Iphone beginner

wixfjord

Hi guys, Im looking for a bit of help. My 21st is coming up and I need a new phone and mp3, so the rents said they would get me an iphone if I wanted. Now im not a technophobe by any means but before continuing I said Id throw myself on the mercy of this forum and get all the answers on one go!
Ive a good few q.s and if anyone could help Id really appreciate it.
Bit more about myself, Im a student with a laptop and dont have wireless internet at home, in case that makes a difference.

1: Firstly what would you reccomend I do. I have looked at getting an unlocked 16gb 3gs white version on ebay?

2: have you any advice for buying an iphone from ebay?

3:If I buy an unlocked version does this mean that I can use my i phone on Vodafone Ireland and is there any reprecussions for this?

4:What is jailbroken?

5: Does the i phone have an inbuilt wireless thing or do I have to be in a wireless area to use the internet?

I will probably think of a load more q.s so stand by for more but if anyone could answer these (I know theyre probably quite basic for you guys ).
Cheers,
wix

dhaddock

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055508399

Tom Dunne

Personally, I wouldn't buy from e-bay.

Too many scams, and if you find one that isn't a scam, you will pay through the nose for it.

As for the details of the phone itself, have a look at the full list of features on the Apple Website.

Jailbreaking/unlocking is explained in the sticky at the top of the forum.

seamus

wixfjord wrote: »

1: Firstly what would you reccomend I do. I have looked at getting an unlocked 16gb 3gs white version on ebay?

I'll answer this one below

2: have you any advice for buying an iphone from ebay?

A lot of people have no complaints about it whatsoever.

3:If I buy an unlocked version does this mean that I can use my i phone on Vodafone Ireland and is there any reprecussions for this?

You can use it on Vodafone. The problem you will have is that any time a new OS is released, you can't install it until a method of unlocking it is devised.

4:What is jailbroken?

The iPhone operating system is set up with a number of locks on it. These include restricting what network you can use and restricts you to only being able to install apps from Apple's app store on it. A "Jailbroken" phone is one where the OS has been hacked so that you can install applications from anywhere, onto the phone. By extension then you can install an application which allows you to unlock the phone so that it can be used on any network.
As I mentioned above, there is a delay between a new version of the OS being released and a jailbreak becoming available. The latest version was released nearly a month ago, so those relying on jailbroken phones have been stuck on the older OS since them because no jailbreak is available for the new one yet.

5: Does the i phone have an inbuilt wireless thing or do I have to be in a wireless area to use the internet?

It uses 3G for internet access outside of a WiFi access point. This is a bit slower, but much faster than the web traditionally has been on mobiles. I use it all the time, as do most other people with iPhones.
If you buy the iPhone on a contract with O2, you get a data package with it of 1GB. This basically allows you to surf the web using 3G data up to 1GB of data. Very few people would exceed this in a month, most people come nowhere near it. A comparable package is available on Vodafone and 3. If you're on a pay-as-you-go mobile package, the data rates vary and can be very expensive if you're not on the right tarriff.

As for your first question - what to do is up to you. You'll get a brand new 3GS from O2 on speakeasy for €519. So compare your ebay prices against that. Assuming you're not tied to Vodafone, you can always port your number over and just use the phone without going to the hassle of jailbreaking it. I can't say that I feel I'm missing out on anything with a non-jailbroken phone.

Be aware of data prices on pay-as-you-go. O2 for example, charge you 99c per day for 50MB of data. Vodafone's pricing plan is similar. That means that if you use your phone every day for email or general surfing (like most of us do), your data alone will cost you €30/month. When you consider that the basic iPhone package on O2 is €45 and Vodafone's basic call plan with a web add-on is €40, using an iPhone liberally on PAYG could work out ridiculously expensive.

Add to the fact that you get the phone far cheaper if you sign up to a contract with O2, that's the route I recommend most people go if they're not otherwise tied to a provider. Some people like to upgrade to a new phone every 3 months though or otherwise have a "thing" about contracts, so that may not be for you.

Dades

OP, you might also consider the cost of insuring it too.

Around a tenner a month is piece of mind for a very expensive device. A white, unlocked 3GS is going to cost you a kidney.

abouttobebanned

€6 a month with O2

wixfjord

Great stuff guys especially Seamus, if you could give thanks twice I would!
Im thinking now I might go for a o2 32gb on the 45e tarriff.

I will deff have a dew more q.s before I decide fully, I can never understand how someone would buy something so big without a long decision process!

Firstly, does the I Phone have or can you get an app for an fm radio?

Am I right in saying that apps are free from the app store?

If if my phone isnt jailbroken are there many apps I cant use?

What is the battery life like for using the mp3 only?

How much does a jailbreak cost?

Thanks again guys, this forum is a great source of info

abouttobebanned

Firstly, does the I Phone have or can you get an app for an fm radio? There is not an FM transmitter that I know of..but there are loads of radio apps...todayfm, newstalk, RTE...but also radio stations from around the world. Shoutcast is a great free app for radio.

Am I right in saying that apps are free from the app store? A lot are free...a lot cost money...from 79 cent up to 999 (rare for them to be over 99). There are lite versions of pay apps for free...

If if my phone isnt jailbroken are there many apps I cant use? I haven't jailbroke mine cause i'm scared of the process and also scared that one of these days apple will do something to hurt jailbroken phones...but there are a lot of apps that can only be used on a jailbroken phone...but thousands of great ones for the none broken phone.

What is the battery life like for using the mp3 only? If you turn off bluetooth, 3G, turn down the brightness etc you should get about 10-12 hours of mp3 playing.

How much does a jailbreak cost? Free

Dades

If you are going with O2, I would suggest ignoring the jailbreaking option for the time being.

You won't need to unlock your phone, and by the sound of it you don't know much about what apps are out there (no offence!) - and there are thousands of official apps on iTunes to keep you entertained.

If after time, you demand more, revisit the jailbreak option.