Posted by carkitter
Well the V640i has been online for 4hrs 6mins, the signal has been rock solid unlike the Vodem and its also been charging via USB v2.0 from 13% to 91% - not bad considering the power drain of 3.5G!
Edit: T650i now disapeared from Digi Parallel Importers website too
but S500/W580 and K770 pricing looking good. Nokia 5310 only $379
But I'm very keen on K550i for $266 at E.I. for my son's birthday.
_________________
I
V8 Supercars
"Innovation in styling comes from innovation in packaging" - Gordon Murray
[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2008-03-18 10:31 ]
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Thats awesome man. Let me know how the battery life is, cause I'm so impressed with the W910i. Its been doing 4-5 day stints on a single charge with average usage, where my V630i would do 2 days maximum, sometimes only making it through one day!
Posted by carkitter
The battery only lasts 1 day ATM but that's because I'm using the radio/MP3 player for about 8hrs at work. I'd expect 2-3 days at normal use. Battery is a 930mAh BST-33; interestingly the V800 uses a 900mAh BST-33.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Is BST-33 the same as what the V630i used? My old V600i used the same one as the V630i too, and that was similar to the V800i apart from form factor. My W910i has 920mAH BST-39.
Posted by carkitter
V600 and V630i both use the BST-37
Posted by soane28
Yep i will post a mini review once i put it through its paces and of course when it arrives!
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Sweet, I'll definitely look out for it!
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
@carkitter: I feel you should have a look at this:
http://www.plemix.com/list-phone-sonyericsson-page2
Go to the page and make sure the currency is set to NZ dollars using the drop down menu in the top right. Then check out the price for the T650i. Also note there's free shipping to Australia and New Zealand until the end of March.
One thing is that it says "Waiting List" for the T650i, but it seems to be worth looking into anyway! Also, if you didn't know, Plemix seems to be a well respected company with Esato members. >500 said he deals with them often, so you may want to talk to him if you are interested!
Posted by carkitter
Wow that's a sharp price! And free shipping! And the price on the SanDisk 8GB M2 - NZD$125 for a limited time - is stunning too.
I've registered on the site, I've just gotta check my finances can take it as I found another V800 cheap ($40) but in need of repair on TradeMe for my son to use, and won the auction yesterday.
I had a play on the T650i at PI today and loved it, but couldn't get past how small the screen and font was.
And the T650i is so thin! The same as the lower half of the V800! The dark Blue section is disappointingly plastic not metal and the salesman was not impressed when I said it was so much better looking than the K770i, because it turns out he has one! 
The buttons are beautiful but take abit of getting used to as do the Flash themes. It certainly is the Best Looking
in the range ATM.
I just HAVE to get one! Now, where'd I put that winning lotto ticket?
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Hahaha, you love your V800s huh? Well at least $40 isn't too big a hit to the pocket.
One thing I just want to point out, though you may already know it, is that the Plemix price is without a warranty. Its $50 extra for that. But then, going by your comments in another thread, you don't mind as long as its cheaper. I just wanted to make sure you're aware of that!
Posted by carkitter
Yeah I saw that.
At the time I first decided to go for the T650 I realised I'd be forgoing any reasonable effort at a warranty as importers here can only offer a warranty through thier overseas suppliers and that's one of the reasons that price is an important issue for me.
I've PMed >500 and he gave me a glowing recommendation of www.plemix.com; did you know that one of thier marketing staff is a member here under the Plemix.com username? I found that while searching. Definately my number 1 option ATM, thanks for the link!
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
No problem mate
Here is a thread where somebody else was asking about Plemix:
http://www.esato.com/board/viewtopic.php?topic=167118
And yeah. I've come across Plemix.com, the member a few times, for example here:
http://www.esato.com/board/viewtopic.php?topic=166749
Posted by carkitter
V640i Review posted here
Please posts comment to the V640i thread only please, link at end of review.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Awesome review mate. And very nice photos too! Some UI photos would be cool, like somebody else suggested.
Posted by soane28
Just got my nokia n82!
First impressions...
Excellent build quality! Much much better feel than the N95, nice and solid yet not too heavy.
Looks really nice in real life. Photos dont do it justice! The front panel gives it a great overall look.
Keypad will take sometime to get used to, but definitely usuable.
Camera activation slide is extremly smooth and firmly spring loaded. You wont manage to accidently open the cover or see it becoming loose over time.
I better let it charge now. Will post more details once its had a good charge!
[ This Message was edited by: soane28 on 2008-03-25 23:13 ]
Posted by carkitter
@soane
Congrats on the new phone, looking forward to the photos.
On the subject of photos's, I've taken some UI shots for my review and will post them later tonight.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Sweet, looking forward to hearing more from the both of you about your fancy new phones!
