So, I'm going iPhone

[Stuntman]

If all of your contacts are in gmail already there's no reason to do everything you did above. When setting up your gmail account on the iPhone, instead of choosing "Gmail" from the list, select Microsoft Exchange. Put your gmail address in as the username and put in your password, leave "domain" blank. Tap next, the server field will pop up, put "m.google.com" in there, tap next. You'll now have the option to sync your gmail contacts with the iPhone. Super easy.

Her contacts are not in Gmail. She doesn't use Gmail as her email account. She only got a Gmail account when she got an Android phone because she got an Android phone. When moving from her old phone to an Android phone, all of the contacts were moved to her new phone via the SIM card. When moving from her Android phone to her iPhone, she cannot use the SIM card to move contacts because the iPhone does not accept standard SIM cards. That is the reason for having to move all of her contacts into Gmail first and then exporting to an Apple readable format.

 

[Roze]

Personally, I'm of the opinion that carriers should lock customers in by doing crazy things like offering great prices, great service, great plans, great coverage, great handsets and making customers not want to leave. I know that's crazy though.

If only this was the case, carriers SHOULD be doing this as their primary objective is to provide us with cellular services. In Europe, they have it right and the carriers compete on services.

 

[rui-no-onna]

I've found some people who claim they work for voice, but data is on Edge which is fine and other people who say it doesn't work period.

You need to change APN settings manually to get data working. That's not something a lot of people know how to do.

If the phone has the hardware to run on X network, it should be able to run on that network and not be firmware locked. I see that as anti-consumer myself, but every network does it. If I buy your phone, you get my money. Why do you care what I do with the phone beyond that? Now, I know some people make the contract argument, but the fact is if I buy an iPhone from ATT, VZW or Sprint and I pay full price without a contract, it's STILL locked to the network I bought it from and Android phones are no different.

Actually, starting last April, if you bought an iPhone from AT&T at full price, you could have them unlock it. Same goes if you've fulfilled your contract requirements. Still frustrated with US mobile carriers, though.

Personally, I'm of the opinion that carriers should lock customers in by doing crazy things like offering great prices, great service, great plans, great coverage, great handsets and making customers not want to leave. I know that's crazy though.

Back when I lived in the Philippines, carriers competed on pricing (and there was only 2 of them at the time ). You can buy practically every phone unlocked and switching carriers is as simple as swapping SIM cards so really, you'd be choosing carriers based on whichever has better coverage for your area. Since rates were fairly inexpensive and prepaid SIM cards basically free, a lot of my acquaintances carried at least 2 phones (or a dual-SIM phone) and used 2 different carriers.

 

[karandpr]

Her contacts are not in Gmail. She doesn't use Gmail as her email account. She only got a Gmail account when she got an Android phone because she got an Android phone. When moving from her old phone to an Android phone, all of the contacts were moved to her new phone via the SIM card. When moving from her Android phone to her iPhone, she cannot use the SIM card to move contacts because the iPhone does not accept standard SIM cards. That is the reason for having to move all of her contacts into Gmail first and then exporting to an Apple readable format.

As far as I know androids read/write .vcf too .
Just go to contacts -> menu -> export to sd card . Every reputed android phone has that option .
My contacts are always backed up to sdcard on a .vcf file.

 

[Stuntman]

As far as I know androids read/write .vcf too .
Just go to contacts -> menu -> export to sd card . Every reputed android phone has that option .
My contacts are always backed up to sdcard on a .vcf file.

I have no problem moving the Android contacts to a .vcf file. The problem is that the iPhone cannot read this file. I have to take this .vcf file, import it into Gmail and then export it from Gmail. Only Gmail gives me an option to export it to a format that the iPhone can read.

 

[TxGoat]

When I worked at Apple, it wasn't too uncommon for people tell me that their phones were set up to work through T-mobile (I couldn't assist them once they told me that per AT&T's/Apple's agreement) and that their Tech Support had no problems troubleshooting their issues, and some agents actually walking a customer through jailbreaking it to work on T-mobile's network. You may want to give T-mobile tech support a call, or hell call Apple (1-800-my-Apple).

 

[jdogrambo]

you better jailbreak it

 

[A.Nonymous]

I worked out a trade with a guy on XDA for an iPhone that is factory unlocked. I'm sending him my VZW one and he's sending me an identical one that's factory unlocked. Allegedly. We'll see.

 

[Yeahha]

Hopefully that will work better for you.

 

[rossrainey]

A verizon iPhone isn't going to work on T mobile. The world phone apple sells is a GSM phone that requires a sim. The verizon phone doesn't use a sim so you would be able to get service through any provider than verizon. Even with the unlocked GSM phone you wouldn't be able to use T mobile 3G or 4g becuase it's on a different band than AT&T as far as I know.

 

[JIMV]

It goes back to being able to use the phone you "own" as you want

That is the bottom line...If you own the phone, the carrier should have no say as to the phones content and capability. All they should be interested in is that the phone works so as to not damage the carriers system. Pre-loaded apps, 'locked' and limited are not conditions that are acceptable.

Would anyone accept the same system with their computers? PC's limited to specific ISP's and forced to use specific programs? There would be mobs with pitchforks, tar and feathers as the ISP office every day yet idiots accept the system with phones.

 

[A.Nonymous]

That is the bottom line...If you own the phone, the carrier should have no say as to the phones content and capability. All they should be interested in is that the phone works so as to not damage the carriers system. Pre-loaded apps, 'locked' and limited are not conditions that are acceptable.

