This , I journal, my journey towards getting an iPhone 3G. Thanks to the lazy-arsey-ness of Malaysian telcos towards getting its own iPhone, I took actions into my own hands. This blurb chronicles the attempts, the failures and finally the success of securing an iPhone 3G from Auckland ,New Zealand.

The whole notion of getting, and the likeliness possibilty of getting one comes as an afterthought. It came from a simple suggestion. The suggestion came during my attendance of a company compulsory course in Kelana Jaya. Met a fellow colleague who is conincidentally going to Auckland the next day. The suggestion came from the fact that the participating Vodafone store in Auckland is just at the entrance of the hotel, hence the supposed easeness of getting. With that thought in mind, my colleague agreed, never thinking that the actual situation is crazier than what we planned.

Fast forward to day of arrival. From his departure to arrival, news POURED in on Engadget and Gizmodo about NZers being the world's first iPhone 3G owners, and how crazy the situation was at the Vodafone stores, specifically the same store we were planning to get ours. To get an idea how crazy it was, take a look at this pic, courtesy of Engadget:-



See that little sign that says Citylife Auckland? Our hotel, and next to it, the swamped Vodafone store. My heart sank like a stone to the bottom of the ocean.

As predicted, first attempt failed, with no iPhone in hand. Thanked my colleague for at least trying, although if it is up to me, I'd stay up and line up and try my chances.

Second attempt, actually came from an acquaintance in this forum. Specifically, Cocklea. I'm not sure if he is okay with me divulging the nature of his work, but let's just say he's the insider when it comes to stock figures and which stores actually stocks iPhones. He also is stationed at one of the stores which carries them. I thought luck finally have turn to my side when I found this out. Armed with this info, and www.vodafone.co.nz for a list of stores that carry them, on my side, I the proceeded to calling them from Malaysia. I concentrated my efforts on stores in the city center first, since it is more convinient for Cocklea to pick them up and pass it to my next colleague who is coming to Auckland in 3 days time.

What we didnt foresee is the stupidity of some of these stores at work. They would only sell these iPhones provided you sign up with Vodafone contracts with them! This piece of news then further whittle down the lists of stores willing to sell the iPhones outright to a handful only, and as time ran out, so does the iPhone stocks themselves. Until the day of arrival of my next colleague into Auckland, downtown Auckland TOTALLY ran out of iPhones, 16GB version. Chalk up failure #2!

But I guess I dont know the meaning of giving up, or being fcuked up the ass twice. Said to myself that I'll take point from here, time to take control! This time, I furthered my search to stores outside Auckland, and on its outer suburbs. Help also came, unexpectantly from another forum member here, Psyeo. I managed to finally secure TWO units, one for me and one for him, and thanks to Psyeo's willingness to search a way to get to that store out in Westgate( 1hour 15 minutes out!), he went with my colleague and finally confirmed ownership. Finally!

And here I stand today, or sit rather, in Starbucks KL Sentral waiting to get onto the ERL train to KLIA to finally pick up my 3G iPhone White 16GB from my colleague. He is sure to shake his head at my crazy obsessiveness of getting one, but him knowing me since '98 since our flight academy days, would know that once I set my sight on something, I'll never give up until either I'm sure I've exhausted all avenues or ways of getting it, or succeeds in getting it.

And the reward isnt that expensive either. I didnt have to bribe or pay exorbitant amounts to get them, Vodafone NZ sells them outright for NZD1129. Kautim with my colleague, and that is basically the amount I pay to get it. A nice bonus is the fact that all NZ iPhones are fully unlocked outright, right out of the box, and I'm about to prove that once MH130 lands today at 2005 in KLIA.

I will use this thread to further chronicle the findings, discoveries and my own review of the iPhone 3G. Thanks for reading my ramblings, and stay tuned for the glorious moment, the moment of receiving my baby.









In this section, I will post as much information that I had been asked either via PM, SMS, call, or posts in here regarding the nature of the NZ iPhones.

1. NZ iPhones are distributed either via Vodafone retail stores, or NZ's Apple Resellers. They are www.vodafone.co.nz and www.magnummaconline.co.nz respectively.

2. There are three versions of iPhone 3G being sold at the moment of this writing, the Black 8G, the Black 16GB and the White 16GB. The 8GB model is priced at NZD979, while the two 16GB models are NZD1129. Do the necessary conversion to RM at your favourite corrency converters.