Posted by soane28
Unfortunately guys, my only camera is the n82!
After several hours of use...
The xenon flash is exceptional! Photos are clear and sharp, best camera out at the moment. The speed of the camera must be half or less of the speed of the K850 i tryed at vodafone. Really snappy and quick to load after taking photo. I will upload a few photos on esato for you to see.
music quality is really clear - considering it is not a music orientated device. It certainly trumps the K800. The music player has gone through a few changes and is easier to work with.
The screen is nice, but i can understand some peoples critisms about the dullness of the screen. Its decent enough for me though.
Stereo speakers are on the quiet side, but still clear and nice quality.
The motion sensor is quite handy and works well, esp when looking at your photos.
UI speed is similar to the N95, but you can definitely run many more programs with no hassle.
The keypad would have to be the only issue so far. Heavy texters would hate this phone! Im not much of a texter so i will get used to it, but it certainly isnt user friendly!
I am yet to have a look at the ngage application and a few other things, but feel free to ask me any questions.
Overall, this is the best phone i have ever had and im really impressed with nokia. A shame the K850 wasnt quite up there, and i actually feel sorry for SE now that i have the N82 in my hands. It certainly trumps the K850 in every way!
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
That sounds really good mate! I fully expected it would be better than the K850i, so thats no real surprise lol. If you really want a picture of the phone you could use a mirror! Of course then you'd just see the back of it though.
I'll just look forward to seeing a few shots from the camera.
Posted by carkitter
Well then I guess this is what a N82 looks like:
Nokia N82 specifications
Not bad.
The spec on this is awesome.
Certainly blows the K850i out of the water. The killer blows IMO are Wifi, 16.7m colour screen, and TV out cable. K850i should have at least the first two and all phones with the A200 camera UI should have TV out cable as an option. Wonder why this phone isn't in VodafoneNZ's portfolio?
_________________
My V640i review
"Innovation in styling comes from innovation in packaging" - Gordon Murray
[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2008-03-28 07:30 ]
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
I believe its not in the Vodafone NZ portfolio because the N95 and N95 8GB are doing the trick in NZ.
Posted by carkitter
It doesn't look like I'll be able to afford a T650 anytime soon
I've had to console myself by installing the T650 'Underwater' theme on the V640i
but the Flash menu isn't working Oh well...
With Plemix.com prices being so competitive, I might be able to get a W980i on release instead of waiting for Vodafone to get it late and overpriced.
Posted by soane28
That sucks carkitter! But as you say, the W980 could be quite affordable when released. You save so much going through parallel importers, as long as they are trustworthy and honest! Your lucky you have the V640 to tide you over until then!
You guys are also in luck for photos! I managed to get my old i-mobile 902 working!
PS - check esato photo gallery for some sample shots. Will try to get better and more interesting xenon flash shots as they are brilliant quality!
[ This Message was edited by: soane28 on 2008-03-30 11:57 ]
Posted by K71
i must admit the n82 does look quite nice.i've seen a few new se phones in vodafone recently, and i'm not really impressed with the k850 overall.might go for the c902, or whichever phone replaces the k850.my k800 will just have to keep on going for a while yet!!
Posted by soane28
I was quite surprised myself when i saw it! Thought it looked quite average in photos but in person it is stunning.
Hmm yes the C902 has the same camera module as K850 but has much better design as far as ergonomics and build quality goes. Hopefully the camera load speed improves as that pissed me off when testing the K850 at vodafone!
The K850 successor sounds promising, I would wait for the announcement and decide on that. If i can convince you, the N82 is a great phone, although i shouldnt be shouting too loud on a SE forum should i?
[ This Message was edited by: soane28 on 2008-03-30 12:33 ]
Posted by K71
the only thing that puts me off the c902 is the screen size.i know it has those touch sensitive buttons, but its just a bit small overall.so maybe the k850 successor will be a better option.
when i first saw the n82 pictures i thought it looked like a very nice phone, and the specs made it a better overall option than the k850.but, not ready to go to nokia yet, so thanks, but no thanks.you've been warned se.
Posted by soane28
yeah, SE have one year to redeem themselves IMO. My last SE was the K800, great phone! Loved it. Then i see the K850 and feel somewhat dissapointed that its the successor. Was a REALLY tough decision to go for a nokia, but i have no regrets watsoever. Nokia have really redeemed themselves from the N95 which wasnt that great at all.
Posted by carkitter
A nice looking phone indeed! Enjoy.
I'll happily wait for the W980i though.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Wow that looks very cool. I must admit I haven't been too keen on the looks of it, but seeing your pictures has changed my mind. It looks heaps better than the official images, which are what turned me off it. It must be pretty exciting having pretty much THE BEST (in terms of having EVERYTHING!) phone around!
