Thinking of getting an iphone

Kevin M.

I didn't want one at first, but the second gen phone has been released, so it will have less bugs, and they did a huge price drop on it. It's $399 US and the dollars at par, so I might go pick one up. It has wifi built in, so I don't have to worry about data too much, since we have wifi all over SFU. Anyone else thought about it yet?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlcygXYK_Y0

Steven

You'll need to get it unlocked when you bring it over.

Kevin M.

True, but doesn't seem to be a problem anymore.

Insatiable

I heard that Apple regularly has software updates for iPhones, meaning that the iPhone automatically downloads these updates. I saw in the news that it might actually be problematic if you unlock it and then it downloads something automatically.

Kevin M.

Thats true too, but you don't have to apply updates if you don't want to. The latest firmware update is designed to brick any unlocked iphones, but there has been mixed reviews about what it actually does. I know it's not automatic though, so I simply wouldn't apply any new updates...unless of course the techies release a fix for that too

Magnificent_Bastard

You DO realize that it's only $399.99 US for the 8GB iPhone if you sign a 2-year service agreement with AT&T, right? Otherwise it's more around $600+

http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/iphone-faqs.jsp#cost

And as it was indicated, you'd have to get it unlocked, which isn't cheap for a new phone like the iPhone, I'd assume at least 70-80 bucks, if not a LOT more. Seems quite a bit to pay for a glorified iPod that doesn't even do all of the things my 1-year+ old phone does, other than have a flashy interface.

Insatiable

The iPhone is just a fad. I mean it's got more than you need. Phones should be simple--just a phone and perhaps a camera for those unique moments. Now they've got internet connectivity and MP3 capabilities.

Oh the unyielding onrush of technological advancement.....

Planned obsolescence people, planned obsolescence.

Kevin M.

After an hour of research, I have concluded that yes, Indeed, The 8gb is $399 off the shelf in the States, no need for contract or anything. Go there, buy it, pay for it, and leave. If you activate it with AT&T through iTunes then you are put on a 2-year contract, but unlocking it and using it in Canada would mean no contract is required.

No matter how anti-iphone you are, you can't deny that it has some damn cool features. You can scroll through your address book just by flicking the touch screen, you can scroll through your music album covers like they are physical CD's...and what makes it even better is that you can install so many third party apps (www.modmyiphone.com). Don't like the features that it comes with? Let the techie side of you go wild and install your own! Thats the main reason I'm getting it, because I know I'll be able to do so much random shit on it, like an NES emulator, web radio, msn, surf forums (ahem).

It's not that I want it because it's an iphone, but ultimately, it means having to carry around my laptop less because I can do anything on their that I want to do on my laptop...even the internet browser displays complete web pages. If your not sold, watch these videos and tell me what you think

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH0-GKBmOE8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLu5ibbibFM

Insatiable

Kevin M.;16349 said:

After an hour of research, I have concluded that yes, Indeed, The 8gb is $399 off the shelf in the States, no need for contract or anything. Go there, buy it, pay for it, and leave. If you activate it with AT&T through iTunes then you are put on a 2-year contract, but unlocking it and using it in Canada would mean no contract is required.

No matter how anti-iphone you are, you can't deny that it has some damn cool features. You can scroll through your address book just by flicking the touch screen, you can scroll through your music album covers like they are physical CD's...and what makes it even better is that you can install so many third party apps (www.modmyiphone.com). Don't like the features that it comes with? Let the techie side of you go wild and install your own! Thats the main reason I'm getting it, because I know I'll be able to do so much random shit on it, like an NES emulator, web radio, msn, surf forums (ahem).

It's not that I want it because it's an iphone, but ultimately, it means having to carry around my laptop less because I can do anything on their that I want to do on my laptop...even the internet browser displays complete web pages. If your not sold, watch these videos and tell me what you think

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH0-GKBmOE8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLu5ibbibFM

That iPhone will be obsolete in a year from now, mark my words you! Just like the iPod--every iPod generation lasts for two years tops until an inevitably better model is released. It's all just a bloody fad!

illicit

i've had a touchscreen phone before with all those features, not all that big of a deal, especially when it comes to texting and it requires you to pull out the stylus EVERYTIME especially since males tend to have bigger fingers.

camera is known to give bad results, 2mp w/o autofocus

battery life isn't anywhere close to adequate to function as a browser, phone, mp3 player, camera

Kevin M.