3. Vodafone retail stores are listed based on regions/cities in New Zealand, with areas accessible by me, only in Auckland. The stores are listed here at this link:- http://www.vodafone.co.nz/maps/iphone-stores.jsp, while stock availability can be accessed via this link:- http://www.vodafone.co.nz/iphone/availability.jsp. At the time of this writing, there are only 3 chain of stores that will accept purchase outright without tying you with a contract, they are Magnum Mac NZ, Vodafone and First Mobile. Other stores listed in that link I gave, will push you to subscribe to a contract and refuses to sell the iPhones without contract.

4. The two listed price of NZ iPhones(NZD979 for 8GB and NZD1129 for 16GB Black/White) are the ones being sold outright without any contracts or plans. I will not bother with units that are tied to contracts/plans.

5. NZ iPhones are fully unlocked, and is confirmed working by me, on all three major Malaysian carriers, Celcom, DiGi and Maxis. They are working both in call and texting for all three carriers, and working on 3G data on both Celcom and Maxis. All you need to do to activate your NZ 3G iPhone is connect it via iTunes and go through the process. You will need to either register an account with iTunes, or use your already pre-made account that you've created before or using now. I strongly recommend creating an account first to simplify and smoothen the process of unlocking. Keep your sim card inside the iPhone during activation. After the activation process, you can straight away use your iPhone with your favourite carrier here.

6. There are no guarantees that your iPhones remain unlocked in the future. The nature of Apple's own security implementation and covering for its partners makes this impossible to say that Apple will not change its policy to maintain the status of unlocks on your iPhone. However, if the past is of any indication, unlocked iPhones sold in France and Germany, have maintained their unlockability status until now. This is further supported by the fact that Apple holds databases of all unlocked phones and all unlock processes goes through them. This can be seen, from Optus Australia's practice of providing unlocks for their customers. NZ iPhones are believes to be classified as fully unlocked without the need of further interaction of Apple, which would be surmised that Apple have segregated stocks in NZ as such.

7. I provide no guarantees, warranties, or aftersale support of any kind to you. I can only offer my help from my previous research into buying these iPhones to the best of my knowledge. No whining, crybabies or attempts of hurting or killing me will help you negotiate for a return to NZ should your NZ iPhones dies on you. You will receive the stock "AS IS".

This post has been edited by stringfellow: Jul 19 2008, 11:27 AM

Kerja keras woo. But the end result is satisfying when you finally hold it in your hands. Like getting your first born baby only.

But on a serious note, I'm writing as a reference and help for those that are either in Auckland themselves or visiting,for them to gauge and as a starting point for them to see if they could possibly snag a unit or not. It may be hard work and tedious for some, but other may want to try their luck. Just something to ponder.

Just the phone, no plans. NZD1129 White 16Gb.

Psyeo boss, just like a clarification here. You can receive and make calls out of your Maxis sim?

Figures! Just my luck! Looks like it should be smooth sailing, and easier to get from NZ now. Don't sweat it bro, you're a great help. I got the iPhones from your company, remember? That alone vouches the credibility and stature of your workplace.

XE.com conversion gives RM2,819. Last few days, it goes only to RM2,789. Fluctuating forex rates.

Tried testing to Psyeo on his Maxis line, it went through, so CONFIRM Maxis works. Now only left Celcom and DiGi.

Okay, time for me to hop onto the ERL train. Excited!

This post has been edited by stringfellow: Jul 16 2008, 06:54 PM

Hola from arrival area KLIA!

MH130 delayed from 2005 to 2017. They should be out 30 mins after touchdown, which would be 2047. I dare not post more since this free KLIA Wifi is spotty at best.

Kan Cheong!

Just arrive home. Kasi can me eat first, can? Too much adrenaline and empty stomach is not a good combination. I'll start taking pics immediately after.

This is me, in my most "Holy Shit!!" moment!

Results:-

1. Celcom, Maxis and DiGi works flawlessly. For Celcom, DiGi and Maxis, I have made and received calls and text. For both Celcom and Maxis, I have successfully used their 3G network to access the net via Safari and cache map on GoogleMap. I have not tried on DiGi as I'm keeping EDGE on the 2G iPhone.
2. Surfing speed on 3G, on both Celcom and Maxis is as fast as Wifi!

More coming. I am uploading a video to Youtube, that will serve as the unboxing for the iPhone 3G. More in-depth explanation on how to activate the iPhone when I'm done with.

So good news all round for everyone, we have a fully working iPhone 3G here!

