[JamieA]

Who got themselves an iPhone?

I could only get my hands on an 8Gb one, wanted a 16 but there you go. Works flawlessly with my iDrive bluetooth, so glad the Motorola didn't and I had an ugly BlueAnt box stuck on my visor... yay!

iPhone is better than I thought it would be. Connected to my Exchange server at work very smoothly, and I am stoked to ditch the Win Mobile 6 Moto Q9h.

Only problem is Optus - bought a prepaid one to unlock and put on Telstra NextG (the network we use at work and I have a SIM card paid for) and Optus said it would take 10 days to get the unlock code from the "vendor" hmmmm... at least it is activated and working, it took from 7am until 2pm on Friday to get the Optus SIM working because Optus' systems had all crashed with the workload, and until 4pm until I could get the data access activated.

[Chris.G]

Thank you Jamie!!! You have now given me a reason to buy this phone and that is due to the idrive bluetooth connection. My Dopod PDA seems to connect and then when im about to make an important call.....no bluetooth logo is to be seen on the screen. I was never a fan of this new phone because i feel its over hyped and marketed so well that i can see through it but i really need a phone that can 100% connect with the Idrive bluetooth.

Did you buy outright or go on plan? I heard the 8gigs were selling for $820 if so ill just have to buy it because i am locked into a 2year contract with optus.

[GeriFix]

^ Chris, there are lots of phones and PDA Phones that pair up with BMW Bluetooth. There are threads here (e90post) and on m3post listing the good and the bad. The iPhone isn't the only option.

[Chris.G]

Thanks GeriFix, i had a look at the threads you mentioned a while ago (before my car arrived) and totally forgot about them when i just received a new business contract that came with the very handy mini PC dopod. Unfortunately it is an absolute B#@tch to pair it with the Idrive. What do you use?

[GeriFix]

I use a Sony Ericsson K850i. Small, cheap (on eBay $250) works with Telstra NextG and works with BMW Bluetooth. Pairs up with my PC and synchs calendar events, contacts and notes ... can even download e-mails from my POP3 server (although I have no need for this).

Only complaint is that my cheek activates one of the touch screen buttons if I'm not careful how I hold it during a call, causing it to beep each time I make contact with it.

I have an old O2 Atom (PDA Phone), just for fun I paired that with the car and had full access to the contacts list. A friend down in Melb has one of their newer PDA Phones (I think they are called HTC now) and that works fine in his E93 335.

[VGR00]

I've been waiting for the Iphone to be released here in OZ but I'm going to wait till the hype dies down. Hopefully within the next 3 months. Good to hear it pairs well.

[JamieA]

Dopod built by HTC which also built the iMate JasJam - the only phone I have ever thought of throwing out the car window it was that frustrating! It would behave just as you said Chris and was very very slow.

I have to say that my nokias have been flawless in connecting with iDrive, but I need a phone that couples with Exchange properly, and this is why I strayed from Nokia to a Windows Mobile phone - foolishly thinking that this would work well. The problem is that no one has produced a good coupling of win mobile and suitable hardware. I tested over 4 of them to arrive at my Moto Q9h which was the best, but still had the flaw of not working with my iDrive.

I bought the iPhone because it (from reading posts from the States) works with iDrive, and the 2.0 software works with Exchange. I have not been happier than the past couple of days to get into my car and see the little icon come up automatically on the iDrive without thinking about it, and receiving and making calls as naturally as I did with my trusty Nokia.

Chris to answer your question, I bought it outright, the 8Gb model is $729, to unlock it you need to buy $80 of prepaid credit, or pay them $80. I am using this credit to have a phone service until the 10 days (can you believe it) pass before Optus can supposedly supply the unlock code to allow me to go back to Telstra NextG which is what we use here at work (ie I have a work supplied SIM card - 1Gb allowance )

As others have said, if you don't want an iPhone there are many others that work, it is just the case of finding the right mix of features and compatibility for you at the price you want to pay. But I have to say that picking up my Q9h now after using the iPhone for a little but, it feels ancient and clunky, even though it is WM6 - oh and no more being obsessive about going into the task manager in Windows Mobile to double check that no applications you thought you had quit are still hanging around sucking your battery dry

[Chris.G]

Haha gotta love Optus. Thanks for your info mate, from what you have said i think i will go for the 16gig i-phone that i can use as an mp3 player as well.

