Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Hmm, that might be a good idea, carkitter.
Thanks! Last time I emailed them though, it took them over a month to reply! But I guess if I get anything, its all worth it.
I must admit I'm glad I bought the W910i when I did cause I've had a good two or three months with it, so its not entirely disappointing. I just really would like that 4GB card!
BTW, carkitter: What's your opinion of the new iPhone? I must say I'm a bit disappointed and skeptical but I do really like its new behind!
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[ This Message was edited by: Muhammad-Oli on 2008-06-10 11:36 ]
Posted by carkitter
I'm very impressed and still think this is a must have!
Personally I'm a bit disappointed at the lack of A2DP and Video Calling, but as the phone will go to the mrs its not really a problem. I've just watched the MobileMe video on Youtube (which downloads faster than the Apple dot com version
) and I like that very much. It's something I could see my wife using to share the photos of the kids with family and friends. She might even be persuaded to go digital with her appointment list
Once she gets the hang of this device, I can see her and her iPhone being inseparable
It's all in having practical uses for the technology and I think this is where Apple excells.
I would want a contract deal which supplies a white 16GB iPhone, a decent amount of data, matches her present 'Mega' contract closely and includes MobileMe all in one price. I'd pay up to $700 for that.
It'll be interesting to try the Apple 2.0Mp camera v the SE V640i 2.0Mp camera as I've been playing around with Exposure adjustment and am pretty proud of the results. I'm getting much better pics than the V630i in low light, better detail in good light and the only issue is in rendering leaves on trees, which I noticed is also an issue for your W910. Oh well, its barely noticable at laptop screen size pics.
On the weekend I downloaded Opera Mini 4 to the V640i and I spent my lunchtime today browsing the NZ Herald technology pages on it. It works surprisingly well and makes the 2" screen usable which I never though it would be! Very nice indeed!
_________________
My V640i review and My Carkit review
[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2008-06-10 12:53 ]
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Well the iPhone definitely hasn't impressed me. I agree that its a decent enough upgrade, but its not enough to win me over. They had a chance, but failed! I guess it would take quite a bit to really pull me away from SE. I just love the SE interface and way of doing things too much.
It will definitely be interesting to compare the pictures when you get your wife her iPhone. I have noticed the lack of detail on my W910i as well, but I think our phones have the same camera module so I am not surprised.
I read the camera has been improved on the iPhone too, so it could be tough competition!
Do you find Opera Mini faster than the regular browser? I find that on the occasional time I actual use my phone for any kind of data, the browser is extremely slow! Well I assume its the browser seeing its supposed to be HSDPA (though I am beginning to think HSDPA coverage ain't happening in my area so its probably just 3G).
Posted by carkitter
I use Opera browser on the Laptop thru the V640i and Opera Mini on the V640i itself and I find that the Mini browser is slower, probably because it also has to resize the pages. The standard browser is useless for anything other than Vodafone Live!, Esato is impossible to use on it for instance, the Opera Mini focus box is what makes all the difference. I was browsing today in a rural (GPRS) area and page load speed was ok.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
True, I may give it a download. I dunno if its worth it though, because I hardly ever use my phone for that sort of thing.
If I get a smart phone (probably my next phone) I will probably switch back onto a plan and get a nice data package added on so then I will use it more.
BTW I emailed Vodafone and I 'strongly suggested' some kind of compensation. I hope I didn't come off too much like a person looking for a freebie.
Posted by carkitter
Good on you, I don't think it's an unreasonable request given how recently it was released and how much extra value is included now. I'm sure the W950 and K800i owners (both of them) wouldn't have noticed the price drop of thier respective phones 2yrs after release but 16-odd weeks is a bit on the nose especially as Vodafone insist you shouldn't buy from importers.
_________________
My V640i review and My Carkit review
[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2008-06-10 15:11 ]
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Yeah thats true, and I stated it in my email. I'll let you know what their reply is, when it arrives. I checked the Vodafone online store and they sell a 4GB M2 card for $180. So new W910i byers are getting $200 off the price, plus $180 worth of added value. Thats $380 off if they were going to get a 4GB M2 card anyway, and a half price W910i...
Posted by carkitter
Be prepared to be subject to a non-disclosure agreement before you recieve anything though, they won't want a stampede!
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Lol a stampede of W910i owners? Thats an awfully small stampede!
Posted by carkitter
Maybe, but one with good taste!
How's the carkit coming along? Any joy/problems?
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Thanks!
The carkit is still sitting on my desk.
