Before the iPhone 7 is released, I thought it would be interesting to see what prices are like these days for an iPhone 6s 64GB on a 24 month contract. And wow, prices just keep going up, don't they? They seem to be getting more expensive every year! Can't wait to see how more they go up for the iPhone 7.

In this post, I'm going to be comparing the big four Australian telecommunication companies; Optus, Virgin Mobile, Vodafone, and Telstra, to see which one offers me the best plan at the lowest cost.

The criteria will be; plan cost, and value between calls, text, and most importantly, data! I am not comparing how supposedly great their coverage is or how bad their customer service is. I am assuming for this that you are in a city / suburban area, so coverage isn't a problem. Also I'm not looking at if the customer wants to upgrade again next year. This will be assuming that you plan to keep the iPhone for 24 months. Also I will not be including any extra benefits like data exclusions to Spotify or a 6 Month Apple Music membership, etc...

First important part to this, is to work out what an iPhone 6s 64GB sells for (brand new from Apple) today. And that is $1,229.00. Over the course of 24 months the price would divide to $51.21 per month.  This is important for when we compare phone payment costs to the plan itself.

First up, lets look at

Optus:

At Optus, I could go on the $84 iPhone plan (a $40 plan plus $44 phone payments) and receive 1GB of Data and Unlimited Calls and Text in Australia. 

Or, their recommended plan of $91 per month ($65 plan, $26 for the iPhone) and receive 3.5GB of Data, Unlimited Calls and Text, and also get 150 minutes of International Calls. 

However, if I buy the iPhone outright from Apple, I could go on a 12 month Optus Sim Only plan, pay $30 per month and get Unlimited Calls and Text and 1.5GB of Data, and only pay the equivalent of $81.21 per month. That's $2.79 cheaper per month ($66.96 over 24 months and the difference of 12,000GB more data).

Or better yet, how about their $40 Sim Only Plan (for 12 months) which'll get me the same Unlimited Calls and Text, but a huge 8GB of data! And 300 minutes of International Calls. Total per month with our outright iPhone 6s payment divided, equals $91.21 per month. Extra 21 cents per month for and extra 4.5GB of data a month? Worth it!

Optus summary: Buy the iPhone outright and get a Sim-Only plan for 12 months! It'll be better value.


Next up, the network that uses the Optus Network, so is pretty much the same as going with Optus;


Virgin Mobile:

At Virgin mobile their cheapest iPhone 6s 64GB plan is $67 ($30 plan plus $37 for phone). But, they only give you $300 worth of calls and a measly 300MB of data. We already have Optus to compare with, so lets look at a higher plan.

$76 per month! Unlimited Calls and Text within Australia and 1GB of Data. This is the equivalent plan to Optus's $84 plan. Which means, Virgin Mobile, the company that uses the Optus Network remember, is $8 cheaper per month. $192 cheaper over the length of your contract, for the same plan!

Lets go even higher, we want to find the equivalent (cost) plan to the Optus $91 plan. And that'd be Virgin mobiles $90 plan. It includes Unlimited Calls and Text within Australia and 6GB of Data! That's 2.5GB more than Optus, per month.

What about their Sim-Only plans? $40 will get you 7GB, Unlimited Calls and Text and $200 worth of standard international calls. Throw in another $10 to get 10GB Data, and $300 of international. Compared to Optus? The Sim Only plans seem a little more worth it from Optus.

Virgin Mobile Summary: If you were to get a iPhone and Plan, Virgin Mobile has cheaper plans and offers better value for your money than Optus.


Vodafone:

Over at Vodafone you can get the iPhone 6s 64GB for $96 per month, which includes "Infinite" standard national calls and text and 6GB Data.  Since this plan is already more expensive with little difference to the Virgin mobile $90 plan - we shall move on!

By the way, their SIM Only plan, less value on Data than Optus.

