Technology Thread.

[Annoyed Grunt]

If all you do is phone and text, stay as you are.

[BWFC_Insane]

From tellies, to moblies.

I'm not a big mobile fan. Mine rings folk, and it texts folk, and that's all I'm interested in. It does have the internet, but it's that shitty WAP thing, and I've used it maybe once ever. I'm on pay as you go with O2. I've been with them since the first phone I got, when I was 15 and they were still BT Cellnet. Having been with them so long I've racked up that many bolt ons and whatever that it has never made sense to get a contract as it would be costing three times as much. I top up £15 per month, of which they take £7.99, and I get unlimited WAP internets, 50 minutes (I rarely ring people, Skype baby) and unlimited texts (I text the missus, occasional other friends just to talk to, and otherwise only if I'm meeting somebody). It has done me fine. At the end of the month, I'm left with about £7 in credit which I use as-and-when until it runs out, and then I top up my £15 and off I go again. I reckon roughly I get an extra week out of it. So £15 for 5 weeks is about £12 a month. Now, recently she's been telling me I need to join the modern world and get a 'smartphone'.

So, my questions to those who know:

Simple one - she's got the latest iphone and said I can have her old model. Is my free internet likely to be just data, in which case it will still apply with a smart phone, or WAP specific in which case it'll eat credit if I used the 3G internet? If the internet would be free I might just have that. Same deal as now except swanky newish phone (in comparison to mine) and also I suddenly have internet.

If not, two questions:

O2 have offered me a choice of smart phones for £11 a month. Blackberry Curve, Samsung Galaxy etc... Unlimited texts (snap) 100 minutes (double what I have now which I sometimes, though not often, use up) and 100MB of data. I'm naturally a cynical bastard. Are they trying to switch folk from pay as you go tariffs like mine because they can fleece me for more, or is it a business decision because having people on fixed contracts makes accounting easier? Apparently 100MB isn't very much, but I don't use any right now, so I'd probably cope (and as I understand it wifi access isn't counted in this right?). Has anybody taken them up on a similar offer? Can I keep my pay as you go SIM active (though with a different number).

I think I'm just being paranoid though, and this is a good offer. In which case, I'm currently paying about £12 per month. I'm not tied to it, but it's been pretty consistent for a few years. I can pay a pound less and get a swanky new phone. Sounds like a good idea. However, I have ranted for ages about the damn things, iphone wankers in pubs doing naught but stare at their mini screens; people showing you their new apps; folk spending hours glued to facebook. Do I want that, or am I happy in the last century? People tell me they are really useful, but I cope fine (-ish) now. Thoughts?

I think I lied about how many questions I was asking, but I can live with that...

I think your data will be data irrespective of WAP or 3G, thought not sure you'd have to check.

However your phones sim will not fit into the iPhone as the sim sizes are different.

See what sim only deal you can get from them.

Might not be too expensive and then you could use the old iPhone.

Remember with an iPhone or smartphone of any type you can connect to wifi at home etc so might not need as much data allowance as you'd think. I think 100Mb is tight though but then again depends on what you do with it!

[a1]

the new kindles have just bin announced . couple of e-readers and at least three tablets.

the next iphone is announced next week.

and the new microsoft windows 8 phones nokia , samsungs , etc, got shown off last week too.

[Lord Kangana]

Stick with pay as you go Pru. I've spent bloody thousands on mobile bills, I've had endless contracts with endless supposed benefits, millions of free minutes and unlimited free texts and all that shizzle, and I still get fleeced. I've taken to selling the last two contract phones I've had still boxfresh, which pays for about 12 months (of 18) of my bill for 1000 inclusive minutes and unlimited texts. Seeing as the entire family and GF are all on O2, their ultimatum this time is give me free O2 to O2 calls or wave goodnight to this particular gravy train. I hate mobile companies.

[Montreal Wanderer]

18 months ago I bought a Samsung HD thing. As per its predecesor (Sony Trinitron) it will be here until the day it goes 'pop'!

Shouldn't be too long then if it's a Sammy.

WHAT?

Actually, is there any sort of chart that gives the life expectancy of TV sets in terms of hours usage?

Bruce, as you know I'm almost as old as Tango (give or take a decade). I have had many televisions. Other than my 1968 dirt cheap black and white (which I kept going for a long time by changing the valves) not one tv has died on me. They've been changed for other reasons. Oh, colour is good! Cripes you can see so much more in 21". In 27"! Ooops, lost my Sony in the divorce! Hey, I can see the puck in high definition! They all went strong until I changed for other reasons. Mind you, I never had a Samsung.

[BWFC_Insane]

Stick with pay as you go Pru. I've spent bloody thousands on mobile bills, I've had endless contracts with endless supposed benefits, millions of free minutes and unlimited free texts and all that shizzle, and I still get fleeced. I've taken to selling the last two contract phones I've had still boxfresh, which pays for about 12 months (of 18) of my bill for 1000 inclusive minutes and unlimited texts. Seeing as the entire family and GF are all on O2, their ultimatum this time is give me free O2 to O2 calls or wave goodnight to this particular gravy train. I hate mobile companies.