Unfortunately my weekends have kept me busy so far, and now that I'm on holiday from University, I'm stuck inside with a horrible cold!
As soon as this cold disappears, I'm giving it a shot!
Posted by soane28
Oli - thats why i always buy parrallel imports! They have extremly good prices even brand new and by the time they hit the vodafone store, they are ridiculiously priced! I know it is risky, and you get a limited warranty, but IMO so worth it!
The K850 has finally come down to $800 at vodafone, and parrallel imports: $550-600 with 1 GB card.
As for the W910 - $450 plus 2 GB card via parrallel imports.
And then sometimes vodafone wont even drop the price to the same price you payed for it!
Im still waiting for the N82 to come to vodafone - im guessing $900-1000 retail When its released? And i bought it for $740 back in March
So yeah definitely complain, someone needs to ruffle their feathers for their expensive prices!
[ This Message was edited by: soane28 on 2008-06-11 03:14 ]
Posted by K71
wow!!a 4GB card for $180!!!what a rip off!!!i got my sandisk 4GB card for about nz$110 about 7 or 8 months ago!!
anyway, in other news :
She Ho is lookin VERY nice!!although no OZ is a bit of a bummer.and apparently its gonna be out in 3 or 4 months time!!DAMN!!!still, it'll be quite expensive i think for the first 4 or 5 months anyway.
Oh, hands up all those nz'ers who have a G900 charging up in their house!!oh yeah!!................now i just gotta learn how to use the damn thing properly!!we have wi-fi in house so i'm keen to try that.touch screen takes a bit of getting used to (i tried it before charging it, i'm going to hell!!).
In the hand it feels the same weight as k800, and is wider plus slightly longer, but alot thinner.i know we know that already, but it does make a difference after using a k800 for almost 2 years.mainly worried about longevity of the lens glass cover, it could easily become a bit scratched over time, but i think that i won't have any prob's with that.She Ho might be cheap enough by then if that DID happen.either way i'm covered i guess.
oh, and they also included a 2GB M2 card in the phone!!!pity it weren't an 8GB really.so now i have a 512mb, 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB M2 card.next on my list is an 8GB M2 once i figure out how to use my G900. [ This Message was edited by: K71 on 2008-06-11 09:44 ]
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
@soane28: Yeah I haven't parallel imported a phone since my old K700i, and I got that for $400 at the time, when I think the phone retailed for $800 on Vodafone. It only ever came down to about $500 here, after several months, so I got a pretty good deal in my opinion! I'm pretty sure next time I buy a phone, it will definitely be an import.
@K71: I agree, Shiho looks awesome. I'm not at all worried about Optical Zoom, but I guess thats gonna be everyone's main complaint now, cause it seems to have everything else!
Congrats on the G900! You must be real happy! So can we look forward to some pictures of your new phone on here?
Posted by carkitter
Just had a look on SE dot co dot nz and guess what's missing?
G900, G700, Z780, R306, R300.
All were previously listed as coming soon but have been pulled. I double checked on the worldwide portfolio site and sure enough...
Z780 Asia-Pacific availabity is limited to Japan only!
A bit under-specced for Japan isn't it?
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
I don't think the G900 was ever listed as a phone coming here. I remember checking it a while back when I was considering one.
And I think that its unlikely that those phones were ever coming here, but Vodafone just failed to tell SE until now. Oh well, I don't think the NZ public will miss them at all. I think only the Z780 could have stood a chance here, but it is odd that it is for the Japanese market only! That can't be right can it?
Wooo! Metal Gear Solid 4 out tomorrow!
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Weird, it looks like Nokia is still making CDMA phones. I thought they gave up?
http://www.esato.com/board/viewtopic.php?topic=171260#post2366406
Posted by carkitter
I'n not 100% sure of the G series, but the Z780 was definately coming. It was announced at the same time as the G502 and both phones were listed as coming here. The Z770 was never coming but the Z780 was.
The R series were both listed but the R306 disappeared a while ago. I thought the R300 would stick around though.
I cannot understand the decision not to bring in the W760, it spec is great!
Since the W960 never arrived, will the W980 actually appear? Other expensive clamshells include Moto V8/V9 and Nokia 7390... hmmm not a big market then.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Yeah I honestly think Vodafone doesn't hold Sony Ericsson phones in high regard. I mean lets face it, we don't see them around that often do we? They mustn't sell very well here.
Vodafone have now sent me an automatic email to say they'll email again later, and a text message to say they'll be in touch within a week. I look forward to hearing what they have to say.
