start using data with Orange, they currently offer bundles of 30Mb (which sounds like plenty) for £8. The iPhone plan of £45/month for 600 mins and 500 texts with unlimited data would be the most sensible one for me. Roaming charges (voice and data) are very similar between the two carriers. So the running costs are fairly similar between the two networks (excluding, of course, the actual iPhone purchase).

The downsides of moving carrier:

I would lose free voicemail (as I have with Orange) – voicemail calls would come from my included minutes, but I would have enough on the £45 plan. I would lose EveryPhone (essentially free call diversion to UK landlines and same network mobiles) on O2, but could use regular call diversion with the calls coming from included minutes. EveryPhone isn’t a service I use much. I would need to pay for insurance which I currently get free from Orange. With O2 it is £6 / month with a £25 excess (assuming this is the same for the iPhone). I would lose the “extended absence greeting” feature (a very handy thing on Orange’s voicemail which means can record a temporary message when you’re away without deleting your regular message). These are all small niggles, but they're the reason Orange is great.

The problems of an unlocked iPhone on the Orange network

Well I wouldn’t get Visual Voicemail which I don’t think is a dealbreaker for me (although I can see the attraction). Other than that, my understanding is that an unlocked phone should all work just fine on the Orange network, data and everything. There is, of course, the problem of future firmware upgrades. I suspect, for me, the hassle of staying on top of it all would outweigh the downsides of moving networks. Although these people look like they’ll take care of it all for me (for a price) and they’re easy for me to get to. Also, if I went down this route, I wouldn’t get the advantage of use of The Cloud wifi hotspot network, which I guess would speed up my data a lot.

So, overall, I think I’m leaning towards moving to O2. But I’d love any comments about the network (some people seem rather sniffy about the coverage), and also about how extensive The Cloud is. (I'm assuming I only get The Cloud access on the iPhone - I couldn't use it with my laptop too...)

And if anyone wants to persuade me to do something else, feel free to have a go...

kanebear

The caveat is that 1.1.2 isn't hacked yet. It may be in the future but not at present. To be honest I'd not do anything until next year. A 3G iPhone will roll out at some point and that's what you're going to want. If you really want one now, have someone get you one from here in the US and unlock that. It'll be far cheaper and do everything an unlocked UK Iphone will.

As for data, 30mb isn't enough. Even without visual voicemail I'm using around 55-60MB/month on the iPhone. It changes how you use a phone and just about everything you do is on the 'net. If they have an unlimited data plan or 100mb/month, that'd be more like it.

Visual voicemail honestly isn't a big deal. I prefer NOT having it as when I travel abroad I'm able to access voicemail as normal vs. wasting tons of data to download the sound files (that's how vis-vmail works, it chews data like a fiend). You won't miss it.

Wingnut

Is there any indication at all (and I know it will only be rumour and speculation) of when the 3G phone will come out? And yes, if I went with an unlocked one, I would absolutely save the $140 and buy it in the US!

That's very useful. I have no idea how much 30Mb is in terms of phone usage. It sounds like nothing, but then I'm used to downloading TV shows and large image files so that's my frame of reference and it obviously doesn't apply to a phone.

That's a very good point. I'd realised that it worked through data, but I hadn't made the connection to roaming data costs.

kanebear

As with everything else Apple, wild rumors abound. I'd expect a 3G iPhone sometime around June '08. The downside to the US iPhone is that it won't have the SIM Applications menu. But... once the new firmware is hacked you'll be able to update it.

Given that you can swap your SIM around as needed and that the US$ is worth £.005 at present I say go for it. You only have to give up buying a pack of chewing gum or so. The iPhone is still functional while the SIM is out as well so long as you have WiFi. You can use it to browse, check Email, listen to music, view Youtube, etc.

Greg66

I've just finished playing around with one that I bought for my wife. It's an undeniably sexy piece of kit. Much like an ipod when you first held it, and then a nano, there's something slightly other-worldly about it. And the user interface is simply miles and miles better than anything else I've seen.

I looked long and hard at staying with T-Mob, and getting a package that would have been less cost per month that the O2 tariff, and would have given Mrs. G66 everything O2 does except visual voicemail. In the end the T-Mob tariff was coming in close to the O2. Once you put unlocking into the pot, and then ruling out firmware upgrades unless your unlocker says they are good to go, I decided to bite the bullet and move to O2. Since calls between networks are discriminated against cost-wise by T-Mob or O2, I couldn't see much of an issue.

One feature about the phone which I am slightly surprised about: no instant email. Everytime time you crank up the email client, it will go and check for email. Or you can set it to check automatically, at a max frequency of 15 mins. Having become enslaved to my Pearl, I wouldn't fancy that set-up.

Also haven't figured out how to key it into a wifi network yet. It prompts you for a password to get onto a wifi network, but my home network doesn't use a password. And I can't quite figure out how it copes with wep encryption either.

Bottom line: no regrets about early adoption of this. It's a market re-defining product.

Wingnut

In the end, despite having educated myself about all of the downsides and trying very hard to talk myself out of it, I today bowed to the inevitable, went down the Apple Store and moved to O2. And aside from walking around with a £300 "mug me" sign clamped to my ear, I have no regrets.

kanebear

Get a good case for it. The first time you drop it and dent it you'll be not so happy with Apple's charge to repair the cosmetics. Here they charge $250. My bet is that they'll charge £200 in the UK!

Wingnut

Top tip, thank you. And yes, I would imagine that you've got Apple's own peculiar version of the £/$ exchange rate about right...

SQFAN

Wingnut, your posted echoed many of my considerations. Thanks to the posters above re visual voicemail.

Just before I buy one ....I do have one main concern: Given the IPhone is a mini computer in disguise, what security are in place if I decided to use IPhone in wifi mode?

My ultimate aim is to be able to use my IPhone anywhere in the world to log into my trading account and make /close trades. Would that be advisable?

Guess what I am asking is: are there the usual software/syetm in place that I can expect in a regualr computer - data encryption, firewall, anti-virus and the like.

Thanks in advance.

kanebear

Absolutely not. Despite it running OS X, it's based on a different processor and thus doesn't run software that a Mac would run. It doesn't have a firewall, doesn't have antivirus but can do basic VPN and encryption (WPA/WEP as well as SSL). It also doesn't have full functionality, thus you'd need to test your trading site to ensure full compatibility. I don't see the iPhone as appropriate though.

jason8612

Hmm, I don't see the iPhone as the best. Maybe WM6 would be a bit better compatible wise. They have antivirus software for those.