Well yes. But if Pru does decide he wants a smartphone, then he probably would have to either take out the contracts they were offering him for the ones he listed.

OR take his Girlfriends iphone and ask O2 for a sim only contract (ie see what they would charge for that a month, when you already have a phone). Sometimes sim only is very cheap.

Trouble for him is he has his data free on PAYG, so it might be worth seeing if they can give him a PAYG sim for the iphone and he carries on. My bet, is they won't give him unlimited data on PAYG with a smartphone, but you never know......if they won't then its either the contract they have offered for the Blackberry etc, SIM only on the iphone IF he wants to go down the smartphone route!

[CrazyHorse]

OR take his Girlfriends iphone and ask O2 for a sim only contract (ie see what they would charge for that a month, when you already have a phone). Sometimes sim only is very cheap.

Agree with this, I've been SIM only for donkeys. £8 odd a month, 500 each of talk, text & data.
Bargain.

[IggyTheDawgster]

More than happy with my 3D Panasonic plasma.

I currently have a Panasonic Plasma, Great telly. Not 3D though, Can't stand it. Increased res interests me though after having used a 2560x1600 resolution panel monitor, the increase in clarity (if supported) is excellent. Can't wait for 4k.

Will be ages until its supported, I think.

Sony already sell 4k compatible Blu-Ray players and Projectors. If you have the money that is.

[BWFC_Insane]

More than happy with my 3D Panasonic plasma.

I currently have a Panasonic Plasma, Great telly. Not 3D though, Can't stand it. Increased res interests me though after having used a 2560x1600 resolution panel monitor, the increase in clarity (if supported) is excellent. Can't wait for 4k.

Will be ages until its supported, I think.

Sony already sell 4k compatible Blu-Ray players and Projectors. If you have the money that is.

Can the human eye distinguish between 1080p and 4K on "consumer" TV screen sizes at typical viewing distances?

[IggyTheDawgster]

the new kindles have just bin announced . couple of e-readers and at least three tablets.

the next iphone is announced next week.

and the new microsoft windows 8 phones nokia , samsungs , etc, got shown off last week too.

RE: iPhone5

I saw a sneak at the case a few weeks ago, And then this appeared http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LV9y-bQ4-qM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; It fits the design that was leaked, But I'm not sure if it's 100% legit. Should find out Sep 12 I think. I don't have a smart phone though, Just some dingy Nokia that gets bashed about. I'm happy with it though.

[IggyTheDawgster]

More than happy with my 3D Panasonic plasma.

I currently have a Panasonic Plasma, Great telly. Not 3D though, Can't stand it. Increased res interests me though after having used a 2560x1600 resolution panel monitor, the increase in clarity (if supported) is excellent. Can't wait for 4k.

Will be ages until its supported, I think.

Sony already sell 4k compatible Blu-Ray players and Projectors. If you have the money that is.

Can the human eye distinguish between 1080p and 4K on "consumer" TV screen sizes at typical viewing distances?

I think the larger end of the TV scale will see the most benefit, Maybe 46" and above. I don't think you will see much, If any difference on say 32".

[BWFC_Insane]

I think the larger end of the TV scale will see the most benefit, Maybe 46" and above. I don't think you will see much, If any difference on say 32".

Maybe, but I'm not sure folk will be able to notice the difference until you get to the massive screens/projection systems.

I dunno. Perhaps they will.

Average screen size in the UK is I believe 35".

I'm not sure this will take off in the home.

[IggyTheDawgster]

I think the larger end of the TV scale will see the most benefit, Maybe 46" and above. I don't think you will see much, If any difference on say 32".

Maybe, but I'm not sure folk will be able to notice the difference until you get to the massive screens/projection systems.

I dunno. Perhaps they will.

Average screen size in the UK is I believe 35".

I'm not sure this will take off in the home.

I think Sony are pushing it for the next PlayStation, And with games, That increase in resolution will be immediately noticeable.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

I'm thinking of getting one of those wheel things, you know the round ones you stick on an axle. Thinking of one that'll do upwards of two revolutions a year.

(Had fire installed in my cave last week. Early adopter.)

[Athers]

18 months ago I bought a Samsung HD thing. As per its predecesor (Sony Trinitron) it will be here until the day it goes 'pop'!

Shouldn't be too long then if it's a Sammy.

WHAT?

Actually, is there any sort of chart that gives the life expectancy of TV sets in terms of hours usage?

He's right....had a Samsung, lasted a year.

Couple of years ago I spent about two months trying to work out which TV to buy and if you read the techie forums there's a nightmare story for every TV on the market!

Also I believe most people sit slightly too far away from their screens for what is optimum.

[BWFC_Insane]

18 months ago I bought a Samsung HD thing. As per its predecesor (Sony Trinitron) it will be here until the day it goes 'pop'!

Shouldn't be too long then if it's a Sammy.

WHAT?

Actually, is there any sort of chart that gives the life expectancy of TV sets in terms of hours usage?

He's right....had a Samsung, lasted a year.

Couple of years ago I spent about two months trying to work out which TV to buy and if you read the techie forums there's a nightmare story for every TV on the market!Also I believe most people sit slightly too far away from their screens for what is optimum.