Posted by carkitter
On 2008-06-12 14:54:30, Muhammad-Oli wrote:
Weird, it looks like Nokia is still making CDMA phones. I thought they gave up?
http://www.esato.com/board/viewtopic.php?topic=171260#post2366406
They did and backed EV-DV, a non-Qualcomm owned CDMA technology faster than EV-DO but it fell over, so Nokia got Pantech to make some CDMA phones which were pretty crap, and since 2005 they've been fighting expensive court battles with Qualcomm in multiple countries over patent rights, its all on Endgadget...
CDMA is a dying technology and WiMax will go the same way, if it gets off the ground that is. Even the developers admit that the biggest advantage of WiMax may be that it hastens the development of LTE.
Posted by frankthetank
Hi guys newish user checking in...
Good to see a Kiwi only thread on here, though the banner of what looks like a sheep herd in Waikato won't help the stereotypes lol
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Hey man, welcome!
Yeah I think I said something along those lines when I put that picture up
Oh well, the sheep stereotype never hurt anyone!
Posted by frankthetank
And I believe you're also in CHristchurch?
Posted by carkitter
@frank
Welcome to the New Zealanders thread!
What phone do you have?
Posted by frankthetank
K800i in Brown (Much classier than Black IMO)
Bought off trade me for $300 from some suit in Auckland - you would have sworn it had never been used - except for all the dirty pxt and text messages from his mistresses that he neglected to delete lol.
Great phone all round except for the video capture limitations
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Yeah I'm in Christchurch too mate. What area are you from?
The K800i is a nice phone. I reckon its had one of the longest lives on the NZ market ever for a mobile phone! What brought you to Esato?
Posted by carkitter
I just saw your entry in the June monthly photo comp - very nice.
So whats HDR?
Posted by frankthetank
HDRi = High Dynamic Range imaging
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_dynamic_range_imaging
Haha looks like it may be canned as an entry due to the fact that the application I used to take the 5 exposures doesn't record exif data as it owuld if it were a normal photo, but thanks anyway I'm quite stoked with it.
@Muhammed-Oli
Initially the free themes, but then I got to reading the forums and it all went downhill from there lol
[ This Message was edited by: frankthetank on 2008-06-15 10:10 ]
Posted by frankthetank
Normal Exposure
As compared with 5 different exposures combined and tonemapped:
Posted by carkitter
On 2008-06-15 13:24:05, Muhammad-Oli wrote:
Wooo! 599 GTB and a 512 BB Daytona! What event was this?
I hope you don't mind me commenting in the thread.
I don't mind, I'm only addressing the question here because the other thread takes so long to refresh!
It was the launch of the Shell 95 Octane Hi-performance petrol, V-power. You may have seen the ads on tv. It was on in Auckland and Wellington only. There was a full-size replica Ferrari F1 car, a 599 GTB, a 512M, a 360 Modena and a 355 Spyder. And two PS3 based simulators for kids to use.
Ferrari merchandise was available for purchase (keyring price was too much for me!
), there was live music, an F1 style podium to be photographed on alongside cut-outs of Massa and Raikonen, but the biggest surprise was the two Emirates Team New Zealand 2007 Americas Cup yachts sitting nonchalently nearby...
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Wish I could have gone.
The 599GTB is one of my favourite cars at the moment, and I don't think I've ever seen so many Ferraris at once! It would have been awesome!
Not so interested in the America's Cup yachts myself, but thats cause I'm a car freak.
Posted by carkitter
On 2008-06-16 13:34:00, Muhammad-Oli wrote:
... I don't think I've ever seen so many Ferraris at once! It would have been awesome!
Then you would have loved the Concours d' Elegance car show I went to in '99, the Ferrari Car club got together in force with about 34 cars. If I can find the photos I'll scan them and put them up.
Posted by soane28
wow the C905 is very impressive! Looks like SE got it right this time!
Really really nice camera cover!
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
On 2008-06-17 08:46:13, carkitter wrote:
On 2008-06-16 13:34:00, Muhammad-Oli wrote:
... I don't think I've ever seen so many Ferraris at once! It would have been awesome!
Then you would have loved the Concours d' Elegance car show I went to in '99, the Ferrari Car club got together in force with about 34 cars. If I can find the photos I'll scan them and put them up.
Cheers mate. No pressure though, I know scanning can be a bit of a pain.
Man, creating all the official discussion threads for all the new phones was a mission and a half! Just finished putting the images and specs in.
The C905 really does look amazing. Someone said its CCD too, though I see no proof yet.
