Originally Posted by Halcyon (Post 35146159)

What network is everyone on at the moment?

I find 02 quite good.

Originally Posted by Stuart (Post 35147932)

I'm with O2. TBH, the primary reason I stayed with O2 was that they offered free WiFi access via The Cloud and BT Openzone. Sadly, despite following O2's advice repeatedly, I cannot get OpenZone working. Apparently the problem is that my phone number is still registered to my previous phone. Perhaps that explains why my previous phone also cannot access BT Openzone (I sold it, but still have contact with the buyer).

There coverage is actually quite good both at home and work. There are major deadzones on my journey between home and work, but these affect all radio transmissions (even FM), and while O2 is affected, they aren't affected nearly as much as T Mobile are.

Coverage isn't perfect at work ,but I work in a 200 year old building with 4 foot thick walls. No mobile phone network offers 100% coverage inside our building. Even the access points for the WiFi network we offer have barely a 20 metre range.

Originally Posted by jrhnewark (Post 35148541)

I had the same problem when I had free WiFi access (something Three don't offer, and only a fad at Lakeside where I again couldn't get a signal on a Saturday afternoon - nothing like emailing your missus, hoping she too has her WiFi access set-up! :erm: ).

Anyway, I went through many iPhones on O2 (failure under warranty and two breakages) and I seem to recall having to text a shortcode - something like 8282 - and waiting for a reply text, and then waiting for it to realise my login as it was based automatically on phone number. Or maybe that was The Cloud? Either way, and I think it was Openzone, I'm surprised you don't get that sort of information when you try and login with your phone number.

Either way, I never used BT Openzone... usefully, BT have set-up all their BT FON routers on BT Total Broadband to also have the SSID BT Openzone, and that's not included in the O2 offer. Anytime you get connected to one, that's the end of your internet access unless you want to pay BT for access to some poor sod's internet connection!

Where do you travel through in South East London to lose FM signals - presumably from Crystal Palace and Croydon? I'm a broadcast engineer by trade so quite interested as a South East Lahdaner.

Either way, you should at least get 2G with O2 with their 900MHz allocations - that should get into all but the thickest tunnels on the Southeastern Greenwich line! :)

Originally Posted by Stuart (Post 35148547)

Actually, I lose FM around the Catford area, on the train from Lewisham.

Anyhow, I did phone O2, and they did tell me to text that number, which I have done a few times.

Originally Posted by Stuart (Post 35151867)

Apple slipped out a developer's pre-release version (not sure if it's Alpha or Beta, but it's a way off of a full release) of iOS 4.3 last night.

http://www.reghardware.com/2011/01/13/apple_ios_4_3/

Features reported so far:
Support for iPad 2 and iPhone 5 (pretty much a given that it would support these).
iPad: New gestures for navigating the pad (swipe left or right with four fingers to go to previous/next app, swipe with 5 fingers to go to home).
iPad: The switch on the side can now either mute the iPad, or lock the orientation of the screen (wish they'd implement this on iPhone).

The facility the Verizon iPhone has to act as a WiFi hotspot is to be rolled out to other iPhones (not sure of which models though). Seems this might be restricted to those who have the tethering option enabled by their mobile provider..

Also, it looks like MobileMe will be getting a new feature called "FindMyFriend". No official word on what this does, but it is logical that it's lie Google's Latitude, or Facebook Places.

Finally what I consider the biggy. The latest iOS SDK includes support for App Developers to use Airplay. Be interesting to see what they make of this..

Originally Posted by Engadget

But all of these moves are leading up to the iPhone 5 -- a completely redesigned handset -- which our sources say is on track for a summer launch. Right now, the device is being tested discreetly by senior staff at Apple (strictly on campus only). We don't have much info on the phone at this point, but our understanding is that the new device will be a total rethink from a design standpoint and will be running atop Apple's new A5 CPU (a Cortex A9-based, multi-core chip). This device, like the iPad 2, will feature a Qualcomm chipset that does triple duty as the CDMA / GSM / UMTS baseband processor -- from what we hear there's no LTE in the mix at this point.

Originally Posted by Stephen (Post 35218490)

I think people are taking this a bit too far. It's probably just to do with the find my iPhone feature that helps track your phone if you loose it.

