# Got iphone - need help!



## Karl (7 Oct 2010)

Hi all

My mobile contract is due for renewal next month, and I want to upgrade to a phone/plan which allows e-mail access. I know tap all about such phones (Blackberry/Iphone is the limit of my vocabulary on such matters), so would like some pointers. 

I don't mind moving provider if needs be. I'm with Three at the moment.

Cheers

Karl


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## samharber (7 Oct 2010)

The third player in the iPhone/Blackberry smartphone market is the Android family of phones.

Available from HTC, Samsung, LG and several others (but not Nokia) they all share a similar operating system. If you use googlemail, they do pretty much everything you want from the moment you put in your username and password. Otherwise it takes an extra minute to set up an email account.
Make and model wise, the HTC Desire is considered the dogs gonads, but may be overkill.

I hate blackberries, having been forced to use one while on call at work.

iPhones are lovely and shiny, but overpriced and overkill.


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## matt (7 Oct 2010)

I use iPhone but get a special deal through work on the line rental which makes it very competitive. If I didn't get the deal then I'd be looking closely at HTC.

Bottom line - most people seem to love what they've got. Blackberry is popular amongst business users because it's the most secure. I believe they're fundamentally good at what they do but I think they are popularised in the consumer market on price and the business reputation (but I don't think many people realise why they're popular with business so it could be a slightly false following).

You can get email on regular phones too but it's shonky in my experience (Nokia E51).


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## Karl (7 Oct 2010)

Thanks Sam - the HTC Desire is available from my current provider, £35/mth. Others (Blackberry et al) are similair(ish) price wise. 

Might be an option.

Cheers

Karl


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## richard.selwyn (7 Oct 2010)

I no nothing about this BUT my brother in law has an HTC desire (400 quid I think) with an account with some outfit called Giff Gaff.(giffgaff.com) He has nothing better to do all day than play golf and find great deals so it must be a good deal. Might be worth checking out


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## Anonymous (7 Oct 2010)

HTC desire all the way Karl, I actually designed and fitted the kitchen for the MD of HTC in the UK


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## Jensmith (7 Oct 2010)

A friend has an HTC Desire and we have iphones but used Blackberry's in the past.

Android is ok but it depends what you want to do with the phone. It also depends on what phone you buy. Android phones aren't built equal so you have to be quite careful as to what you buy.
If you want to make best use of the apps then Android isn't the way to go IMO.
Apparently you only get a few hundred MB of storage on the HTC Desire and I assume other phones are the same. (iphone is 8Gb for 3Gs or 16Gb for the new iphone 4)
The apps are also generally poor (anyone can make them - there's no control over quality) and this comes from my friend who dislikes Apple...

The HTC Desire has already been superseded by two new phones - one out in a few days and HTC churn them out so there will be upgrades all the time. Contracts are similar dependent on provided though the phones might be cheaper.

iphones are expensive, there's no doubt about that but if you want to buy pay as you go you get a £10/month tariff with data included (ie email, internet etc). Just pay for calls though I think you get some inclusive minutes / texts.

Blackberry's are very good phones. They are very well made - I dropped mine several times and it still works fine. That wouldn't happen with an iphone!

Email integration is excellent - it's instant I've found and you can get cheap contracts £10/month with O2 though I bought the phone.
The Pearl or Curve are probably the best depending on what you want.

It really boils down to this:
If you want fantastic email integration - buy a Blackberry
If you want to play great games and have good apps - buy an iphone
If you don't like either of the above - buy an Android phone
None of the other makes have smartphones that are worth considering IMHO.


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## Chems (7 Oct 2010)

Get yourself an Android phone. Super cool. 3 are doing some good deals and the best bit about 3 is that there is meant to be a lot of 3G coverage when your out and about, and the 3g network is really fast as opposed the GPRS network you get if your not near a 3G area. 

I have a sony mini xperia 10 pro, has all the bits of a touch screen with loads of apps, but also a full keyboard for proper typing. Plus its only £180! 







Was voted phone of the year last month I think by someone. 

It also doubles up as your Mp3 player, sat nav, speed camera avoider, news reader, ebook reader, camera, flashlight and you can call people on it too if you want but never used that function. 

Bottom line, An iphone type phone for a 1/4 of the price. Nearly. Kinda.