Posted by carkitter
Thats OK, it gives me a chance to try my in-laws new multi-function printer; I've never tried scanning before!
Well done on the anouncement threads, you're on-the-ball!
I've only had a chance to peruse the C905 thread, what an awesome phone! I'm lovin that!
When is it available BTW?
My wife looked nervous when I said I might have to get 2 new phones.
I really like the W980 but the spec on the C905 is incredible and its good looking too! It shows SE is back to it's best! Let's hope the wait time is not too long...
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Thanks very much!
The C905 is said to be available in early Q4. I think I'm going to have to make it my next phone too. It just looks incredible and it has the features to match! I love the golden brown and the black versions. I think this phone may just be the next K800i, that is if SE doesn't mess up like with the K850i.
Now I just have to wait for the smart-phone announcements, just in case theres something amazing there. Then I'll make my decision. Not that I'm unhappy with my W910i, but I don't think I will buy a Walkman phone again.
Posted by carkitter
On 2008-06-17 13:07:23, Muhammad-Oli wrote:
I think this phone may just be the next K800i, that is if SE doesn't mess up like with the K850i.
I'll go further and say this may be the next K750, its that good and not a neagtive comment yet from what I see.
SE have outdone themselves with todays anouncements, all the phones are superb! These will sell like hotcakes! I hope we see some of these in enzed.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Yeah I wondered whether I should go so far as to say its the new K750i... If we can go by all this excitement, then I'd say it is.
It already seems to have the fastest growing thread ever!
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[ This Message was edited by: Muhammad-Oli on 2008-06-17 12:57 ]
Posted by K71
yeah the C905 definately looks the business!!!it'll be expensive though on initial release.can you imagine how much vfone will be selling it for considering the k850 was $1000(i think?) on release!!??!!i'm quite tempted myself, but if i did buy it i would be waiting for maybe 6 or 7 months after its release to keep the cost down.
G900 going ok.still haven't really sat down with it to sort through menus and shortcuts, still a bit slow on the best way to open some things.
-posted pictures in G900 pic thread and in esato's photo section.
-camera button is a bit of a pain, hard to press down properly on it.
-back cover doesn't fit tightly along top edge.
-concealed m2 slot is a bit of a niusance, but managable.
-video calling works.i videocalled my k800, so i now know video calls work on that too!!!
-my hpm-82 remote can't be fully utilised at the moment.most remote features don't work which is annoying.
-signal quality quite good, although doesn't appear to be as consistant as k800.
-wlan picks up flatmates wifi network (as well as two neighbours, alas they are secure) but he can't remember the password so i can't connect to that yet.
-calls and txt seem to be all working fine, but not sure about pxt though, will have to test it more.
-downloaded settings for vfone live! seem to be ok but have yet to get onto vfone live! to check.
thats it for now.not really much of a tech person so thats all the info i can really give ya!!
[ This Message was edited by: K71 on 2008-06-17 13:22 ]
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
If I get the C905, I'll definitely be importing it. No way am I putting up with Vodafone's high pricing anymore!
Your G900 sounds pretty good overall! A bit of a pain having those small problems though, especially the headset. I saw your comments about the headset in the G900 thread, and it sounds extremely annoying! You'd expect all the functions to work if SE says its compatible!
Posted by K71
yeah, i'm not sure why it doesn't work properly.i was thinking of getting the hpm-85, or the hpm-90, but now i might wait to see if others have similar problems.
touchscreen is so kool!!
Posted by carkitter
@K71
Glad to know you got the video calling going. G900 sounds good so far.
C905 coming to NZ - at this stage...
Already here:
J110i, J210i
K310i, K610i, K770i, K800, K850i
M600
P990i, P1i
V630i, V640i
W200i, W850i, W880i, W910i, W950i
Z310i
Coming to NZ:
C702, C902, C905
G502
S302
T303
W350i, W980
Xperia X1
NOT coming to NZ:
F305
G700, G700 BE, G900
J120i, J121i, J132
K200i, K205, K220i, K330, K530i, K550i, K660i, K790i, K810i
R300, R306
S500i
T250i, T280i, T650i
W380i, W580i, W610i, W660i, W700i, W710i, W760, W890, W900i, W960i
Z250i, Z320i, Z555i, Z610i, Z710i, Z750i, Z770i, Z780i
@M-O
Add the above to the first page if you like
_________________
My V640i review and My Carkit review
[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2008-06-17 14:22 ]
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
On 2008-06-17 15:18:26, carkitter wrote:
C905 coming to NZ - at this stage...
