 As on other thread, I am about to upgrade from 3G to 3GS.
I've been with O2 and phone coverage has been pretty good (usual out in the sticks and down hollows excepted).
I was taken by Orange's huge 3G coverage but O2 tell me that Orange have a hidden download charge when you exceed what they call a 'fair amount' and is believed to be 750Mb per month. I'm only doing 9Mb per month at the moment but intend to make more use of the gps facility. O2, however, are expecting to conclude a mast sharing agreement with Vodaphone shortly and then will have better coverage.
I'm minded to stick with O2. I suspect that however many masts anyone has it is urban and suburban coverage that will be improved, I won't have the hassle of changing companies and keeping my phone number, and I can upgrade a month before my contract expires.
Any thoughts, folks?
Thanks
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O2 tell me that Orange have a hidden download charge when you exceed what they call a 'fair amount' and is believed to be 750Mb per month. Any thoughts, folks? Thanks How about asking Orange to confirm, or deny, this and getting confirmation from O2 that they definitely don't do anything similar? It may be that whoever you spoke to did not have the whole story . . .
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 "intend to make more use of the gps facility" i'm confused nobby. are you concerned about your usage beacuse of the gps. the gps doesn't use the phone system.
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Thanks Damien. I have done that. O2 say definitely no limit and Orange are a bit coy about it but admit that downloads aren't free if you go over a 'fair limit'. That rather puts me off Orange; I'd rather be told the truth outright.
Hi Parky. I doubt that you are as confused as me!
I thought that I had understood that on the iPhone gps it doesn't work direct from the satellites but via the local phone mast. Is that incorrect?
Cheers
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Nobby do you need and iphone,???? a better bet looking at your other theads is a HTC HD2. better spec well on everything and it will run memory map, so your mapping issues are solved? Thats what i would do in your shoes unless you need an iphone for a particular reason?
I am Orange 3GS, only because my brother in law gets it for my half price so silly to go elsewhere.
If you stay on iphone stay on O2 proper unlimited data,
To clarify the Iphone uses both masts and internal gps, the masts are used like AGPS to speed up location, Nobby you might have noticed that when you use an app it asks to use your location? yes uses the info from your network to speed up the triangulation of your position. It uses a tiny tiny bit of data and only on inital set up until it has a lock. If GPS is lost then some and only some packages will revert to triangualtion from teh network.
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Of course you could wait to see what vodafone offer in Jan?
I would have a serious look at the HTC HD2 O2 are doing it, i am only on orange as i pay £23 a month for the top iphone package. Otherwise i would be on 02 with a HTC HD2.
windows is clunky but you get used to it and it can do alot more than the iphone, such as becoming a wifi router, using its 3g connection to allow you to connect via your laptop for free. On iphone this is tethering and costs big time.
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I won't get used to Windows, I'm afraid. I gave up Windows in favour of Apple over a decade ago and have never regretted it.
I use Mac OS but I got used by Windows, IMO. Hours of sitting around trying to get a Creative Labs sound card to work with somebody elses video editor and then having it all hang up halfway through a job.
Thanks Stuart, that has cleared my understanding a bit more about how it all works. I thought it was totally dependent on masts.
Those last you mention I've never had a need for.
Cheers
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I know what you mean, unfortunately i need a windows machine however my Mac Mini is still my favourite, so easy and intuative. I do love my iphone just silly things infuriate me. If you ran mac OSX then look at Routebuddy its 99£ for the home software then £99 for 1-50000 for the whole of the UK. Its works very well and excellent support. I haven't mentioned it before as still not many people use macs at home.
www.routebuddy.com
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Thanks Stuart that looks very interesting and not too overpriced.
