The Conspiracy Continues

Just a footnote really – since turning data on a couple of days ago, and despite not using the internet at all (not checking email, not using Maps, visiting the App store), I have now been observing a slow but steady drain on my account balance.

Now that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been internet traffic (although logging into my account shows no data traffic). So…..

One more call to VirginMobile – turn off the data again. I still leave 3G switched on on the phone so it still functions.  It doesn’t mean I completely loose the connectivity benefits of the iPhone, there are WiFi spots everywhere that I can use – home, work, McDonalds, Starbucks, Internet cafes – so many offering free WiFi that the only time I am really missing out on data, is when I am driving. And when I’m driving, I better not be surfing!

Even so, it is sad that it has to come to this.

Pathetic really.

A footnote to the footnote – credit is still draining out of my account, despite there not being any calls made.  Rang Virgin AGAIN, and the last guy didn’t do what he said he was going to do (what I asked him to) – turn off data and WAP.  FFS – employ competent staff

Oh, another typically annoying thing – the previous guy offered to put $5 onto the account because of the problems/sign of goodwill.  Goodwill only works when you actually do it VirginMobile.  I don’t care about the $5. I do care about the principle.

A Conspiracy Theory

As some know, I’ve been having some really weird problems with my iPhone over the couple of months.

Firstly the problem: intermittently (2 calls in 3), a person ringing me would hear nothing at all for a good 20 seconds or so, then go straight to my answer phone.  My phone meantime would be on, displaying 5 bars of signal strength and yet would not show an incoming call at all, let alone ring.  This happened countless times, and it took a while for me to become aware of it – after all, how often do you ring yourself?

I tried all sorts of things to fix the issue – restoring the phone, swapping the SIM card to another phone, and on and on.  The SIM card would work perfectly in another phone, but not the iPhone.  So based on that evidence, it was off to the Apple Store, who agreed with my initial diagnostics, and decided it was a faulty phone circuit in the iPhone, and so swapped the iPhone for a new one.

And still my problem persisted. It became even more curious when I had the same problem when I then tried putting the SIM card into a Nokia 5110.

So then it looked to be a carrier problem – VirginMobile in this case (on the Optus network).  Tried to get VirginMobile (VM) on the case, but after fluffing around (and around and around), I got the TIO involved (Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman).  At least it finally got escalated into VM proper customer service circles (initial call centres are typically less than useful for telecoms)

We tried SIM swaps, and then again with one they had tested the guts out of in their labs.  Still no success.  Even a brand new SIM on a brand new account had the same problem.

Finally, one comment from them triggered me down a new path.  The comment was based on why in the world my account/SIM worked fine in old phones and not new ones.  It made even less sense since I have data (and 3G) turned off on my iPhone (don’t need the extra expense – there is WiFi everywhere!)  So the older phones work, but not modern?

Another web search, and I find a conspiracy theory that happened in the US, where AT&T colluded with Apple to cause owners to turn on data (unnecessarily).

So I tried – switch on 3G, phone works perfectly, switch it off, phone fails.  All since OS3.0 came out.

The point is – if that is the case, who wins?  Apple? Or the carrier who then gets to sell you data?

I took this new info back to the TIO, and they immediately said they were no longer interested in the case. If it is phone provider and not service provider (even if it is both), it wasn’t their problem.

I also took the issue back to Apple (Genius Bar in Chadstone), and not mentioning the 3G / 2G problem to find out what else they had to say. I put a Sony Ericsson, Nokia, HTC and iPhone in front of them.  The SIM works in every phone, except the iPhone, yet they still blamed the carrier.  They even went as far as telling me they see it a lot with Optus (and less so with Vodaphone) (and not with Telstra). Despite telling me just 2 weeks earlier they had never seen the issue. Even though I had the same actual person serving me.  They were happy for me to walk out of their store, despite the fact that 3 non Apple branded phones worked perfectly, and an Apple didn’t and yet were not interested in getting to the bottom of the problem.  A big fail for Apple customer service.

So that’s about as far as I can get.  Apple refusing responsibility, VirginMobile unable to solve the problem through their avenues.