Good news, even though I'll import it if I decide to buy it. I'd like to see SEs become more popular here, so any releases here are good!
Already here:
J110i, J210i (apparently)
K310i, K610i, K770i, K800, K850i
M600 (apparently)
P990i, P1i
V630i, V640i
W200i, W850i, W880i, W910i, W950i
Z310i
Never seen those phones here before, but its some good info to have, so I will add it to the first post! Thanks mate.
Posted by carkitter
We are getting the MD400 and MD400g USB Broadband modems too, which is a first for SE in NZ.
The EC400 may be better for me though if I end up needing a 3G Wifi router to run my laptop, an iPhone and C905. The V640i and W980 could also then surf by Bluetooth PAN connection.
Wonder where I'd import an EC400 Broadband PCMCIA card from?
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
To be honest, I don't know what you're on about!
I wouldn't trust the info on SE's website too much though. They chop and change as they please.
I've now updated the first post guys. Again, let me know if you want anything added or removed. I'm thinking about removing the two NZ threads of interest because they seem to have expired a bit, but I don't think we have anything to put in as a replacement!
Posted by carkitter
Found this hiding on the NZ Herald website:
MOBILE MEDIA
Vodafone is trying to secure its dominance of the 3G mobile phone market in advance of Telecom introducing its new 3G service around November.
Telecom mobile users have been able to access broadband, but because of the technology for its CDMA format, the network has been unable to provide features such as downloading videos.
That will change when Telecom changes to a new WCDMA network, but Vodafone has been going all out to secure a big lead and recently developed a deal with Hyperfactory to develop advertising on mobile phones.
From July 28 Vodafone will introduce a new initiative providing a casual rate of $1 a day for a maximum of 10 megabytes without committing to a fixed monthly data contract.
Each MB after that costs $1.
I don't think this goes far enough. 10 MB is nowhere near enough data and still leaves the potential for unintended overspending. And if you use data everyday then your paying $30 per month for only 300 MB and that's not cheap in anyones language.
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Oh I forgot to tell you guys! Vodafone sent me a text regarding this too. And I was gonna come post a comment on here saying that's a pretty crappy deal! Which it definitely is and I think anyone can see that. I hope they don't think that's cheap, cause if they do, they've got another thing coming...
They also say that browsing Facebook, Bebo, TradeMe and WAP YouTube (not the full version of YouTube) is free til about mid-July. Well I don't use those websites so I don't care. I had a look at WAP YouYube and its completely shite, and it cut of the connection part way through.
Vodafone's GPRS/3G/HSDPA service is completely shocking near my house, and I'm only a 15 minute walk from central Christchurch. It always cuts out, 3G hangs or disappears after only a few seconds of coming on, and this is even on the second storey of my house!
They better upgrade it before I even think about going on a plan so I can get cheap(er) data.
Anyway, seeing I hate these social networking sites, I hope the people who use their phones to go on them get stung with hidden costs or something.
Posted by carkitter
Check out this deal from VodafoneUK
C902 in Black or Exclusive Vodafone Red, free with a 18 month, GBP30 plan ($78) including unlimited landline calls (!) + 3GB Mobile Broadband available for GBP15 ($39). And that Broadband is 7.2Mbps...
I'd sign up to that. Even faster if it included a C905 or W980!
Edit: That plan can be had with C700, W890, W880, W910, K770, K850, V640, all free, some with bonus speaker bundles.
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[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2008-06-21 08:29 ]
Posted by Muhammad-Oli
Well I can't really afford that per month. But I agree its a lot better than what Vodafone offers here. If I could, I'd pay more the phone and taker a cheaper plan to get that 3GB mobile broadband!
Posted by carkitter
Well I pay about that per month now but without the free phone which would save me about $700 - 800. Lets hope this type of plan arrives here soon. I've noticed Vodafone affilliates Digital Mobile, First Mobile and DS Wireless advertising deals on V640i, K770i, K800i, Nokia 5310 with 24 month Talker and Txter plans so I'd expect something changing, maybe on July 11?
Thinking about the new Casual Data tariff, I think Vodafone are close to a good plan. If they drop the one day restriction, then $1 per 10 MB is not bad at all. I can see my wife using less than 50MB per month with an iPhone, and that would cost her only $5.00. At that rate, 1GB would cost $100 which still leaves room for formal Data plans.
Edit: I've emailed Vodafone about dropping the 'per day' restriction, hopefully they'll consider it.
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[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2008-06-22 00:43 ]