Posted by soane28
Thanks guys! I am real proud of it. It is an excellent phone! Would be nice to see the SE equivilant of it someday! Hopefully this year!
Carkitter - cant wait to see what the w980 is like. Fingers crossed its more affordable than expected!
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Yeah it looks cool. Liking the silver more now too!
I think that if the Z770i price at Plemix.com is anything to go by, the W980i won't be too expensive! Plemix.com's prices seem more like the prices people get overseas than NZ's horrible pricing.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Vodafone NZ have rearranged the low-end SE pricing plans. Where the Z310i used to come on Talker and Texter plans for free, the W200i has taken over. The Z310i still sells $179 (*cough*rip off*cough*). The W200i is a much better deal as you get a better phone and portable speakers.
Don't think any of you guys will be up for that though!
Also, I have a question that you guys can hopefully answer. I was thinking about this a few days back and thought I'd see if you guys know. Just wondering, when you buy a Vodafone phone in NZ, is it locked? I never hear about locked phones in NZ, and I can see there isn't too much point to it. I just want to know whether Vodafone bother!
Posted by carkitter
I can't say I've ever tried a non-Vodafone SIM TBH.
Nor have I been overseas recently enough to test a phone off-shore.
However...
In the Service Menu of the V640i, in the SIM Lock info, all the category padlock icons are unlocked with a value of 5 next to them. This includes: Network, Network subset, and Srevice provider.
The V800 is the same.
Unfortunately, I'm unable to post a pic ATM but I'll post one tomorrow if I remember.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Alright thanks carkitter! Sounds like Vodafone don't bother locking them to me. I always wonder too, if I went on a contract which meant I got a cheaper phone, then I paid to get out of the contract, what would happen to the phone? Could I keep it? I'm not saying I want to try this, but it seems like a loophole if its possible!
Also, do any of you NZers use Mintshot? Last month I won a free crate of Speights and I reckon I could easily do it again this month too. Could maybe even get me a $50 Countdown voucher lol.
Posted by carkitter
Good luck getting Vodafone to release you from a contract. In late 2006 I rang them to say that I wanted to end my contract of 5+ years and go on to Prepay because it was cheaper. They said the didn't want me to end my contract and offered me a discount for 4 months until thier new range of plans arrived. They just won't let you out!
Also, the early termination fees in the first 18 months of a 24 month plan are quite unpleasant. No chance of getting a cheap phone via loopholes here I'm afraid.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Well I was on a 12 month contract not long ago and rang them to say I wanted to terminate the contract. They offered me all kinds of discounts which still couldn't compete with Prepay so I declined them all. After completing around 5 months of my contract it cost me $30 to terminate it.
Posted by carkitter
It looks like Vodafone have abandoned handset discounts in the V-box. There have been no discounts since June '07 and twice since then they have dressed up competitions as 'Offers' which I'm annoyed about as its misleading IMO.
I guess all the morons who took advantage of the discounts to make a quick buck on TradeMe ruined it for everyone...
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Yeah it seems to me like one of those ideas which are great at first, but after a short while nobody can be bothered updating them, and they are forgotten. Unfortunate really, as Vodafone really should be rewarding their long term (plan) customers.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Well, going by the Vodafone online shop, a few SE models have been dropped from the line-up. Hopefully this means replacement models are due!
The Z310i has been dropped.
The W880i has been dropped.
However, I think the W910i was intended to be the W880i replacement here... Wish we got the W890i!
What I'm wondering is what is up with the K800i and W950i! They are without a doubt two of the oldest phones in the Vodafone NZ line-up, and they've been sitting at clearance price for several months now! I wonder whats happening. Any ideas? I thought the K770i was replacing the K800i, and I thought we were supposed to get the W960i...
There are also now better deals on the V640i for plan customers. You can get it as low as $239 from the online store, but I guess any respected customer could get it cheaper than that.
Posted by carkitter
A few weeks ago there was a radio ad for V640i: $99 when you sign up to some 24 month plan...
Have you seen W950i at The Warehouse for $249?
N95 (1st gen) selling for $899 at Voda online store
I suspect K800i and W950i have been even slower moving than expected. Perhaps
NZ should advertise during the Hamilton 400 motor race. Nah, that'll never happen.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Yeah I guess thats not their best deal on the V640i. Oh well I don't care, I'm not after one - as nice as they are.
Wow, a W950i for $249? Now thats almost tempting! But I'm saving for a PS3 at the moment. But yeah, I don't think the K800i or W950i are very popular, which doesn't bode well for future releases. If a model sells poorly, then its not likely we'll ever see its successor.