Originally Posted by Lord Nikon (Post 35262391)

yup, 3.1.3 is the last for the 2g, I would suggest a couple of themes, some games and whatsapp messenger (Cross platform sort of blackberry messenger thing)

Originally Posted by Stuart (Post 35296913)

At long last, Channel 4 have released an app to enable you to view programmes on 4od Catch up..

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/4od-c...4037?mt=8&uo=4

Originally Posted by Stephen (Post 35296917)

I've had it on my iPad for ages now.

Some really cool apps out there now.

Originally Posted by Matt D (Post 35309695)

Who claims it's the "best phone"?

I would guess that anyone who claims it is the "best phone" doesn't consider those to be limitations, as it does what exactly they want... which really is all that matters. It's the "best phone" for them, as it does what they want, has the features they want, has the apps they want, has the usability that they want.

Which phones beat the iPhone's camera "for years"? The best Android phone of 2010, the Galaxy S, was released around the same time as the iPhone 4, and like the iPhone 4 "only" had a 5MP camera. How many cameraphones with 5MP sensors or higher were available before June 2010? Obviously some, but how many, and how many went above 5MP? I remember my N95 (2007) had a 5MP camera... Unfortunately it was crap, as the JPEG compression was set way too high and could not be changed.

Bluetooth... I never used it when I had Nokia (Symbian S60), HTC (WM), or Sony-Ericsson (Symbian UIQ) phones. Well, that's a lie, I did "Bluejack" people on the train sometimes. Never used it for file transfers, though.

Send a photo by WiFi? You can always email it, by WiFi or 3G...Or send an MMS.

Sync via WiFi? iOS5 is finally bringing WiFi sync (& software updates, and more).

Video call? I've never used Apple's "Facetime" video calling, and know no one else who has. I never used normal 3G video calling prior to the iPhone, and know no one else who has. So I don't exactly miss 3G video calling...

I have no interest in using it as a HDD. Photos show up in Windows Explorer if I plug it in, that's all I need.

Battery? I never needed to change a battery on any previous phone, so the inability to do it on the iPhone doesn't bother me.

Storage? Don't care. I only have a 16GB model, and it's not full.

But what *I* want it for, what *I* use it for, makes it the best phone I have had.

Originally Posted by Russ (Post 35309769)

For overall still picture quality and recording, I have yet to see an iPhone which can beat the N95 8gb's camera.

Of course if camera phones mean little or nothing to you then it's hardly going to matter.

Originally Posted by Lord Nikon (Post 35309687)

Serious question.

What is it that makes the iPhone the 'best phone'

After all, look at the limitations of the unit. Please note I'm looking at it in base form, without additional apps.
The camera isn't great - it's been beaten by other phones for years. The OS is restricted, you can't send or receive files or photos by bluetooth, you can't do the same or sync via Wifi (iOS5 may change SOME of that) you can't video call on 3G (Three had that feature since launch, I have phones 8 years old that can do it) Once you transfer music onto it you can't with the normal software transfer it back, you can't use it as a hard drive, the battery isn't user changeable, you can't upgrade it's storage. So why do people class it as the 'best phone'?

Please note that although there are apps and hacks you can apply to do some or all of the above you cannot in it's base form, You CAN do all of the above with other handsets in their base form so that is why the question is phrased as it is.

Originally Posted by roger skillin (Post 35309775)

So yes it's a great camera on the N95 but like all phones that's all they're ever going to be, Phones , so the camera argument doesn't come into it really

Originally Posted by Lord Nikon (Post 35309687)

Serious question.

What is it that makes the iPhone the 'best phone'

After all, look at the limitations of the unit. Please note I'm looking at it in base form, without additional apps.

Originally Posted by techguyone (Post 35309784)

Apple conference today, expect to see news on the iphone 5

Originally Posted by dilligaf1701 (Post 35262336)

So I got my old iPhone 2g back from my dad last night.

I've been playing with it and setting it up with a (possible) view of giving it to my boy.

As it is carrier locked to AT&T I have jailbroken it to 3.1.3 which is the last firmware for that phone I believe.

I got push notification working - sorted youtube and even got it to work in stereo through bluetooth.

