11th Jul 2008

Australia iPhone Day

Well, It’s iPhone day for Aussies.. All the apple wanna-bes who couldn’t afford the original iPhone for $800 can now go out and get screwed by Telstra or Optus and have the slightly thinner iPhone with 3G coverage.

However, for my overpriced iPhone, I can still do everything the new ones can, without being locked on some terrible contract with Telstra, Vodafone or Optus. Smart people out on the internet have already cracked the new iPhone 2.0 software that has all the new features.

Just up at the local shopping centre where my Optus store is, there was a MASSIVE turn out. Simmilar to that of New York! (See picture below, taken on Friday the 11th July 2008 @ approx 1pm… on my series 1 iPhone)

iPhone launch at Hervey Bay Optus

10 comments

  1. Aww come now, it sounds almost like you were wishing you had waited!

    I only recently moved to the Bay from Sydney, but travel regularly to the US for work, I held off getting the iPhone until the 3G release, I went into the very store from your happy snap and there was a queue at 9a.m. Phone only cam yesterday.

    Now if only Hervey Bay had 3g coverage then I would be happy :)

    Dan on 18th July, 2008 at 9:44 am

  2. Optus have been telling me 3G here for last 5 months (Yes, it will be here next month)

    Ben May on 19th July, 2008 at 12:08 pm

  3. I have official news directly from Optus
    It WILL be here next month..
    Mind you that was the same thing I was officially told when they launched their 3G USB broadband service, ‘it will be here April 12′th 100%.

    dot dot dot..

    Nada.

    Richard on 21st July, 2008 at 3:51 pm

  4. That be interesting. You could get Virgin Broadband service

    Adam on 22nd July, 2008 at 3:27 am

  5. I was told “Next Month” in August… but its the 23rd of September now so i think if i was to go into there tomorow they would be saying “Next Month” again

    Hacksaw on 23rd September, 2008 at 8:35 pm

  6. Yes I was told at the end of April that it is only a few months away… Ha

    Ben May on 24th September, 2008 at 5:00 am

  7. I commented in a previous comment about the 3g network in Hervey Bay.

    I’m not 100% on what order the towers will be done, but there was quite a lot of discussion on where that ‘enhanced coverage’ will be.

    HB Airport – This is to improve coverage to those in Booral and River Heads

    Point Vernon – Obviously because right down the end of the esplanade that ‘fantastic tower’ on main street is completely useless

    Torquay – I’m not sure why they would do something stupid like that tbh

    Dundowran – There’s already a tower there, so another “i’m not sure” on that one. I know a lot of the coverage I get here in river heads is from the Susan River and Dundowran Towers, and coverage in Toogoom and Burrum heads is also provided by that Dundowran Tower I believe. So perhaps they’re adding an extra one for the extra capacity as well as better coverage to some users.

    The towers in Hervey Bay CITY will be 2100mhz (congratulations iPhone users), and most out-of-town base stations will be 900mhz or U9/U21 (a combination of 900mhz and 2100mhz).

    Completion of the network in Hervey Bay was actually supposed to be completed by the end of September, but has been pushed back because there was a fault somewhere.

    Others in River Heads or people on the commute to Maryborough via Maryborough-Hervey Bay Rd. may have even noticed a little 3g coverage like i have lately, i’d assume that they’re doing testing.

    So keep an eye on your phone, and a big HA HA to people who bought into the iPhone hype.

    I’m quite happy with my hdspa 900/2100 nokia e71 now ;)

    Blank name ;) on 4th October, 2008 at 12:56 am

  8. Thanks for the info – Quite interesting!!!

    Ben May on 4th October, 2008 at 4:00 pm

  9. A large part of Dundowran Beach is in a ‘hill shadow’ and there is virtually no Optus coverage, and poor gsm coverage regardless of carrier. There must be more than 1000 people in Dundowran Beach, this extra tower is very much needed.

    The Fixer on 1st May, 2009 at 11:20 am

  10. You are right Fixer. I live in Dundowran and have not had any mobile service since the day they turned off the CDMA network. The CDMA signal was never very good but at least I could make and receive calls, but the Next G phone I bought has absolutely no service whatsoever at home.

    Patricia on 9th May, 2009 at 1:12 pm

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