im looking for a new plan and handset. currently with optus and looking at either optus of 3 as the majority of my contacts are on those networks. im looking to spend no more than $40 per month. im pretty new with the whole plan scheme. so am i able to upgrade my handset later on.? or if my handset breaks can i get it replaced?
oh and im thinking of something like a nokia with GPS and a decent camera. like the E71
any help or recommendations would be really appreciated.
cheers
mark.
thanks for the advice. with regards to firmware updating if i got the e71 on optus will i still have the same issue? i had a quick look on the whirlpool site. :)
the x6 looks good. i cant see it listed on the optus site though.
also in regard to the insurance incase it breaks will optus or 3 replace it in case of accidental breakage?
The X6 is the successor the the Nokia 5800 Xpressmusic. Optus will probably have it soon, its a newly announced phone so not all telcos stock it currently.
As for the Optus E71, I'm not really sure which version of the firmware they use, you can probably ask someone in the optus shop for information. Or if you can get hold of a E71 Optus phone, on the home screen, press the button sequence: * # 0 0 0 0 # and it will give you some information on what firmware it uses.
As for the insurance issue, I think it's supposed to cover against accidental damage, but each company has different policies so you'd need to them to see what exactly is covered
I don't think Optus lock their contract phones.
But go for the X6 or E72 which have the latest and greatest Operating System. The E71 is getting old and it's OS is outdated.
You have to buy insurance separately, it is not included in the price of your phone plan for any carrier.
Most people don't buy insurance, it's very expensive. Buy a decent case to protect the phone and be careful with it! If you have an accident, so be it.
on a related topic, what is the best iphone 3gs deal going around now (on 24 month contract)
E71 actually has a pretty poor camera, however it does have excellent specifications for it's price ($29 per month).
The poor image quality issue can also be somewhat fixed by flashing the firmware to the latest version (v400) although in order to do that you will need to unlock (de-brand) the phone since the Three firmware prevents you from performing firmware updates through Ovi Suite. Read up on Whirlpool if you want to know more.
Otherwise the next best deal is probably the Nokia X6 (5 mpx, touchscreen) or the Nokia E72 (5mpx, QWERTY), both of which is available for $29 + $10 per month on a 2 year contract.