Iphone Purchase

[Dissolution]

So I'm toying with the idea of buying myself an iPhone, since my current phone is on the brink of failure.

Any users here have had any problems with using it in BKK? Also, should I buy an unlocked one at MBK, or wait for (hopefully) the unlocked versions to arrive at iShops next year?

I'd probably use it for messaging, calls, maybe store some notesm and playing with whatever misc. applications.

On another note, I noticed the on-screen keyboard seems to lack commas and periods while typing messages. Is this an oversight, or is there some way to insert punctuation?

[Firefoxx]

My friend actually got three (yes three) iPhones, but not from here, from the US, and they were much cheaper than what's selling at MBK right now ($399 vs 20k+). His first two were pre-1.1.2, so were pretty easy to unlock, and he's using them with Thai sims. The last one was a 1.1.2 firmware, so he's having problems cracking it. He might just order a ultra-sim (or whatever) to get it to work for $90. Would still be cheaper than MBK.

[Gimbo]

My friend actually got three (yes three) iPhones, but not from here, from the US, and they were much cheaper than what's selling at MBK right now ($399 vs 20k+). His first two were pre-1.1.2, so were pretty easy to unlock, and he's using them with Thai sims. The last one was a 1.1.2 firmware, so he's having problems cracking it. He might just order a ultra-sim (or whatever) to get it to work for $90. Would still be cheaper than MBK.

Well it does not have 3G, no video camera, and you can only send one messages to one recipient at a time. It's nothing more than a fancy music player with the added capability of being able to make phone calls (provided you can unlock it). Itæs like yesterdays tecknology with a fancy interface.

I'd wait for the next generation, at least it will have 3G, or so I read somewhere.

[Firefoxx]

You forget to mention that it's proprietary, has no real developer support (yet), has no memory expansion, has very little memory, is slightly on the expensive side, yadda yadda yadda.

But it sells very well, like a lot of Apple products, since people like the style. It's *cool*. What Apple gets right is design, even though it doesn't use cutting edge tech.

[Dissolution]

So I guess it's back to the age-old 'Looks vs. Functionality' thing again.

[miniwai]

I recommend you try one out, it's the best way to decide. Don't believe everything you have read from the posters above because most of it is simply not true! Granted if you get one now to use in Thailand it will have to be unlocked, but given that all of the applications you could ever want are available. It's not a 3G phone true but seen as 3G is unavailable in Thailand why would you want a 3G phone?

I own one and simply put it's by far the best phone I have ever owned!

Edited December 26, 2007 by miniwai

[Gimbo]

I recommend you try one out, it's the best way to decide. Don't believe everything you have read from the posters above because most of it is simply not true! Granted if you get one now to use in Thailand it will have to be unlocked, but given that all of the applications you could ever want are available. It's not a 3G phone true but seen as 3G is unavailable in Thailand why would you want a 3G phone?

I own one and simply put it's by far the best phone I have ever owned!

Well, most people are simply here stopping by, and 3G is an issue for me, as most places I go 3G is availabale.... and wi-fi is not. So 3G is important for me. Specially in Europe. But even backwater countries like Sri Lanka have a 3G network now.

You can not send an SMS to multiple recipients, nor can you send an MMS, very popular where I am from. There is no video facility, well on most phones its crappy, but it is there.

The memory what is it: 4 or 8Gb....my old 4th generation iPOD has 40 gigs, bought in 2004.

What it has is a good MP3 player, and you can surf the internet fairly ok with it, provided you are in a wi fi zone, and it's probably good for email.

But for myself, I'll wait until Aplle discover that we are actually soon to enter 2008. Good looks allone does not cut it for me. For that prize I want something more.

[miniwai]

Hi Gimbo,

Agreed if you're a 3G user the lack of it on the Iphone is a big omission. I'm assuming though Dissolution is living in Thailand and wouldn't be able to use this technology anyway. As to the other things you have mentioned the Iphone can send multiple SMS, MMS and record video all thanks to 3rd party apps. The 8 gig is small but comparable with all other phones on the market. I find it more than enough for day to day use. I also have an Ipod (80g) and honestly struggled to fill it...... I have some right c@#p on there.