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## petermillard (8 Oct 2010)

I know at this stage you're just looking for a phone that can 'do' email, but don't underestimate the convenience of having a device that can also handle your diary, your contacts, your work notes (all synced and backed up) your photos, etc.. etc..

iPhone for me and I'm very happy with it - great camera, easy to use and painless setup, especially if you're already using iTunes. I bought my daughter a BlackBerry Curve recently and was impressed how easy it was for her to set up her email; nice little phone too, and cheap - 'free' handset on £20 pm Orange 'Dolphn' tariff inc. email and web, albeit on a 24-month contract. Small screen on the Curve though - having a portfolio of pictures of previous work with you at all times is handy, but a bigger screen helps!

Probably worth mentioning that smartphones generally work more easily within their own 'eco-system' i.e. as mentioned above, Android is pretty seamless if you're already on GoogleMail, Contacts & Calendar; iPhone is brilliant with MobileMe. With the BlackBerry you have to jump through a few more hoops to get the contacts and calendar synced but it's not onerous, and email setup is very easy.

A lot comes down to personal preference of course - I'm sure you'll try a few out and see how they feel, first.

HTH Pete


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## matt (8 Oct 2010)

FWIW - iPhone works fine with Google apps.


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## Jensmith (8 Oct 2010)

Chems":u4hglmq8 said:


> Bottom line, An iphone type phone for a 1/4 of the price. Nearly. Kinda.



I'm sorry but you're pushing the boat out a bit there! 

Paul (my fiance) fancied one of these as a replacement for his iphone 3G but when he tried it he didn't think the keyboard was very responsive considering it's a proper keyboard.

Bottom line is you have to go along to the shop and try these phones out. It's really down to personal preference and everyone is going to have a different opinion.

I was really anti iphone until I tried one..... not I have a 3Gs and love it. It's not perfect - I see the flaws but compared to the current competition the iphone is the best at the moment IMO.


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## mickthetree (8 Oct 2010)

I have to add my 2 penneth worth here.

I have an HTC HERO. Email is pretty good on there, but the worst feature I find of all of these types of phones is actually making a phone call. Surely the primary function for a phone?

Anyway, I'll be getting a small standard phone which can also handle emails next time. For me I want to be able to read my email on my phone, but not reply. I would rather it made calls easily and wasnt the size of a small laptop.

IMO.


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## Oryxdesign (8 Oct 2010)

I've had an HTC and a Blackberry now I have an iPhone4 and it runs circles around the other phones I've had.


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## Chems (8 Oct 2010)

Jensmith":1tr34ruz said:


> Chems":1tr34ruz said:
> 
> 
> > Bottom line, An iphone type phone for a 1/4 of the price. Nearly. Kinda.
> ...



The iphone really shows the quality of £400 they are, used a few and they are lovely. I couldn't carry something worth £400 around with me thou I'd be scared to use it! The Xperia Mini has its niggles but I personally think the keyboard is best. 

I'm currently being taught how to program the chip set in the new gen of smart phones so when I know enough an write the first UKW app it will be for Android only if that sways your decisions!


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## matt (8 Oct 2010)

Oryxdesign":2t99awb3 said:


> I've had an HTC and a Blackberry now I have an iPhone4 and it runs circles around the other phones I've had.



Just don't hold it in your left hand to make or receive calls (or is it right hand)?  

(I know, I know... you can get the free case/bumper - just couldn't resist.)


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## toolsandtimber (8 Oct 2010)

I recommend Android as a mobile phone operating system. My phone of choice would be the HTC Desire but the new Desire HD is coming out very soon so if you can wait then I would go for the HD.

Also as for network, Orange and T-mobile have merged now so they have excellent combined coverage!


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## petermillard (8 Oct 2010)

Chems":3q3hdh6a said:


> I couldn't carry something worth £400 around with me thou I'd be scared to use it!



So... you don't take your tools anywhere, or use them either then, lol!? 

Just to clarify, iPhones work fine with Google Mail & Docs, but the _setup_ whilst not difficult on an iPhone, is _easier_ on Android, where it's just a qeustion of logging in to your Google account and you're done.

Pete


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## Chems (8 Oct 2010)

petermillard":3jg9gimp said:


> Chems":3jg9gimp said:
> 
> 
> > I couldn't carry something worth £400 around with me thou I'd be scared to use it!



No, I have to polish the festools after each use. Its so time consuming!


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## wobblycogs (8 Oct 2010)

My 2p worth...

I have an htc desire and it's the best phone I've used by a mile.

