Posted by carkitter
NZ iPhone 3GS prices
Apple Online Store:
8GB $899 (1-3 business day delivery)
16GB $999 (24hr delivery)
32GB $1099 (Unavailable)
Vodafone Online Store:
8GB $899 (Out of Stock)
16GB $1179
32GB $1379
Will Vodafone's prices come down or are Apple's prices only temporary?
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
I'd say Apple's prices are until they are fully out of stock, in anticipation of the 4th iPhone. I don't see Vodafone matching Apple.
Well after a pretty long read through the PriceSpy forums, I am never buying from Expert Infotech again. The amount of dodgy things they do, they shouldn't even be allowed to sell anything. I'm looking elsewhere for my X10.
Posted by carkitter
I have bought several things from them:
8GB M2 memory card
Microsoft Bluetooth Mouse
21.5" HDMI monitor
Wifi n PC network card
3G wifi router
C905
...and have had no problems with any of the items so haven't had a chance to try out their after-sales service.
I don't give these types of businesses room to take liberties. I don't buy online with my credit card and don't pay in advance for items that I haven't seen. I pay either in-store or in the case of the C905, on Laybuy after inspecting the phone and keeping all the receipts handy.
It pays to be cautious as all their phones are listed as 'Low quantity of stock'.
And I try not to buy no-name brands from importers. I could have got any number of oddball brands of monitor but chose to pay extra for a Philips and am glad I did.
I intend to get a white X10 from EI later this year.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
I'm not gonna risk it. I've had a good run with phones lately, I'm almost due for a faulty one (not that I want that to happen of course). Now that I live in Auckland I won't buy without seeing what I'm getting either, unless it comes from a company I have trust in. Parallel Imported for example.
And I have bargained Parallel Imported's price down to be more competitive, so at this stage it's looking like I will have my X10 tomorrow!
I have bought my Aino from Expert Infotech, and an 8GB Sony Memory Stick Pro Duo for my brother. The Aino is fine, it's a faultless phone so far, so I guess in that respect I am lucky according to PriceSpy. The Memory Stick was a funny one. We paid for a Sandisk one and they gave us Sony which was listed as more expensive at the time. We wouldn't have thought anything of it if it weren't for the dodgy packaging, which said Sony but didn't quite look Sony. Not quite right, so we believe they sold us a knock-off.
I'm not going to risk it on such an expensive phone, so I will go with what parallel Imported have offered me, which very nearly matches EI anyway.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
And I just bought an X10. Hopefully it will arrive tomorrow! I don't see why it shouldn't.
Posted by carkitter
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2010-07-01 03:13 ]
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Thanks carkitter. I'll get some impressions up on here once I've had a good play with it!
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
And as carkitter said, the X10 Mini Pro has appeared on Vodafone! $599 but out of stock as usual for a new release.
I'll be keen to get some hands-on time with one down at my local VF store.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Well that sucks. I have to wait til Monday for my X10 because Albany Post Haste don't deliver and aren't open on Saturdays. I called them up this afternoon to see if I could pick up the package but their Albany office was closed already even though the Auckland city branch was still open (and is open Saturdays). What a pain in the butt.
Posted by Evilchap
let me know when you get it, Im keen to hear what you think, Im loving it myself and know of some good apps to throw on it.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
I've had it since Monday and it's great so far! I had a lot to learn with Android but I think I've got it now, I installed a couple of apps which make sorting other apps nice and easy.
The phone itself is very responsive despite still being on the first firmware for the X10. There is no update available for my one apparently, but that's ok because I have found no problems so far. Everything it does, it does super quick. It is easily the best looking and most impressive phone I have ever had, both software and hardware wise... Sony Ericsson's Android skin is really stunning even if it is always blue!
The phone is pretty big and this can make it a little troublesome to handle at times, you really do need two hands. But the big screen means that the keyboard is a nice size and I really enjoy typing on it, even though I always thought I would hate a touch screen keyboard. I think I have texted more since Monday than I had for a month before I got the X10, but part of that may have been just me constantly being on Facebook and so on, which are really easy to set up and use.
Thoroughly recommend this one, but I know the experience is really an experience you can get on most higher end Android phones, so maybe I have to say I really recommend Android. I actually had a go on a Motorola Milestone in a Telecom shop yesterday and that was really nice too, it was on Android 2.1 and I saw a few differences like a larger homescreen to put widgets and stuff on. I look forward to the X10 update, but in saying that I can kind of see why SE isn't rushing – the X10 is really a great device even on 1.6.