It is also the best MP3 player on the market (along with the Itouch). Perfect for surfing the net in Wi-Fi (ok, over edge) and the best portable device for checking and sending emails on the move (much better than the Blackberry)

The big omission for me is GPS! But again should be available very soon thanks to 3rd party apps.

P.S. Dissolution you can add commas, question marks etc. using the tab key in the lower left corner of the screen.

Edited December 26, 2007 by miniwai

[DamianMavis]

Just in case its not clear:

YES YOU CAN ADD COMAS ETC... of course omg.

YES YOU CAN SEND MULTIPLE SMS AND RECEIVE MMS, just go to the installer and install the needed app, TAKES 30 SECONDS AND IS SIMPLE ENOUGH FOR A RETARDED MONKEY TO ENABLE.

NO 3G, not an issue for people that live in Thailand since there is no 3g network here but not so good for those that live in countries with 3g.

Video is coming

IPHONE is 8 GIGS, you want expandable memory for that?

INTERNET BROWSING IS HANDS DOWN THE BEST ON THE IPHONE, compared to other phones, you can easily change from normal to landscape format, open multiple pages and very easily switch from one to the other, looks exactly like a computer screen, no loss of resolution, colour, or form. I've browsed internet on 10 different phones, some costing over 30k baht, none look this nice for the internet. Regarldess of whether you are using wifi or gprs,.

Of course the mp3 player, music browser, video player, and photo viewer are all better than any other product out there.

Most of your comments guys were not correct, the only real problem with this phone is no 3g. That is the only valid and true problem with the iphone, unless you live in Thailand, then its no big deal at all since there is no network here for 3g.

Damian

Edited December 26, 2007 by DamianMavis

[Firefoxx]

Woops, it seems that like all Apple products, there are people who are very very protective of the iPhone, and even though I was supportive of it, I've been dragged into the argument. Anyways, I hope this thread is kept civil. And guys, there is a difference between "true" and "valid" or "of concern".

[Gimbo]

Just in case its not clear:

YES YOU CAN ADD COMAS ETC... of course omg.

YES YOU CAN SEND MULTIPLE SMS AND RECEIVE MMS, just go to the installer and install the needed app, TAKES 30 SECONDS AND IS SIMPLE ENOUGH FOR A RETARDED MONKEY TO ENABLE.

NO 3G, not an issue for people that live in Thailand since there is no 3g network here but not so good for those that live in countries with 3g.

Video is coming

IPHONE is 8 GIGS, you want expandable memory for that?

INTERNET BROWSING IS HANDS DOWN THE BEST ON THE IPHONE, compared to other phones, you can easily change from normal to landscape format, open multiple pages and very easily switch from one to the other, looks exactly like a computer screen, no loss of resolution, colour, or form. I've browsed internet on 10 different phones, some costing over 30k baht, none look this nice for the internet. Regarldess of whether you are using wifi or gprs,.

Of course the mp3 player, music browser, video player, and photo viewer are all better than any other product out there.

Most of your comments guys were not correct, the only real problem with this phone is no 3g. That is the only valid and true problem with the iphone, unless you live in Thailand, then its no big deal at all since there is no network here for 3g.

Damian

Well, as I said, no 3G is a fact, it is also a fact that I need it. Both for work (I work overseas, and 90% of the time my only internet connection is to use 3G if a need a faster connection)

That it has a very nice browser and works great for internet, with wi-fi, and that you can go in slow mode using GPRS does not sell it to me. 3G is alpha and omega. Without it I may as well use my regular 3G phone conected to my laptop.

Also I use all off my 40 gigs on my old 4th generation IPOD photo, storing pictures from my camera when my memory chips are full, and also as backup. As I do some freelance photography on the side. in that sence, 8 gigs is luaghable. So YES 8 gigs is nothing. By the way I have about 250 gigs of music on my computer. I can easilly fill those 8 gigs.

