jpor

iTrader: (1)

Hello,

Seriuosly contemplating getting a new phone. Currently have an aging Nokia N81 8GB and tried upgrading this to an Nokia N97. The N97 is a pile of S**t and keeps locking up even after the latest Firmware update from Nokia. So have decided to look for an Apple Iphone 4, the only trouble is that the best signal I get is with Orange (Current phone is on Orange PAYG). Looking at what the Iphone 4 can do (Internet access through Wi-fi & 3G) I don't think getting one for PAYG will be a good idea, as I found to my horror with the N97 and leaving a Weather app running for a day cost me £4! on my PAYG.

Is anyone else currently using Orange and an Iphone 4? I take it Pay monthly (Contract) would be the best bet to use the phone properly?

Also if to buy on an Orange Pay Monthly (Contract) would it be better to buy through Orange direct? Or through say a 3rd party like Carphone warehouse? Got a bit confused with CW's on-line ordering as there was some thing extra to pay for internet tethering @ £5 extra for 500mb, which on the Orange website mentions 700mb for the price of the 24 month contract.

Any advice on this would be appreciated as I have never been on a contract with a mobile before.

Thanks in advance.

jpor

iTrader: (1)

Anyone?

ronjeramy

iTrader: (1)

Yeah I have an iPhone 4 on Orange I bought it in the Orange shop on a 18 month contract £35 a month the phone cost about £220, I think it has 600 mins 500 texts unlimited data with free bt open zone.

Boro

iTrader: (1)

http://www.intekmobilephones.co.uk

Just to compare

jpor

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the response. Can I ask does that include 3G/Data connection? Or just for wifi connection? Sorry for the questions, just a newb to contracts/pay monthly. ANd was looking to use the phone away from wi-fi and didn't want to get stung on extra charges.

subaruturbo_18

Should be unlimited texts mate.


Cheers

Chris.

(Soon to be ex) Orange employee.

ian_wrx

iTrader: (2)

I got the iPhone 3GS I got it last year I was paying £35 plus insurance for 600mins unlimited texts unlimited data and open zone etc now the contract has finished I decided to upgrade to a sim only contract as the phone is still very good and not out dated

I pay £15 for 600mins unlimited texts and unlimited data all I lost is the open zone that I didn't use anyway



Been with orange for about 5 years there pretty helpfull

subaruturbo_18

Hello mate, i actually work for an orange retail store so may be of some help.

The difference between buying from orange direct, and in a store like carphone warehouse is usually you get treated better by the network. If you have problems with your phone then places like carphone or phones 4 u can be nightmares and will just fob you off and send you to the manufacturer.

However with the iphone every place will refer you to an apple store should something go wrong.

Before i anything i suggest you seriously consider insurance on the iPhone as it is an expensive handset and only comes with a 3 month warranty, and 12 month limited warranty. I don't know about carphone warehouse phone insurance but i know that orange is £12 a month and replaces the phone next day should it go wrong, with only a £15 admin fee. The carphone insurance has a higher excess i believe.

Just so you know thats not me trying to promote orange insurance its just me strongly advising it as i have seen so many people dread not taking it once they have a broken iPhone and have seen repair costs.

Internet tethering is where you attach the phone to a computer and use it as a modem so it is slightly different from the internet included with the contract you have seen on the orange website.

The benefits of a contract over a pay as you go are you get much better value (£35 in credit on a pay as you go would be 175 Min's and unlimited texts, and access to face book, where as a £35 contract plan comes with about 600 Min's plus texts and full internet usage (usually around 500-750 MB, multiple options available). Pay as you go iPhones do come with a free internet bundle, but unfortunately the iPhone 4 is not available on pay as you go yet, and the bundle that came with the 3GS only lasted for a year. (from orange retail direct anyway)

I hope I've given you some valuable information. PM me if you have any questions and I'll answer them honestly (unlike some phone sales men :Lol1:_

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Seems to be happening alot

Tony

jpor

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the responses. This is useful information I am going to visit an Orange store today. Good job I didn't buy one through CW or P4U (Used to work for them many years ago at their headquarters ). Hopefully the store will have them in stock.

