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> Several K700i Pre-Sales Questions
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Hey Guys,
Ive just been around the entire of Birmingham today looking for a K700i on Orange PAYG but everyones out of stock.
That just gives me time to ask a few questions for I go out and buy it.
Firstly, as Orange appear to be the only network at the moment doing PAYG on the K700i would I notice any difference on the branded version to the unbranded or unconnected version?
Also, whilst I was in the queue waiting for a sales guy to tell me that they didnt have any in stock I read that the K700i had 'real tune' ringtone support. But as I went into another shop it said it didnt. Now im not sure if it has or hasn't now which confused me a bit.
Went into an orange shop today and asked about the firmware etc and they just looked at me funny think I was talking a load of balls. If I buy a phone from Orange (branded) or somewhere else unbranded / unconnected will it come with the latest firmware installed or would I have to take it to car phone wearhouse or somewhere to ask them if they can update it to R2AE033? Another thing, if I ask for that should I also ask if they can update the camera software to 3.10 or would they do that anyway?
Final question I can think of atm is, im currently on Vodaphone looking to move to Orange. Ive been reading and understand that I need to get my PAC number from Vodaphone, buy my phone, then phone orange and give them the PAC number so they can move it across. Just want to double check that its ok with Vodaphone - Orange as one website said that it wasnt possible.
Ill end up thinking of some more questions later but anyway.
Thanks!
Jay
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Posted: 2004-12-15 20:08:42
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Quote:Firstly, as Orange appear to be the only network at the moment doing PAYG on the K700i would I notice any difference on the branded version to the unbranded or unconnected version?
If they follow what they do with the contract phones, which I'd imagine they do (needs to be confirmed), then you'll get some software "branding". For Orange this means you lose the right hand "More" key, you can't create shortcuts and you get some slightly different menus/shortcuts for Orange services. It's not too big a deal, Vodafone are by far the worst for customisation and restrictions.
Quote:Also, whilst I was in the queue waiting for a sales guy to tell me that they didnt have any in stock I read that the K700i had 'real tune' ringtone support. But as I went into another shop it said it didnt. Now im not sure if it has or hasn't now which confused me a bit.
I think they refer to the ability to play polyphonic and MP3 ringtones. The K700i certainly supports MP3 ringtones.
Quote:Went into an orange shop today and asked about the firmware etc and they just looked at me funny think I was talking a load of balls. If I buy a phone from Orange (branded) or somewhere else unbranded / unconnected will it come with the latest firmware installed or would I have to take it to car phone wearhouse or somewhere to ask them if they can update it to R2AE033? Another thing, if I ask for that should I also ask if they can update the camera software to 3.10 or would they do that anyway?
It's luck of the draw what firmware revision you'll get, depends how quickly the phone you buy got through the supply chain, might have been sitting at a warehouse for months. Worth having a look at the FAQ at the top of this forum, but some firmware revisions are specific to the brand (I think). The full firmware update should update the camera software too.
Quote:Final question I can think of atm is, im currently on Vodaphone looking to move to Orange. Ive been reading and understand that I need to get my PAC number from Vodaphone, buy my phone, then phone orange and give them the PAC number so they can move it across. Just want to double check that its ok with Vodaphone - Orange as one website said that it wasnt possible.
I believe it's a requirement that different providers allow the transfer of phone numbers so I can't see you'd have a problem. I've done it for Orange to O2 before.
Very unsubtle plug, if you get stuck at the shops my old K700i is for sale on the board and on eBay; latest firmware, unlocked, no branding, etc:
http://www.esato.com/board/viewtopic.php?topic=77925
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Posted: 2004-12-15 23:03:26
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Thanks for that informative post.
The only thing that slightly concerns me is the branding part which was mentioned in another post but only in little detail mentioning Vodaphone.
Car Phone Warehouse offered me Branded, Unbranded and Unconnected. Im guessing they are all different even though the Unbranded and Branded were the same price. Would rule of thumb suggest that if the operator logo is on the phone at the bottom it is branded, if there isnt I guess its unbranded and unconnected is just the phone on its own sim free etc?
I was actually looking to buy it from the link when they get there next delivery in. Me not knowing much about phones (as you can tell), should there be any questions I ask regarding the branded phones?
If I have totally missed the point somewhere regarding branded and unbranded let me know lol.
Would it even be worth to pay out the extra money for an unlocked phone if they only have branded orange ones?
One other question I thought of was do I need to purchase anything extra to add MP3's to my phone or does it come with the required software and cables?
Jay
[ This Message was edited by: Jay Samford on 2004-12-15 22:19 ]
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Posted: 2004-12-15 23:17:32
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If you have the money, always go for unbranded, unlocked phones. All service providers customize their phones (which means you lose functionality). An unbranded K7 has mp3 capability as standard.