And then you have to install a lot of 3rd party software to make it do what any normal mobile phone can do out of the box. Without voiding its warranty.

So for ME, buying an iphone, neither saves me the hassle of having to lug a laptop for internet use, I also need to carry with me an ordinary phone and and old iPOD.

However when the NEXT generation iPHone comes, I may consider getting one. As 3G would tip the scale for me. at least then I can discard the ordinary mobile phone.

Right now the iphone cant replace my old mobile, nor my old ipod.

That is TRUE.

[miniwai]

LOL Damian, easy tiger.

I agree I am a fan of the Iphone but simply because it's a great phone. I wasn't trying to start an argument with anyone. The facts are facts though and to report that something can't do this or that is not "fact' nor "valid" I just found it "of concern" that people were being misguided.

Regards Miniwai

P.S. Seasons greetings :-)

[funfun]

LOL Damian, easy tiger.

I agree I am a fan of the Iphone but simply because it's a great phone. I wasn't trying to start an argument with anyone. The facts are facts though and to report that something can't do this or that is not "fact' nor "valid" I just found it "of concern" that people were being misguided.

Regards Miniwai

P.S. Seasons greetings :-)

I just got one for xmas and it is a nice phone i dont know how to use the f@cking thing though, i cant get my telephone nos off ma sim to the phone or view the nos on the sim or if someone calls its just a no displayed no names, besides that its ace!

chris

[whitethai]

My friend actually got three (yes three) iPhones, but not from here, from the US, and they were much cheaper than what's selling at MBK right now ($399 vs 20k+). His first two were pre-1.1.2, so were pretty easy to unlock, and he's using them with Thai sims. The last one was a 1.1.2 firmware, so he's having problems cracking it. He might just order a ultra-sim (or whatever) to get it to work for $90. Would still be cheaper than MBK.

Unquote

Not to hijack the thread but can some tell where the cheapest place to get mobile phones all brands from in Bangkok?

Mabun Krong you mention was supposed to be cheap someone said.

Thanks

[DamianMavis]

Sorry I guess using red and capitals gave the wrong tone, I wasn't angry heh, just wanted the correct information to get through. It just seems like withouth the red and capitals people will STILL not get the message that the phone actually does the things some claim it cannot.

Just to be clear, I don't like apple, or microsoft... to me they are both fookers. Take this bullsheet with needing an expensive phone contract to use an iphone in the States, nice way to try to control people.... makes me angry. But I do love the iphone. After the last 4 years struggling through with slow phones for EVERYTHING. O2 pda's, Nokia smart phones, Samsung smart phones etc... all are like your "special" cousin at family get togethers compared to the iphone. I mean just looking at photos on one of those older phones takes so much longer and is less intuitive, video is choppy and laggy, internet is painful and unreadable and awkward, everything has slow load times.... after using some of the most expensive phones on the market and thinking all phones were slow and choppy like this I was utterly shocked and surprised at how fluid, smooth and intuitive the iphone was. That is why I love this phone, it just plain works better and saves me time and headaches.

Damian

[Soundguy]

So I'm toying with the idea of buying myself an iPhone

DO IT, Best phone I ever had, been using mine in LOS for nearly 4 months. Only thing that doesn't work is the voicemail.. get one, but don't waste your money on a skin for it. Don't need them. GO ON, DO IT, DO IT!

-------------------------

Sent from my Iphone.

[Soundguy]

I just got one for xmas and it is a nice phone i dont know how to use the f@cking thing though, i cant get my telephone nos off ma sim to the phone or view the nos on the sim or if someone calls its just a no displayed no names, besides that its ace!

chris

FF, Just put the SIM that has your address book into another phone with bluetooth or a serial cable, then import or sync those numbers into address book application on your computer. Then put the SIM back into the Iphone and sync with Itunes, voila the address book contents are on the Iphone.

------------------------

Sent from my Iphone.

[DamianMavis]

Just in case its not clear:

YES YOU CAN ADD COMAS ETC... of course omg.