Vodafone Summary: More expensive than Virgin mobile, however still more Data than Optus gives for at the similar price, unless you go on a SIM only plan from Optus, which then Optus offers a better deal.



Lastly,


Telstra:

Telstra didn't have a great year, with a few network dropouts that lasted hours! Lets see how their plans compare.

On the Telstra Network, they'll give you a iPhone 6s 64GB starting from $95 per month with 1GB Data and $550 "talk time"...

Should I really even bother going on? ...Fine. What do they recommend?

Their "L" plan (I guess that stands for 'large' or it could be 'loser'), includes Unlimited Talk, Text and MMS, and 8GB of data for...

$121 per month.

Go **** yourselves!

Telstra Summary: Stay the **** away from Telstra, unless you want to be ripped off, in my opinion!



Conclusion:

I really hope the Australian telecommunication companies see this post and create some better and more competitive plans for the iPhone 7. And not just use it as an excuse to raise the price even more.

So who won this? Definitely the mobile companies. 'Cause the customers ain't, that's for sure!

But, really, from these calculations, the best deal for a iPhone 6s 64GB and a Plan together (today, September 1st 2016) was with Virgin Mobile on their $76 or $90 plan, depending on how much data you'd like.

But more surprisingly, the best solution would be to buy the iPhone 6s 64GB outright and go on the Optus SIM Only $40 plan for 12 months. It gets you unlimited calls and text, and 8GB of Data for a combine cost equalling $91.21 per month (over 24 months).

My message to the phone companies, firstly, well done for ripping us all off. Now;

To Optus: Why is Virgin Mobile's contract plans cheaper than yours! They use your network! Why should I choose you over Virgin Mobile?

To Virgin Mobile: Well done on offering competitive prices.

To Vodafone: You guys are still around? I thought you went out of business. Lower your prices.

To Telstra: I think I summed up my thoughts on you above, but I don't care how great you think your network coverage is, for someone who lives in city areas, it doesn't matter! I've had no issues with other companies I've used. You are well overpriced! I don't know why anyone would choose to give you money!

For everyone else, thanks for reading, if you liked this piece or maybe learned something, please share! And leave a comment below on which company are you with and why.

TPG, a internet and home phone service provider in Australia. They currently offer a $59.99 monthly plan which contains 'Unlimited Internet Data and a Home Phone Line Rental.' Compared to their competitors prices, TPG would seems like a winner, right? Maybe not.

So here are some things that you should know about before signing up to TPG. First, they offer, in the mentioned plan, ADSL2+ internet. What is ADSL2+? It's internet that runs through your house's phone line. Now, TPG states that they offer speeds of up to 20Mbps, so that sounds good, right? Yes, but unless you live right next to their service tower, don't expect those speeds.

First, lets understand what those speeds mean. ISP's talk in Megabit per second, where your probably more familiar with download speeds in Kilobyte per second. Have you ever downloaded a file and watched the download speed? You've probably seen numbers like 70kb/s up to something like 2,000+ kb/s or somewhere around that, right? Well 20Mbps does not mean 20MB per second (or 20,000kb/s). It's actually very far from that! When a internet service provider says up to 20Mbps, what they actually mean is speeds up to 2,500kb/s. Now, 2,500kb/s is okay, IF you can actually get close to that speed.

Your download speed will vary based on many factors including your location from their towers and ISP's will not want to tell you if their service will be poor in your area while trying to sign you up. If you are not a tech enthusiast between the ages of 15 to 35, you may get lost in all their tech talk and won't understand the numbers or thought to check if you'll get a decent service. ISP's will make you figure that out on your own. So, before signing up to any contracts, ask your neighbors what internet service provider they have and what their speeds are like. A great way of testing your speeds is to use the website speedtest.net



I recently heard from one reader who had a issue with TPG. They saw the deal, they contacted TPG and signed up. TPG did not tell this person what speeds they would be receiving at their location. They just like to use vague terms like up to 20Mbps. Well "up to" means between 0 and a max of 20. And if you're at 1, you are not going to be happy. So, this reader had TPG installed at their home for their family. But, within minutes after activating the service, they realized the mistake they had made by signing up with TPG.

