Greetings and salutations from the universe beyond, where iPhones roam freely without being held captive by the iron fists of AT&T and 02. It appears that Danny is still a wee bit busy drowning himself in his work just to put some 3-year-old smiles on his clients’ faces, so I get I’ll have to do this myself then. *Sorry, Danny* To keep things simple : Timothy’s my name, and iPhones are my game. Well, they don’t rhyme, but heck…
Alright, alright, enough with the crappy lines, I know :P I’m Timothy, a friend of Danny’s, and the the whole reason I’m the first person to publish something here besides Danny is pretty much to bring you even more iPhone tips, tricks and insider information. Being an avid iPhone user myself, it became quite apparent that Danny’s series on the Apple iPhone here has grown into quite a hit among his readers, and so I’m here now to help him give you guys another 10 more reasons to continue reading on this series, and to those of you who haven’t, perhaps get an iPhone? Read on…
So, what makes the iPhone such an awesome device? Users say it’s, and I quote, “Totally fabulous, love it so much *squeals of joy*…”, critics say it’s overrated, others say it’s too expensive for a phone…. and the list goes on. Like all other 21st century devices, the iPhone comes with different appeals to different groups of people. So let’s get down to the million-dollar question : How can we justify spending RM2k and above on an iPhone? Here’s my list of 5 top reasons for such an extravagant expenditure, or should I say ‘investment’ ;)
#1 – Revolutionary
It’s a piece of pure innovation and genuine creativity. A work of art, if you may. In terms of innovation, to those of you out there who don’t already know this, the iPhone’s Multi-Touch interface is a patented invention by Apple Inc., meaning if you’re trying to place it in comparison with the LG Viewty, HTC Touch or many other similar devices, always remember that the whole concept of using your fingers instead of a stylus, and utilizing 2 fingers to interact with a touch-sensitive panel, all this magic originated from the Apple powerhouse and their iPhone, and of course there’s nothing better than the original.
#2 – Everything In One Package
Whether you’re an iPod or Mac user, you’d probably already know well enough the wonders of using an Apple product simply because of the unique experience it provides. In the case of the iPhone, what you have here is a device combining all the features of a mobile communicator and a full-fledged iPod, packed into a device still thinner than nearly all PDA Phones currently available. How cool is that?
#3 – Pricey…you say?
Well, consider this. Paying a good RM1.5k for any other Smartphone, and an extra couple of hundred bucks for the iPhone, how do we define value for money here? The iPhone, though slightly more costly than the other miscellaneous options, if not priced the same, was not designed to be JUST another phone.
To make things simple for you guys, think of it from this perspective. An 8GB iPod Nano (RM800) + Any Smartphone (RM1.5k) = RM2.3k = 16G iPhone. Having said that, the iPhone isn’t really overpriced after all. In fact, the whole reason I got the iPhone as my first Apple product in the first place is after realizing that in fact, the iPhone is one of Apple’s most realistically priced product in ages. Go figure!
#4 – Constant Evolution & Development
Although this factor may not be on everyone’s favourite lists, I’m pretty sure it appeals to a majority of us more technically-inclined geeks. You see, with most other smartphones, what you get is the phone and the OS (may it be BSD or Windows Mobile). Now here’s the big question mark; How often do you actually see Pocket PC users going nuts about new firmware releases and software updates?
As a matter of fact, how many users actually update their phones after even years of usage. Looking back to the iPhone scene, you can easily observe the massive enthusiasm and excitement over developments from Apple as well as the community, may it be looking forward to oodles of mysterious surprises from Apple, or simply the thrill of the mere idea of having go through the challenge of unlocking the iPhone again and stand triumphant over AT&T. As Steve Jobs once said in his keynotes, the iPhone is not slowing down, it just keeps getting better and better.
#5 – A Whole New Experience
Now this is one of my personal main reasons for going for the iPhone. This applies specifically to all your Pocket PC users out there. Imagine a smartphone without the hassles of Windows Mobile, without potential threats such as Java viruses, without frequent slowdowns due to clogging up of your internal RAM, without having poking around menus which lag for seconds before responding.
