Calling all iPhone users ...

[memason]

Will be traveling to TV in May for our 3rd. preview visit. Likely to purchase this time and moving there sometime in the fall.

My question for the iPhone users concerns signal strength. I have an iPhone, purchased from T-Mobile Germany. Since international rates will kill me, while in the States, I've pretty much decided to unlock/jailbreak my iPhone. This will give me the ability to purchase a SIM card in the US on one of the GSM network providers...AT&T or T-Mobile.

My question...is anyone using these networks in TV. I suspect you are using AT&T, if you have an iPhone. Hows the reception? Anyone else using T-Mobile for anything ? Most of my time [this trip] will be in the Chicago area, except for time in TV. Either network is good in Chicago...

Thanks for your help!

[starflyte1]

I have no problems with i Phone reception in TV.

Have a great trip and Happy Buying!!! We are fairly new in TV and love it.

Pat

[Larryandlinda]

Will be traveling to TV in May for our 3rd. preview visit. Likely to purchase this time and moving there sometime in the fall.

My question for the iPhone users concerns signal strength. I have an iPhone, purchased from T-Mobile Germany. Since international rates will kill me, while in the States, I've pretty much decided to unlock/jailbreak my iPhone. This will give me the ability to purchase a SIM card in the US on one of the GSM network providers...AT&T or T-Mobile.

My question...is anyone using these networks in TV. I suspect you are using AT&T, if you have an iPhone. Hows the reception? Anyone else using T-Mobile for anything ? Most of my time [this trip] will be in the Chicago area, except for time in TV. Either network is good in Chicago...

Thanks for your help!

our stock works fine on 3g.
my euro based son opened my old one for int'l use and it worked for him on a recent visit
L

[Patty]

My i phone is of the pre G network (E) and through AT&T; my husbands iphone is on the G network and both work great with no problems for signals or reception.

[jojo]

I use a Blackberry with 3G - T-Mobile service. Pretty solid. A few pockets of low coverage.

[Pturner]

Hi Memason,

We were in TV first week in April and again, did not have any problems with reception or signal strength on our iPhones.

Enjoy your third lsv and hope you find just the home you are looking for here in Lower Paradise!

[chelsea24]

Hi, just a note to say that I have a 3GS with AT&T and I get wonderful reception. Welcome to The Villages! :wave:

[memason]

Thanks everyone.... This is just what I needed. Looks like AT&T is the one to go with, even though I have read lots of bad stuff about AT&T and the iPhone. I'm sure it depends on where you are though.

Now, I just need to "break" the phone and I'm in business....

By the way....found a new app over the weekend. It's called Bing Music and it's free. It streams the top 100 songs from any year, back to 1947. You can grab the year you graduated from high school and listen to all the popular songs from that era....it's really cool. I didn't remember how many top 100 hits Led Zeppelin had, but now that I think about it, there are quite a few things I can't remember about those days.... :loco:

Maybe we need a thread to review apps...

[doneright]

hey thanks for the app its awesome. Yea AT&T is the best for the area. I used tmobile on the iphone at first when i had it unlocked but wasnt told it wouldnt work on 3G so I went to AT&T an i have coverage in places Ive never had before. Enjoy your visit!!

[memason]

Thanks for the heads up.... I like T-Mobile, here in Europe and they have great service. Didn't realize you couldn't use 3G in the US though. I use my iPhone on the internet all the time, so that would be a problem for me...

Thanks

[memason]

Has anyone tried Simple Mobile in the Villages or not?

It's possible to purchase a SIM card for the iPhone with Simple Mobile, but you need a jailbroken iPhone. Rates look very good at $60.00/month for unlimited everything. Also, no contract.

Since I'm leaving Germany soon, I'm breaking my iPhone and looking for a new carrier.

Any help ??

[memason]

I just used the jailbreakme.com website to break my iphone. Very painless, although a bit worrisome, as you sit an watch the base level code streaming on your screen...YIKES! However, the entire process is automated and it even installs Cydia on your phone, so you can begin to download those rogue apps that Apple will not approve.

In my case, the first app was ultrasn0w, which is an unlock program to allow you to use your iPhone on another carrier. Now, when I get to TV in Sept., I just need to pop an AT&T or T-Mobile SIM into the iPhone and I'm in business.

Anyone else used jailbreakme.com ? How was your experience ?

In addition to unlocking, I also installed an app to allow multi-tasking (my iPhone is a 3G) and MyWi, which makes the iPhone a WiFi hotspot (like the Droid X). Both programs work fantastically....

Words of caution: Jailbreaking will void your Apple warranty and unlocking will NOT make your iPhone capable of functioning on Verizon, Sprint or any other non-GSM network. If your iPhone is more than one year old, the warranty is a non-issue.

[memason]

What's your thoughts on the potential of Verizon getting the iPhone in January? The rumors seem to be a little stronger this time around. Even Verizon's CEO is hinting at an alignment of business strategies between Apple and Verizon. Plus, Verizon is now selling the iPad.

You think it'll happen? Would you jump ship (AT&T) to get the Verizon iPhone?

[Vinny]

Bad reception by myself and others in Pennecamp. Frequent dropped calls. Ymmv

[Pturner]

What's your thoughts on the potential of Verizon getting the iPhone in January? The rumors seem to be a little stronger this time around. Even Verizon's CEO is hinting at an alignment of business strategies between Apple and Verizon. Plus, Verizon is now selling the iPad.

You think it'll happen? Would you jump ship (AT&T) to get the Verizon iPhone?

Yep, I think it will happen. I might jump ship. My reception with AT&T has been pretty good, so I'm waiting to see what the competing plan from Verizon might be.

A price war for iPhone plans would be mighty nice, don't you think? :D

Here's hoping...

[vj1213]

I get bad reception on my Iphone in Buttonwood and a lot of dropped calls. I even had it replaced by Apple because I thought it was my phone, but the new one is just the same.

[Ohiogirl]

I had bad reception on my AT & T regular cellphone in Sabal Chase - worked great at my friend's up in Piedmont. So I switched to Sprint last winter because Ohioboy's workphone with Sprint/Nextel worked just fine, and I checked the coverage map which I swear last year showed we were in a "excellent" pocket for Sprint, but just inside the edge of it. Now the online coverage map just shows "good."

I get awful reception in our concrete block faced with brick house in Ohio - coverage map shows "good." I get better reception in The Villages than I had with AT&T but it's not great. Ohioboy's still works just fine.

Is there some difference in coverage when you have Sprint/Nextel compared to just Sprint? I would have thought it was the same. My phone is new - the Samsung Reclaim. My friend who has a Blackberry with Sprint also barely had any bars on her phone inside our house here.

Now we have to either add another cellphone for Ohioboy to my Sprint plan - which would mean 2 more years of it instead of 1 yr and 3 mos. Thinking about getting Verizon for him and adding me when my contract runs out. Or trying the Pure Talk from another thread on here.