Firstly, have you seen yet more bad treatment of potential customers by O2 experience stores? So a few more phones go on sale online early tomorrow and I was considering getting one but maybe not now.
Not now that I upgraded the iPhone I bought last December in Palo Alto and unlocked and got working in Ireland. I added a data package to my existing cheap phone package and was all happy with the phone until the 3G model came out. Today though as I said, I upgraded the firmware to 2.0 using the PWNage tool (btw the Windows version sucks and fails to work) and now I have many of the features that the 3G phone has and I have access to the Appstore on iTunes.
I use my phone mostly for (and in this order) Email, Twitter, texts, the Web and calls. Email hasn’t changed with the firmware but the new version of Twinkle, the Twitter app is free on the Appstore and is fantastic and you can see from this screenshot:
The Nearby feature is better in this version too so you can see those you’re not connected to but are near you and are using Twinkle/Twitter. Lots more people in Cork are now on iPhones and using Twitter.
The new Facebook app for the iPhone is great too. A great little app that makes it even easier to use Facebook than their pretty slick web interface. I also have the WordPress App for the iPhone so I can update loads of my blogs on the phone and even write blog posts offline if I wish.
I already paid for an app too, as recommended by Enda Crowley. It’s the Tuner app and allows you to listen to Internet radio on the iPhone. So finally I can listen to Phantom 105.2 anywhere in the country or the world (via wifi). There are thousands of apps you can download for free or pay for on the App store and all this via a firmware upgrade.
Can’t get a new iPhone? Try and get one of the older ones.
You don’t have the GPS in that model, do you?
I played with one of the 3G iPhones over the weekend, and finally got the bug, once I realised that it transparently “roams” its data access onto any wifi network in range. I now really want one…. I couldn’t care less about O2’s rip-off pricing, I’ll just avoid using its data features unless in a wifi zone 😉
Nope. no GPS but it still does rough location aware stuff, which is enough for me. Though this is bloody cool.
I went looking on Ebay a few days ago for an iPhone 3G thinking that they’d be fairly affordable since Apple halved the price and doubled the capacity on the original iPhone release.
But no.
$800 for an iPhone on Ebay, eh what? I was expecting them to be around $200. 🙁
Cormac, I wonder if that’s something to do with the phones on eBay being unlocked? guessing.
My mate bought his for EUR260 or thereabouts, + the still outrageous EUR40 per month for the O2 call plan. it’s really the latter rip-off that still has me vacillating.
I was like a dog on a short rope wanting to upgrade but then 2.0 got released. I bricked my 2G and had to limp about on a nokia for a while but once I jail broke 2.0 I saw no reason for the upgrade.
People will argue about speed etc, thats fine, the day I cant live with it I’ll upgrade.
Justin, was the €260 for an iPhone 3G from Ebay or is that the price O2 are charging?
the price O2 are charging (so I’m told).
I’m not getting an iPhone because it can’t be used as a 3G modem, despite the fact that it has the technology.
Also, I’ve heard that O2’s 10Gb data add-on can’t be purchased if you’re on an iPhone tariff. The 1Gb allowance on iPhone tariffs is paltry.
Both of these rules are totally anti-consumer. If they both change I’ll reconsider, as I do like other aspects of the iPhone.
I’m unimpressed too with the deterioration in staff competence in O2’s retail outlets, and this is from recent personal experience, not just the stories I’ve read on blog lately.
iPhone? No thanks…
There’s a very fine line where you can have too much in a phone. For me that line is anything that has a colour screen upwards.
Hello!
I just can’t make my mind up about the iPhone, as a self confessed Apple “fanboy” I’d love one, but, 02’s tariffs are absolute pants compared to what they offer in the UK. I might buy an unlocked one from eBay and use it with Meteor, who are rumored to be launching 3G in December, they’re trialing it now.
Hey, I came across your blog as I was googling the Tuner Internet Radio App, it’s on iTunes for €4.99, is this the one that you are using? Can you tell me, if it is, can you get Newstalk, Radio 1, 98, 104, 2FM etc etc on this? It’s really nightmare that you can’t find this out without buying it! If this isn’t the app you use, what is the one you have and can you get these stations…sorry about all the questions, you’re just the only source of info on this for me!
Regards
Brian
Yep I have to say the iphone apps capabilities are awesome. Some of the iphones shortcomings like no radio, no sound recorder, etc can be fixed with either free or very cheap apps. Check out these great ones I’ve got so far:
Converter – metric and currency conversions.
iBubbleWrap – stress relieving bubble wrap for the iphone!
Recorder – record memos and email them.
Rotary Dialer – old fashioned phone dialer.
EirText – supposedly lets you use your 250 O2 free webtexts from the iphone but let me know if anyone gets it to work!
So can you use Tuner to get RTÉ and Newstalk?
Newstalk yes, RTE no, dunno about the rest. If they can do Winamp or iTunes streaming then yes.
newstalk no longer seems to be available on tuner app
hey……im really keen on getting an iphone and like most other people i dont want an o2 contract…..im currently on a 12month one with meteor, i rang yesterday threatening to leave to go to O2 cos of the 3g for iphone and i was told by the girl that meteor are Definately releasing 3g before the end of the year…..so i reckon ill stay put and just bide my time…..
so i have a few questions…….im going to buy an iphone, i can either get a “good as new” 8g original version like that written above in the main article or i can get a new 16g from the middle east where my sister lives (im sure they’ll jailbreak the new ones soon)………so:
1: is there any difference between them really….ive heard bad stuff about the new ones – signal down, no 3g etc…….am i better getting the original “problem free” iphone
2: does 3g make that much of a difference, is the internet way faster? and if meteor upgrade their networkk to run 3g, will the old phones internet speed get faster too, or will it only be capable of 2g?
3: is 3g the only real difference since you can update the old ones to v 2.0?
thanks
james