Hello.

[chagle]

Hello all,

Saw this Forum somewhere in a newsgroup..

I'm Glen and am looking currently to get a 3G phone asa second 'play phone' to see what 3G is all about...

See you in the other forums....

Glen. :)

[Hands0n]

Hello chagle (Glen) and welcome to Talk3G. We hope you enjoy your stay with us. Spread the word :)

Having a "play" phone is always nice to have :D Do let us know what you pick, why and how you get on with it. We're a right nosy bunch on here y'know, lol. But seriously, you will find a wealth of stuff on a number of the current range of handsets and the mobile operators.

Cant stop, gotta get on playing with my new toy

[chagle]

Hiya,

Thanks for the welcome!

Well that's a reason for me joining the forum. I'm thinking of getting a LG U880 and a 3 (network) pre pay sim.

If I like it, I'd like to get (eventually) a Nokia 6280.

But initially I'm thinking of the U880 to mess around with.

Glen.

[Ben]

But initially I'm thinking of the U880 to mess around with.

Glen.
That doesn't sound like a bad place to start at all. The other alternative would be to go down the Smartphone route. A Smartphone plus 3G is a pretty awesome combination. Perhaps the Nokia 6630 or, if you want Video calling, the Nokia 6680 would be a fun purchase?

I wouldn't advise buying your first 3G handset on Three unless you intend to pay extra for open data access. I'm not even sure if that's possible on their pre-pay. Ideally you want something with open data access so you can freely browse third party sites, use data-enabled applications like Instant Messaging and Email and try using your handset a 3G modem.

Looking forward to hearing about your experiences!
Ben

[chagle]

Hi Ben

Right, this is what I don't understand. So if I were to go with Three this wouldn't be the best solution for me then? What Network what you suggest?

Theres something about the U880 I like, although I musat say, the 6680 looks neat.

Glen

[Ben]

I'm guessing you can probably pick up the U880 pretty cheaply, so it may still be a good start for you. It's always worth looking at some alternatives though, incase one should suit you better.

The SE V600i is a pretty nice handset, £90 on Vodafone PAYT: http://shop.vodafone.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewHandsetDetails&action=getHandsetDetails&contract_type=PAYT&productID=312&itemSKU=PTSE28

The 6680 actually seems to be more expensive than I thought it would be by now, so the best option there would be to pick one up second hand, preferably one that used to be on the network you'd connect it back up with (ie buy a Vodafone branded one and a Vodafone PAYT SIM).

[chagle]

Thanks Ben - Looks like I'm going to be busy deciding! :-)

What phone have you got?

Glen.

[Ben]

Currently I use a SIM-Free Sony Ericsson W900i in conjunction with the Vodafone SIM-Only 30-day Contract (details here: http://shop.vodafone.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPayMonthlySims The 1000 free sms constitutes a £40 extras pack giving £120 of free SMS, MMS and Data usage).

Hands0n also has a W900i and I think he'd agree with me in saying it really is 3G 'personified' if you will into a handset. It's bulky, though ;)

There's plenty of choice out there now, with each network having its pros and cons.

What price have you managed to find the U880 at on WePay?

[chagle]

Well if I go to eBay I can get one for les than 100 quid... The Three Site is LOT more expensive.

The vodafone site on pay monthly are offering a 6280 for 60 quid plus £16 per month. Which isn't bad... really don't want another contract though. Vodafone seem to see a great content service as far as 3G services.

Glen.

[Hands0n]

@chagle - The 6680 is a marvelous S60 (Symbian) handset - I've had one boughton eBay for about the last 8 months and must say that it has behaved very well indeed, if not faultlessly - it has an early version of the firmware and can be a bit buggy around Bluetooth at times. A power cycle solves the problem. Beware though, if you are buying one of the Nokia handsets of late they are Service Provider (SP) locked using an encryption (BB5) that has not been cracked. Thus, you will rely upon the "parent" SP to provide you with the unlock. 3 have, to date, not been able/willing to provide unlock codes for the Nokia BB5 handsets. Not a problem if subscribing to a new contract, but beware if buying on eBay - unless you are sure you are getting the handset locked to the network you intend to use. Some will not unlock handsets sold on via the likes of eBay.

The 6280 is a splendid handset but not without significant problems with its 03.36 firmware - that which is current on the handsets from 3. T-Mobile [at least] has the handsets at version 03.60 which resolves all of the instability issues. I believe that Vodafone and Orange also have 03.60 but there were early releases at 03.36 which are buggy also. O2 apparently have held back the 6280 until stability issues are resolved, which they should be even for them with 03.60.