The speeds were extremely slow! Barley reaching between 2-4Mbps, that's 200-400kb/s. They could barley load a webpage, let alone a video. Noway you could use two devices at the same time, many things were timing out just trying to load on one device.

They wanted unlimited internet data so they could stream movies on their Apple TV, especially since a 'video store' is now a nonexistent term in many places these days. But there was no chance of a movie being able to load on this connection. So what good is unlimited internet data when you can't use it?

So the reader contacted TPG and told them about the issues they were having with TPG's service. But TPG did not seem to care at all about the users complaints. Their tech support guy even went as far as saying to the customer that, if you wanted a good internet service, why did you chose us? You should of gone with a better company, one that offers Cable internet, like Optus. So when your company's tech support guy tells you that you've chosen the wrong company, you know that company must be shit!

But after agreeing to that initial contract, it's too late! There's no trial or "cooling-off" period clause in the contract. TPG does't seem to care if you can load a simple YouTube video (even at low quality). Or if your kids can do their homework without waiting forever for a webpage to load. No, TPG would probably say something like, 'Hey, you chose us, that's YOUR mistake!' Yes TPG, you are right, I agree, choosing your company would be a mistake.

So, after one day of barely any internet service, what would be the cost to get out of this loveless relationship? A $350.00 early termination fee. One that TPG won't back down on. The customer didn't want out of the contract early because they didn't want the service anymore, but because the service was unusable for them! You see, TPG doesn't seem care if they can provide a customer with a connection that is actually usable, or if their service is so shit in an area that they make customer want to leave after 5 minutes of their internet being connected. Or about warning a customer who would be in this zone about the realistic speeds they would be receiving. All TPG seems to care about is getting your money, not providing a decent service to their customers. TPG would not admit to being at any fault. They'll blame you for choosing them.

If you were reading this because you were thinking of signing up to TPG and you searched for reviews first, great! You made the right choice to search before you buy! I'll just say, maybe you live next to a TPG tower and you're speeds would be fine. But, maybe you don't. I personally would NOT recommend TPG as a internet provider. They don't seem to care about making a customer happy and satisfied with their service or admitting when they can't provide a decent enough service in your area. They just seem to want your money.

Secondly, if you can get the NBN or Cable internet at your home from a ISP, that is a MUCH better choice over ADSL - just don't go with ADSL internet unless you have no other option. I'd recommend Optus. They are a great company, in my opinion. Some flaws, but they work on it, even if it takes them a while to fix. (More on that maybe another day). Optus are a bit more expensive than TPG, but, hey, I guess you get what you pay for! The reader who mistakenly chose TPG for a day, even got at their location speeds from Optus of 2,500kb/s - that's 5 times more than the best that TPG could provide for them. I believe at the moment you can get Unlimited Broadband and a Home Phone for $75 per month from Optus. They offer speeds of up to 30Mbps on their basic speed pack. Once again, it could vary, so ask around, and ask the sales people what speeds you actually would be receiving on average in your area, not what it would be "up to."
 
You can view Optus Broadband plans, here.

If you've had a similar experience with a Internet Service Provider, I'd love to hear about it in the comments. (Note: Comments only work from Google's Chrome Browser, sorry). And, please share this article to warn others of the dangers of not for surely knowing what service you'd actually get before signing up to a contract.


Edit (add image): 

This apparently is an email address - dumbasses:

The Australian Television Channel 9 app has gotten an upgrade and a new name today. 9Jumpin is now 9Now.

9Now is a online live streaming and on-demand app. You can watch Channel 9 live, or catch up on shows after they are aired.  You can access 9Now from your phone, tablet, computer, or TV.

So you can watch a range of shows on-demand, and Channel 9 live, with other Channel 9 networks like 9Go and 9Life coming soon.

