{"id":932,"date":"2007-11-02T16:07:41","date_gmt":"2007-11-02T16:07:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.markwilson.co.uk\/blog\/2007\/11\/iphone-should-i-shouldnt-i.htm"},"modified":"2009-01-27T22:40:41","modified_gmt":"2009-01-27T22:40:41","slug":"iphone-should-i-shouldnt-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.markwilson.co.uk\/blog\/2007\/11\/iphone-should-i-shouldnt-i.htm","title":{"rendered":"iPhone: should I? shouldn’t I?"},"content":{"rendered":"

My mobile handset used to be just what I needed<\/a>. It’s a phone, with a WAP browser. Basically, it works for making calls and reading my e-mail via OMA<\/a> – and it fits the full handsfree kit in my car that my work phone uses (yes, I have two phones… one so I can be contacted by friends and family whenever I want and the other so that work colleagues can only<\/em> call me when I’m working).<\/p>\n

But I have been tempted. I’m a geek, and geeks feed on gadgets. And whilst common sense tells me that a Windows Mobile phone would best match my needs<\/a>, I am seriously tempted by the Apple iPhone, which goes on sale in the UK next week. The trouble is that even hardened Apple fanboys on some of the podcasts that I listen to admit that this is just a first generation device – an iPhone beta if you like – and at \u00c2\u00a3269 (on an 18-month contract at between \u00c2\u00a335 and \u00c2\u00a355 a month), it’s expensive – especially without the 3G and GPS that other handsets offer.<\/p>\n

I did look at the Nokia N95 but Apple’s decision not to allow their phone to be subsidised by the networks means that other smartphone vendors are pushing up their prices too (thanks for nothing Apple) and Vodafone<\/a>
\n wanted over \u00c2\u00a3300 on an 18 month contract, plus an extra \u00c2\u00a37.50\/month for 120MB of data.<\/p>\n

My existing Vodafone contract is up in a few days time, so I called them and asked for my PAC code so that, if I do buy an iPhone next week, I can transfer my number to O2. Not surprisingly, Vodafone’s customer retention department wanted me to stick with them (that’s their job). After I rejected their revised offer (“ah, the \u00c2\u00a3300 was retail, but we’re able to make you a better offer”) of an N95 for \u00c2\u00a3170 (still \u00c2\u00a3120 more than it would have cost me a few months ago…), they suggested that if I could source an iPhone from somewhere outside the UK it would work with any UK network (UK models will be locked to O2), and they could offer me another 12 month contract, with lower charges. That sounds good, but it’s a bit underhand of them to offer that solution as I don’t think it will work – this is why:<\/p>\n