YES YOU CAN SEND MULTIPLE SMS AND RECEIVE MMS, just go to the installer and install the needed app, TAKES 30 SECONDS AND IS SIMPLE ENOUGH FOR A RETARDED MONKEY TO ENABLE.

NO 3G, not an issue for people that live in Thailand since there is no 3g network here but not so good for those that live in countries with 3g.

Video is coming

IPHONE is 8 GIGS, you want expandable memory for that?

INTERNET BROWSING IS HANDS DOWN THE BEST ON THE IPHONE, compared to other phones, you can easily change from normal to landscape format, open multiple pages and very easily switch from one to the other, looks exactly like a computer screen, no loss of resolution, colour, or form. I've browsed internet on 10 different phones, some costing over 30k baht, none look this nice for the internet. Regarldess of whether you are using wifi or gprs,.

Of course the mp3 player, music browser, video player, and photo viewer are all better than any other product out there.

Most of your comments guys were not correct, the only real problem with this phone is no 3g. That is the only valid and true problem with the iphone, unless you live in Thailand, then its no big deal at all since there is no network here for 3g.

Damian

Well, as I said, no 3G is a fact, it is also a fact that I need it. Both for work (I work overseas, and 90% of the time my only internet connection is to use 3G if a need a faster connection)

That it has a very nice browser and works great for internet, with wi-fi, and that you can go in slow mode using GPRS does not sell it to me. 3G is alpha and omega. Without it I may as well use my regular 3G phone conected to my laptop.

Also I use all off my 40 gigs on my old 4th generation IPOD photo, storing pictures from my camera when my memory chips are full, and also as backup. As I do some freelance photography on the side. in that sence, 8 gigs is luaghable. So YES 8 gigs is nothing. By the way I have about 250 gigs of music on my computer. I can easilly fill those 8 gigs.

And then you have to install a lot of 3rd party software to make it do what any normal mobile phone can do out of the box. Without voiding its warranty.

So for ME, buying an iphone, neither saves me the hassle of having to lug a laptop for internet use, I also need to carry with me an ordinary phone and and old iPOD.

However when the NEXT generation iPHone comes, I may consider getting one. As 3G would tip the scale for me. at least then I can discard the ordinary mobile phone.

Right now the iphone cant replace my old mobile, nor my old ipod.

That is TRUE.

Gimbo... guess you didnt read too carefully, I fully agreed with you and stated that the big problem with Iphone was no 3G... why are you acting like I'm disagreeing with you. You also stated some things about the iphone that simply were incorrect and we corrected that for you. But 3G is non existent on the Iphone, I said it twice in my post.....

However, I do think alot of us actually live here, and are not passing through as you said. So to us, no 3G is completely irrelevant. But if I was living in a 3G network capable country it would be a big problem for me too. I have never tried 3G... sounds great, so its very fast for internet? See that is something I have no clue on..... to me my choices have always been and always will be gprs (or edge) or wifi. I actually thought GPRS was ok, but I guess if I was you and used to very fast 3G internet than I'd probably see it for what it is: not adequate.

Damian

[torrenova]

Am I missing something here but isn't it a phone ? and I hear that it doesn't do that very well with poor reception. Sure it does all the other things but it is not really a phone is it ? Its a toy.

[DamianMavis]

Am I missing something here but isn't it a phone ? and I hear that it doesn't do that very well with poor reception. Sure it does all the other things but it is not really a phone is it ? Its a toy.

Eh? What are you serious? My samsung and 37k baht pda phone had EXTREMELY poor reception, I have absolutely no problems with the iphone and even get reception inside elevators which my other phones could not do... what on earth are you going on about? It's a phone.

Damian

[nikster]

You forget to mention that it's proprietary, has no real developer support (yet), has no memory expansion, has very little memory, is slightly on the expensive side, yadda yadda yadda.

Ummmm.... which phones are not proprietary? Apple is coming out with a SDK on Jan 15. As for developer support I'd think it's the best ever. Considering that there is loads of software out there even though you have to hack the device in order to get them to run.... and the software looks much better than commercial for-sale symbian software, I think it's no contest.

