Posted by AkuKL
carkitter, forgive me for asking this question. What is the main feature of 4G (as oppose to 3G), by the way?
[ This Message was edited by: AkuKL on 2008-05-03 13:21 ]
Posted by carkitter
Well, I'm hardly an expert on 4G, but 50Mbps LTE will mean average speeds of at least 15Mbps, that 15 times faster than I'm getting ATM with my V640i and 45 times faster than the V800 I'm connecting through tonight!:-)
These sorts of speeds will make mobile phones viable for streaming You-tube style video and make web-surfing effortless. In fact it'll be faster than 95% of landlines in New Zealand, which will attract more subscribers which will lead to lower Data prices (through economies of scale), which means more investment in even faster Data technology.
Also, LTE is 'synchronous' which means equal download and upload speeds.
Edit: Maybe I spoke too soon. Telstra and Telecom are fighting over who's gonna get 1Gbps broadband to Whangarei first...
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sec[....]_id=5&objectid=10507616&pnum=0
_________________
My V640i review
"Innovation in styling comes from innovation in packaging" - Gordon Murray
[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2008-05-04 13:20 ]
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
@carkitter, any luck with the V640i yet?
Posted by carkitter
It went away again to be repaired properly this time and I'm still waiting to get it back.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Are they repairing the scratches? I think they owe you a new one really.
Posted by carkitter
I don't know. I guess I'll find out soon.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Yeah hopefully they get their act together!
Did anyone see the news? Apparently Vodafone has struck a deal with Apple to supply the iPhone some time late this year. Haha, i bet they get the current model and not the model due to have replaced it by late this year.
Also, in today's Press (newspaper), in 'The Box' which is the technology section, there was an article about 5MP cameraphones.
Here is a clip from the verdict at the end of the article which was about the LG KU990 Viewty, the Nokia N95 and the Sony Ericsson K850:
"I didn't produce better photos with these devices than I do with my digital camera or even my old film camera. That's why photos I took with these cameras aren't published with this story. They weren't good enough."
While I'm not bashing these phones, I'm glad that someone can finally say they actually aren't all that good for 5MP cameras. They really aren't, which is part of the reason that I didn't go for a good camera on my new phone.
Posted by carkitter
Film cameras produce very good photos. People have only moved to Digital because of the convenience of editing and uploading.
We all know Digicams perform better than Camphones but if that journo can't get ANY decent photos from those 5 Mp phones, then there's something wrong.
Mind you, the weather has not been good lately and Camphones do rely heavily on lighting, but still...
Posted by soane28
the N95 has far too much noise reduction, so i can understand his view with that! The N82 has improved alot on the N95, would be intrigued to know his view on that.
He must of got blurry photos from both the viewty and K850 as they are quite senstive cameraphones and take alot of training to get a great shot. Probably did the point and shot tatic which wont work with either.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Yeah I figured perhaps he wasn't the most clued up reviewer, as he likely has to review everything to do with technology so can't focus his expertise onto phone cameras so easily, like some of us do.
Though he did go on about his 8MP Canon digital camera a bit, so he's obviously no stranger to cameras, so I really don't know exactly what happened. Though I will give him the point that mobile phone cameras can be a lot better. Though, not print worthy? I don't know about that.
It would be interesting to throw the N82 into the mix, yes, but unfortunately it was a review on phones available from Vodafone in NZ, and so the N82 wasn't applicable.
Also on that same page was an article about the iPhone, where the guy basically said he had bought one and wasn't all that impressed. I'm no iPhone fan, but I really can't wait to see what they bring out for the successor. I love the operating system, just not the features so far.
Posted by carkitter
On 2008-05-06 07:24:43, Muhammad-Oli wrote:
Are they repairing the scratches? I think they owe you a new one really.
There's a new V640i waiting for me at my local Vodafone shop. I'll pick it up tomorrow.
A NZ Herald blogger reckons that a 3G iPhone 8GB could land here for $700. If so, I might get one for the missus. I've registered my interest on the Vodafone site.
