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Review: Sygic Mobile Maps 2009
Convergence, sweet convergence. First your iPhone let you chuck out your iPod, your PDA, your dusty old filofax and even your lame netbook. Now, you can burn your road maps and even bin your in-car GPS, thanks to iPhone 3.0 and the introduction of turn-by-turn GPS apps. The first such app to hit The Store in New Zealand is Sygic Mobile Maps 2009, but is it any good?…
Read MoreOS 3.0 and the great Caller ID debacle
Since the 3.0 update, a bug has hit the iPhone which causes Caller ID issues for all New Zealand carriers. The issue is that some events such as text messages send the number to your iPhone in the international +64 2xxxxxxxx format, but other events such as calls send the numbers to your iPhone in the national 02xxxxxxxxx format. Most phones will see these as the same number, but since 3.0 not the iPhone.…
Read MoreTIP: The best place to buy your iPhone 3GS
Common Question: Where is the best place to buy an iPhone?
As there are a number of options I have decided to cover them below, giving you some pros and cons for each. Now I know that most people that visit this site will already have an iPhone, but if you already have a 2G or 3G and are moving up to a 3GS and looking around to figure out where to buy, hopefully this will help you out.…
Read MoreTethering broken in OS 3.1 beta 2: Confirmed
The release of iPhone OS 3.1 beta 2 has seen tethering via the IPCC workaround no longer working for XT and soon to be 2Degrees customers.…
Read MoreSpotlight on local devs: Sam Giffney of Zenbu
Here at iPhonewzealand, part of our mission is to turn the spotlight on the burgeoning community of local Kiwi developers who create apps for Mobile OSX through Apple’s App Store. These digital pioneers are keeping the iPhone relevant to New Zealand, and some of them are making their fortune in the process. In the first of the series, I caught up with Sam Giffney of Zenbu, the little battler taking on the dinosaurs of the ‘find it’ market, such as Yellow Pages.…
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Posted in All, Other News
Kiwi music tracks that make awesome ringtones and how to create them
How many phones you know ring like this? Not many, if any. How many phones you know got the skills to… erm, ring? (Sorry, Scribe). Cheesey opener aside, if there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that kiwi music ROCKS and there’s nothing better than loading up your iPhone ringtone library with some great tunes from Godzone. But how do you get them there and which tracks make the best ringtones? …
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Posted in All, Other News
TIP: Beat the traffic and be on time using your iPhone
Ah, winter. Those cold, dark mornings aren’t exactly conducive to getting your arse into gear and getting to work on time, are they? If you’re anything like me you dither around in the morning trying to keep warm and telling yourself “just another minute” before forcing yourself out the door to go to work. And then, as if as punishment from some time-keeping God, you hit traffic. Bad traffic. Or, if you’re bussing, the bus whizzes past you before you get to the bus stop and the next one is 20 minutes away. However with the right tools on board your iPhone, this reality needn’t be yours.…
Read MoreCompetition: iTunes Gift Card – closed
Congratulations to user “Scrambler“!! (who was drawn at random from all registered users). We’ll be in touch with your voucher number shortly.
To celebrate the launch of our new site we are giving away a $100 iTunes gift card to one lucky member!…
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Posted in All, Other News
Vodafone vs XT: Speed
In a recent test performed using speedtest.net on the same iPhone 3GS, Telecom’s XT network has beaten Vodafone in the speed department hands down. Telecom XT hit 5.74Mbps in our test, with Vodafone managing a paltry and decidedly red-faced 0.113Mbps. Without wanting to rub salt into the wound… what you gonna do, Vodafone?…
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Posted in All, Telecom XT, Vodafone
TIP: XT wallpapers
Hey folks,
Just in case any of you XT users want them, here are a couple of the stock wallpapers found on the new XT handsets. I’m sure you know how to add them as wallpapers but just in case….…
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Posted in All, Telecom XT
TIP: Vodafone carrier bundle – 3.1.3 Only
Here is the Vodafone carrier bundle. The bundle has been updated and now all services work as they currently do, including Tethering, Data, MMS and Voicemail button but you can now have a custom carrier logo.
Please note that these files are for firmware 3.1.3 only and are no longer being supported.
For users on 4.0 or above that require the manual settings please see here.…
Read More2degrees warm to iPhone users, cool to hardware
I don’t know, you put up with one iPhone-capable network for a year, and then two more come along at once! Joking aside, new-comers 2degrees are about to crank the competition dial up to new levels of awesomeness this August when they go live with their brand new network. 2degrees has commited to spending $250 million dollars on building their new network with new cell sites in the main centres and a roaming agreement with Vodafone to get service to customers when they stray outside of those cities. The network will operate both 900 / 1800Mhz 2G and 2100Mhz 3G services making its ability to deal with the iPhone relatively similar to Vodafone’s.…
Read MoreTIP: Telecom XT carrier bundle – 3.1.3 Only
Here are the files you need if you want to optimise your experience on the XT Network. The iPhone will work on XT without these however it makes life easier. Please note that these files are for firmware 3.1.3 only and are no longer being supported.
For users on 4.0 or above please see here for the manual settings.…
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Posted in All, Telecom XT
TIP: Boost your battery life – turn off location services
Battery life on the iPhone is a contentious issue that is endlessly debated in forums the length and breadth of the internets. Apple’s claimed 300 hours standby for the 3GS may be achievable… but you’d have to never turn the screen on and have practically every feature disabled. However don’t dismay – there are some practical steps you can take to boost your battery life and over the next few weeks we will be sharing some tips with you that could have you scrambling for your charger far less often.…
Read MoreVodafone vs XT: Plans
Confused about which network to put your iPhone on? Here is a great spreadsheet that compares the offerings from both carriers: http://tinyurl.com/l7g6kb…
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Posted in All, Telecom XT, Vodafone
Telecom enter the iPhone market with SIM-only offer
Telecom’s new XT Network, a 100% 3G network operating at 850Mhz in 97% of the places that New Zealanders live, work and play, was practically built to support the iPhone. It’s specs match the Jesus phone perfectly, leaving Vodafone’s network support for the device looking shakey at best. So it’s only natural that users have been holding their breaths waiting for Telecom to announce official support for the iPhone, and placing a crucial second offer on the table for would-be or existing iPhone users.…
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Posted in All, iPhone, Telecom XT
Vodafone’s iPhone offerings for 2009
After enjoying a whole year as New Zealand’s only official and capable carrier, Vodafone are now carrying Apple’s iPhone 3GS – only this time they’re not the only network users can connect to. With the spectre of competition in the shape of Telecom’s XT Network, expectations prior to pricing announcements were high for a more aggressive set of plans and subsidies, but have Vodafone delivered?…
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