Any questions, just ask!
[ This Message was edited by: Muhammad-Oli on 2010-07-07 08:34 ]
Posted by citysoldier
How long does the battery last and in what sort of usage? Is the sound from the ear piece loud enough?
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
The sound from the earpiece is quiet as you've probably seen talked about elsewhere. I would say it is loud enough, but obviously others need it to be louder so it might pay to test first if you're looking at getting one, or keep an eye on the X10 thread to see if a new firmware improves it. I really don't think it's too bad though.
The battery for me lasts about a day and a half to two days under HEAVY usage. Seriously, I'm using it constantly cause I can't put it down! So obviously I haven't tested the battery under light or moderate use. But it seems good to me and apparently the battery issue has been pretty well fixed with the latest firmware which I have. I would hardly expect a phone with such a huge screen and so many apps and things connecting to the internet to have as good a battery as say an SE feature phone.
Posted by citysoldier
Hadn't seen anything about the sound from the earpiece but now thats one more thing to think about. Only asked cause my K750 one is not great
Posted by Evilchap
I must say the sound was an issue for me to, but you can always root it and install Audio Hack if its a big deal. Though the differnce between Bluetooth and plugin headsets is huge so if you need volume as do I, I would receommend using plugin and not bothering with Bluetooth.
Posted by carkitter
I've been calling for it and finally it happened. At last a
phone supplied by Vodafone is available with the same plan subsidy as an iPhone. If you buy an Xperia X10 on a 24 month Smart 130 plan, you'll get the same $780 discount as an iPhone 3GS customer gets on an iPhone 130 plan.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a breakthrough. Note also that the handset price for the X10 has dropped to $999 from $1099, so it's good news all round. Let's hope we see some price parity on the $40/$60/$80 Smart Plans sometime soon.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Hopefully! That's great news. Personally I'm doing just fine on my 100mb for $10 prepay plan though.
Also, a concrete date for the iPhone 4 I see. You're not upgrading though, are you carkitter?
Posted by carkitter
No I'm not, and considering how infuriating my iPhone is ATM I probably never will.
iOS 4 has slowed it to a crawl (it was never fast anyway) and a slight problem of occasional dropped calls an poor wifi reception has gotten much worse. I tried a back up and full reset recently - it took 3hrs and wiped some of my apps again. I am so over the iPhone. I did like the design of the iPhone 4 but it has turned out to be a weakness not a strength, so no point upgrading. I'm not an Apple devotee, I'll happily move on to an X10 instead.
I see the iPad is arriving on Friday and it appears that it won't be supplied by Vodafone as I long suspected. It also appears that every man and his dog will be supplying Micro-SIM plans for it with Vodafone, XT, 2 Degrees, Black & White and Orcon all announcing Micro-SIM availability but no pricing. Everyone is probably waiting for Vodafone to make the first move. It's possible that Vodafone could announce 'Shared Data over 3G' pricing along with the iPad plans. I hear this is in the works but have no idea when. Shared Data over 3G is where one person pays one price on one bill and two or more SIM card containing devices can use it, kinda like Vodafone's Family Add-on, or XT's Share plan does with calling minutes. I'm not aware of any other network who does Shared Data over 3G, and especially not on an iPad, so if it eventuates it could be a world first.
Vodafone are supposed to announce iPhone 4 pricing this week and speculation is rife about what it will sell for (unsubsidised). I've long held the view that unsubsidised pricing is irrelevant on a phone like the iPhone which is so dependent on carrier services such as mobile data but some simple reasoning can show what pricing is likely to be. Some people think Vodafone will take the opportunity to raise prices because the 3GS prices were higher than comparable 3G models, but I don't think so for these reasons:
- Apple pricing is very exchange-rate dependent.
- At present the NZ dollar is high against the US dollar (71c US instead of the usual 50c US).
- The new 8GB iPhone 3GS is priced $80 cheaper than the previous 8GB iPhone 3G.
- Pricing for the iPhone 4 was probably set at the same time as the 8GB 3GS model.
So, an educated guess would lead me to expect pricing of $80 - $100 lower than the current 16GB and 32GB models.
Thus $1079 - $1099 for the 16GB iPhone 4 and $1279 - $1299 for the 32GB iPhone 4 which is competitive with the Xperia X10 at launch and will cover much of the $150 early resign fee that iPhone plans require.