Posted by carkitter
The new V640i is having modem problems too, causing it to randomly disconnect from the internet only this time, I've noticed that the phone switches off and on when it happens. The restarting confirms that this is a bug and not a reception problem or an issue with my computer.
I'm sending this one back too first thing Monday morning...
On 2008-05-06 13:03:37, soane28 wrote:
He must have got blurry photos from both the viewty and K850 as they are quite senstive cameraphones and take alot of training to get a great shot. Probably did the point and shot tatic which wont work with either.
Both K850i and Viewty have Image Stabiliser so neither should take blurry shots. Point and shoot is what Camphones are all about so I can't understand why this won't work with these phones. It's very bright and very low light extremes which cause problems for the Camphones but this can be compensated for by simple photography techniques.
_________________
My V640i review
"Innovation in styling comes from innovation in packaging" - Gordon Murray
[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2008-05-10 08:02 ]
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
On 2008-05-10 08:50:26, carkitter wrote:
The new V640i is having modem problems too, causing it to randomly disconnect from the internet only this time, I've noticed that the phone switches off and on when it happens. The restarting confirms that this is a bug and not a reception problem or an issue with my computer.
I'm sending this one back too first thing Monday morning...
Thats such a shame, to have a really nice phone which ends up being faulty. Though I think most people won't come across your problem because not many people use it for that kind of thing.
Perhaps it is an A2 platform fault? it could be, as many people report faults with the platform all the time. I wish Vodafone NZ would support software updates more willingly. I've never been able to update my V630i or W910i.
Anyway, the W200i is now available in NZ in pink. Its still $199, just more appealing to women I guess. I would have thought the white would be a better choice for women though - The pink looks a bit too pink, like nail polish.
Posted by carkitter
This V640i is working OK via USB (the other one wouldn't) so I'll hold onto it for the time being and enquire with SE via phone tomorrow. I really like using the HSDPA connection, its sooooo fast!
Edit: Actually real fast. This test is 200kbps faster than the previous V640i was at home.
_________________
My V640i review
"Innovation in styling comes from innovation in packaging" - Gordon Murray
[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2008-05-11 09:48 ]
Posted by soane28
Wow thats a decent speed from a phone! I would be rather impressed too!
Posted by carkitter
It seems Mobile broadband pricing may change for the better after the introduction of the 3G iPhone. While we may not get "all you can eat" data plans as in the US, it appears policy will change from the from the long suffering frustration I've had to put up with for being ahead of my time by dumping my landline and taking up mobile data in late 2006, to something intended to actually be used... by non-business customers... everyday... as one would a desktop and landline connection.
New Zealand Herald Telecommunication Blog by Peter Griffin: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sec[....]y.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10510190
All I can say is that its about time. I'll be looking closely at our On Account plans and how the iPhone can fit in. My wife definately could make use of this and any increase in internet speed/bandwidth/affordability/usability is a big plus for us.
My W980 upgrade might have to wait at least 'til my birthday in September.
_________________
My V640i review
"Innovation in styling comes from innovation in packaging" - Gordon Murray
[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2008-05-15 12:29 ]
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Finally! thats really interesting to read, and interesting that it took the iPhone release to force them to do something about it!
Casual users of the mobile internet currently pay $11.25 per megabyte downloaded on the Vodafone network. Even the bundled plans available to mobile users are very restrictive. A Mobilise Data 3 plan gives you three megabytes of data for around $11 per month.
See thats why I had my old prepay account cancelled just over a year ago. I connected it to my laptop and used about 1GB of data before they could charge me. Thats about $10000 of data on the current pricing, which is ridiculous! On home broadband, 1GB would cost us about $20 max. So anyway, Vodafone deactivated my prepay account (because its PREpay, they can't make you pay after you've used it) and I had to buy a new sim card and number.
Hopefully now I won't have a fear of using my phone to access the internet on the go!
Oh yeah, and regarding Vodafone Live!'s facelift that was mentioned in the article... Man it looks terrible. It used to look bad, and they haven't improved it.