The only niggle I'm having at the moment is I want it to 'ding' more times when there's a text message waiting. Does anyone know if there's a jailbreak app for that? App sync you can get apps from whatever website u want then;-)

Cheers - Dilli.

p.s. any idea of other jailbreak stuff to install woud be nice (I put sbsettings on and winterboard)

Originally Posted by LSainsbury (Post 35310032)

Confirmed. iPhone 4s it is.

Originally Posted by Cobbydaler (Post 35309693)

Marketing & the Apple brand...

Originally Posted by Hugh (Post 35310162)

And you base that statement on what information?

Originally Posted by XxAmazingStarxX (Post 35310158)

iPhone 5 out some time this month:)

Originally Posted by Hugh (Post 35310195)

Not everything you read on the web is true....

Do you seriously believe Apple would have two major launches of the same product within four weeks?

Originally Posted by hugh (Post 35310200)

the iphone 4s.

Originally Posted by MadGamer (Post 35310228)

Im going Blackberry on my next upgrade. Sorry Apple, but there arent many physical features to warrant an upgrade to the iPhone 4S

Originally Posted by roger skillin (Post 35309775)

I have an Iphone and i love it but i will agree that the N95 8mp camera is brilliant for a tiny phone camera sensor, it's down to the Carl zeiss lens which are brilliant.
But that just the problem, phone camera's are always going to have tiny sensors which is no good if you want great photo's no matter how good your phone's camera is.

I only ever use the camera on my phone for very basic things.
I have a nice point and shoot which comes with me most places and a Nikon Dslr for more organised trips.
So yes it's a great camera on the N95 but like all phones that's all they're ever going to be, Phones , so the camera argument doesn't come into it really

Originally Posted by sherer (Post 35310243)

not a fan of BBs either the OS is just as restrictive as the iphone.

Originally Posted by jb66 (Post 35310257)

Blackberrys remind me of my old crppy PDA

Originally Posted by XxAmazingStarxX (Post 35310261)

They have BBM ...if u text a lot?

Originally Posted by Gary L (Post 35310272)

What's BBM?

Originally Posted by Lord Nikon (Post 35309713)

Later firmwares retain the 'base form' as they are merely current versions of the base product. The current iOS is the 'base form' for the current devices, similar to a windows update, it gives you the base functionality of the OS and the bug fixes etc. If you were to buy an iPhone 3GS at it's inception you would get iOS 3.0 - now you would get 4.3.5 - Same device, both factory firmware versions, just one is updated based on advances / bug fixes and the firmware is updatable by the end user.

Originally Posted by Caspar (Post 35309766)

I just had to reappear for a moment and post what an excellent response Matt - awesome! - fair, subjective and informed. :tu:

Originally Posted by Stephen (Post 35309779)

It most certainly isn't the best phone by a long shot, its simply a case of Apple telling people its the best thing ever and people getting brainwashed to think its true. My Galaxy S2 out performs the iPhone in everyway but when Apple's TV adverts claim the iPhone is the mutts nuts and if you don't have one then you don't have a phone gullible people everywhere will believe them.

Originally Posted by techguyone (Post 35310125)

Doesn't look like any iphone 5 then (unless they do a really really late 'just one thing' announcement.)

So that's pretty poor for Apple, and is behind the tech curve now. Ouch

Originally Posted by MadGamer (Post 35310228)

Im going Blackberry on my next upgrade. Sorry Apple, but there arent many physical features to warrant an upgrade to the iPhone 4S

Originally Posted by Matt D (Post 35310284)

iPhone 4S versus iPhone 4

iPhone 4S versus Galaxy S II and a couple of others

iPhone 4S keynote

iPhone 4S "Siri" voice assistant demo



Fair enough.

I don't recall my N95 ever having the ability to change the JPEG compression during the period I had it. Perhaps it was in a release after my contract ended and I sold it, perhaps it was in a release before that which didn't make its way to me in time due to operator branding.

That does bring up something though I think is worth mentioning: firmware updates.