More discoveries!

This time, GoogleMap.

Was trembling with excitement, waiting for the map to, and at first location catch, it spews out "Bentong" as my location. I suspect this was based on the cellular network triangulation, before the GPS onboard kicks in.

Once it does..........that joyous blue pulsating dot, right on top of my house! Was first standing in the garden outside, then ran out the gate, up and down the street, and the dot FOLLOWS! I am so happy!

This post has been edited by stringfellow: Jul 16 2008, 11:35 PM

As promised, here is my unboxing video, uploaded onto Youtube:-



A single snapshot of the phone under scrutiny.

I dont know what else I can add in terms of pics or video, if there is anything specific you need to know just ask.

Okay, here's how you undo the lock on the iPhone 3G.

If you watched that Youtube clip I uploaded, it came without any sim card, and to unlock it, you need to use iTunes. Plug it into iTunes and the register screen greets you. Agree to the T&C, and continue with the registration. As long as you do not agre to the T&C and complete the registration, your iPhone will not appear on iTunes and you cannot transfer your media onto it. In my case, I already have registered an account with iTunes US, and I use my Apple ID to continue from there. Once everything is done, your iPhone appears on the right tab on iTunes, and you can now either rename it or set as default "Phone". You can also choose to restore from previous sync you have with other iPhones you have synced with the Mac you're using, in this case, both my previous 8GB and my 16GB. I chose to not to restore and start fresh. The rest is the same how you do it now, automatically sync your media or customise it.

Other observations, 3G coverage in my area, when good, is really good, when it is not, it drops out of coverage and totally konked out. This was observed during my mad dash outside my house testing out the GPS. When coverage drops, the "3G" symbol disappears and replaced by a blue box with a dot in a middle. But once you're back on coverage, it refreshes and the symbol came back on, with settings remembered, you dont have to re-enter it.

3G settings for both Celcom and Maxis are as follows:-

Celcom = 3gcelcom, leave login and password blank
Maxis = unet, username "maxis", password 0123

Both blazingly fast, it's been a while since I used 3G, when it is good, the speed is fast, but I hate it when the crappy days comes, you know, when they say it's "under maintainance"

Everything else, is like how I posted before. GPS is heavenly, I'll do the taping of the GPS in action tomorrow when I'm in the bus to KLCC for my private TT and "The Dark Knight". Will tape it using the 2G iPhone with iPhone Video Recorder. Gonna start transferring songs, movies and apps now, now I can safely purchase Super Monkey Ball and Scrabble.

Anything else you guys want me to try out , or any other questions, dont hesitate to ask. I dont think I can sleep tonight.

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Added on July 17, 2008, 12:14 amAhahah, the remnants of my toy-collecting days, I still do collect and pose them, but not as crazy as I used to.

I'm gonna use the USB cable connected to another USB head that I have to charge, the USB head left over from my old Sony Ericsson phone owning days. Plus, still have the US 2-pin plug I always use for charging inflight.

This post has been edited by stringfellow: Jul 17 2008, 12:15 AM

Yes, you're right bro. Have to try and get some sleep, otherwise today will be sleeping in the cinema, not watching Dark Knight.

I'll post pics while it's daylight. Actually I promised Hanzx sample pics, but I wanted something more colorful and cheery, so I told him the best way to get pics of this nature is on the 23rd, I'll be going and snapping pics in Disneyland Paris for him on this iPhone.

Hope I get Auckland next month. Then I can get one for you. Our inside man, Cocklea have just reported stocks being refresh as of today, so let's hope when I'm there , there are still iPhones left to buy. My bro, whose working on Maxis , is also esctatic seeing how the iPhone works beautifully with his Maxis sim, especially when it comes to Maxis 3G. Finally he can ditch that dangling USB modem and use it as how it is intended, inside the iPhone 3G.

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Added on July 17, 2008, 12:26 amDidnt have to do that, the street infront of my house isnt that long. Tu pun already termengah mengah running, it's quite uphilly.

This post has been edited by stringfellow: Jul 17 2008, 12:26 AM

If you mean tethering, no.

I actually broke the news to another colleague who was on the ERL train to KLIA just now, he himself is going to Auckland tonight. Wonder if he's gonna get himself one, I think he waited for the iPhone to turn 3G before any purchase is considered. Must be turning on the afterburners for that flight tonight!

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Added on July 17, 2008, 12:36 amWhoa, just got my first update notice from AppStore, for the app Evernote. I ran the update via AppStore on the iPhone, and it downloads the update, ran it and patched it nicely. Works as advertised.