One thing that really bothers me is that I used to always check the new games available as I like to have something to play when I get bored away from home. To check this I always used the 'Games' shortcut link on my phone... However with this facelift they've stuffed the link and I have to go round the long way! So much for a shortcut! And seeing my phone is one of the most recent releases and should be up to date with Vodafone's latest settings, I guess they've stuffed the link on every single Vodafone phone available!
_________________
[ This Message was edited by: Muhammad-Oli on 2008-05-15 13:49 ]
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
On 2008-05-15 14:43:11, Muhammad-Oli wrote:
Oh yeah, and regarding Vodafone Live!'s facelift that was mentioned in the article... Man it looks terrible. It used to look bad, and they haven't improved it.
One thing that really bothers me is that I used to always check the new games available as I like to have something to play when I get bored away from home. To check this I always used the 'Games' shortcut link on my phone... However with this facelift they've stuffed the link and I have to go round the long way! So much for a shortcut! And seeing my phone is one of the most recent releases and should be up to date with Vodafone's latest settings, I guess they've stuffed the link on every single Vodafone phone available!
Ok they've fixed the link now so I'm happy enough. It still looks awful though, the image backgrounds need to be made transparent in places due to the grey page background. Also some images are very pixelated. Oh well.
Posted by K71
y'know, after seeing that G900 video, i think i may go for that phone!!i wasn't too sure about it before with lack of sliding lens cover but i think it can remain scratch free with some careful ownership.that touch screen interaction it looks great!!+ 5mpx autofocus, not really worth getting C902 i think, unless picture quality turns out to be alot better in the C902.until shiho (or however its spelt) info gets released in the next few months, i think G900 will replace the trusty K800i.when is the G900 out? the SE nz website doesn't have it as coming soon, but it does seem to have the G502.
[ This Message was edited by: K71 on 2008-05-19 12:47 ]
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Yeah I thought the same mate, but I don't think the G900 is coming here.
Pretty sad how we don't get the best SE phones!
Posted by K71
well i was just thinking of buying one anyway as it should still work here, but then i remembered my k800 which i bought through ebay.i started using it about a month b4 it was released in nz, txting was ok but i couldn't use the pxt service, and vodafone took a further 3 months to get k800 pxt settings up on their website for download.after that it worked fine.I will admit i have yet to try 3G services with it as i don't have a 3G sim card, but obviously that function isn't that important to me at the moment.however, i could end up with a situation like the k800 in that they don't have compatable settings to use, which would really f**k me off.i don't really see why a brand new SE G900 couldn't be used in nz with txt/pxt/3G etc. working on the vodafone network, as those are basic functions which the G900 and vodafone use everyday.
ALSO SE nz are releasing the C902, C702, X1, and G502 here (they are listed on the nz website as coming soon), so i can see why they aren't bothering with G900 and G700 as those two are covered by the C9 and C7.i guess nz being such a small market there is no point in crowding it with similar products.
Posted by JiSm
Just send the Kxxx settings through anyways. They are all in the same format for newer SE.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
I wouldn't send through the K series settings as they aren't for a UIQ phone (just in case it makes a difference). Send through the P1i settings and the G900 should be sweet. Essentially they are the same.
Posted by JiSm
^^ Yea, probably a better idea.
Posted by carkitter
I hope I won't have any issues with an imported W980?
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
On 2008-05-20 17:27:31, carkitter wrote:
I hope I won't have any issues with an imported W980?
Nah, just go for the most similar phone's settings. Maybe the W910i. I don't think you'll be able to get some 3G features like video calling going though. But then, who uses that?
Posted by carkitter
Errr... I do, sometimes
BTW, I emailed VFNZ tonight asking them whether they'll do a Vodafone Family type deal for data, a one person pays - 4 people use deal. Here's hoping!
_________________
My V640i review
"Innovation in styling comes from innovation in packaging" - Gordon Murray
[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2008-05-20 17:47 ]
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
On 2008-05-20 18:39:23, carkitter wrote:
Errr... I do, sometimes
BTW, I emailed VFNZ tonight asking them whether they'll do a Vodafone Family type deal for data, a one person pays - 4 people use deal. Here's hoping!