100% spot on. Far too much emphasis nowadays is placed on "brand quality". When in fact they all use the same processes, have all reduced production quality and cost to remain competitive and in some cases use the same screens, components etc, just branded differently.

Samsung's failure rate will probably be no greater than any other manufacturer. With the obvious statement that you do, usually get what you pay for in most cases.

As for sitting too far away, thats also true, although there is such a big range in what expert opinion considers "optimal viewing distance" that its really hard to tell.

Bottom line is that most UK living rooms are not designed to accomodate the "home cinema" experience that many people are paying for with their TV and Sound system purchases!

[IggyTheDawgster]

May have caused a bit of confusion with the Samsung comment, I was alluding to the court cases with Apple and Samsung going "Pop". I have a series 5 Samsung 32" Full HD LCD, Been used a lot for the past few years, Still going with a great pic.

My Panasonic Viera 42" is on another level though. Couldn't recommend Plasma enough.

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

From tellies, to moblies.

I'm not a big mobile fan. Mine rings folk, and it texts folk, and that's all I'm interested in. It does have the internet, but it's that shitty WAP thing, and I've used it maybe once ever. I'm on pay as you go with O2. I've been with them since the first phone I got, when I was 15 and they were still BT Cellnet. Having been with them so long I've racked up that many bolt ons and whatever that it has never made sense to get a contract as it would be costing three times as much. I top up £15 per month, of which they take £7.99, and I get unlimited WAP internets, 50 minutes (I rarely ring people, Skype baby) and unlimited texts (I text the missus, occasional other friends just to talk to, and otherwise only if I'm meeting somebody). It has done me fine. At the end of the month, I'm left with about £7 in credit which I use as-and-when until it runs out, and then I top up my £15 and off I go again. I reckon roughly I get an extra week out of it. So £15 for 5 weeks is about £12 a month. Now, recently she's been telling me I need to join the modern world and get a 'smartphone'.

So, my questions to those who know:

Simple one - she's got the latest iphone and said I can have her old model. Is my free internet likely to be just data, in which case it will still apply with a smart phone, or WAP specific in which case it'll eat credit if I used the 3G internet? If the internet would be free I might just have that. Same deal as now except swanky newish phone (in comparison to mine) and also I suddenly have internet.

If not, two questions:

O2 have offered me a choice of smart phones for £11 a month. Blackberry Curve, Samsung Galaxy etc... Unlimited texts (snap) 100 minutes (double what I have now which I sometimes, though not often, use up) and 100MB of data. I'm naturally a cynical bastard. Are they trying to switch folk from pay as you go tariffs like mine because they can fleece me for more, or is it a business decision because having people on fixed contracts makes accounting easier? Apparently 100MB isn't very much, but I don't use any right now, so I'd probably cope (and as I understand it wifi access isn't counted in this right?). Has anybody taken them up on a similar offer? Can I keep my pay as you go SIM active (though with a different number).

I think I'm just being paranoid though, and this is a good offer. In which case, I'm currently paying about £12 per month. I'm not tied to it, but it's been pretty consistent for a few years. I can pay a pound less and get a swanky new phone. Sounds like a good idea. However, I have ranted for ages about the damn things, iphone wankers in pubs doing naught but stare at their mini screens; people showing you their new apps; folk spending hours glued to facebook. Do I want that, or am I happy in the last century? People tell me they are really useful, but I cope fine (-ish) now. Thoughts?

I think I lied about how many questions I was asking, but I can live with that...

I'd advise comparing costs to Giff Gaff. It is the O2 network, but they do good pay as you go prices. You can do a monthly pack that gives you genuinely unlimited data, unlimited texts and a couple of hundred minutes talk for a tenner. You aren't locked in or owt. They don't supply the phone though. In many cases it works out cheaper buying your phone and using Giff Gaff than doing contracts. They do all sorts of options, so definitely worth a look.

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

OR take his Girlfriends iphone and ask O2 for a sim only contract (ie see what they would charge for that a month, when you already have a phone). Sometimes sim only is very cheap.

Agree with this, I've been SIM only for donkeys. £8 odd a month, 500 each of talk, text & data.
Bargain.

Many std size SIM cards can be cut using a SIM cutter to fit them fancy smart phones. Some of the older ones wont work though as the position of the chip is a fraction different. The cutters only cost about £4 on Amazon. You can also request a new SIM usually from your existing provider as a micro SIM. Might charge you a fiver or summat for it.

[Prufrock]

I thought about the SIM cutter thing. Also, when I had my phone nicked a few years ago, I went in and told them and they charged me a couple of quid for a new SIM with the same stuff on. Surely I could go in, say I'd lost my phone and just wanted a sim to go in an old iphone the missus had knocking about? The only thing is making sure my 'unlimited internet access' (which is how they describe it) would carry over. Could always ask them while I'm there. I was quite tempted by both the Blackberry and the Samsung options. Have been warned off the Blackberry by folks in the pub tonight. Only ever hear marmite style reviews. Problem with the samsung is it's touch screen and I can't be doing with it. Might enquire into getting my sim in her iphone (fnarr).