An iPhone that doesn’t work with 3G switched off, and works with it switched on.  I don’t necessarily mind having 3G switched on, but it seems like yet another stuffup with OS3.0 . Remember the phone worked perfectly under OS2.x with 3G switched off.

So, is a conspiracy between Apple and Optus?  Forcing users to turn on data even though they don’t want to?

I hope not. But one way or another, either deliberate or accidental, IMO it is Apple who is responsible, and not prepared to accept responsibility.

iPhone Unlock

I’ve been running some tests on an iPhone – typical user type applications, and will document my various experiences as they arise.

The first operation to attempt was unlocking the iPhone from an original network so that it could be used on any mobile network (Virginmobile in my case).  Locking a phone to a specific network is not limited to the iPhone – it has been done in the past to other handsets, depending on the deal being offered.

Costs will vary from carrier to carrier, in this case Telstra’s charge to unlock an iPhone is $150.

The process is pretty straightforward, and even better if you don’t follow Telstra’s instructions, and instead get the real steps required.  It can take up to 72 hours (or 3 working days depending on who you are talking to – 3 working days seems more likely, as there is a human step or two in the process (apparently)).

When you are ready to try to see if the unlock request has gone through, you do the following:

With no Sim Card in the iPhone, connect it to your computer and start iTunes.

Click on “Check for Update”

Click on “Restore to Factory Settings”

Re-sync phone to iTunes.  Now the instructions (apparently) require you to turn the phone on and off, but instead iTunes instructed me to insert the new carrier’s Sim Card.  I did this while the phone was still connected, and it did a few things, and reported back that the operation was successful.

Even better – it was.

It then took me through the (basic) operation of setting up a new phone (which simply means it does a synchronisation, and creates a backup).

All in all, a relatively painless operation, once I found out the real steps required.

I’ve been playing around with the device for the afternoon (and evening) so far – and am struggling to find reasons why it is treated with distain in certain circles.  So far it seems a very powerful device, with a very simple user interface.

iPhone & Online Banking

Speaking of iPhone applications, the ANZ have already jumped on the bandwagon, releasing an ANZ Banking program for the iPhone.

iPhone & ANZ Banking

That’s pretty ‘hip’ of a bank.

Hopefully though (just playing devil’s advocate here), it will be a little more secure than one of the other iPhone applications (a game) that automatically uploaded all the contents of your contacts to their server unencrypted (and without even announcing that it was doing it).  One second you could be playing a silly Bejeweled-type game and the next all your business and personal contacts are getting hammered by phone and email spam.

The problem has since been corrected, but it just goes to show that anything you download onto your computer or mobile device, as innocent as it appears (or is intended), can still completely compromise your security and privacy.

Where it comes to computer security in the current era, the Howard Govenment’s “Be Alert but not Alarmed” message should simply be “Be Alarmed”.

iPhone / iPod Touch Software Update

For owners of an iPod Touch, there is a new update available to bring the operating system into line with the iPhone 2.0

This upgrade allows the use of multiple home pages, and the ability to rearrange desktop icons (and drag and drop them from one Home Page to the next). The other significant advantage of the upgrade is the ability to download other programs across a wide range of categories, with about 10% being free, and many others costing between $1 & $5.

You can spend hours trolling through the hundreds of applications available!  They can be searched, and sorted by whether they are free or not, and downloaded directly to the device, and all this done via the iPod Touch / iPhone.  (The iPod Touch needing to be in a WiFi area)

Testing a different delivery mechanism

The latest iPods- the Touch (and now iPhones) that have hit the market have built in WiFi (ie wireless), and come with Safari, which is the Apple equivalent of Firefox or Internet Explorer.  Not only does that mean that you can search the web, receive emails etc, but in this case, actually write a blog entry entirely on one.

Despite the small screen size, the ability to zoom the screen simply by placing 2 fingers on it then moving them further apart to zoom in (or vice versa), and single finger dragging the screen around makes it surprisingly easy to use as a web browser.  Obviously no substitute for a full blown computer, but remember, this device is a tiny 110×60×7mm and weights just 120 grams.