With the N95 and other phones of that kind of smartphone generation, unless you bought the phone SIM free unlocked, the firmware would be branded by the network. Whenever Nokia released a new version, with bug fixes and new features etc., you would have to wait (& wait...) for your network to eventually release its own version of that firmware. The only alternative would be to mess around and "debrand" (?) the phone, enabling you to install the generic Nokia firmware as soon as it was released.

I think there is a slightly similar situation with some Android phones now, although it's the manufacturer which has its own specific flavour of Android rather than the network, e.g. HTC will have Android plus "Sense", Samsung has "Touchwiz", etc. When Google releases a new version of Android, the end user has to wait for their phone's manufacturer to update their add-on thing before the user can finally have the latest Android, unless they "root" their phone so that they can install "vanilla" Android. [AFAIK, etc. etc. etc., so forgive me if I'm wrong]

With the iPhone, there is no network branding, and there is of course only one manufacturer - the same company behind the OS. Whenever a new version of iOS is released, it is available to everyone at the same time via iTunes, regardless of whether they are on O2, or Orange, etc. OK, there is the whole "Jailbreaking" side of things, but that isn't necessary simply to be able to install the latest software without network bloat or without waiting for a network version.




Hello! Blast from the past :)



I would be worried if your Galaxy S II didn't out perform the iPhone 4 in every way, given that the Galaxy S II was released in May 2011 while the iPhone 4 *and* the original Galaxy S were both released in June 2010. Saying the S II out performs the iPhone 4 is like saying the Xbox 360 out performs the PS2, or the iPad 2 outperforms the first Galaxy Tab - kind of obvious and pointless.




I think it's an iPhone 5 in all but name. It *is* a significant upgrade from the 4. It may not have had a redesigned case or a screen upgrade like the 4 had compared to the 3GS, but everything else is a big step up: dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU and dual-core PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU in an "Apple A5" SoC versus the iPhone 4's single-core Cortex-A8 and single-core SGX535 in an "Apple A4", 8MP camera instead of 5MP, 1080p video recording instead of 720p, etc.

tbh, I think Apple made a marketing mistake calling it the 4S. Names are important, and I think the simple act of calling this a 4S instead of a 5 may actually put some people off.



What do you want from a smartphone that a Blackberry will give you and an iPhone won't?

What physical features do you want?

What specs?

Do you care at all about apps ;) ['cos if you do, don't go with Blackberry. Stick with the iPhone or switch to Android!]

Originally Posted by MadGamer (Post 35310524)

Been looking at HTC as well. My 3GS has had to be rebooted a lot lately, which is putting me off getting an iPhone 4S. In terms of speed, is an Android based phone faster than an iPhone?

Originally Posted by MadGamer (Post 35310549)

The thing thats putting me off about HTC, is computability with the Mac. How would I perform a firmware upgrade on the phone without the software on the Mac. This is why I have been looking at the Blackberry Torch 9860. Im visually impaired, so that resolves the screen problem. Everyone I know has a BB, and is on BBM, and they have software available for the mac as well.

Originally Posted by ZrByte (Post 35310565)

If the HTC phone you are after is like other android phones/tabs I have used then firmware updates can be handled on the handset itself so no system needed.

Originally Posted by MadGamer (Post 35310578)

Ahh thats good news then. Even though it isnt on orange yet, I do like the look of the HTC Rhyme

Originally Posted by MadGamer (Post 35310549)

The thing thats putting me off about HTC, is computability with the Mac. How would I perform a firmware upgrade on the phone without the software on the Mac. This is why I have been looking at the Blackberry Torch 9860. Im visually impaired, so that resolves the screen problem. Everyone I know has a BB, and is on BBM, and they have software available for the mac as well.

Originally Posted by techguyone (Post 35310364)

Looks like its not just me who thought that apple lost its sparkle

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15175034

They *may* have fared better if they had designed a new case around the shiny new insides, and critically increased the screen size a little, at 3.5 inches its most definitely at the lower end of the market, retina display or no.

I haven't had the chance to look around the World in depth yet, but from the sites I have seen, the general feeling is of a letdown and disappointment, which is unusual post keynote, where normally Apples marketing has a lasting feelgood factor.

Originally Posted by bbc

Why rush out and buy the new, new thing if it looks just like that old phone that's been around for more than a year?

Originally Posted by MadGamer (Post 35310591)

...and utld data usage