I got an email about the iphone 4g but when is it in the shops?

[ilikeyoursleeves]

Can't find the release date! Anyone know?

the email I got said pre-order 15th June, and in the shops 24th June, but I don't know if that's just the States and whether or not it'll be different here

24th June according to my local O2 shop.

any idea of tariffs yet? (not that I can have one til the autumn but I am daydreaming)

From 20 to 60 a month for 24 months, and higher for 18 months, at O2 (from a news item on www.ThinkBroadband.com) but I have not looked for info from Orange or Vodafone.

You need to register your interest with your preferred network provider or an independant dealer such as Phones 4 U or Carphone Warehouse etc. You can do this on their webistes. They will then contact you with details of cost/ tariffs and allow you to put in a pre order if you do want one. I think 15th June is earliest pre-order date.

Only O2 have released their tariffs so far and details are on their website.

Yep, pre-ordering on the Apple website from tomorrow but in true Apple style we know bugger all about it. I suspect the Apple store will only pre-order PAYG so if you want to upgrade a contract it looks like you'll be waiting till the 24th. But again, no clues so far on pricing of the actual handset as a PAYG or on contract.

o2 are saying they are not taking pre-orders but, as o2 staff generally don't know their arses from their elbows never say never.

This is my fourth 'launch' and the lack of info and keeping everyone dangling winds me up more each time. But I'm a silly cow and I still buy into it

hmm, doesnt seem to be unlimited data - it says 500mB. Would that be enough for a casual user outside of wifi range?

Yes it would be. I am a heavy data user and I average at about 200MB. Just don't listen to the radio on it!!

bother about the radio!!! I was hoping to do so when cycling to work. might have to buy a radio!
you know those cycle apps that measure how far and fast you are cycling - does them using gps count towards data usage? (thanks for your patience in these questions!)

A cheap unlocked mobile from Asda could be had to use as an FM radio. I have used about 5 different phone models with FM radio in, and the best of the bunch is an oit-of-date Nokia 8310 - tiny phone, good FM reception. Check Ebay!

The 8310 can pick up stations which the others don't even register... I have used Nokia 5030, Motorola W377, Alcatel, and Sony Ericsson K800i, but the Nokia 8310 wins hands down (some of the others have RDS but just seem poorer as radios, in my view). Sorry for the off-at-a-tangent post, but have enjoyed radio for past 40 years, and mobile + radio for past 10.

Of course, when cycling to work, one might be more at risk from traffic if listening to radio. Sorry, just hit me that you don't want to be one of the accident statistics.

I've been walking around listening to radio for years and idiot car drivers seem to consider it my fault when they are not looking where they are going (a big roundabout on my way to work was hazardous because most drivers ignored possibility of someone walking across their path) - too busy in rush hour looking to their right to see if there was a gap for them to 'zooooooom' into, then had to brake fast to stop them killing me!

Does anyone know if they are going to be doing any 12 month contracts for it or only 18 month contracts?

Can't see anyone doing 12 months at the moment. Unless o2 simplicity has a 12 month option. We seem to be going the way of the US with ever longer contracts.

All the ones I have seen from the main networks are 18 or 24 months, sorry.

Tesco does a 12 month contract, with 500 MB of data, and offer 3G or 3GS (at present, 4G pricing soon). They do (PAYG, 20, 35, or 45 pounds per month, and then handsets are at following prices:

Phone model PAYG, 20, 35, or 45/month

3G 8GB 349, 222, 100, free

3GS 16GB 449, 320, 200, free

3GS 32GB 549, 407, 275, 79

20 quid/month gets you 250 minutes + unlimited texts
35 quid gets 750 minutes + unlimited texts
45 quid gets unlimited minutes, unlimited texts

Are they going to be doing the iphone 4 on 24th June like everyone else?

Your guess as good as mine!

Check www.Tesco.com

I'd guess they don't want to be left behind. I don't know which network Tesco uses but you can be sure they will want to make money from this.

Of course what is far from clear is how much they will charge for the handset. With contracts you might be slightly better off considering a smaller up-front fee for the phone, and higher monthly fee, if you can use all the minutes and use text a lot. Otherwise a longer contract from some other network may be a better deal. The Tesco offer on web acsess seems only to apply for first 12 months so they seem not to expect much 'loyalty' from users.

OYBBK I forgot a few of the other phones, I think the Nokia 6610 has a moderate radio too, if you prefer the styling or want a camera (where the 8310, being a 1999 phone, won't have much in the way of fancy facilities, but can store 160 text messages, something I found handy as I have 'support' e-mail alerts sent to it and don't want it to 'run out of room' for new messages, in case a server goes down and clients start complaining!)

network - I know - I can't stand cyclists who listen to their ipod

iphone is going to be a reward for entering paid employment after a very long time being a sahm/volunteer. I have a nokia something (fold up one) with radio but reception is poor round here and it struggles to pick up anything.

I guess it depends on whether you are wanting music or live radio then. For music, you'd be OK, but for live radio (for traffic, weather, etc) then swap the fold-up Nokia for an 8310!

cool. I am a live radio person

You'll find the 8310 on Ebay at around 20 quid. It's almost as small as a dedicated FM radio (which is little larger than the batteries).

As I've said, it's the most sensitive of all the models I've tried (and 8 isn't exhaustive, but in past years not so many mobiles had FM radio in them, and that was my reason for trying the majority of them, over and above text/voice use, of course).

thank you

Thanks for the distraction (and good this is 'geeky stuff' as it let's me off a bit)...

Just found a photo of one of the first portable radios I bought in Singapore. In fact, I bought 2, one for me and second for my Mum, while we were on a trip to the Far East in 1979.

Before that I had made my own combo - a cheap AM/FM transistor radio with a pair of headphones (full size, with rather a large headband). Allowed me to listen to Radio1 when I was walking to school in the mornings, though was nearly the cause of a few accidents as not many other people walked around listening to 'personal stereo' before 1975.

Still have my Seiko watch bought on the same holiday, though sadly I have just found out it isn't worth buying new batteries as the calendar only worked as far as December 2009.

ooops "lets" (!)

Tesco uses O2