The iPhone thread

[buksida]

Don't think I'll be upgrading to the iPhone 4, by all accounts online it seems to be a bit of a lemon.

http://atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/LG17Dj02.html

[STEVE G]

Just this morning on CNN they had interviews of customers with iPhone 4s demanding a recall.
They were making a reasonable point that considering what they had paid for them, they expected it to work properly.

[chopsticks]

Don't think I'll be upgrading to the iPhone 4, by all accounts online it seems to be a bit of a lemon.

http://atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/LG17Dj02.html

... as the kudos of owning such a revered device appear to be paramount to whether it actually functions or not...

Nokia bricks rule...OK.

[pharvey]

Thankfully I went for the E72..........

[chopsticks]

Apple's solution to the antenna attenuation problem is to offer a free case or full refund to the punters.
Better idea than having to use duct tape or nail varnish on the problem area though

[sfirish]

here is the latest information from Apple re the iPhone 4

Apple Gives Free Bumpers to iPhone 4 Users ...... Customers get a free case and an apology, but no hardware fix ......

Today, as expected, Steve Jobs announced that Apple would offer free rubber "bumpers" to anyone who bought an iPhone 4 in order to fix the problem caused by the antenna's design flaw. However, Jobs did not promise a hardware fix which would alleviate the problem without marring the phone's aesthetic.

"We're not perfect," Jobs told reporters. "Phones aren't perfect either," adding, "but we want to make all of our users happy."

The free offer is available through Sept. 30, and a full refund will be issued to those who already bought the $29 case. The deal will appear on Apple's website "late next week," and if the supply of bumpers runs out, Apple will offer "a choice of cases," presumably all in the $29-or-less price range.

"It's very hard to escape the conclusion that there is a problem," Jobs said, "but that problem is affecting a very small percentage of our users."

During the Q&A period following the press conference, Jobs did offer an apology to customers: "To our customers who are affected by the issue, we are deeply sorry," adding, "To those investors who bought the stock and are down by $5, I have no apology."

Apple opened the event with a jab at the media's overreaction to the antenna issue, playing a video of Jonathan Mann's "The iPhone 4 Antenna Song," which includes the lyrics: "If you don't want an iPhone 4 don't buy it. If you bought one and you don't like it, bring it back ... but you know you won't."

Jobs announced that Apple had sold more than 3 million iPhone 4s in three weeks, and that it's been judged the No. 1 smart phone by many publications, including Consumer Reports, who had withheld a "recommended" rating because of the antenna issue.

[PeteC]

Don't think I'll be upgrading to the iPhone 4, by all accounts online it seems to be a bit of a lemon.

http://atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/LG17Dj02.html

Is there really a difference with the antenna location between a 3 and a 4? We've got a 3 here and the wife reports no problems. We both hold it left handed as well, but we're both right handed, it's called "preferred ear". Pete

[chopsticks]

Apple's "explanation" for that is most of the older iphone 3 models have probably been fitted with cases or protective surrounds by now whereas the new model was sold and is being used without any rubber prophylactics

[mabubba]

The problem seems to be hit and miss regarding 'antennagate'. I have had a 3G and have used a friend's 4 and haven't had any problems with either here in England. I have read it does depend on cellular strength.

[buksida]

Good news, jailbreaking is now legal!

Owners of Electronic Frontier Foundation and iPhone users who want the freedom to do what they desire with the product they have purchased were in celebratory mood this week. The US Library of Congress's Copyright Office ruled that users can legally "jailbreak" their phones; this will enable them to switch providers and install non-Apple approved applications.

Naturally, Cupertino, California-based Apple, maker of the iPhone, was not amused since it frowns upon the practice in its ongoing effort to control the user experience and rake in more profits. Apple is likely to continue with its existing policy of voiding the warranty on jailbroken iPhones, claiming that the modification of its software violates the end-user license agreement and could leave the device open to attack.

Jailbreaking an iPhone is not for everyone but, as the courts agreed, it should be an option, just as downloading and installing any software you like onto your PC is. The 30-second process enables the user to access thousands of applications that have not passed Apple's stringent requirements. They include the ability to record video and multi-task on older devices such as the 3G model, modify and tweak the device settings in greater depth, send and receive files using Bluetooth and generally have more control over it than Apple is comfortable with.

The big plus for many is the ability to unlock the phone for use on mobile phone networks and carriers other than the one with which Apple is partnered. This will also be good news for millions that have never had the option to own an iPhone because they live in non-Apple approved countries.

Now that iPhone jailbreaking has been made legal, Apple is likely to build in more software traps, automatic updates, and hidden iTunes processes to lock people out of their jailbroken devices as a way of saying that it was not your phone to mess with in the first place!

http://atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/LG31Dj03.html

[The understudy]

Hallo Buksida has the new iPhone 4 hit Thai shores via TrueMove or DTac allready?

[kendo]

Just a heads up for you guys that take domestic flights that Nokair have a cool app for the IPhone well worth the down load and it's free.
Kendo.

[Lung Per]

Back in the old country I just purchased my first iPhone. Not the latest 4, but the 3G-S. It is not locked.

I do not wish to use my European phone company simcard in Thailand.

Previously, in HH, I bought my simcard (One-to-Call) from 7 and paid for new time as necessary at 7.

Can the Thai "pay-as-you-run-out-of-time" mobile phone service be expanded to include data traffic, or do I need to have a "regular subscription" to allow me internet access??

If so, which Thai mobile phone company would you recommend?

Being a complete newcomer to the supposedly wonderful world of iPhones, any references to useful iPhone links for beginners would be appreciated.

[Super Joe]

Back in the old country I just purchased my first iPhone. Not the latest 4, but the 3G-S. It is not locked.

I do not wish to use my European phone company simcard in Thailand.

Previously, in HH, I bought my simcard (One-to-Call) from 7 and paid for new time as necessary at 7.

Can the Thai "pay-as-you-run-out-of-time" mobile phone service be expanded to include data traffic, or do I need to have a "regular subscription" to allow me internet access??

If so, which Thai mobile phone company would you recommend?

You can get internet access via a standard mobile phone SIM on pay-as-you-go, and if you will be using net a lot you might consider their 7/11 top-up 'unlimited usage' type packages, AIS' was 999 Baht for the unlimited. I can't recall a single problem with AIS One-to-Call, so would recommend them.

Alternatively, you can buy around town these NetSim cards, never used one but they will give you the 3G service, depending upon how close you are to town centre. 3G's speeds urinate all over EDGE, if your within a kilometer of Petchakasem Road, any further West and it's hit and miss, and if you're a Northerner it's hit the missus ofcourse.

The SIM info is over a year old now Khun L.P., so things may have changed a bit.

SJ

[buksida]

I use AIS One-2-Call pay as you go with EDGE/GPRS on the iPhone which works fine, its even pretty good when tethered with the laptop, you can get online anywhere that has a reasonably strong mobile phone signal.

The only drawback (if you're not on an unlimited data package) is that the iPhone is designed to be permanently online so will keep trying to connect to your data service. You have to do a lot of tweaking to stop it doing this.