Insatiable;16348 said:

The iPhone is just a fad. I mean it's got more than you need. Phones should be simple--just a phone and perhaps a camera for those unique moments. Now they've got internet connectivity and MP3 capabilities.

Oh the unyielding onrush of technological advancement.....

Planned obsolescence people, planned obsolescence.

I know exactly what you mean, dude. I've been using a Nokia 8390 for the past year now because I wanted something simple and good on battery. It does what it's supposed to do well - make phone calls! But, lately I've realized the NEED for having access to email wherever I go. For this purpose, I was originally looking for a blackberry, but I realized that it would cost me $450. Then, out of the blue (since i was anti-iphone until yesterday) I realized that Iphone has dropped the price to $400, and it comes with a lot more features. It's not that I need those features in my hand anywhere I go, but having them IF i need is something that is worth it, especially at a cheaper price. For example, my car doesn't have a GPS system...but with google maps in my hand, I got something just as good...why not take advantage of some of the beautiful innovations technology has provided us. The only thing I've hated about these PDA type phones is that you have to pay for data costs to use half the features...but Iphone has WiFi. I got a wireless network at home (as more and more people do nowadays) and we got free wifi all over school and at half the coffee shops I frequent.


Plus, I get to be cool until everyone else gets one :shade:


^^my current phone :heart:

Kevin M.

Insatiable;16350 said:

That iPhone will be obsolete in a year from now, mark my words you! Just like the iPod--every iPod generation lasts for two years tops until an inevitably better model is released. It's all just a bloody fad!

Why is it all a fad? Technological innovation is an ongoing process driven by consumer demand. People love technology and what it can do for them. For me personally, I think of it as a competitive advantage. If you can adapt a technology to your own needs in a way that allows you to do whatever you do...better...then its beneficial towards your success.

example: people who use laptops in class can take notes faster than people who use pen and paper. for some people in some classes, this is a competitive advantage. and there are some people who depend on msn/cell phones to help them maintain bigger social networks than those who don't rely on cell phones as much. furthermore, there are studies showing that people who listen to their mp3 players when exercising workout harder and more consistently than most who don't.

Magnificent_Bastard

Kevin M.;16349 said:

After an hour of research, I have concluded that yes, Indeed, The 8gb is $399 off the shelf in the States, no need for contract or anything. Go there, buy it, pay for it, and leave. If you activate it with AT&T through iTunes then you are put on a 2-year contract, but unlocking it and using it in Canada would mean no contract is required.

Where is it being sold for $399.99 off the shelf? I thought that only AT&T stores, as well as the Apple stores, were the only places you could buy an iPhone, unless it's through a third party.

Apple Store Page

Quote from the Apple site:
To use iPhone, you’ll need to sign up for a 2-year service agreement. Plans start at $59.99 and include Visual Voicemail and Unlimited Data — email and web — and 200 SMS text messages (you can add more text messages for a little more a month). You can browse the Internet and send emails as often as you like without being charged extra.

That's a quote from the Apple online store. And the link earlier was from the AT&T site.

中国&#30

Why don't you wait until Rogers or Fido offically supports the iPhone. You save all the headaches of bringing the iPhone over and not using all the functions that have yet to be enabled here in Canada. I agree that the iPhone is just a fad and in 2 years, the life cycle of the phone will be obsolete and super-ceded by a new model. A Blackberry is more expensive but that is if you get the latest and greatest. An 8700 or a 9200 isn't so bad but I do have to say the monthly plans for smartphones are a killer.