[mmmmQuattro]

I bought my wife an 8G iPhone off eBay a couple of months ago. Being the US modle, it doesn't have the Exchange integration for calendar appointments. Getting email is OK.
I use a HTC Touch, which as it runs Windows Mobile 6.0, is better with Exchange. It seems to pair all the time with the iDrive system.
What I don't like about the iPhone is that you can't play music through the USB interface. So, I have just left a 8G USB stick permanently in the car with all the songs that I want.
What I really like about the iPhone is all the cool games and add on apps that you can easily get. You have to get Parking Lot - where you have to move the yellow beatle out of the carpark. It is really addictive.

[1q2w3e4r]

Jamie, just so you know, you could have bought it outright from Telstra as well at one of their stores.

[JamieA]

Yes I could have except for Telstra had no stock. I am the holder of a Corporate Account that runs a big (for Adelaide) mobile phone fleet, as well as a large land line installation, and I had my account execs scouring for one and they couldn't guarantee I would get my sweaty little mits on it - stock was all promised interstate, so I had to slum it with Optus, and I have to say it was a great experience because it taught me why I left them in the first place...

[1q2w3e4r]

Yeah my Company is with Telstra's Corporate program as well. I'm going to stick with my Blackberry for the moment until they have widely available stock of the 16 gb model and have more news on the 32 gb one and then go from there. Its a good bit of kit.

[Chris.G]

Just looking at the "I-phone plans" by Telstra that my mate showed me and its an absolute joke compared to Optus's contract plans.

Telstra: $60 plan
$50 of free calls a month
20MB of downloads

Optus: $59
$350 of free calls/sms a month
500MB of downloads

I am absolutely glad my business plan exists.

[JamieA]

Originally Posted by 1q2w3e4r

Yeah my Company is with Telstra's Corporate program as well. I'm going to stick with my Blackberry for the moment until they have widely available stock of the 16 gb model and have more news on the 32 gb one and then go from there. Its a good bit of kit.

Yes, I am really hanging out for a 32Gb plus model... perhaps Apple will surprise us with a 64Gb one, but I won't hold my breath. I wish I wasn't a tragic gadget lover and had the will power to wait like you do

[JamieA]

Originally Posted by Chris.G

Just looking at the "I-phone plans" by Telstra that my mate showed me and its an absolute joke compared to Optus's contract plans.

Telstra: $60 plan
$50 of free calls a month
20MB of downloads

Optus: $59
$350 of free calls/sms a month
500MB of downloads

I am absolutely glad my business plan exists.

Telstra are outright market skimmers and while they continue to have the best network, they will keep that way unfortunately. I am having enough problems convincing Telstra to allow me to group my mobile data plans across my fleet like you can do with the voice plans, but no-go. Telstra won't budge until someone like Optus build a comparable network to them and customers like me can be serious when they threat to take their mobile fleet somewhere else.

I am glad my NextG plan comes with a 1Gb plan... now have to wait for Optus to get their butts into gear and send the unlock code. I have to say that Optus' process is a joke.

[VGR00]

Originally Posted by JamieA

Yes, I am really hanging out for a 32Gb plus model... perhaps Apple will surprise us with a 64Gb one, but I won't hold my breath. I wish I wasn't a tragic gadget lover and had the will power to wait like you do

I read a report this month that Apple placed a 50 million piece order on Samsumg for NAND Flash. This is all but getting consumed in Iphones. The unfortunate side effect is that my company and other Samsung memory distributors, which are a pimple on an elephants bum compared to Apple, gets screwed over by Samsung (which is normal anyway) and wont have access to stock for over 6 months. This will inturn bring huge returns for sharks trading NAND flash in the open grey market and of cause flourish the counterfiet market from China giving me more headaces to deal with.

