3G contracts for Apple stuff

[Mutley]

I'm looking to spend a bit of dosh on gadgets (iPhone and an iPad) and wondered what the consensus was on 3G contracts.

Do i need a SIM card for the iPad as well and can you get a two SIM contract from anybody or do you have to set up a second account? I only wonder as I'd like to make full use of one contract rather than half use of two.

 

[Mutley]

36 views and no replies?

 

[JJH]

sorry I cannot answer your technical questions BUT I would not have anything to do with 3g the worst costumer support I have sufferd. My local site was down and they told me to drive 17 miles to another site whare I would get coverage. JJH

 

[STUBBS]

this got great reviews soon to be on sale here smaller and faster


http://www.lbc.co.uk/samsung-galaxy-tab-29415

 

[joness7]

Internet Tethering

You MIGHT be able to use your iPhone as a 3G modem for your iPad.

The new IoS4 includes options for internet tethering, but have not tried to see if it works as you have to activate something on your O2 account first, and can't be arsed.

The other option is PAYG 3G from Three or similar.

 

[Mutley]

this got great reviews soon to be on sale here smaller and faster


http://www.lbc.co.uk/samsung-galaxy-tab-29415

The problem with all of these Windows / Android based pieces of kit is reliability. As we all end up with more and more gadgets the ease of interconnectivity and synchronisation becomes more important (as does reliability).

I have a Nokia 'smart' phone with access to all the OVI apps. It just doesn't work properly. The 'touch screen' simply hasn't got the fluidity of movement that the Apple products have and synching it with my desk top is problematic at best (I've given up with OVI suite and returned to an old form of Nokia software that I had for a previous phone).

The Apple products aren't that much more expensive, they work and they have a re-sale value. The Windows based ones have zero re-sale value, need a significant amount of knowledge to keep working together and are slow and unreliable.

I'll be going Apple then

 

[JJH]

The problem with all of these Windows / Android based pieces of kit is reliability. As we all end up with more and more gadgets the ease of interconnectivity and synchronisation becomes more important (as does reliability).

I have a Nokia 'smart' phone with access to all the OVI apps. It just doesn't work properly. The 'touch screen' simply hasn't got the fluidity of movement that the Apple products have and synching it with my desk top is problematic at best (I've given up with OVI suite and returned to an old form of Nokia software that I had for a previous phone).

The Apple products aren't that much more expensive, they work and they have a re-sale value. The Windows based ones have zero re-sale value, need a significant amount of knowledge to keep working together and are slow and unreliable.

I'll be going Apple then

Just be sure that is your final answer. If you change your mind there does not seem to be a easy way back. JJH

 

[mr_magicfingers]

Just bought an ipad to use on set at work, you can't tether it to a phone so you need a 3g sim. I didn't want to get a contract for it, so I bought a data sim from ebay, 3Gb of data, valid for 3 months, cost me £13 posted, which I thought was pretty good. When it runs out I'll just buy another one.

The sim is a standard size, so you have to cut it down, but there are templates available and you just stick the sticker onto your sim card and trim with a pair of scissors, takes about a minute. Popped it into my ipad and worked straight away. Very handy and I can get mail etc when there's no wifi.

 

[silvermog]

I picked up iphone4 recently to replace my 3GS and did so sim free as I had a while left on my contract. So the iPhone sim just got rev'ed to a micro-sim and still on o2 until contract runs out.

The iPad 3G I use neede a carrier so I scouted a few out and decided on a Three sim as a trial and have to say I'm quite impressed, their website for checking usage is a little wierd, but service is excellent and coverage good, 15quid for 10Gb (or was it 15Gb for 10quid). I'll certainly consider them now for the iPhone when it's sim expires.

Tesco have since launched, but not sure if their prices are better lomgterm but it's basically a bundling of o2 now (used to be VF).

Chatting to a Three support person on some unrelated issue it sounds like they are soon to launch a combined deal, iPhone and iPad sims with a combined data usage, so one bill and more importantly one data charge, that might be nice, certainly simplify life here.

(and before the peanut gallery chimes in, yes I have a lot of apple kit, but that's because it's my business, it works and I'm a registered developer

SilverMog