Contract tariffs are pretty good with T-Mobile's Flext (with or without Web 'n Walk unlimited Internet). Also Vodafone's tariffs are reasonable, and coupled with Stop The Clock (STC) if your call pattern is suitable it cannot be beat. You can even get STC on Vodafone's PAYG which is extraordinary value.

3 have some superficially attractive offers but do be careful, look ito them with a critical eye and match them to tariff offers from the other four network providers. Perhaps, also, you might consider one of the MVNOs which are beginning to offer 3G services, albeit on the back of their parent network provider.

It is a hard market to select from - you should consider your planned usage and see what tariff (Contract or PAYG) suits you best. Don't be taken in by the likes of WePay which actually represent a hike in the cost of use. Consider, also, what level of 3G coverage is in your area of use, ignore the network coverage maps which are hopelessly optimistic. Instead check out the OFCOM Sitefinder https://talk3g.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2338 which will let you know exactly whose transmitter is where and whether it is 2G or 3G.

Hope some of this helps :)

[chagle]

Thanks for the feedback there. I've decided to go for a Vodafone PAYG for the time being on a Moto v1050. It's a play for to begin with but looking at maybe exploring elsewhere when my other contract with O2 is up.

Should get my Moto within 4 days... so looking forward to exploring the 3G features.

Glen

[timothythetim]

3 have, to date, not been able/willing to provide unlock codes for the Nokia BB5 handsets.

I'm pretty sure that three will unlock the nokia 6680 for 15 quid if it's out of contract. I've heard of a few people who have managed this. I am hoping to do it too, when my contract finished in a few weeks time. I was assuered by the three CS guy (this is sure to mean that it is rubbish tho) that an unlock code for my 6680 will be provided when I phone up in a few weeks.

[Hands0n]

Do let us know how you get on with that unlock with 3.

There was a time last year and so far this year that 3 did not have (or lost) the capability of unlocking BB5 handsets. I've not seen anything to the contrary to date. But that does not mean they haven't remedied the situaiton.

3 seem not to have that good a working relationship with Nokia and the last I read there was some discussion going on between them to get the technology re-issued to 3. What should have been a straightforward task seemed to be not so ......

[getti]

Thanks for the feedback there. I've decided to go for a Vodafone PAYG for the time being on a Moto v1050. It's a play for to begin with but looking at maybe exploring elsewhere when my other contract with O2 is up.

Should get my Moto within 4 days... so looking forward to exploring the 3G features.

Glen

I had one of them for 1 week to review only a few days ago. VERY nice phone with a large screen.

Im sure you wll love it

[timothythetim]

I really do hope they are able to give me an unlock code as I've just taken out a vodafone 30 day contract (sim comes tomorrow) and can't wait to be able to finally have full internet access. I don't want to be stuck using an old 2g phone for too long.

However, all of this is just a temporary fix until the N80 is released, preferably on T-mobile with flext. The thing is, the 25% discount will have finished by then.

I was considering seeing what the most valuable phone I could get for free on a flext contract then sticking it on ebay, and then buying the N80 sim free (or locked to T-mobile) later on. Question is, would this cost more than 18 months * 25%?

[Hands0n]

Good question. It rather depends on which Flext or Flext + Web 'n Walk you are going for.

Suppose you are going for the same as me, Flext 35 + Web 'n Walk; the full price is £42.50pcm, the 25% discounted price is £31.88pcm, a difference of £10.62pcm. So over 18 months that saves £191.16.

At launch an N80 is likely to be a fair bit more than that SIM free from the likes of Expansys (£614.95 if you can believe that!) or Foneplanet (£499.99). These prices will most likely fall soon after availability, you will get stung for being an early adopter.

So you will not be saving anything at all. Suppose, however, you take on a Nokia 6280 before the 25% discount runs out, these are currently shifting on eBay for around £120 - £150 (with some silly Buy It Now prices of £180). The Nokia N70 seems to be going for a similar price on eBay too. That would give you something back to fund the N80. Most likely not enough to cover the SIM-free cost, and therefore you'll be out of pocket over the life of the contract.

You'll need to play around with the numbers and price plans to see how you can best make this fit what you want to do.

[timothythetim]

Yeah, I think I'm probably just gonna wait until the N80 comes out and get it on flext without the discount. Too much hassel I think to try and buy and sell the phones on ebay.

[Ben]

Of course, the Flext discount is for life, not just for... 18 months. So if it really is the tariff to end all tariffs then it'd be a good investment long term.

[chagle]

I had one of them for 1 week to review only a few days ago. VERY nice phone with a large screen.

Im sure you wll love it

I had a Moto v525 a year or so ago. Good features then!

I keep looking out for the postman but still not here. :rolleyes:

Then again it was less than 24 hours :)

[getti]

Mine took the full 4 days