Interestingly, that makes iPhone 4 more expensive than comparable iPad 3G models (prices as quoted in the NBR here are unusually low compared to the UK?!?) so I look forward to seeing how Vodafone deals with that. Maybe they'll just emphasise the subsidised prices and pretend such an anomaly doesn't exist, just as they ignore the existence of parallel importers.
[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2010-07-20 19:09 ]
Posted by carkitter
Vodafone now selling the Google Nexus One!
Posted by carkitter
Dunno 'bout you guys... but I'm getting pretty darn good download speed on Vodafone 3G at the moment:
Yesterday I broke the 3Mbps barrier for the first time with a 3375kbps test in NewLynn. Vodafone have been continuing to upgrade their network and are making improvements some of which I've heard about.
Surfing on the Vodem is becoming faster and more reliable. Very nice
Posted by carkitter
Today I went out and had a play with two new devices
Xperia X10 and Apple iPad. One I found quite disappointing while the other is a genuine love-at-first-sight device.
I had a try on the Xperia X10 first. Initial impressions were of an average quality plastic and rubber phone with a mediocre screen. I was quite stunned. I thought it would feel better than this. The UI didn't look that intuitive and screens seemed to swipe from all directions. The Timescape and Mediascape functions and graphics were as impressive as they appeared in leaked videos last year. but I think the overall UI might take some getting used to coming from an iPhone. Xperia is definitely faster than my iPhone 3G ever was, that aspect is very good. By the time I'm ready to buy, the new range of gorgeous Dell phones will be out and then Rachael will have some real competition. Android 2.1/2.2 for X10 with it's 16m colour support can't come soon enough IMO.
The iPad on the other hand is the bomb. Everything that's good about the iPhone + a bigger screen + faster UI response. Don't look at one if you have the money burning a hole in your pocket because you'll walk out with one. Fortunately (or is that unfortunately) I didn't have the money
This will be the #1 most sought after item this Xmas I can tell you right now. It's just sucks you in with that fantastic screen and fast response to touch input. Use the multitouch in the picture gallery and you're hooked. The fact it has productivity apps like Pages, Numbers, etc is the icing on the cake, the sensible justification for buying such an emotional device. I still think it's better suited to my kids than to me but one of these shared between two or more kids + intrigued parents and grandparents will be a recipe for WW3. I read today that LG reckon that world production of iPad screens will be a limiting factor in the sales of iPads and that release in some countries may have to be postponed. I'd say Xmas 2010 will be a major headache for Apple - trying to get enough of these built and supplied to stores. They certainly won't have price reductions in the coming months that's for sure.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Not going to blindly defend the X10 here but I disagree on both screen and build quality. Was the brightness turned up to full? The screen is pretty stunning when it is. I love the rubbery textured back, great for grip. And I find the plastics to be as good as any other SE phone I have had. Of course it isn't up to par with phones made of metal, but for a plastic phone it is very solid.
And I wondered how you would feel about Android, coming from an iPhone. There are many similarities, but at the same time there are a lot of things that will take getting used to. Not sure how you would cope!
Posted by carkitter
On 2010-07-26 07:33:46, Muhammad-Oli wrote:
Not going to blindly defend the X10 here but I disagree on both screen and build quality. Was the brightness turned up to full? The screen is pretty stunning when it is. I love the rubbery textured back, great for grip. And I find the plastics to be as good as any other SE phone I have had. Of course it isn't up to par with phones made of metal, but for a plastic phone it is very solid.
And I wondered how you would feel about Android, coming from an iPhone. There are many similarities, but at the same time there are a lot of things that will take getting used to. Not sure how you would cope!
I agree with everything you say. I do like rubber backed phones, my V640i had rubber on the lower half of the back and it had a nice feel to it. Just the rest of the materials didn't exude the sort of classy feel I've gotten used to with the iPhone. Not sure if the screen brightness was turned up or not. I am willing to give Rachael a second chance as I really like the Timescape/Mediascape features.
No, I'm not sure how I'll cope with Android either.
I tend to ignore the whole 'Android as an alternative lifestyle choice' thing (which is similar to the 'Linux as an alternative lifestyle choice' thing) and concentrate on how effective the Manufacturer's overlay is, the styling of the device and the integrity of its design. The only aspect of Android that is really important to me is how much traction Android Marketplace has with Developers and from what I hear it seems to be coming along nicely as competition for the App Store.
Edit: The model I looked at today was black; I would only be interested in a White X10 which I'm sure would make a better impression on me.