The video quality seems good and adjusts with your internets connection speed. Note, you may want to make sure you switch on the option "Play on WiFi Only" in the settings, unless you have an awesome mobile data plan.

Now the downsides of the app. To watch anything, you'll need to create an account with 9Now. Also, there is no AirPlay option. And there are advertisements, of course, but that's to be expected, however unlike a recording on a DVR, you can't skip these ads. Other than that, the app seems okay so far.

The 9Now app is FREE to download for iOS (iPhone & iPad) and Android. You can also access 9Now from the web at https://www.9now.com.au

Pocket Weather Australia by ShiftyJelly PTY LTD has long been a favorite weather app for Australians. It was just recently updated with a totally new redesign, along with the new much anticipated Apple Watch app. But wait! Users who haven't updated yet, may not want to hit that button too quickly. This update has left some users not too happy with the change and for what I think is good reasons. 

If you use Pocket Weather Australia, you'll know the app for its great design and more accurate weather information (than the stock iOS app) - right down to your local suburb. The app was designed for both iPhone and iPad, and used the real-estate advantages. The same can't be said for all of its previous positives in this latest update.

Gone is the great graphical weather images for a very minimal design, with a lot of white space and very basic weather icons. The new design also feels less intuitive - even with its very simple Google looking card system. Like tapping the today section card will open more in-depth information, however there is no indicator of this feature. There are also inconsistencies that don't make a lot of sense - like rounded up/down weather temperatures and showing the 'correct value' in different areas. I also experienced crashes and freezing while performing simple actions like adding a city or trying to load the weather.

The iPad app is also a let down compared to its previous version. Before the iPad made use of the larger display, however now, it's basically the same exact iPhone app on a larger plain background. It's clear that this redesigned version has taken design cues from Google, over Apple. 

On thing that many people were waiting for was a Apple Watch app to replace the  usually incorrect iOS weather app. But this app has its let downs too. While there is a complication you can add to the Watch face, it will not show the current live temperature - instead it'll show the days max and condition. Tapping the complication will take you to the Pocket Weather Australia Apple Watch app. 

The Watch app shows some more useful information for when you're on the go, like; current temperature, the day's predicted high and low, and the weeks temperature overview. Missing info that would be useful is; the Feels Like temperature, hourly/upcoming rain info, ability to switch through different cities/towns and a reload button for when the app fails to refresh, which in my experience, happens -  there has definitely been some updating issues. 

While it's still the same great app that pulls weather information from the Bureau of Meteorology, maybe with a few issues or bugs, this version feels a lot like a step backwards. Honestly, a hybrid of the before and after, I think, would look a lot better. Bring back the old weather graphics for the header, keep the simple new interface maybe with some adjustments and make better use of the iPad's larger screen size. 

Pocket Weather Australia is priced at AU$2.99 in the App Store. The new redesign and Apple Watch app update is free for existing users. 

Australians, free television networks are making watching your favorite shows easier and more convenient for you. We now have more content online than ever before and if you have an iPhone, iPad, or computer, it's never been easier to catch up on TV in your own time. 

All major Australian television networks have iOS apps available. The Seven Network has Plus7, Channel 9 has 9jumpin, Network Ten has Tenplay, there is also SBS On Demand, ABC iview and ABC KIDS iview. 

But how do all these apps really perform? Are they worthy of even being on your iOS device? Will you have a great experience? And can I steam the video to my Apple TV? These are the main questions that I'll be answering in these reviews. 

Reviewing these apps, I'll be looking to for the following criteria: picture and sound quality. General features and user interface. The catalog of available shows to watch. How advertising effects the watch-ability and if the app supports AirPlay streaming to a Apple TV. 

Also note, these reviews are based on playback on a iPhone 6 and streaming to a 2014 Apple TV (not the newest one). These networks also have websites available where you can access many, if not all, of the same features. 