Yeah with the insurance, I already have an insurance set-up through a Barclays Bank Additions account (Also covers me for other things as well such as RAC breakdown cover etc.. ), so can change the phone over using that policy. Glad I asked now

ScoobyJawa

I got mine via CPW and got cashback through quidco.

24mth contract, £35 a month, 600 min, unlimited texts and data (fair use limit of 750mb) and free wifi.

Had an N97 before too and the iPhone 4 kicks its a$$ into oblivion!

jpor

iTrader: (1)

Yeah forget about quidco, still need to sign up for that
Well been to the local orange shop and got myself an Iphone 4 32GB edition, the remaining PATG credit will be transferred in 24 hours as well as my PAYG phone number. On £30 pay monthly etc.. Everything is tonnes better with this phone.
Just had a heart stopping moment earlier as I used iTunes to uplod the latest 4.0.1 update and the phone stopped responding part way through. Just taken me 45 minutes to work out what code 1604 was about and luckily after using another USB port on my PC the phone restored Phew!! Now on 4.0.1 and just sorting out the app store registeration and applying for my free bumper from apple to sort out the reception problem.

Still working out where to find the MAC address of the wi-fi on the phone so I can get enteredinot my router.

Now sorting out what to do with the N97 (E-bay or one of those phone recycling websites)

Thanks for the advice.

ScoobyJawa

Settings > General > About for your MAC address

Ebay I reckon, should go for around 175.....

jpor

iTrader: (1)

Cheers for that found that one on the t'internet also

Yeah E-bay sounds like where the N97 is destined to go. Shame really as I bought over a year ago as a Sim free phone

Just now working out how to change the ringtone to one of my own on the Iphone. Itunes appears not to be an easy thing to use for this

subarutim

iTrader: (1)

whatever you do, dont use vodafone, they are feckin useless!!!

jpor

iTrader: (1)

No worries there. The only reason I'm using Orange as where I Live it's the only contactable network with a good signal. O2 is non-existant and Vodaphone (Have a company phone on this network) is very poor indeed. All because people don't want any masts up

ronjeramy

iTrader: (1)

Sorry for the slow responce, yeah the data is all free and unlimited

jpor

iTrader: (1)

No worries

Still playing with all these apps I have just downloaded . Liking the Sky Remote Record one now that I have registered everything correctly

subaruturbo_18

on itunes..

Right click chosen song for ringtone.
Click get info
Click options tab
Set start time and end time to desired point (maximum of 30 seconds, this 30 seconds will be your ringtone)
click ok
right click and then click "create AAC version"
one will appear above or below it, right click this and click view in windows explorer.
The file name will end with .m4a, change the engine to .m4r

once you click ok the file will now appear in the ringtones section.

Right click on original song and adjust the start and end times so it plays the whole song.

Job done.

Long winded i know but it does work

Devildog

If you've got a Mac and garageband, you can import the song and save as a ringtone after selecting which bit of the song you want (up to 40 seconds) which automatically exports the ringtone to itunes.

Dead easy, job done.

jpor

iTrader: (1)

Cheers guys. On my old Nokias it was quite simple to drag and drop onto the phone, and then using the phone pick what I wanted.
Little more long winded but liking the phone and what it can do.

jpor

iTrader: (1)

Next question. Can you make your own message tones as well? Or is that only doable on 'jailbreak'?

subaruturbo_18

Not 100% but i think jailbreak obly.

ronjeramy

iTrader: (1)

Think it's only on jailbreak

jpor

iTrader: (1)

Okay may chance the jailbreak at somepoint but not now, not after the heart stopping moment I had when using Itunes to update the OS to 4.0.1 and the phone stopped working Took me 45 minutes to get it to restore again