[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2010-07-26 14:44 ]
Posted by carkitter
Something odd is going on between VodafoneNZ and Apple's Australasia branch. Apple has been releasing press statements completely independent of Vodafone who have no comment and in one case seem to be taken by surprise. Publicly Vodafone are saying they cannot release info at this time. This is hard to believe because it's now less than 24 hrs until the iPhone goes on sale in Vodafone stores - Vodafone have never left it this late to release pricing information on an iPhone before. It didn't come as a surprise to me that Vodafone are not selling the iPad as Apple markets it as a computer and so seeing it at Apple resellers such as DSE and Magnum Mac is not unusual. What is unusual is Apples NZ iPhone 4 web-page where they practically beg customers to pick up an iPhone and choose any network provider. So much for loyalty to Vodafone. If this is their attitude then why not just allow XT, 2 Degrees and Orcon to retail iPhones?
Some really odd behaviour going on here and customers are caught in the middle.
Posted by Evilchap
That is particularly odd behaviour by them. Im gona go ahead and blame it on the grip of death, no real reason, I just think this whole reception thing is a bit funny.
Posted by carkitter
Seems like no iPhones in any retail stores only online from Apple.
That would mean that Vodafone have had their iPhone deal pulled.
Hard to understand how this can have happened. Odd that Vodafone would say nothing about it, leaving Apple to mop up all the sympathy. Vodafone iPhone customers really feel shafted by this silence from Vodafone with a big nothing at the end of it. 
Tomorrow will be very interesting. One things for sure, I'm less interested in an iPhone 4 than ever now.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Didn't Vodafone sell a few iPhone 4s to on account customers today?
Posted by carkitter
Yes they did in the end. No word on why such a mess ensued, but Vodafone says they sold out in four hours which was "astonishing". I think having only four hours supply on opening day is astonishing really...
Posted by carkitter
Added a few Google images of NZ to the 'Visiting NZ...' post.
[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2010-08-03 17:29 ]
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Good stuff carkitter. Nice to see that topic has become a Sticky, really helpful!
[ This Message was edited by: Muhammad-Oli on 2010-08-04 05:13 ]
Posted by carkitter
On 2010-08-04 06:13:02, Muhammad-Oli wrote:
Good stuff carkitter. Nice to see that topic has become a Sticky, really helpful!
[ This Message was edited by: Muhammad-Oli on 2010-08-04 05:13 ]
Actually I requested that for two reasons:
1) So the thread wouldn't get quickly lost which would negate the point of creating it.
2) To inspire other Esatonians to create similar threads for other countries.
Fortunately the wish was granted.
It's that thread's one year anniversary (and 2 Degrees 1st Birthday too) so I thought it should get a little spruced up. Unfortunately I don't have your talent with HTML...
I plan to refine it more and more as we approach RWC 2011.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
That's a good idea! In fact, feel free to copy and paste any of my layout that you want, then add your own pictures or backgrounds. I have no problem with that.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
The Zylo now available on Vodafone for $150. Not too bad although it is very low end!
Posted by carkitter
On 2010-08-06 14:01:04, Muhammad-Oli wrote:
The Zylo now available on Vodafone for $150. Not too bad although it is very low end!
$150 on their most popular plan.
$249 handset only.
Looks like a
205 replacement.
Apparently Android is going great guns in the US. If this success is repeated in Europe then
and Nokia can expect to see the feature-phone market disappear totally and replaced with low end smartphones like the X10 Mini. It's about time Nokia got with the programme and signed on to Android.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Oh my bad. Didn't see the 'on our most popular plan'.
Yeah I was just thinking last night how Nokia are so far out of the picture without Android and Windows Phone 7. Symbian/Maemo just isn't going to win them any popularity. The only people I still see with Nokias are people that don't care and Arab/Indian people.
Posted by Evilchap
so what do you lads think of this shiny new possibility : http://www.esato.com/board/viewtopic.php?topic=197637
Posted by Evilchap
by the way, when are we all gona catch up for a beer?
Posted by carkitter
On 2010-08-12 09:51:18, Evilchap wrote:
by the way, when are we all gona catch up for a beer?
Anytime you want. I'm surprised that that Oli's been up here all year and I still haven't managed to pin him down to a meet 'n greet.
It's not for want of trying.
Good to see that
have finally figured out a way to get everyone's favourite rumour to become a reality. Now all they need is a Froyo update for Rachael and life will be perfect again for fans.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
On 2010-08-13 13:31:50, carkitter wrote:
On 2010-08-12 09:51:18, Evilchap wrote:
by the way, when are we all gona catch up for a beer?
