I wouldn't trust what Telstra has to say about the iPhone as they have
a very poor track record so far.
Telstra's operations chief Greg Winn, "considered the telco's second-
in-charge and the man who oversees most of its big product decisions"
infamously scoffed that Apple should "stick to their knitting" and
stay out of the phone market back in early 2007:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/biztech/telstra-to-apple-stick-to-your-knitting/2007/02/15/1171405363291.html
Telstra have since dragged their feet at every step delaying
announcing data pricing till after the iPhone launched and then
insulting potential customers with exhorbitant data plans. Only once
it became obvious that Optus was making a killing with their
reasonable iPhone plans did Telstra drop their charges to something
more realistic (though still expensive).
I think the problem is that Telstra has control issues and doesn't
like Apple having the iTunes store when they have been trying to push
their own Bigpond music, movies, games and TV online stores and lock
customers into their own revenue-generating services.
It is unfortunate considering that Telstra's NextG network definitely
has the highest speed and coverage of all the 3G networks in Aus. :-(
-Mart
On 20/10/2008, at 6:37 PM, Stephen Chape wrote:
Thank you very much for that input Martin,
I was hoping to get some positive responses (and I did), but I have
to admit I was sort of
expecting people to agree with the Telstra guy.
After all the sales guy I spoke to is working for Telstra.
Perhaps on a commission from Nokia ??
You have restored some of my faith.
On 20/10/2008, at 4:21 PM, Martin Hill wrote:
I've found my iPhone 3G to be very tough (certainly much better
than my expensive HTC Windows Mobile smartphones).
Check out this iPhone Stress Test that PC World did of the iPhone 3G:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/148310/its_tough_to_kill_an_apple_iphone_3g.html
They tried scratching it with a set of keys, dunked it in a bowl of
cereal, submerged it in the sink, dropped it on concrete and out in
the car park and it only finally died once they drove over it with
a Harley Davidson.
With a good case as well I think you'd find it to b a very
resilient little beastie.
As far as reception is concerned, our iPhones have proved just as
good as any other phone we've ever used though we haven't tried
rigorous tests out in the back of beyond yet - just had a baby so
haven't gone on any trips recently.
I've also found that because we have wifi at home and work I've
rarely managed to go much above about 60MBs of data traffic a month
despite being on an Optus corporate $30 per month data plan which
gives me 3GB per month so I use data with abandon. :-)
As Eugene says, the phone part is very minor. With 128MB of RAM,
600MHz CPU, 16GB of storage video accelerator, GPS, accelerometers
etc and 4,000 apps now available, the iPhone is really a mini
handheld Mac in your pocket not just a phone.
-Mart
It's tough to kill an Apple iPhone 3G
by Tim Moynihan
July 18, 2008, 11:28 AM — PC World —
Apple's new 3G iPhone doesn't just look good. It's one resilient
little bulldog.
We put this faster version of the iPhone, released Friday in the
United States, through dropping, scratching, and dunking tests, and
the device performed like a champ. In fact, it wouldn't knuckle
under until we ran it over with a motorcycle.
In PC World's second annual battery of iPhone Stress Tests our 3G
iPhone test unit withstood a serious beating from keys, breakfast
cereal, water, dish soap, and city sidewalks.
Only a renegade videographer on a motorcycle was able to render it
fully non-operational--and even then, its battery kept on ticking.
In fact, several hours after these event, its splintered screen was
still glowing.
Testing Methodology
The first test involved placing the iPhone in a plastic bag with
two sets of keys and jostling it around like 3G Shake 'N' Bake.
This is designed to simulate what might happen to the phone as it
rattles around in your pocket or purse. The iPhone's screen,
plastic backing, and ridges emerged relatively pristine from this
test.
Next, we turned up the heat a bit, applying pressure to rub the
keys on the iPhone's screen and backing. Again, the iPhone looked
as good as new after that more rigorous key-scratch test. It wasn't
until we removed the plastic bag completely from the equation and
took a key to the screen and backing of the phone that we saw any
tangible damage--and that was only to the foil-like Apple logo on
the back of the handset.
Liquids Attack
Froot Loops and milk are also no match for this handset. After
dropping the iPhone in a bowl of delicious cereal--not once, but
twice--the phone was fully operational, even before towelling it
off. When washed in a sink with lukewarm water and generic hand
soap, the iPhone also came out unscathed... and smelling great.
Alas, chinks in the 3G iPhone's armor developed with the onset of
our drop tests. The first drop produced a small nick in the
beautiful 3.5-inch touchscreen (as well as the appearance of
internal condensation, presumably from the cereal/water tests), as
well as scuffing and dents on the treated plastic backing.
iPhone 3G Finally Cracks
Subsequent drops chipped away at the screen, producing a spider-web-
like matrix of cracks by about the 5th drop. The touchscreen,
iPhone's 480-by-320-pixel trademark visage, no longer responded to
human touch. And then there was that unfortunate motorcycle event.
Of course, this test follows directly in the footsteps of last
year's masterpiece, starring the first version of the iPhone and
Senior Associate Editor Eric Butterfield.
In these tests, we were unable to render the iPhone useless, but we
didn't stoop to (literally) driving it into the ground as we did
today. The iPhone's gotten tougher--but so have we.
On 20/10/2008, at 1:58 PM, Stephen Chape wrote:
I spoke to a sale person at a Telstra shop last Saturday re the
Next G iPhone.
I told him that a friend of mine had dropped his and it had died.
He replied that he had been getting feedback that they are "very
brittle".
He said they do not survive dropping very well.
Where as the Nokia's are well known for their durabilty in this
area.
When I asked him how well they performed in rural areas, he told
me this:-
The Next G phones are divided into 3 groups as far as reception
goes.
Group A = work well in CBD and regional centres only.
Group B = work well in CBD and regional centres and some rural
areas.
Group C = work in CBD and most rural areas (these are those that
get the RURAL tick).
The iPhone comes into Group A.
These points have pretty much put me off getting an iPhone.
And the fact that I would not use some of the functions due to the
costs involved.
Regards,
Stephen Chape
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Regards,
Stephen Chape
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