Iphone Virgin

sparktest

Hi,

I've been looking for a similar thread to this but I've had no luck and need to annoy you learned folk with a few questions about Iphones in general.

I have always used a nokia and am a prepay customer. I have never used the web on a phone and am with vodafone as all my fmaily/friends are on the network, hence we have free calls/txs.

Spend €30-40 a month is all....

I need to embrace the smartphone and i recon now is the time.

I intend on using the iphone for some web surfing, I'd use the camera and a few apps maybe, though i could myself getting addicted...

Anyway, would I be better off staying with vodafone prepay and picking up a second hand 3GS or should i go bill with vodafone and treat myself to the iphone4 for all the benfits i've been reading about?

If buying second hand do I need a jailbroken phone? [just learned the meaning of that word... been a slow day at work]. It will need to be either on the vodafone network already so my sim etc will work or else it will need to be unlocked, preferrably factory I presume?

Any advise is more than welcomed and sorry to be asking such basic questions.

I am about 2 years behind ye all on this so be gentle.

Thanks,
Sparktest.

BBMcQ

sparktest wrote: »

Hi,

.........................................

Thanks,
Sparktest.

40 euro a month should get you medium use of internet, texts and calls, especially if most of your contacts are already on Vodafone. If you plan on using internet quite a good bit, i'd reccommend billpay as the data plans are a bit more generous. You'd be mad not to go for iPhone 4 if you're buying new. They seems less in demand on the vodafone network as O2 and 3 have more appealing price plans, which doesn't matter if most of your contacts are on vodafone.

If I were you i'd splash out on a new bill pay iPhone 4 and not get involved in jailbreaking / second hand models for a few years.

Kevin!

sparktest wrote: »

Hi,

I've been looking for a similar thread to this but I've had no luck and need to annoy you learned folk with a few questions about Iphones in general.

I have always used a nokia and am a prepay customer. I have never used the web on a phone and am with vodafone as all my fmaily/friends are on the network, hence we have free calls/txs.

Spend €30-40 a month is all....

I need to embrace the smartphone and i recon now is the time.

I intend on using the iphone for some web surfing, I'd use the camera and a few apps maybe, though i could myself getting addicted...

Anyway, would I be better off staying with vodafone prepay and picking up a second hand 3GS or should i go bill with vodafone and treat myself to the iphone4 for all the benfits i've been reading about?

If buying second hand do I need a jailbroken phone? [just learned the meaning of that word... been a slow day at work]. It will need to be either on the vodafone network already so my sim etc will work or else it will need to be unlocked, preferrably factory I presume?

Any advise is more than welcomed and sorry to be asking such basic questions.

I am about 2 years behind ye all on this so be gentle.

Thanks,
Sparktest.

PAYG and Bill-Pay are personal preference, the main difference is the subsidy you get when you buy it on Bill-Pay - iPhones on PAYG or factory unlocked can be very expensive. I'm personally on a Bill-Pay plan with three as the phone is heavily subsidized and it's very good value considering the 2GB data usage you get with it.

If you buy a second hand iPhone, that's locked to the Vodafone Ireland network you will be able to use your current SIM in it - it's locked to the network rather than the sim.

If you buy an iPhone that is locked to a different network, you will have to unlock it yourself with tools such as UltraSnow - it's very simply done but restricts you updating the phone until the tools are also updated. (factory/network unlocked are always the best, as you don't have to wait about)

If you buy a phone that is factory unlocked, or unlocked by the provider you can use any network sim you wish in it - you are totally unrestricted.

Vodafones plans start at 45E, so your budget might be slightly affected if you chose to go with them - however three's plan start at 40E per month and offer more for the money (Internet coverage isin't as good, but text/voice services are exactly the same as vodafone as they are actually provided by vodafone ;]


If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask - and welcome to the Apple Media Devices section

sparktest

Thanks for your replies.

I dropped in to a vodafone shop last night to check out their prices and they had stock, would have walked out with one if I had a utility bill with me .

Switching back to bill pay, or switching to bill pay in general you have to pay 200quid on top of the phone cost, which is pricey. The first bills are deducted from the 200 quid. Just back from 2 months holiday and can't be paying out 500bills on a phone.

Might keep my ear to the ground for a while to pick up a 3GS to introduce me to the marvel that is the iphone. Either that or I bite the bullet and go all out on the new one...

Still none the wiser

Thanks again,
Sparktest.

naasrd

I moved from PAYG Vodafone to 3 for the 40 a month bill pay. For the amount of calls, texts and browsing I get it covers it all. It's 219 upfront for the iPhone 4 and in my experience a brilliant package all over and if you can manage 40 a month you should certainly look in to it.