There’s been much coverage over O2 not once, not twice, but thrice, suffering from a network break down. And on the interwebs, and on Twitter there has been much virtual ‘wailing and nashing of teeth’. There was coverage when everyone on iPhone’s at Glastonbury had poor or no coverage, and equally I recall reading how no one could get online at a recent game at Lords due to the number of iPhones.

Was it in Apple’s brief when putting together the world’s most sophisticated phone to ensure that it was only available on networks that couldn’t cope with it? It’s frustrating  to know that you’re using a ‘breakthrough’ internet device’, only not be able to use it at all for its intended purpose - as in get online.

Still, it’s not as bad as in the US where it’s on AT&T, which has been a constant source of irritation to the elite digerati around San Francisco, who not only can’t get online, apparently can’t even make calls or texts when down-town due to network congestion. That is just rubbish

However, I had been wondering what all the fuss had been about, as I seemed to have been spared - until just last week, when I got the at the time mysterious and frustrating message, “Could not activate cellular data network: You are not subscribed to a cellular data service”. I thought this was rather odd, as I am.

A few minutes Googling solved my problem - it involved changing my APN settings (General>Network>Cellular Data Network) from ‘idata.o2.co.uk’ to - ‘mobile.o2.co.uk’ for both Cellular Data and MMS. Apparently these are the correct settings for any one using an iPhone on O2 not on an iPhone tariff. I have a SIM only tariff, which offers the same as the £35 per month- 600 minutes, 1,000 text and ‘unlimited’ web bolt-on. (There’s no visual voicemail, but then I’ve got Spinvox, and whether man or machine powered, it’s better).

Odd then that I’d been fine on the ‘idata’ settings for several months, even though I wasn’t on an iPhone tariff.  I then recalled that a  few days before when I’d plugged the old 3GS into iTunes I had been greeted with a message that iTunes wanted to install some “carrier specific settings.” - and now it wasn’t working. Co-incidence?

However, while making the changes gave me back 3G internet access, I noticed that the internet tethering option that was on the page had dissapeared. O2 will only rip you off for tethering if you’re on an actual iPhone tariff. By the way, if you have a phone such as a Nokia N95, you can use it for tethering for no extra cost, so why O2 feels it can charge  £14.68 for the privilege is just criminal.

I’m also concerned that  non iPhone tariff owners aren’t getting as much bandwidth a those on an iPhone contract. Coming out of the office I saw a ‘E’ for Edge, rather than 3G, which I’ve never seen before.

All this means that the news that O2 may be losing its exclusivity to T-Mobile is good news. I’ve heard anecdotally from someone with an unlocked 3GS that 3G performance is much better on T-Mobile in London than on O2, and while I can’t confirm it myself, I wouldn’t be suprised.

Should I unlock my 3GS and leave O2 for T-Mobile? I’m tempted.

So it’s been a couple of days since Apple announced its latest updates, and we’ve had a bit of time to calm down. So, have we calmed down?

As everyone expected, the new iPhone was start of the show, and last week I put up my list of what I was hoping to see from the new device.

So how did I do?

Firstly, what I got right. Well much of the improvements were part of the iPhone 3.0 OS update, so cut-and paste, GPS, push notifications, and the landscape keyboard we pretty much knew would be coming. The improved winding (scrubbing) sensitivity, we’ll wait and see how it turns out when we actually get hold of one.

On the hardware side, I was pleased to see there’s a 32GB version, and video capability thanks to an overdue 3-megapixel camera.

So, what did I get wrong?

Well firstly, there’s no higher resolution screen – its remains where it is at 320 x 480 – so I now think that will come in next year’s version that we all now expect to be a major hardware update.I  was also disappointed not to see a 4GB version introduced with the entry level model now the 8GB iPhone 3G.

But ohmygod- the prices! Nicole has already let rip at those crying into their milk at the fact that they won’t be able to upgrade without paying through the nose to get out of the rest of their contract – but even for first time buyers, the iPhone 3Gs is a very expensive proposition. O2 wants £275 for a 32GB one, and that’s with a £35 a month tariff. Ouch.
I can’t decide whether it’s down to the recession or a little bit of greed on O2’s part – the reality is probably in between the two.

So why can O2 do so a thing? Well, it knows it can. After all, it’s not as if people can look the the iPhone prices, decide it’s too much, and decide to go for the new kid on the block, the Palm Pre on another network – because if rumours are to be believed in the UK, O2  has that baby wrapped up too.

So yup, if you’re a gadget freak – it’s got you by the short and curlies…

Also galling is the fact that if you do go for the 3Gs plunge now, the only options are an 18-month or 24-month, meaning that next year’s, possibly heavily revamped model will be out-of-immediate reach.

But when you want something new and shiny, the words ‘possibly’ and ‘next year’ are not likely to register too much. I’m not sure if I can hold out. Now, I’m sure I can find a grandmother down the back of the sofa I can sell… or something.

Well it

Last week I was lucky enough to garner a iPhone 3G without having to have preordered via a chronically crippled website or by getting up at 4am to get to the front of a queue.

Instead I was invited by O2 to a one-on-one briefing with one of its device managers, - (a chap called Dominic), at the end of which I was handed an 8GB iPhone 3G to play with. Before you get too cheesed off at my jaminess, I was told it wasn

Why is O2

Last Friday a story appeared on Reuters that according to the 3G Apple iPhone would finally rear its long awaited, high-speed head, in May or June this year.

I say story, when really it