Plus7

Picture and sound quality: Picture was ok, clear, but far from a HD clear image. Sound was ok for watching on a iPhone or iPad. 

Noteworthy Feature: Plus7 has recently added new live streaming of their three main channels to the app. You can live stream Channel 7, 7two, and 7mate. 

Show catalog: 7Plus features heaps of there shows, including: A Touch of Frost, Beach Cops, Better Homes and Gardens, Blindspot, Castle, Grimm, Heroes Reborn, Home and Away, How to Get Away with Murder, The Blacklist, The Chase, and many more... 

Ads: Yes. The 'hour long' episode that I watched featured seven commercial breaks. Commercial breaks featured multiple ads.  

AirPlay support?: No. 

9Jumpin

Picture and sound quality: Quality improves based on your internet connection. Picture and sound was very good on mobile. 

Noteworthy Features: View shows previews, read up on the show and characters, and view Twitter feeds. *on selected shows.  

Show catalog: 9jumpin features many shows from there three main channels, including: 60 Minutes, Arrow, The Bachelor, The Big Bang Theory, Celebrity Apprentice, A Current Affair, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Hot Seat, Survivor, and more... 

Ads: Yes. The 'half hour show' featured four commercial breaks. Commercial breaks feature multiple ads. 

AirPlay support?: Yes. No button on the app, however you can switch on AirPlay to your Apple TV on through the iOS Control Panel. Streaming quality was very clear once it adjusted to your connections speed - this happens after every commercial break, as well. One problem however, if my iPhone's screen switched off, the video paused. Ad volume was also inconsistent. 

Tenplay

Picture and sound quality: Picture frequently was blurring and low quality on mobile. Sound was clear and fine for mobile. Picture quality on the Apple TV app varies. Maybe based on show, but sometimes was very low quality and hard to watch. Most shows were blurry and nowhere near even DVD quality.  

Noteworthy Features: With the MyTV feature, if you sign up, you can add favorite shows, create a watchlist's and episode playlists. Your can also set reminders. 

Show catalog: shows featured on Tenplay include: TBL Families, Homeland, Scream Queens, Have You Been Paying Attention, Limitless, Madam Secretary, Empire, Hawaii Five-O, Supernatural, Family Feud, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and more.   

Ads: Yes. Four commercial breaks on the 'half hour show'. Commercial breaks feature multiple ads. Volume is inconsistent, with some ads being much louder than the TV show.   

AirPlay support?: Tenplay wins in Apple TV support, because they are the only app at the moment that actually is featured as an official app on the Apple TV itself. No need to stream from your iPhone or iPad, you can watch whatever is available right from the Apple TV. 

> Continue to Part 2 

Part two of my Australian TV network apps on iOS review. These reviews are looking for the following criteria: picture and sound quality. General features and user interface. The catalog of available shows to watch. How advertising effects the watch-ability and if the app supports AirPlay streaming to a Apple TV. 

Note: These reviews are based on playback on a iPhone 6 and streaming to a 2014 Apple TV (not the newest one). These networks also have websites available where you can access many, if not all, of the same features. 

(Click to view Part 1)  

Part 2 of Aussie TV App For iOS: 

SBS On Demand

Notable Problems: Firstly, videos play with the iPhone's status bar overlaying. Great that I can see the time and my battery level - but this is annoying. Video sometimes failed to even begin - though it's funny - the advertisement played fine. And I say advertisement and not 'advertisements' because the same one played over and over. App is not even readjusted for larger iPhone screens and is still just enlarged to fit. 

Picture and sound quality: Just watchable. Video has poor frame rate and pixel banding issues. Could do with a much higher Bit Rate.  

Show catalog: Some on the shows available to watch are: American Ninja Warrior, South Park, Letters & Numbers, Ali G: Remixed, Australia with Simon Reeve, Awaken, Bref, Dateline, Fargo, Maison Close, If You Are The One, a lot of documentaries, and many more...  