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 nobby. Ive just got an HD2 running WIndows Mobile 6.5 and I can tell you its a different world to the old Windows Mobile. Not as many "apps" available as the IPhone possibly if that what youre into but there is plenty of free software around. In my opinion it knocks spots of the IPhone which my son has. Very quick and will run MM although I havent got it on yet as Im waiting for a bigger memory card. Have got IGo mapping for the car on it and with the big screen its brilliant. I think you would be very pleasantly surprised if you tried it. Incidentally, I think all the networks have a "fair usage" policy, most seem to be 500Mb/month. I checked most of them before going with O2 with a sim only deal.
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Sorry Brian but it ain't going to happen. There is no way that I will go back to anything that is remote,y tainted by Microsoft excepting in the case that Apple Mac sod up life big time.
I wouldn't go back to a system that has let me down just to be able to se a particular application. I do without that application. I am completely Mac - phone & computer
As I said at the beginning, or somewhere, I'm using Bart's 2" satisfactorily for cycle touring. The OS electronically woule be very useful, but it isn't essential. I'll wait; it'll come to me, things usually do. :0)
Thanks for your input and if ever I get let down by Apple I will bear it in mind.
Cheers
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Nobby Ihave an iphone and use the GPS. My only problem with it it runs down the battery very quickly and I may need the phone in an emergency. Have you found this? Glen
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Hi GB,
I haven't used mine as a gps but I've heard from a mate who does that the battery goes down quickly.
I've mentioned a couple of ways around it in this thread: http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/forum/forummessages/mps/dt/4/UTN/33603/last/1/V/8/SP/
I've got the 'Minty Boost' as a back up but also carry the charging lead and plug in at every cafe They come along more often on a bike than when walking :0)
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Hi, Glen, yep the gps eats battery, my recommendations are to jail break the iphone and install something called Winterboard via cydia it allows you to toggle off wifi, 3g, bluetooth quickly as well as kill programs running in the background. Turn the screen brightness down aswell, but still going to eat battery. To give you an example of how long it lasts. 100% at the car park at the devils kitchen. 21% on by the time we got to the top of Tryfan. 11% by the top of Glyder Fach, where i turned it off.
This http://www.mymemory.co.uk/iPhone-Cases/MyMemory/MyMemory-iPhone-Emergency-Power-Sleeve
Stu
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Hi all. I have just picked up a 3GS, and have to admit I am pretty impressed with it. I am running memory map for GPS and various compass apps. Starmap is also very good, and allows me to star gaze to pass any quiet nights. I would aprtly agree that the android phones are better overall, but then when a decent jail break arrives for the 3GS, it will compensat for all the cerrunt benefits of the androids. As far as I know, the I phone has many more options when it comes to extra, or reserve battery power too. It did come as a shock to see just how quickly the battery can be drained on an I phone, but then I guess it is because we can do so much more on them than traditional mobiles. I have already bought a griffin power jolt for short trips, and am planning to buy a power monkey for longer ones. There are reserve battery boosters which carry over nineteen charges in them, but i would prefer to use the solar route I think. Although the GPs is a real advantage (as mentioned above), i do love the fact that I can now carry recognition guides for trees, birds and plants etc, with the advantage that the bird guides also include the calls and songs for each species. As for network providers, Orange were totally open about their browsing limits, and have printed it on all their literature I have. O2 were happy to tell me I could have truly unlimited browsing, but were less happy to tell me it was on a sign up basis, and would cost another £5 per month. I stayed with Orange, as I have six magic numbers, and these cover just about all of my non work calls. Oh, just remembered a good app I have. 'ecompass'. This is great for taking sighting bearings, and also allows you to place the i phone over the map, and video the map with a rotating compass dial on the screen, allowing you to tkae or set bearings. I'm sure that was as clear as mud, so it may be easier to look this one up in the app store. One last thing, has anyone managed to link a photo to any of the way points on their memory map app?
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On batteries, my cycle camping mate has bought this Li Poly battery from
http://www.deben.com/lights_lamping/batteries/lithium_polymer_battery_pack.php and a 12v 5w folding solar panel. He is working on a circuit for solar panel to battery and reports that the fully charged battery gives a week of charges for both his iPhone and artificial leg.
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