IMHO the choice is between a high end Blackberry, iPhone4 and a high end Android such as the Desire. A colleague has a BB and really liked it at first. The keyboard makes typing a long ish email easy but other than that he felt the phone was a bit awkward (and he dropped and broke it yesterday -doh)

I like the iPhone4 but you need to be an Apple person in my view. Not being able to just stick arbitrary files on the phone using standard Windows drive mappings for me is a show stopper.

If you're a Google person then an Android based phone is brilliant. It integrates seamlessly with all the Google services which I find hugely useful.

One thing no one has mentioned is whether you want a phone with a keypad or touch screen. If you work in an environment where you commonly have dirty hands (building for example) a touch screen will fail quite quickly as it will get scratched. A keypad will last longer but they aren't indestructible.


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## CNC Paul (8 Oct 2010)

Karl,


The only comment I can make is the iPhone is the only phone ( same one for 2 years) I have owned that has not been affected by dust (screen and buttons), all the others had to periodically stripped down and cleaned or packed up.


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## Mrs Oryx (8 Oct 2010)

I have an iphone too (now there's a surprise) but the screen covers are pence so don't worry too much about damage. The lack of buttons also means a lack of holes for dust to get in.

Simon keeps his in a bump case and a cloth bag/case thing when he's working and it is surviving much better than his other phones. (Especially as I haven't washed it yet)

When you are costing up don't forget insurance, which on a smartphone is not cheap. The service providers may not be cheap and there are alternatives but look very carefully at the level of cover.

I do have to warn you, the slope is very very slippery.


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## matt (8 Oct 2010)

wobblycogs":3frwx6v0 said:


> I like the iPhone4 but you need to be an Apple person in my view. Not being able to just stick arbitrary files on the phone using standard Windows drive mappings for me is a show stopper.



Dropbox is your friend. iPhone app, desktop/laptop app, and a web interface. No reason not to be able to access files from anywhere and they don't get lost if you lose your phone/memory stick/whatever.

Re insurance... often covered on household insurance up to X value per phone. I'll just stump up the difference if necessary. Saying that... Apple sent a friend a free new phone when he dropped his first one in a pint of beer. He's since traded in the beer'd phone and the replacement for a 4.


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## Jensmith (8 Oct 2010)

Ditto the above re insurance. I wouldn't pay for it. Normally it'll be covered in house insurance to some extent so why fork out?


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## big soft moose (8 Oct 2010)

personally I dont get the desire to be constantly available by email - afterall you've got your mobile with you and if its important they'll phone - the joy of email is that it can wait until you are available so I dont want to be getting constant you've got mail alerts while i'm away from the office.

That said if i did want to - my preference would be rather than spending 400 notes on a HTC or whatever to spend about half that on a baby laptop and mobile broadband


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## petermillard (8 Oct 2010)

CNC Paul":2zvjv41q said:


> Karl,
> The only comment I can make is the iPhone is the only phone ( same one for 2 years) I have owned that has not been affected by dust (screen and buttons), all the others had to periodically stripped down and cleaned or packed up.



+1. I had Sony Ericsson phones for years and there were always problems due to dust ingress under the screen and buttons, memory stick slots etc... I've had iPhones since they came out and they haven't been treated with any more care than the SE phones (case and screen protector) and yet they were/are in close to perfect condition, considering they've spent most of their life in the pocket of my work cargo pants...

Pete


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## matt (8 Oct 2010)

big soft moose":36517ylf said:


> personally I dont get the desire to be constantly available by email - afterall you've got your mobile with you and if its important they'll phone - the joy of email is that it can wait until you are available so I dont want to be getting constant you've got mail alerts while i'm away from the office.



Email does not equal constantly available. I choose when to respond to emails and I do not have alerts switched on. The fact that people know I have mobile access to my emails means they are more inclined to email me which is good because I don't want to be constantly contacted by phone. So, for me, the benefit is that I can use downtime to respond to emails.


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## Karl (8 Oct 2010)

It'll be an i-phone 4, I think. Can't actually upgrade until 5 November, so i'll have to make do until then.

The cost is minimal (£89) if I upgrade my price plan, which I intended to do anyway (as I use more than my allotted 500min per month at the moment).

Cheers for all input.

Karl


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## petermillard (8 Oct 2010)

Hope you're happy with it - I don't know of anyone who bought an iPhone and regretted it (aside from a couple of uber-geeks who do unspeakable things to consumer electronics for fun). I can recommend these people for cases:-

http://www.switcheasy-europe.com/

Let us know how you get on.