Aside from all this, all the e-waste of these phones are not recyclable!!!

illicit

if you're looking for smartphones with iphone features and is more reliable. try looking at HTC, they've made a huge series of well-known and successful models that are much better than the iphone for approximately the same price.

http://www.gsmarena.com/htc-phones-45.php

i'd suggest the TYTN or TOUCH

starting with the TYTN, advantages over iphone: 3.2mp autofocus camera, fast processor, built in gps, pocket office, EDGE (for faster web surfing)
the functions i listed, iphone doesn't have.

Kevin M.

Out of the HTC phones, the Shift and Advantage look like they have potential to compete with the Iphone. Anything over 2 MP on a phone is overkill, in my opinion...I use a digital camera for real pictures. WAP browsers suck for actually surfing the net. And if you refer to my previous post, I already pointed out that you don't need GPS if you have google maps (and P.S. having GPS in your phone isn't really a good idea anways...PM if you wanna know why)

I think this debate could continue forever, but I haven't heard anyone say one bad thing about the iphone since it came out.

“One million iPhones in 74 days—it took almost two years to achieve this milestone with iPod,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO.

illicit

basically this should a review whether you make the purchase or not, i suggest taking a read, gsmarena is a very reliable website and they have many accurate reviews.

http://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone-review-155.php

Key features:

• Stylish design
  
• Scratch-proof front glass cover
  
• 3.5" 16M color TFT display with a resolution of 480 x 320 pixels
  
• Handset orientation sensor and proximity sensor
  
• 2 megapixel camera
  
• Touch-based user interface
  
• Great UI graphics and animations
  
• Supreme web surfing experience

Main disadvantages:

• Camera has no auto focus or settings
  
• No video recording
  
• No custom ringtones allowed
  
• Safari browser doesn't support Flash and Java
  
• Really basic Bluetooth capabilities
  
• No Office documents editor
  
• No third party applications
  
• No 3G support (at least the US version)

kwt4

yea...other than the phone...its more of a toy. Safari is nice though, best i've used compared to any pda.
Shame it dosen't have a 3 mp camera though !

Kevin M.

By the end of March, Apple had sold 5.4 million iPhones.

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2008/tc2008056_305255.htm

lazyGUY

Did u get one already? If not check out the nokia n95, n96
They have more features than the iphone like built-in gps, but minus the touch-screen

bufli

^ apple stopped selling iphones in stores about 1month ago and recently stopped online sales
as most people know the new 3g version is coming out which has a built in gps chip, they will also offer the iphone in a black version
oh and rogers is gonna be selling it ;)

Although I agree the nokias are better phones more features and better UI but the phones are huge … I wouldn’t haul one of those bricks around haha
Im waiting on the nuviphone now :P

lazyGUY

Do we even have 3G networks in Canada, My nokia e70 has it and it never works

shadysimon

When is Rogers debuting the iPhone in Canada? I bet it will be impossible to get one, but I know I will haha

bufli

well for the US

We've had rumors, rumors, and more rumors, but now "someone very, very close to the 3G iPhone launch" has confirmed the 3G iPhone will be released June 9th at the WWDC Keynote.

International users will have the phone within a few weeks of the US launch - not the previously rumored end of '08. Also notable, the iPhone will (at least in some countries) NOT be selling at a fixed price anymore, which means end users can get discounts based on signing contracts, adding data plans, etc. This is a good thing for those of you signing up with the Apple-sponsored carrier, but not so good news for us rebels (gotta have my T-Mo ). No word on how the Apple stores will be handling the fixed price vs subsidization pricing, but perhaps they'll have a set price, and AT&T will offer some sort of rebate with proof of activation. That is IF Apple carries the non-standard pricing to the States.

Those of wanting to jailbreak/unlock the 3G iPhone need not worry - it looks like the launch of it will coincide with the 2.0 firmware, which hints it will be running said firmware. And 2.0 is already jailbroken/unlocked. A 3G modem may necessitate a fix on the unlock to work, but shouldn't be a major hurdle. Mod on, good people.

as for canada i have some friends with rogers that told me the date but i forgot (mostly cuz i didnt really care) but ill ask again