Ok! Well you might be able to sort it. It will be interesting to see if it works! I always find that nobody I know has a video calling capable phone, so I've only used about twice in the several years I've been able to.
Fingers crossed for your data deal, but I think Vodafone won't be too keen on it at last until they release the iPhone and are forced to drop their prices a bit.
Posted by JiSm
It will be cool when Telecom move GSM. Imagine the wicked pricing they will have to do just to retain customers for all the hastle of changing around. I will be back by then too. Yay for me.
Posted by carkitter
@Jism
They're already discounting like hell to slow down the massive rush of customers to Vodafone. It seems everyone is on Vodafone these days. Only the business customers persevere with Telecom and then only those too conservative to change.
@M-O
Video calling won't be a major loss, I'm not sure if there is a video call camera on the W980, just so long as I don't have to wait six months to use the HSDPA and email client.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
On 2008-05-21 09:55:14, carkitter wrote:
@Jism
They're already discounting like hell to slow down the massive rush of customers to Vodafone. It seems everyone is on Vodafone these days. Only the business customers persevere with Telecom and then only those too conservative to change.
And those young people that still think Telecom is the best from back in the days that $10 text was the best thing ever. I only bought my Telecom because absolutely everyone I knew switched over when $10 text came out. I resurrected my old Telecom a few days ago just to text this one guy at university that I'm working on a brief with. I'm not paying 20c a text to him on my Vodafone! If those people would switch over to Vodafone, they'd realise what they were missing:
- BestMate - I think you can have up to four now, and its pretty cheap!
- TXT2000 - The same as Telecom's Boost Text deal, which most of them had anyway.
- Actually decent, and not stuck in the dark ages cell phones.
- A network which is actually fairly up to date. I find it surprising that Telecom doesn't yet offer a text service to get your account balance. Vodafone has had that as long as I have had a phone, and thats about 6-7 years now.
- GSM phones, so they don't have to worry about roaming and don't have to worry about the future changes.
@M-O
Video calling won't be a major loss, I'm not sure if there is a video call camera on the W980, just so long as I don't have to wait six months to use the HSDPA and email client.
The SE website lists Video Calling as a W980 feature. I don't think you'll have to wait for HSDPA or email. The W910i and W980 are likely to be very similar on the inside so I would imagine you can just use the W910i settings and it should work out fine!
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Looks like the W910i may have been removed from NZ stores... Its not showing up on the Vodafone site, and I remember it wasn't in my local Vodafone store anymore when I paid a visit the other day. I'm kinda glad... Makes my phone more exclusive.
Posted by carkitter
Hmmm... perhaps were getting the W890i or (perish the thought) the W980 at the same time as Europe. We seem to be getting the 3G Apple iPhone at the same time as other countries, if I were SENZ I'd be asking Vodafone to sharpen up thier SE release dates or admit to hipocracy/favouritism since unlocked iPhones in NZ supposedly number only 3000.
_________________
My V640i review
"Innovation in styling comes from innovation in packaging" - Gordon Murray
[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2008-05-24 03:11 ]
Posted by carkitter
Just noticed that Vodafone are doing a talking GPS download much like the SE GPS plugin accessory called Vodafone Compass. Right now it only works on Blackberry devices, but it'll work on other handsets in the future. It cost $2.50 a day or $10.00 per month to subscribe. I bet this has been optimised for the iPhone!
Posted by K71
so the G900 is out on ebay for us$600 odd.i think i'll wait for a three or so months before i seriously consider a purchase.hopefully the exchange rate will stay ok for us!!especially when the K850 is still $1000 at v.fone stores, it looks very tasty!!
another thing, with t.com going gsm, how easy do you lot think it will be to swap between the two??its just that i can remember a time not so long ago when officially you couldn't send txt messages etc. between v.fone and t.com, so will they block eachother from branded phones you think?