Would anyone accept the same system with their computers? PC's limited to specific ISP's and forced to use specific programs? There would be mobs with pitchforks, tar and feathers as the ISP office every day yet idiots accept the system with phones.

At the very least when your contract is up, you should be able to call the carrier and they should unlock your phone so that it works on any network it has the physical ability to work on. Sadly, that doesn't happen either.

 

[rui-no-onna]

A verizon iPhone isn't going to work on T mobile. The world phone apple sells is a GSM phone that requires a sim. The verizon phone doesn't use a sim so you would be able to get service through any provider than verizon. Even with the unlocked GSM phone you wouldn't be able to use T mobile 3G or 4g because it's on a different band than AT&T as far as I know.

You're thinking about the iPhone 4 where there were separate SKUs for CDMA and GSM. The iPhone 4S is a combined CDMA/GSM phone so as long as it's unlocked, you can pop in a SIM card from any GSM carrier on there and use it on that GSM carrier's network. Alas, despite all iPhone 4S models having identical hardware, you still can't use a factory- or AT&T-unlocked iPhone 4S on Sprint or Verizon.

For now, the iPhone won't work on T-Mobile's 3G/HSPA network but T-Mobile is currently refarming the GSM 1900 band for 3G use and they said they'll have converted a bunch of markets by end of the year.

 

[rui-no-onna]

At the very least when your contract is up, you should be able to call the carrier and they should unlock your phone so that it works on any network it has the physical ability to work on. Sadly, that doesn't happen either.

You could do that with GSM carriers. T-Mobile is the easiest when it comes to unlocking. They will unlock your phone 3 months into the contract (e.g. for international travel).

I've had no trouble getting AT&T to unlock every phone I got from them after the 2 year contract is up except for the iPhone. With the policy change last April, it's now possible to have the iPhone unlocked, too.

 

[A.Nonymous]

VZW will unlock your phone for international travel as well, but it won't work on domestic carriers even though it has the bands for it. That is what I find to be frustrating.

 

[Android26]

Just get your kid an Android. He'll be devastated at first... then, in time, he will learn the ways of the force.

 

[Yeahha]

Just get your kid an Android. He'll be devastated at first... then, in time, he will learn the ways of the force.

Why would you want to get someone something they don't want? If his bro wants an iPhone and he can get him one then why would get get him an Android?

iOS is a very good platform...I like Android but wouldn't force someone to use Android over iOS if they had expressed they wanted an iOS device.

 

[sleedeane]

Two things I've never heard of:
A T-Mobile iPhone, and somebody that went back to an iPhone after experiencing the wonderful world of Android.

 

[Yeahha]

Two things I've never heard of:
A T-Mobile iPhone, and somebody that went back to an iPhone after experiencing the wonderful world of Android.

Plenty of people have gone to iOS after being disappointed with android just as plenty of folks have joined AF claiming to be iOS refugees. No OS is for everyone.

Tmo is a GSM carrier so an unlocked international version of any phone should work on their network.

 

[lunatic59]

Tmo is a GSM carrier so an unlocked international version of any phone should work on their network.

Not quite yet. They still require 1700 MHz bands for 3G/4G in some places. They are currently provisioning their network to use the 1900 MHz band (which is what the rest of the world and most phones use.)

 

[Yeahha]

Not quite yet. They still require 1700 MHz bands for 3G/4G in some places. They are currently provisioning their network to use the 1900 MHz band (which is what the rest of the world and most phones use.)

If you put the SIM in would you still be able to get voice/text service? Use the wifi for data

 

[lunatic59]

If you put the SIM in would you still be able to get voice/text service? Use the wifi for data

Sure. But mobile data would be EDGE speeds ... might as well tether it to a dial up modem

 

[Yeahha]

Sure. But mobile data would be EDGE speeds ... might as well tether it to a dial up modem

:rofl:

But if someone has tmo and wants an iPhone they would be able to at least but it would basically be a wifi only device for many of the features...

 

[A.Nonymous]

Two things I've never heard of:
A T-Mobile iPhone, and somebody that went back to an iPhone after experiencing the wonderful world of Android.

Then you should meet my brother as he has both. He's had an Android phone before (several of them as he keeps busting or selling his iPhone) and always goes back to the iPhone. Then he'll say that he doesn't like the iPhone because it doesn't have Swype or widgets. He has a hard time finding an untethered jailbreak. Then he will find an untethered jailbreak and Apple will force a firmware upgrade in order to use certain apps and his jailbreak goes away. Then he has to jailbreak again. I asked him why he doesn't just stick with an Android phone and his excuse is it's not "cool". The iPhone is somewhat of a status symbol and the kid is all about the status symbols. I'm fairly sure I was not that way when I was 18.

 

[sleedeane]

Then you should meet my brother as he has both. He's had an Android phone before (several of them as he keeps busting or selling his iPhone) and always goes back to the iPhone. Then he'll say that he doesn't like the iPhone because it doesn't have Swype or widgets. He has a hard time finding an untethered jailbreak. Then he will find an untethered jailbreak and Apple will force a firmware upgrade in order to use certain apps and his jailbreak goes away. Then he has to jailbreak again. I asked him why he doesn't just stick with an Android phone and his excuse is it's not "cool". The iPhone is somewhat of a status symbol and the kid is all about the status symbols. I'm fairly sure I was not that way when I was 18.

Oh...to be young again, when we had it all figured out.
I remember sticking to my guns, even when I knew I was wrong.
I chose to argue against rather than conform to someone elses ideals just because I didn't think of it or figure it out first.

Your brother already knows that he will follow and stay on the path to Android.

When he is ready.

(unless the 4" iPhone comes out first. Then he may be lost for good)