Anytime you want. I'm surprised that that Oli's been up here all year and I still haven't managed to pin him down to a meet 'n greet.
It's not for want of trying.
Well I'm sure we would have had that meet and greet if you lived a bit closer still! I'm keen to have a beer with you guys for sure, but there are very few of us left on here. It will be a very small meet up!
Posted by carkitter
You're right. Last year I was 10 mins away, this year I'm 40 mins across town.
We have 18 on the NZer list, 12 of whom are Aucklanders and another 4 in other parts of the North Island. If we send PM's to everybody, that should trigger an email that'll notify members we haven't seen for a while, assuming they have email notifications set.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
That's true. I wouldn't mind hearing from people like JiSM and so on again. Even yea g hasn't been round in a while!
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Looks like they're not even trying anymore with the Vodafone branding. They used to make it fit in somewhat, but that just looks awful.
Posted by carkitter
It does look awful
and worst of all, it places quite a limitation on usable theme options. The red is quite dark in contrast to the white icons and that means that background images would have to contrast with both colours simultaneously without being too jarring or distracting. Alternatively, a red background image could be used to 'hide' the icons...
I find that with so many shortcut options and the toolbar, I seldom see the menu icons anyway.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
I always liked going through the menus on my SE phones because I liked to see the colourful icons and the theme I had chosen. Can't say I'd do that if I had a Zylo! Shortcuts it would have to be.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
X10a now available on Telecom for $999, the same as Vodafone. Black too, I was hoping the white would show up so I could have a look. Guess not!
Posted by carkitter
About time!
Only 4 months after they announced it...
On 2010-04-12 01:26:13, yea g wrote:
Well it looks like Telecom will be getting the X10, not sure about Vodafone yet
Telecom are so far behind Vodafone on smartphones its just sad.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Haha true. They seem to be having trouble releasing the Motorola Milestone too. My friend has been waiting for it a good month or two now.
Speaking of Telecom and Vodafone, are you going to go to The Great Telco Quiz Battle? Sounds kind of interesting but doesn't sound like anyone of note will be there other than the Telcos' Twitter crews.
Posted by carkitter
On 2010-08-27 09:38:33, Muhammad-Oli wrote:
Haha true. They seem to be having trouble releasing the Motorola Milestone too. My friend has been waiting for it a good month or two now.
Speaking of Telecom and Vodafone, are you going to go to The Great Telco Quiz Battle? Sounds kind of interesting but doesn't sound like anyone of note will be there other than the Telcos' Twitter crews.
I know nothing of this??? Please explain in great detail...
Have you noticed the Esato Awards MMX have been and gone and The Best Australasian Award went to Muhammad Oli,
while the Best Debater Award went to none other than myself!!! Quite stunned to be honest. [ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2010-08-27 09:08 ]
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
On 2010-08-27 10:03:46, carkitter wrote:
On 2010-08-27 09:38:33, Muhammad-Oli wrote:
Haha true. They seem to be having trouble releasing the Motorola Milestone too. My friend has been waiting for it a good month or two now.
Speaking of Telecom and Vodafone, are you going to go to The Great Telco Quiz Battle? Sounds kind of interesting but doesn't sound like anyone of note will be there other than the Telcos' Twitter crews.
I know nothing of this??? Please explain in great detail...
Have you noticed the Esato Awards MMX have been and gone and The Best Australasian Award went to Muhammad Oli,
while the Best Debater Award went to none other than myself!!! Quite stunned to be honest.
Yeah I just saw! Congratulations!
To be honest I feel bad because I saw the thread and never voted. I also feel bad because I've been hiding away a lot this year and haven't been so vocal like previous years. I haven't given up on Esato though! Wow, three years in a row...
Anyway, I don't have much detail on this quiz thing but from Twitter:
EmpireTavern: The Great Telco Quiz Battle taking place at the Empire 7th Sept 6PM with @TelecomNZ @TelstraClearNZ @2degreesmobile @orcon @vodafonenz EPIC!
Linky. The Telcos all seem very excited about it. They were actually talking to one another over Twitter about it
[ This Message was edited by: Muhammad-Oli on 2010-08-27 09:12 ]
Posted by carkitter
Congratulations to you too mate!
You definitely do deserve that award three years running, I think we need to drum up support from fellow NZ Esatonians with a get-together. Ideas on time and place?
Regarding the Telco Quiz, I'll be there with bells on! Will you go too? Go on!