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
The K850i is actually $800:
http://store.vodafone.co.nz/m[....]t.aspx?brand=60&price=0&page=2
But I do agree with you. It seems like importing any phone is the way to go now because prices here are ridiculous! Hopefully Telecom will bring some competitive pricing to the market so we can finally afford what we want! In fact, thinking about it, Telecom might start bringing out SE phones again and they might bring out ones that Vodafone doesn't... And if they both stock the same phones, we'll have a price war on our hands!
Regarding switching between networks, I have no idea how its going to pan out. But carkitter recently said Vodafone is going to start locking mobiles, so it looks as though its not going to be easy!
Posted by K71
yeah that would be typical wouldn't it, lock phones to one network.if they do that then could that possibly screw up buying a phone from ebay etc?you should be able to buy a better range of phones than what they offer really.t.com are the ones that will benefit more with gsm as they'll have a better range of phones than they used to, so maybe v.fone will extend its range a bit.just as long as a G900 can be used here i'll be happy.
and the k850 i saw yesterday was $999 in the v.fone store in wgtn, so maybe its an online price?or they haven't changed the price labels in store yet.
[ This Message was edited by: K71 on 2008-05-25 12:08 ]
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
I don't think you'll have problems buying from eBay, just as long as you buy an unlocked phone. A G900 or almost any phone will work fine here, they'll only be locking the phones you buy directly from Vodafone NZ (and probably Telecom once they get the hang of this new GSM business
). One thing you might have to be careful of is TradeMe, because the majority of phones on there will be NZ-purchased ones and may be locked. With the average know-nothing NZer, they probably won't know to warn you either. Not for a while anyway.
I think you will be able to get the phones unlocked but I bet it will cost you!
Yeah you might be right about the K850i pricing. But then the pricing is never consistent anywhere in NZ.
Posted by K71
well if/when i get a G900, it'll be new and unlocked from ebay like my previous two se's.better start saving now eh?
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Yeah, you'd better!
One good place to look is here.
They've been recommended by a few Esato users and their prices are generally very cheap. Make sure the drop down box in the upper right of the page is set to New Zealand dollars and have a browse. They don't have the G900 yet but they're usually very quick. I'd expect to see it within a week or two.
Posted by K71
looks interesting thanks..............ha!!k850's for nz$480!!!!amazing isn't it!!still $800 in nz!!
Posted by carkitter
Vodafone have announced they'll be SIM locking phones from May 1st and that unlocking will cost $50. Telecom have announced they will NOT be locking phones and there's some SPECULATION they may offer a $50 credit to get people to bring across thier locked phones. Telecom's GSM network is apparently taking longer than expected to get going so coverage in November could give new meaning to the word 'sparse' if you want more than GPRS... I also read that Telecom were front-runners for an exclusive NZ deal for the iPhone until Apple decided to drop the 'one network per country' policy meaning that until they get thier HSDPA act together (perhaps next year) they won't be able to release thier version of the iPhone.
As far as pricing goes...
in the mall this morning, I went past a Vodafone Kiosk that had the W910i selling at $799 and the K850i at $999 while the Vodafone Shop just 50m further up had both for the new $200 lower prices. Just dumb, but I'm sure some schmuck will pay it. No sign of the W910i disappearing from stores near me...
I can't see there being a pricing war for non-contract phones unfortunately as I've recently come to find that SE phones here and in OZ are not supplied by SE but by a third party who buys in bulk. With VodafoneNZ being able to piggy-back of the Vodafone World-wide brand and loading unique firmware on arrival, it can get a better deal than Telecom NZ who have no associations to leverage off. Expect to see cheap/free phones if you sign up to a contract though!
What I hope will happen is that we may see SE phone stores pop up selling branded and non-branded phones as they do overseas. It would depend on whether Official Apple Resellers who are not Vodafone affiliated like Magnum Mac get to sell un-branded iPhones... it could be a significant precedent if they do. Here's hoping!
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
On 2008-05-26 04:02:02, carkitter wrote:
I can't see there being a pricing war for non-contract phones unfortunately as I've recently come to find that SE phones here and in OZ are not supplied by SE but by a third party who buys in bulk. With VodafoneNZ being able to piggy-back of the Vodafone World-wide brand and loading unique firmware on arrival, it can get a better deal than Telecom NZ who have no associations to leverage off. Expect to see cheap/free phones if you sign up to a contract though!
