iPhone in NZ

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rebeltrousers

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#14383 1-Jul-2007 07:36

Does anyone know if an iPhone bought in the states would work in NZ on the Vodafone network?:)Got a friend on a trip at the moment......:)

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#76443 1-Jul-2007 09:58

I doubt it. The only way to get an iPhone at the moment is to sign a two year contract with AT&T, which means that it's most probably locked up to reject non-AT&T SIM cards.

macuser

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#76445 1-Jul-2007 10:33

Um, actualy you can get them on prepaid I beleive, you just have to convince At&t that you have no credit cards :-P. Don't know if that will mean you can unlock the phone and use its features because it needs to be activated by iTunes through at&t before you can do anything accept make emergincy calls

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#76447 1-Jul-2007 11:13

My understanding is that they are locked to AT&T's network and they are also locked to a 2 year contract. Remember, you can still get postpaid connections in most countries without credit cards, its the credit checks that matter. There are many alternatives to paying your phone bill other than credit card (cash, cheques, direct debits, internet banking, using debit cards at retail stores/postoffice etc), etc.

And if you have a poor credit rating due to not paying off debt or missing payments, I would say that the money you spend on the Iphone could be better used to clear that debt (and buy a cheap nokia or something on a prepaid connection).

People have tested it with other SIM cards and it hasn't worked.

Furthermore there may be a technical limitation which hinges on the GSM radio that is used - is it a tri or quad band radio? Does it cover the 900mhz band? If not, it will have issues working here in New Zealand. Finally, even if you did manage to get it unlocked, Vodafone has not deployed EDGE, instead opting for WCDMA and finally it is highly unlikely that Vodafone have made the changes required for visual voicemail to work.

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macuser

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#76456 1-Jul-2007 11:36

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/get-back-in-line/2+year-agreement-not-required-for-iphone-273931.php

Check that buddy! :-P

And i don't see why they wouldn't put a quad band chip in... suposidly you can get it unlocked but don't think it would let you actualy use the device because it will only alow you to use ipod and stuff if its connected to at&t

lduncan

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#76458 1-Jul-2007 11:42

There is a prepaid option (no two year contract) if you don't meet at&t's credit check requirements.

You can also pay $175 to break the two year contract (i think).

BUT the phone is locked to at&t's network. Which means that unless they give you the unlock code (or someone manages to hack it) then you will only be able to make emergency calls if you put another carriers SIM in the phone.

Also note the iPod features etc all require a valid SIM. The phone is quad band, so technically will work here (if unlocked).

There is rumor that there will be an anouncement on Tuesday that Apple will anounce a European 3G version of the phone, through a couple of carriers, including Vodafone, to be available in October. Which may mean Vodafone NZ might pick it up at some point... Hopefully sooner rather than later.

But i'm speculating that if the iPhone were to be released in NZ, there would have to be some significant changes to the structure of plans?

nzbnw

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#76459 1-Jul-2007 11:55

macuser: And i don't see why they wouldn't put a quad band chip in...

And I stll don't see why they didnt' include WCDMA bands for the American launch!

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#76461 1-Jul-2007 12:12

Yeah I'm gonna say I really want one. And about the plans, Txtings good in NZ but Sometimes Id rather just call, but no-one in NZ is really used to calling just to chat because they are on prepaid and that means limited $$ because its so freaking expensive. Id also like Live Messenger intergration...Say like my aussie mate, she gets to use Windows Live all she wants on her phone(with a built in app I beleive) for $5...Why cant we get that?

Hmmmmmmmm I can't wait for Telecom To go GSM! I really Want to get into the Telco industry and start making things a Little better for everyone, I Want to Start a MVNO one day, or convince something like Helio to come here.

Ahh getting off topic

Anyone notice that the pictures of the iphone the screen just looks like its a paper display model? Good screen I suppose.

And I mean...3G doesnt really have a point at the moment...Its expensive and theres very few actual ways to use it...And the services that do use are unavailable in NZ...I want slingbox...

PS iPhone cant teather so shhh about that use

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lduncan

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#76465 1-Jul-2007 13:03

macuser: Txtings good in NZ but Sometimes Id rather just call, but no-one in NZ is really used to calling just to chat because they are on prepaid and that means limited $$ because its so freaking expensive.

Txting in NZ anoys me. Because there is no free intra-network calling, like in the States, and with the txt plans available here, kids are forced to txt, and that's lead to kids who don't know that it's inappropriate to use txt "words" in written english. Personally it really anoys me when I see txt "spellings" for words. Plus most of the time, it would be so much easier to just call.

Anyone notice that the pictures of the iphone the screen just looks like its a paper display model? Good screen I suppose.

160 pixels per inch good

macuser

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#76469 1-Jul-2007 13:27

Everything is compressed these days though...Music, Video...all to make it smaller, fit more into the same space...just like with Txting...No one cares about the quality these days...long as the contents there. I really just beleive its a evolution of the English language, yes its negative, but It will be hard to stop.

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#76470 1-Jul-2007 13:28

macuser: And I mean...3G doesnt really have a point at the moment...Its expensive and theres very few actual ways to use it...And the services that do use are unavailable in NZ...I want slingbox...

PS iPhone cant teather so shhh about that use

Hmmm. So you think 3G is expensive? The first generation iPhone uses EDGE, which is not available in New Zealand. So you will be using GPRS, which means you pay the same price as 3G but get 1/10th of the speed, if you can connect at all. So really this wold be a not so bright idea.

Also, note that AT&T has improved their EDGE throughput for the iPhone launch, reaching about 190 Kbps. If you get more than 40 Kbps with GPRS you are lucky - so I would say the iPhone is a no go for out networks here, until a 3G version is available.

And apparently the 3G version wasn't released because of battery life concerns.

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#76474 1-Jul-2007 13:45

I Beleive all Data in NZ is expensive cosidering, as me, just a consumer has no good way of using it. Yes I can check my email and get news But then I dont find internet at all interesting when its on a slow mobile device...Ok the last mobile I used to Data was a Treo 650 on CDMA2000 data, but It wasn't enjoyable.

When I get Something to use my data on, with a system that works, and costs me $30 a month for unlimited Data, Ill be happy.

If I could get a plan that just has a reasonable number of TXTs(1000 say?), 50 or so minutes max to Home/CrossNetwork, unlimited Data, inter-network unlimited calling, for relitively cheap(say $60-70 a month) I would be extremely happy.

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#76475 1-Jul-2007 13:56

So you think a device connected at 3 Mbps with 1 GB/month for $49 (or 2 GB for $49) is not a good deal?

If you use more than 2 GB a month with a mobile device... I have a Treo 750v and a Treo 700wx and I don't use more than 200 MB a month...

macuser

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#76477 1-Jul-2007 14:04

But your completely business related right? What about in the US where theres services like Slingbox...Thats what I want to see aye.

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#76479 1-Jul-2007 14:43

No, not necessarily business only. And I'd love to have "unlimited" plans, but I don't dream. You know the "unlimited" plans offered in the US are capped, right? Most operators there limit mobile data at 5 GB and no use of P2P or streaming. If you want to use streaming then there are other plans.

Or what about Orange UK who launched "unlimited" plan capped at 30 MB (yes MEGABYTES)? You should be happy you are in New Zealand, because our prices are actually much cheaper than Australian and most European countries...

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#76483 1-Jul-2007 15:33

I think the iPhone is way overhyped. There is nothing special about it, people only want it because it has an Apple logo on it.

Personally I would rather have a phone like the N95, it has 3G, can take video and it isn't heavily locked down (battery included)

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