Posted by soane28
yea i can almost guarantee the K850 wont sell well in NZ. Most people here want the basic set up or look to a phone, i never see anyone with an unusual or different phone its usually just the plain nokias or samsungs etc.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Yeah, I agree. The K850i won't sell and as far as I can see, it isn't. People aren't gonna fork out a grand for it, when the N95 is a Nokia with everything (NZers love Nokias!).
I am really sick of seeing everyone's horrible slim Sanyo flip phones though...
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
@carkitter: Did you get your V640i back? Your avatar suggests not mate.
Also, did you go down to the Hamilton 400 in the weekend? I caught a bit on TV but was busy mostly with work and sport. I had it playing on the TVs at work on Sunday though.
Posted by carkitter
No the V640i is still away, I'll change the avatar back when it returns.
The V800 is performing flawlessly ATM and I'm beginning to amass a collection of them - I have 3 at present
. One of them is going to my son as soon as the battery I bought tonight from TradeMe arrives.
A 950mah Genuine BST-33 battery for $14.95.
Another one needs to be flashed to fix WSOD so if you guys know anyone who wants to sell a CSS-25 Desktop Synchronisation Stand, let me know!
If the K850 had arrived in Q3 2007 like it did in Europe, it might have stood a chance in the NZ market. The 'must have the latest gadget' freaks like us would've jumped on it. But with an odd looking D-pad
, a price tag higher than the N95 , being incredibly un-thin during the thin-is-in craze 
, and strong competition from the heavily marketed LG Viewty 
what does SE/Vodafone expect.
I quess it'll pop up in 2 yrs time selling at $399...
As far as the Hamilton 400 goes, I did not go to the race as I'm not a fan of street circuits, but I did watch ALL the coverage on TV3 including leaving work early on Friday to see the Practice at 4:30pm.
It wasn't a great weekend for TeamVodafone with Jamie Whincup being put into the wall at 130km/h by Todd Kelly which destroyed his car and put him out of all 3 races. I can't believe they didn't bring a spare car considering what happened to Craig Lowndes' car at the Clipsal 500 in March.
Lowndes was sent out to qualify on a dryish track on 'wet' tyres and when he went in to change to slicks, it rained Doesn't his race engineer talk to Whincup's race engineer? Bad tyre management resulted in Lowndes qualifing 21st and struggling all weekend. 
It's no wonder that the TeamVodafone website has no news posted about the weekend, they're probably still trying to find a positive spin to put on it. Jamie Whincup was great, considering the massive disappointment of watching his championship lead go up in smoke and it was awesome seeing him as guest trackside commentator on Sunday. The next round will be interesting indeed!
_________________
My V640i review
"Innovation in styling comes from innovation in packaging" - Gordon Murray
[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2008-04-22 09:14 ]
[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2008-04-22 10:51 ]
Posted by JiSm
So, just to clarify... is the K850 a grand in NZ?? Im cummin back for 3 weeks on Thursday and thinkin I should bring a few back... I get them at $500NZD! haha. We'll see.
Posted by carkitter
Looks like both the Z780 and G502 phones released today WILL be coming to NZ!
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Yeah I'm quite interested in the Z780 actually. Also the X1 has been tempting me, though it just seems wrong to buy it when I'm a Mac user (though the iPhone can't compete), and Windows Mobile just doesn't seem 'Sony Ericsson' to me.
Anyway, has anybody seen Vodafone's latest ad campaign? I thought it was brilliant. They took out a full page ad in the Christchurch Press newspaper (the main one down here) and basically said something like this:
"With Australia's CDMA networks being shut down, it is now impossible to roam in Australia with most Telecom phones.
So bring in your working and connected Telecom phone to any Vodafone store and sign up to a 24 month plan and we'll give you a Nokia something-or-other or a Motorola V3x FREE and you'll be able to roam anywhere you like."
It was something like that anyway. Now that's slapping Telecom in the face! I love how they actually said "Telecom" instead of the usual "other networks". I also love how they offer up some really old phones that are, too be honest, a bit crap. It's as if they feel they can tempt a Telecom customer with older phones because they know it's still better than what Telecom offers. Hahaha, so true... I mean, both those phones can do better than the best Telecom phones really.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Well, its pleasing to see Vodafone have finally dropped some prices!
K850i at $799 (save $200)
W910i at $599 (save $200 (bastards!
))
And that means the W910i is now the same price as the K770i! Makes me think the K770i must be selling alright.
Their prices really were unreasonable for phones that arrived to the market so late. I'm glad they dropped them because it was stupid to bring them out at such high prices.
Posted by carkitter
VodafoneNZ aims to have 4G here by 2010 - 2011 according to the Dominion Post. Also reprted in MyMobile May edition.
source
LTE up to 50Mbps? I can't wait!