What I hope will happen is that we may see SE phone stores pop up selling branded and non-branded phones as they do overseas. It would depend on whether Official Apple Resellers who are not Vodafone affiliated like Magnum Mac get to sell un-branded iPhones... it could be a significant precedent if they do. Here's hoping!
Well thats pretty much settled then. I probably won't buy a new phone from Vodafone or Telecom again. I think I'm going to just buy imported phones from now on. It sounds like this new Telecom GSM network isn't going to help so much as make it worse in many cases. I will still hope for dedicated SE stores, but NZ is so small...
To be honest I don't think Vodafone is really going to be able to brand their iPhones. Apple won't allow them to. They can lock as much as they like, but not brand!
At this stage Apple is the only company that can draw me away from SE, and that depends on how good the next gen iPhone is!
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
I just noticed our little New Zealanders thread is coming up to its 500th post.
Posted by carkitter
On 2008-05-25 12:56:49, Muhammad-Oli wrote:
But I do agree with you. It seems like importing any phone is the way to go now because prices here are ridiculous!
Not only the prices but the indignity of waiting up to 6 months behind European release and not getting FANTASTIC models like K810, T650, W580, W890, etc.
The Mobile phone market is the fastest moving in the world. We all know that a phone in the market for 6-9 months is old and a 2yr model is ancient. Even Motorola went from boom to bust (nearly) in only 2yrs. We want our phones now! ** slams the table**
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Damn right! I can't believe they still list the K800i as a current phone! And the future isn't so great looking either. We aren't going to see several phones that have been announced recently. I'm not saying they should release every single one here... That would be ridiculous. I'm saying release some good ones! Out of all the phones coming 'soon', only the W980, X1 and C902 are truly interesting. The C702 is a rehashed K800i/K770i, the G502 and Z780i while good looking are technically V640is in new clothing. And then the T303 and W350i are pretty plain and featureless.
I'd like to see the W890i, W960i (what happened to that!), W580i, T650i, and most of all for me, the G900. And not in a years time either! I want to see good phones out here when they are released in Europe!
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Oh and BTW, various phones are now available from parallel importers now. Most notably the Z770i available at Expert Infotech for $421.50 and at Etown for $500.
Posted by carkitter
On 2008-05-26 05:38:29, Muhammad-Oli wrote:
...The C702 is a rehashed K800i/K770i, the G502 and Z780i while good looking are technically V640is in new clothing. And then the T303 and W350i are pretty plain and featureless.
Ouch! Harsh...
C702 - A better looking K800i/K770i with A200 would be a delicious prospect IMO.
The nice looking G502 and Z780 internet phones will fall flat on thier faces unless Vodafone makes Data cheaper and more accessable as could happen when the iPhone comes out - here's hoping. Neither has a very big screen for Web browsing but competitive pricing along the lines of the V640i would make up for that and attract iPhone wannabe owners on a budget.
Dunno how the T303 fits in... but I love the Ericsson-esque W350 phone with flip, maybe a W200 replacement?
Edit: BTW, I picked up K770i, W910i, and K850i brochures from the mall this morning - complete with sonyericsson dot com dot au address on the back. I can't believe they're marketing the hideous K770i as a stylish phone for party girls, when they could've had a truly stylish phone - the T650 instead.
_________________
My V640i review
"Innovation in styling comes from innovation in packaging" - Gordon Murray
[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2008-05-26 05:13 ]
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Yeah alright I'll admit I was a bit harsh on the C702.
But I'm going to let my comments on the rest of the range stand. I just don't see them being well accepted here, and I don't think they bring anything new to the market really. You're right about data, Vodafone needs a serious rethink about their pricing to get the data-centric phones to sell.
I think the T650i would have sold like hot-cakes here. Its such a great looking phone, and elsewhere it was really cheap, so should have been cheap here too. I have NEVER seen a K770i outside a shop!
Posted by soane28
a few people at uni have the K770. But yes, the T650 would be popular indeed.