Help Taz with iPhone or Smartphone Suggestions

Life Technology
1

Could you Forumosaners help me with some general and local info on what iphone/smartphone to get (or not get)?

Here’s my situation –

I don’t use my cell phone very much, but when I need it, I need it.

Within the past year I have taken two trips to the Japan, one to the UK, and one to the US, but I am a long-term resident in Taiwan. I set up my phone to be used internationally, but was only able to use it in the UK. I don’t know why it did not work in the US (Los Angeles), but I understand Japan’s system is quite different. I wound up renting a SoftBank phone in Kansai my last trip to Japan and spending Yen on it which could have been used for my own phone, I thought. Or could it?

During a week-long stay in LA earlier this month, I was quite frustrated. Not only didn’t my phone work, wireless access wasn’t as ubiquitous as I had expected. So I found myself carrying around a phone I couldn’t use, and a heavy laptop that I was able to use for research but not much for communication once I was out of my hotel room.

Further, last fall, I bought a new digital camera –

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=89018&start=70#p1230856

I love the camera, but this was a research trip, and I was mostly using it for snapshots and communication, e.g. like photographing an object and sending it a colleague for questions about stuff I was working on. Carrying the camera wasn’t a burden, but I had to manually transfer images which took time and I started thinking – “Why doesn’t someone put all this tech in one thiny?” Wait – :astonished: – You mean it’s been done? D’oh!

I’m taking this trip as a sign I ought to investigate getting an iphone or smartphone.

:help: :help: :help:

So here’s what I need in such a gadget, I think –

I will use it in Taiwan 99% of the time, so it has to be a good fit for the local environment. I live in Taichung, if that matters.

It has to be compatible with systems in Japan, HK, and the US. I never go to China, but that’s not a matter of principle, and I might go someday, so it would be good if it could be used there too.

I don’t make many calls, but that could change if I like using the phone. I imagine I will use a lot of data.

I need easy & reliable connectivity.

I won’t say money isn’t a concern, but I don’t want to be cheap and save a few NT$ for something I don’t like.

If you were me, what would you do? Specifically –

What phone would you get? I guess I prefer the iphone look & feel from what I have seen. But I am not wedded to it or any system.

What kind of company or contract would you look for?

Thanks!

2

iPhone 4 will be compatible with HK, Japan, USA. I’ve used it in all of those locales. It’s also replaced my point and shoot, my camcorder, my video editor, etc.

The main challenge is getting a SIM card for each locale so you can actually use data without getting charged an exorbitant amount. I’ll post more info on this later.

3

I don’t follow this –

iphone.emome.net/rateplan/best

Are those charges per month? And this is after you have a phone? Hmm, maybe money is a question then. I admittedly hate my cell phone, but it only costs a few hundred per month…

4

:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

Ok, sorry… but that was funny as 3G usage in Taiwan is DIRT CHEAP.
Unlimited 3G usage in Taiwan is NT$850, or NT$950 if you have mPro which I don’t really get but it seems to be what CHT signs you up to and on top of that whatever voice plan you have, i.e. NT$289 for the most basic plan.
If you think that’s expensive, then don’t EVER think about using roaming, as it would cost you an arm and a leg.
Considering that in most countries you have to pay around NT$1300 and up for 3G usage which is capped at no more than 1GB a month, usually less for that price and that either charges you per MB after that or throttles the speed to 64/128kb/s prices here are fantastic.

And I presume you did notice that they give you a heafty discount on the phone itself…?

Also keep in mind that the camera in most, if not all phones suck, although they’re now at least getting to the stage where they’re good enough for basic snap shots of things. It’s kind of like having a five year old digital camera and then we’re talking the best phones out there, although of course without any kind of zoom.

5

Hi Swede,

Good to know. Did you see the link I posted though? The numbers range from $9000 and up and the Chinese says per month. So that’s what alarmed me.

Cheers,
Taz

6

Uhm, no, the monthly cost is at the top in the blue part.
The large figures is what you pay for the handset after discount.
You’d be tied to a 24 month contract though to get the discount and if you spend less than NT$1000 a month, you have to pre-pay a large chunk of cash, but then your monthly bill is deducted from that lump sum, so you don’t have a phone bill for a few months.
I thought that’s what you mixed up, but I wasn’t sure.

7

Taz, here’s how to read and calculate that table. The only important number is total cost of ownership for the life of the 24 month contract. Ignore the price of the phone listed there. The table is designed this way so people get drawn to the 0 NT phone, which as you will see is a bad, “sucker” option in terms of what it costs you over the life of the two year contract.

Look below and notice that the jump from non-zero to “free” price of the phone (highlighted) has the largest jump in total cost of ownership. I’m pretty sure a whole lot of people fall for this trap. Well played, CHT. The other carriers have plans and tables structured in the same way.

Note also the negative delta built jumping up from the 1049 to 1349 in plans on the iPhone 4.

Their table:

Interpreting the table:

With formulae:

Whatever you do, do not get the lowest plan. Its 500MB data cap will be gone a week or so into the month if you use your phone at all. All the other plans include unlimited data.

8

Perfect, mabagal. That’s really clear, and just the sort of info and advice I was looking for.