It is on the expensive side except in the U.S. without contract (e.g. unlocked) then it's a total bargain. I have a 4GB model which cost $299. 12K baht. For this kind of build and software quality, it's incredible.

8GB is not exactly "little memory". I don't think you can get a phone with more than that. The N95 high end version comes with 8GB as well. Others.... well... most won't accept HD DS cards so good luck trying to even get 4GB in them.

The battery can't be replaced easily but whether or not that's a problem really depends. I have not bought a replacement battery for any phone I owned over the last 10 years so I am pretty confident that will be a non-issue over here.

As for the rest - the iPhone is fantastic. I can only recommend it. I can basically guarantee that you won't be disappointed. I am considering buying an iPhone for the missus, actually. In Thailand. 20K baht is still a bargain for this device.

[nikster]

...I fully agreed with you and stated that the big problem with Iphone was no 3G... why are you acting like I'm disagreeing with you. You also stated some things about the iphone that simply were incorrect and we corrected that for you. But 3G is non existent on the Iphone, I said it twice in my post.....

However, I do think alot of us actually live here, and are not passing through as you said. So to us, no 3G is completely irrelevant.

I think 3G needs the iPhone much more than the other way around. 3G is coming pretty soon since Apple is in talks with NTT DoCoMo in Japan to sell the iPhone there. And NTT DoCoMo has no GSM or GPRS networks, only a 3G UMTS HSUPA network. So... not long.

3G would make perfect sense for the iPhone too and I am in this case sure there was some technical reason or other to not include it in the first iteration. Maybe they just couldn't get it together in time, or something like that.

I also am with Damien WRT to the retarded ways Apple is trying to lock in customers and all the exclusive revenue-sharing deals. That's greedy and stupid IMHO, and I would actually never have bought an iPhone if there was no way to unlock it. Sim-free is a non-negotiable feature for me.

[dekka007]

I have had the Iphone for a long time now and I love it - HOWEVER over the last month or two it's becoming tedious carrying 2 phones I work a lot in Korea and Japan which are 3G only so as much as I love it I will probably sell it this week and and wait for the 3g version later in the year (Fingers crossed) until then use a 3G capable..

I will miss it tho for the coming months.

[dekka007]

So if anyone is interested in a cheap Iphone, with original box and accessories (No Iphone Headphones tho) with very minor cosmetic scratches send me a PM.

Unlocked already with the latest firmware but will need to be unlocked for your simcard at MBK (800 baht) or by yourself.

Was thinking around 17k

Cheers

[funfun]

So if anyone is interested in a cheap Iphone, with original box and accessories (No Iphone Headphones tho) with very minor cosmetic scratches send me a PM.

Unlocked already with the latest firmware but will need to be unlocked for your simcard at MBK (800 baht) or by yourself.

Was thinking around 17k

Cheers

good price but i just got one a couple of days a go for xmas, did you find out how to sync it and do you know if ya can buy another cradle an lead for it?

i still havent got it up on net yet as i have been mow for days so im gonna try today, if i can stay of the sauce

chris

[dekka007]

not sure what u mean by sync, I have the cradle,usb lead and charger just not the Headphones. I am sure you can buy extras at MBK tho.

[funfun]

not sure what u mean by sync, I have the cradle,usb lead and charger just not the Headphones. I am sure you can buy extras at MBK tho.

syn is how i can put me phone to me computor and it should update telephone nos and photos etc, ive had it on other phones before and it a good way of keeping all ya nos uptodate if someone nabs ya phone also putting music onto it etc cos mine aint got one tune yet!

chris

[dekka007]

Iphone syncs with Itunes, Iphoto etc. Dead easy you wont have a problem.

[funfun]

Iphone syncs with Itunes, Iphoto etc. Dead easy you wont have a problem.

go on then, pretend your talking to an idiot, in fact dont pretend,

just do a quick do this then sit ya phone in ya cradle etc for us cant do it!

chris

[dekka007]

1. Install Itunes

2. Connect your Iphone.

Done.