Ads: Yes. Run through out the program. 

AirPlay support?: Sort of. I want to say "no". No button on the apps screen, however you can switch it on in the iOS Control Panel. When the iPhone screen sleeps, sometimes so did the playing video. Video also has a hard time resuming playback position after an ad plays and often stay in an endless crashed loop of not loading anything. Video would not even close when 'Done' was pressed. You no what - just don't even attempt to AirPlay video from this app.  

ABC iview

Picture and sound quality: Sound was good for iPhone or iPad. Picture quality adjusts with your internet connection, however the best I experienced looked just 'okay' on iPhone and could of been much better. The picture isn't high quality 'sharp' and there was definitely pixel banding in areas. The low picture quality is much more noticeable on iPad or when AirPlayed to a TV screen.    

Noteworthy Features: You can browse content by channel. Choose shows from ABC, or ABC 2, ABC 3, ABC Kids, News, Arts, and ABC Presents. 

Show catalog: A wide variety of shows are on the ABC networks, but to name a few: Doctor Who, Making Families Happy, Catalyst, Four Corners, Antiques Roadshow, The Beautiful Lie, The Next Step, Camp Lakebottom, Numb Chucks, Play School, and many more... 

Ads: In the couple of programs I watched, there was no advertisements. 

AirPlay support?: Yes! You can AirPlay the video to an Apple TV. 

ABC KIDS iview 

A dedicated app just for kids, ABC KIDS iview app opened with volume that was not controlled by my iPhone's volume level. All sounds in this app (except playing video) do this. Really annoying. 


Based on the security of the Settings, I assume this app is intended for kids who cant read numbers yet. 

Picture and sound quality: Sound is fine, picture on the other hand is pretty low quality in my experience. It's 'okay' on iPhone and even streamed to a Apple TV, but it's not very sharp. 

Noteworthy Features: The app features a grid of shows to choose from. Tap a show to bring up available videos. Parents can also set a timer to lock the screen. 

Show catalog: Among the list are: Hey Duggee, 64 Zoo Lane, Bananas in Pajamas, Big Block SingSong, Bob the Builder, Dinosaur Train, dirtgirlworld, Emma!, Fireman Sam, and more...  

Ads: None that I saw. 

AirPlay support?: Yes! You can AirPlay the video to an Apple TV. 

Thanks for reading, be sure to share if you liked these reviews! 

UPDATE (July 6th 2016): Unfortunately, OzTV is no longer available... 

Australian's, the TV guide and 'second-screen' iOS app, Beamly, (previously known as Zeebox) is shutting down after being purchased by beauty products company, Coty, Inc.

In my opinion, Beamly, started out as a great TV Guide, but overtime got to complex with adding too many social and news elements to the app. So, the good news is, if what you wanted was a simple television guide app for your iPhone or iPad, then I know of a great, award-winning app which I think would be a great replacement. 

OzTV - TV Guide for Australia by OzTv Apps Pty Ltd, is optimized for iPhone and iPad, and even includes support for the Apple Watch.

OzTV features; a  7 Day Free-To-Air Guide. Rich Show Information with images and descriptions. Reminders - you can set alerts to remind you before a show begins. Favorites - star TV shows as your favorites and keep track with their own TV guide list and highlights on the main guide. View upcoming episodes, quick access to info on Wikipedia/IMDB.

You can also search for shows, see what others are watching with a top show list, check-ins, popular and friends sections. Also OzTV features a great and easy to use interface. And more... For a full feature list, check out it's App Store page.



If I was to nitpick with the app - it doesn't update the schedule live, like some TV guides on actual televisions - so if a program is running late - it wont show the updated schedule time. There's no option to set only alerts for new episodes of TV Shows - so if you want a weekly alert of new episodes of a show playing, you'll need to manually set this. But those are small things - more wishful thinking.

OzTV - TV Guide for Australia is FREE to download for iOS devices from the App Store.


> View OzTV on the App Store.