Sorry ..... my rant is over. Just proves that for every action, there is an equal and opersite reaction.

As for the 64Gig version ...... I dont think that will happen for a while. I can tell you why from a technical perspective but I'll spare you the boredom. Lets just say its all got to do with the physical size of memory chips as opposed to capacity.

[1q2w3e4r]

Yeah Telstra's plans aren't as good. But there network is without doubt the best in Australia and I need 3g, so Telstra it is.

[JamieA]

Originally Posted by vgr02

I read a report this month that Apple placed a 50 million piece order on Samsumg for NAND Flash. This is all but getting consumed in Iphones. The unfortunate side effect is that my company and other Samsung memory distributors, which are a pimple on an elephants bum compared to Apple, gets screwed over by Samsung (which is normal anyway) and wont have access to stock for over 6 months. This will inturn bring huge returns for sharks trading NAND flash in the open grey market and of cause flourish the counterfiet market from China giving me more headaces to deal with.

Sorry ..... my rant is over. Just proves that for every action, there is an equal and opersite reaction.

As for the 64Gig version ...... I dont think that will happen for a while. I can tell you why from a technical perspective but I'll spare you the boredom. Lets just say its all got to do with the physical size of memory chips as opposed to capacity.

Yes, I read that report. As for memory density, the solution is only 18 months away at most - Moore's Law prevails

[JamieA]

I AM FREE!!! Finally got unlocked today.

After virtually threatening to take Optus to the Telecoms Ombudsman - mention that name and they scatter like cockroaches in the light...

I got a cryptic message from Optus telling me last Friday I was unlocked and to hook back up to iTunes to complete the process. After logging fault calls, and working my way up the chain, the vital piece of missing info is that you have to do a "restore" operation which completely wipes the iPhone and downloads the Mac OS X the phone runs from Apple and reinstalls from bare metal... The download is 228Mb!

When the phone comes back up with your new SIM card, iTunes will ask if you want to restore the backup (I think you say "No" to this otherwise your "carrier settings" will be restored also) if you say no, it goes through and sets up your phone from scratch and this initiates the carrier settings download from Optus which includes the unlock sequence... and voila you are a free man/woman and able to use other SIM cards in your iphone.

Optus said the unlock code would take 10 working days, but Apple supply it in 2. Though I have been traumatised, and have called their support line about 10 times and because of this hate Optus now, and will tell their sales people next time they come sniffing for my corporate account, I would recommend that friends get their prepaid phones from Optus, now that I know exactly how to get them unlocked quickly.

Apparently Telstra aren't selling prepaid iPhones yet, and really, who cares what Yodaphone are doing

[rant]

I must say that Optus' call centre service is SO bad, Telstra look like they could win service organisation of the year in comparison... big call I know, but Optus' speech recognition front-end is a reason for justifiable homicide, and twice their system hung up on me on transfer from the "your call is important to us, it will be recorded..." message to the call queue... bad bad bad for a phone company that can't even provision phone queues properly with adequate resources to handle the call volumes... I mean seriously, even ringing the ATO would be more appealing to me right now

[/rant]

[JamieA]

Graduated in my MBA yesterday after 4 years of hard slog - YAY!

Anyone else studying?

[VGR00]

Congratulations Jamie ..... Well done!!. I know what it's like to study, work and raise a family at the same time and its a great feeling to be free (from the books that is). The funny thing for me was that I was feeling bored for the next 6 months and needed to go looking for things to do.

[BMW //MPOWER]

Originally Posted by JamieA

Graduated in my MBA yesterday after 4 years of hard slog - YAY!

Anyone else studying?

Well done mate!
I'm currently studying CFA Level 2.
I finished my MFin a couple of years ago.