9

[quote=“TheLostSwede”]
Also keep in mind that the camera in most, if not all phones suck, although they’re now at least getting to the stage where they’re good enough for basic snap shots of things. It’s kind of like having a five year old digital camera and then we’re talking the best phones out there, although of course without any kind of zoom.[/quote]

I assumed that from the start. The attraction would be convenience for conveying information quickly as I indicated in my post. I have two good cameras already, each used for differing needs.

Muchas Gracias.

10

[quote=“Tazzie”][quote=“TheLostSwede”]
Also keep in mind that the camera in most, if not all phones suck, although they’re now at least getting to the stage where they’re good enough for basic snap shots of things. It’s kind of like having a five year old digital camera and then we’re talking the best phones out there, although of course without any kind of zoom.[/quote]

I assumed that from the start. The attraction would be convenience for conveying information quickly as I indicated in my post. I have two good cameras already, each used for differing needs.

Muchas Gracias.[/quote]

Tazzie, the iPhone 4 really changes all of this. It is really the first real point and shoot replacement out there. While Swede is right that most camera phones are junky, you’re only going to buy one phone, and there are a few really good ones out there. iPhone 4 is currently the gold standard in camera phones, and there are a few comparable Android phones, one being the Desire HD.

If Flickr is a good proxy of the overall trend (I think it is), the most popular single camera in the world is quickly becoming the iPhone 4, and point and shoots are dying.


techcrunch.com/2011/04/17/iphone-4-camera/

It’s also replaced my camcoder. Here’s some videos in 720p that I shot, edited and shared 100% with iPhone 4 using the stock camera app and iMovie for iPhone:
youtube.com/watch?v=Uss5AbsXCpo
youtube.com/watch?v=79sdsBY56Jg

11

Blackberry is good, if you want to be bored and jealous of all the fun your friends are having with their HTC or iphone.

12

And it only has “free” messages with fellow Blackberries if with Taiwan TaGeTa, not CHT.

13

That’s amazing. I am sure it says more about the popularity of the phone than anything else, but it will probably drive the quality of the iphone 5 camera up.

BTW, The iphone 5 will be out about a week or two after I buy an iphone 4. So everyone should watch this thread for a head’s up on 5. :unamused:

14

The accepted rumor du jour is that the iPhone 5 will be released in September (which means it probably wont make it to Taiwan till early 2012). So that should give you a few more months to be current.

I’m in Taichung for the week, so if you want a demo of the iPhone 4 or iPad (1), I’d be happy to give it to you. Just PM me.

15

[quote=“Adam_CLO”]
I’m in Taichung for the week, so if you want a demo of the iPhone 4 or iPad (1), I’d be happy to give it to you. Just PM me.[/quote]

How kind. I didn’t want to let this go unnoticed, but I am sure I won’t take up your time. I know others here who have the phone and sure I can track them down.

Thanks, Adam.

Taz.

16

[quote=“Tazzie”][quote=“mabagal”]
If Flickr is a good proxy of the overall trend (I think it is), the most popular single camera in the world is quickly becoming the iPhone 4, and point and shoots are dying.
[/quote]

That’s amazing. I am sure it says more about the popularity of the phone than anything else, [/quote]

I think it actually has more to do with the fact that the camera itself is pretty much at the point and shoot level and more so with the ease of the work flow. Shoot the picture, upload directly with the phone without having to deal with file transfer, USB cables, going to a desktop computer and all that stuff. Sure, the phone is popular, but people wouldn’t use it instead of a point and shoot if the quality wasn’t somewhat comparable.

17

Sorry if this is not the right thread to ask these questions in, but I am trying to work out the costing of the smartphone services, and what they will give me. I currently have a rather large phonebill each month just on my old Nokia (up to 2,000/mth for calls within Taiwan), and would like to get this cut back. I use the internet and phone for business and would like to have the ability to handle orders online wherever I am. If I do get a smartphone, I plan to go with HTC.

If I get a total coverage plan on the HTC, will this let me do things like use skype to call friends and customers on their smartphones, regardless of their phone choice, for “free”? Call my parents in NZ with my SKYPE plan? What could I expect to pay for a service that would let me use Skype and other internet services for an hour or so a day? (Would it be less than what I pay now?)

Can I take the phone to NZ and use it with a local SIM card? We have a SIM card there we keep for use when we go, can I just pop that in and use it?

I really appreciate any help.

18

Not off-topic at all, if I may say, and I may as this is my thread. :smiley: Unfortunately, I do not have the info for you. Perhaps someone else here does.

19

No idea if you can save money, that depends on the talk plan I guess.

As far as Skype goes, you’d want to get an unlimited 3G plan and that’s NT$850 or so a month, but it wouldn’t be free using Skype, but you’d pay Skype rates rather than the mobile provider rates.

And yes, unless the phone is SIM locked, you can pop any SIM card into it.

20

TheLostSwede,

Thanks. So, I need to look into what my current Skype plan offers for cellphone use. I am sure I am spending way more than I need on telecommunications, but it’s hard for this non-techhie to dig out all the programs, devices, and plans to get more for my money.