Pete


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## Doug B (8 Oct 2010)

Karl":1mp40i5m said:


> It'll be an i-phone 4,




I love my i-phone, i had 2 blackberrys, broke both on site, they don`t like plaster :lol: :lol:

With a screen cover & a silicone back cover i`ve dropped the i-phone a few times & it`s still going, also no visible keys to fill with with dust/plaster/rubbish.

Don`t doubt the other phones mentioned are excellent but they aren`t conducive with site work :lol: :lol:

i`m on orange business, the phone was free, 750 minutes, unlimited internet & loads of texts, don`t know how many, don`t use um except for jokes. :roll:

Doug.


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## Karl (8 Oct 2010)

Doug B":3do3mmaa said:


> Karl":3do3mmaa said:
> 
> 
> > It'll be an i-phone 4,
> ...



How much per month Doug?


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## Doug B (8 Oct 2010)

Karl":3pobsori said:


> How much per month Doug?





£30 + the vat, rings a bell mate, the secretary has had the night off, but i can check tomorrow.


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## Lord Nibbo (8 Oct 2010)

I've just bought an HTC Wildfire it's half the price of the Desire.

Orange "Dolphin" Top up £10 a month gets me everything I want

You can text, poke or tweet as many times as you like with Dolphin. Just top up £10 or more each month and you 300 free texts and free internet on your phone.

£10 top up = 300 free texts plus free internet


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## RogerS (8 Oct 2010)

It's worth reading the Techradar reviews of the phone you fancy. You can pick up a good few 'mmm..maybe not such a good idea' from them.


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## Nick69 (8 Oct 2010)

Im off to get the HTC Desire tmw as I think its the best overall Cost/Function/Look etc etc @ £25 p/m with calls/texts/internet and free phone . . It has rubbish battery life but a good camera (not as good as my C905 though). Some decent apps, touch screen is just as good as an iphone.

In my humble opinion, if you want a smart phone that does it all and you can afford it get an iPhone 4
If you want a phone for email and general communication go for a Blackberry
If you want a good all rounder get the Desire.
The 'Updated' Desire's are not much different imho. One has a keypad for the 'Large of Thumb' and the other does HD video.


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## andycktm (8 Oct 2010)

£300 quid a year or is it 2 years £600 (for a few phone calls),how you can find anything free in that amazes me!


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## Doug B (8 Oct 2010)

andycktm":3hdld6yq said:


> £300 quid a year or is it 2 years £600 (for a few phone calls),how you can find anything free in that amazes me!




It will be tax deductible to karl, so it`s not major league, though no one wants to pay over the odds. It`s just about getting the best equipment for your particular business.


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## andycktm (8 Oct 2010)

Fair do's.
On a side note are you sure you ought to tell everybody your secretary has the night off.
What happens if the husbands reading this and thinks she's at work?


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## Nick69 (9 Oct 2010)

andycktm":20vbk1fm said:


> £300 quid a year or is it 2 years £600 (for a few phone calls),how you can find anything free in that amazes me!


When I say free it might aswell be compared to an iPhone 4!!
To get one on a £25p/m contract outside of a business contract cost serious money for the phone first.


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## matt (9 Oct 2010)

Don't dismiss the iPhone 3G or 3GS.


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## Lons (9 Oct 2010)

Phones are a VERY personal choice

Iv'e had a Nokia E71 for 12 months on a full web access O2 and the phone suits me very well. Solid metal build and querty keyboard - but - the web access is slow and compared to my sons' Iphone it's like ford v ferrari so I'll be looking closely when I change.

I took out a 24 month contract at £25 but got a cash rebate which brings it down to £20. Guess better deals are available now!

Bob


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## Dibs-h (10 Oct 2010)

Doug B":12t6zvs3 said:


> andycktm":12t6zvs3 said:
> 
> 
> > £300 quid a year or is it 2 years £600 (for a few phone calls),how you can find anything free in that amazes me!
> ...



No it's not tax deductible - I'd go so far as saying almost nothing is tax deductible from a business perspective.

What is allowable is tax relief by virtue of having the phone & therefore contract in the business name. i.e. for every £100 spent that's really £75 out of your pocket (simplistic example assuming 25% basic rate tax and excluding capital allowances), but you get the idea.

HIH

Dibs


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## Karl (10 Oct 2010)

I think that's what Doug meant Dibs. ie you can't deduct the cost from your tax bill, but you can deduct it from your income before calculating you tax bill. 