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Added on July 17, 2008, 12:58 amWent shopping crazy on AppStore!

Just got myself Super Monkey Ball, Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart, Scrabble and Critter Crunch, before realizing that I've ran the credit low, not enough to get ForeFlight! Damnit! Need to reload more credit.

This post has been edited by stringfellow: Jul 17 2008, 12:58 AM

3 day's worth of hard work, bro. I love her so much!

iPhone 3G from New Zealand is not locked at all. You can simplu put in your Sim card, after you have activated it using iTunes.

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Added on July 17, 2008, 2:13 amTried Super Monkey Ball, goddamnit it is hard!

Once you get the fact that you're controlling the tilt of the maze, not the monkey, things get a little bit better.

Scrabble is AWESOME! Graphic-wise , even SMB loses. Shake the iPhone to stir the tablets around!

Crash Bandicoot is fun, controls much better than SMB. Classic Crash too.

Also got myself MotionX Poker and Critter Crunch. Critter Crunch is a Bejeweled clone but with a twist and beautiful graphics.

This post has been edited by stringfellow: Jul 17 2008, 02:14 AM

NZD1129.

Not in NZ. No-contract iPhones are available at launch there. The added bonus is, it's also unlocked for all carriers.

This post has been edited by stringfellow: Jul 17 2008, 04:17 AM

The rules of which phone is locked and which isnt has been set by Apple since Apple 2G already. whenever you activate using iTunes, iTunes sends activation data back to Apple to counter cross-check with their database to see if this phone is indeed the unlocked version. That is why those Australian iPhones have to wait for unlock codes, and those unlock codes is not from the carrier, it is from Apple via iTunes, as their activation agent.

After I have activated last night, details like the IMEI of their iPhone is sent to Apple as verified confirmation that this iPhone is indeed unlocked. There is a reason why there are no sim in this iPhone. So the next time there is a firmware update, I can safely and without worry, update, because Apple have my details of this iPhone and it will remain unlocked for the rest of its life.

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Added on July 17, 2008, 8:41 amFor the record, unlocked iPhones are not unusual. It has been there since the first-gen iPhone, in Germany, where the ruling was any carrier there should provide and allow unlocking of any phone should the customer demands it. If it is free or otherwise, that is up to the carrier to decide.

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Added on July 17, 2008, 8:49 amJust topped up another USD100 into iTunes. Shopping spree, wee!!!!!! Thanks, Tish!

This post has been edited by stringfellow: Jul 17 2008, 08:49 AM

Definitely. The way I see it, we pay big bucks for this, might as well have it unlocked this way as well. Technically, I still have warranty on this iPhone, and if anything goes wrong, I can get it sent back to Auckland and have it fixed, since I have messed with nothing inside, and not done any fancy jailbreaks or such on it. It is just the inconvinient fact of getting it over to NZ that may be a bit of a trouble for us here, although I'm thankful that with my job, I have that covered.

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Added on July 17, 2008, 9:04 amAhahahah, my iPhone 3G already 5 pages woh! Kena swipe 5 times to get to the last app installed. Crazy!

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Added on July 17, 2008, 9:07 amYou can simply make an account. Registering does not require you to put any credit card details, so it should go through. I did mine last time when I bought an iPhone 8G from US Apple Store online while I was vacationing in Florida, so I have the address check passed and the credit card detail went through as well, even though mine was addressed in KL.

Dont worry, creating an account is easy. Check through my previous posts I made about making a US iTunes account. All you need is a free song coupon, and you're good to go.

This post has been edited by stringfellow: Jul 17 2008, 09:07 AM

Once you plug your new iPhone in, it will guide you through the activation process. I believe even if you dont have an iTunes account , that process will create one for you. Just need to find a valid US/NZ/whatever region iTunes you want/ address, and off you go!

Also bear in mind, and I just found out about this yesterday, that certain contents are not available on certain region's AppStore. Psyeo was asking me where he can find EA's Scrabble on AppStore, it doesnt show up on his NZ AppStore. It shows up on mine, which is an American AppStore on my American account. So, please be advised on that.

Just installed and tried Bomberman Touch and Enigmo. Bomberman Touch came complete with sdventure-game-like storyline, and Enigmo is so beautiful looking, and feels and sounds like you're playing under water. But still, IMO, the best looking title is Super Monkey Ball and Scrabble.