This message was posted from a T68i
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Posted: 2004-12-15 23:34:03
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Is unbranded the same as unconnected or is there a difference?
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Posted: 2004-12-15 23:35:50
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There MAY be a difference. You may be offered a branded phone without a SIM. Unbranded should mean SonyEricsson factory release.
This message was posted from a T68i
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Posted: 2004-12-15 23:41:38
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Ill just ask them today if its a branded or unbranded phone and then play stupid (well, about the same as I am now
) and see what they come up with.
Anyone got any other ideas about the other questions in my previous posts?
Cheers,
Jay
[ This Message was edited by: Jay Samford on 2004-12-16 08:10 ]
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Posted: 2004-12-16 09:09:42
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Quote:The only thing that slightly concerns me is the branding part which was mentioned in another post but only in little detail mentioning Vodaphone.
Car Phone Warehouse offered me Branded, Unbranded and Unconnected. Im guessing they are all different even though the Unbranded and Branded were the same price. Would rule of thumb suggest that if the operator logo is on the phone at the bottom it is branded, if there isnt I guess its unbranded and unconnected is just the phone on its own sim free etc?
I was actually looking to buy it from the link when they get there next delivery in. Me not knowing much about phones (as you can tell), should there be any questions I ask regarding the branded phones?
As someone has mentioned an unbranded phone will have no operator customisation, just as Sony Ericsson designed it.
If you're buying a phone for a particular operator then it generally works out cheaper as the operator subsidises the cost of the phone against the fact you'll be using their services. They also build in some physical customisation (logos) and some software customisation which is often designed to point you to their services. Also more often than not the phone is locked to their network. Most operators can unlock the phone for other networks usually at a cost of around £20.
Some operators are more draconian in their software restrictions and customisation. For example the K700i & S700i on the following:
O2 - Not sure but I believe very few if any software changes and also I believe unlocked by default for other networks.
Orange - Locked to Orange network. Right hand button "More" menu replaced with second "Camera" menu in order to push MMS messaging. Plays MP3 ringtones fine and has some extra shortcuts/options for some Orange services - there may be more but I can't remember.
Vodafone
- Locked to Vodafone network, Vodafone Live replaces "More" menu, email locked to Vodafone POP3 server, will only play "paid for" (DRM) MP3 ringtones - there's probably more.
Not sure what they mean by an unconnected phone, I assume it's just unbranded.
Quote:Would it even be worth to pay out the extra money for an unlocked phone if they only have branded orange ones?
You'll pay a premium through one of the large retailers for an unlocked/unbranded phone. If you can only get an Orange phone and you only plan to use Orange PAYG then it doesn't matter. Unlocking will only allow it to be used with other networks, it won't debrand it. Unlocking is usually just needs a code to allow it to work on other networks and for £20 your operator will tell you the code. Debranding means flashing the phone with a new (generic) firmware.
If you wanted to debrand it then I think this is more the realm of the backstreet shops, they can unlock and debrand it, updating the firmware in the process. Carphonewarehouse or The Link may do it, no harm in asking. The phone I'm selling I unlocked and debranded myself through a service call Total MultiServer
www.totalserver.net - I had a few phones to change so it was an ideal option - a phone shop will probably use the same or similar service and charge £30 or so.
Quote:One other question I thought of was do I need to purchase anything extra to add MP3's to my phone or does it come with the required software and cables?
Ideally you'd want to chop and change the bit-rate on the MP3's you use or the phones 41MB will disappear fairly quickly. You should be able to download suitable ringtones or chop/re-encode using any reasonable sound editor.
You won't get any cables so you'll need to check if your PC or Mac has Bluetooth. If not a cheap Bluetooth adapter is worth getting and then you'll be able to transfer files easily enough. The cable alternative is a T28 data cable - about a fiver and will plug into a serial port.
Hope that helps
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Posted: 2004-12-16 09:59:35
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Thats cool then, looks like im off to the shops to get one later today if they have had any in.
I think Ill ask for the unbranded phone, if they are out ill go Orange branded instead. Im sure there are plenty of shops that will unbrand it for me, or even just do it myself.
Any recommendations to where I can buy a Bluetooth adapter or something? Would I be able to buy these from the link or wherever I end up going and getting it with the phone to save time?
Cheers,
Jay
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Posted: 2004-12-16 14:25:26
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Ok crunch time lol.
They have the Orange Branded K700i at £170 and then Sim Free at £230. Would I be better to go for Branded or SimFree weighing up the things that are restricted against how much money I save?
If I did go with Orange would I be able to get the firmware updated easily (not to unbrand it) to the or would I have more trouble than I would with a SimFree?
Spoilt for choice now!
Jay
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Posted: 2004-12-16 16:07:29
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