Cheers

Karl


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## Dibs-h (10 Oct 2010)

Karl":kl2q6s1k said:


> I think that's what Doug meant Dibs. ie you can't deduct the cost from your tax bill, but you can deduct it from your income before calculating you tax bill.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Karl



Cool - No probs. At least someone reading up on this thread in the future who doesn't know the diff - no chance of confusion.:wink: 

Cheers

Dibs


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## Karl (10 Oct 2010)

Dibs-h":3v6ut32o said:


> Karl":3v6ut32o said:
> 
> 
> > I think that's what Doug meant Dibs. ie you can't deduct the cost from your tax bill, but you can deduct it from your income before calculating you tax bill.
> ...



Ha - my mate runs a building company and he's convinced that he can put his lunches, motorboat, motorhome etc through the company accounts as "expenses". I've tried telling him that he can't, but he won't have any of it!

Cheers

Karl


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## Dibs-h (10 Oct 2010)

Karl":3v356v1t said:


> Ha - my mate runs a building company and he's convinced that he can put his lunches, motorboat, motorhome etc through the company accounts as "expenses". I've tried telling him that he can't, but he won't have any of it!
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Karl



What's that saying? "No-one so deaf that won't hear" or something.

It's all about the appetite for risk - i knew a guy who had bought some new office furniture. Turned out to be a dining set and a 3 piece suite!

He never got rumbled - but in the current climate not worth the gamble. I think it might be different if you bent the rules to put food on the table, but if it's all going well, why risk it.

Mind you there's a world of difference between bending the rules and taking the p!ss. :wink:

Dibs


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## Karl (10 Oct 2010)

Totally. At the end of the day, he thinks "well, if I get rumbled, i've not lost anything". But the thing is, HMRC will be much more suspicious if they uncover something dodgy. They're likely to come down much harder on other "indiscretions" which they may otherwise have let go.

FYI (or anybody else interested), I worked in accountancy (insolvency) for 12 years if anybody is wondering why I know so much about HMRC's attitudes to tax evasion!

Cheers

Karl


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## Karl (18 Nov 2010)

Just a quick update. I ordered the new HTC Desire HD phone as it didn't have an upfront cost on the price plan I wanted (as opposed to the £189 of the iphone 4). Was told it would be delivered a few days later......

It never turned up. No call or text to let me know. So I phoned them and it turns out that it was out of stock (having only just been released = the latest gadget). So they offered me an iphone4 for free on the same price plan. "Great" I said. Delivery - 4 to 6 weeks :evil: 

That was a couple of weeks ago so I phoned them today. It should be here on 2 December. 

I wish I didn't have such an impatient character streak :roll: But i'm sure it'll be worth the wait.

Cheers

Karl


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## virtu (21 Nov 2010)

This page is quite good in helping what to get;
http://3lib.ukonline.co.uk/grid.htm

ps. I've got the N8 from Nokia and it is the best value on the market today


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## Karl (27 Nov 2010)

Right folks, my iphone turned up a bit earlier than expected and mightily impressed I am.

I've got one problem though - I can't get it to give out a ringtone when somebody rings me. All it does is vibrate. 

I've messed about with several settings to no avail. I'm clearly doing something wrong, but have no idea what.

Any suggestions?

Cheers

Karl


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## CNC Paul (27 Nov 2010)

Karl,

Make sure the top L/H side button is not switched so it is showing red on the switch, this is silent mode.

Or check the volume is not set low, keep pressing the volume button, just below the mute switch to raise the volume.


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## Karl (27 Nov 2010)

nice one Paul - it was that little button at fault!!!!

Cheers

Karl


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## CNC Paul (27 Nov 2010)

That's OK Karl.


I just changed my 3GS to a iPhone 4 as I had a free upgrage, O2 said that will be £138, I gave up argueing and sold my old phone for £233 to mazuma.


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## wizer (27 Nov 2010)

Something else to think about.

The iPhone has, reportedly, an exceedingly good video camera. High Def. It's good enough that I'm considering getting rid of my SD camcorder and using the iPhone for the minimal family shooting that I do.

I'm not an Apple fan, but from all I've read, the Iphone is the best on the current market.


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## CNC Paul (28 Nov 2010)

Wizer,

The HD video on the 4 is very good, but have a look at these http://www.goprocamera.com/ stunning quality, great price they are even used by CNN


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