Imagine actually typing on a QWERTY keyboard on the same 3.5″ screen except with your fingers and pinpoint accuracy. Imagine effortless applications with gorgeous transitions which appear instantaneously. Iimagine a phone so simplified that even my 4-year-old sibling managed to figure it out within half an hour of fiddling around with it. Imagine the Apple iPhone. :)
All in all, I believe these factors and much more have come together to make the iPhone the truly unchallenged device of the year that it is. Then again, I did leave out the ‘Cool Factor’ and ‘Limitless Bragging Rights’ from the list above for a good reason…Haha. Thanks for reading, guys. Au revoir! This is Timothy, signing off.
P.S. May I requests that everyone who has read this article, and/or are also in the iPhone user family, I hope you guys wouldn’t mind taking a minute or two to post a short comment below, just so I know whether I need to tweak my writing style or anything else. :)
Well, I definetely had to edit your post cause some paragraphs were a little long. LOL! But anyway, a great starting article. :)
Now just hope the rest of the iPhone fans, haters, users and etc are equally as nice. Good luck!
Thanks for the edit, mate. Looks a lot better to read now, ehh? Yeah, can’t wait to see what your readers have to say :)
I have a 16gb iPod touch, bought on the first day it was released in Malaysia. Some ppl said I should’ve buy an iPhone instead. I dont know. Yeah, all your points up there are valid. But to me, no MMS, no video recording, small MP camera and the fact that it is no official release in Malaysia yet, are something to consider as well.
Unlocking is one thing. Jailbreaking on iPod touch is kinda easy though. I hope it is the same with Unlocking the iPhone. :)
p/s: maybe you can put some cool pictures of iphone to persuade more :)
Thanks on being the first to reply, flisterz. How’s your iPod Touch treating you, mate? As you said, choosing between the iPod and iPod Touch depends on the end-user’s preferences. Requirements of the integrated phone features and so on so forth, I guess you’ve already heard your share of that. Personally, my previous Nokia wasn’t exactly top-notch, so getting an all-in-one was definitely the right choice for me. However mate, I feel that you should know, even people with N95s and 02 XDAs dumped them for the iPhone, reason being the different experience that you get on the iPhone. Of course, there are some who agree otherwise, saying why get another phone when you can just keep your current one and settle for an iPod Touch instead. It all comes down on whether one sees the iPhone’s integrated phone features as JUST another phone, or something fresh and new to try out.
Then again, you mentioned some downsides of the iPhone which most other phones do have. In the cases of the lack of video recording, basic camera, missing Flash support and so on, indeed these are essential features which may have been left out. However, other features such as MMS which were not integrated into the phone may have been left out for good reasons, I believe. You see, Apple’s all-round approach to their products to to keep things as simple, user-friendly and intuitive to their customers as far as possible. By not implementing features like MMS which aren’t as widely used, that is how the iPhone stands out from the crowd as the ultimate smartphone without being clogged up and bloated with all sorts of unnecessary features, instead only containing what is most important, thus simplifying the user’s experience altogether. From there on, Apple observes and listens to it’s user community, gradually adding on highly requested features over a period of time, ensuring that only features people actually want are implemented.
As for your comment on jailbreaking, I am unable to provide much of an opinion, simply because jailbreaking and unlocking weren’t supposed to occur in the first place. However, bear in mind that for the iPhones, it’s a matter of solving the encryption algorithm on the baseband and bootloaders as well, whereas it’s only a fraction of the work on the iPod Touch. No matter how troublesome it can be, even from my days on 1.0.2 with endless command line based unlocking, being able to save yourself thousands of dollars from AT&T subscription fees, ANY amount of time is worth spending on the unlocking process, especially seeing as the unlocking scene has become more and more simple as time has progressed.
P.S. Worry not. You will be seeing lots of such photos in my entries to come. I will be taking you guys over many of the different aspects of the iPhone, from both a simple user’s as well as an enthusiast’s point of view. Stay tuned, mate!
I’m an unhacked iPod Touch user, not yet anyway :P
Considered buying an iPhone earlier on but because I’m not too much of a tech savvy person, and with an iPhone, I’ll need to keep up to date with the jailbreaking thing, I decided not to buy.
Timothy, temp me with lots of iPhone photos and post, I might reconsider
Hi there, dory. Congrats on your purchase. And for the matter, getting an iPod Touch instead of an iPhone doesn’t make you any less tech-savvy, so welcome to the family ;) The developments in the jailbreaking/unlocking, AKA hacking scene apply almost equally to both the iPod Touch and the iPhone, it’s just an extra step on the iPhones, that’s all. The hassle is when it comes down to updating and unlocking new firmware releases. One on an iPhone can always opt not to update, right?
And about your request, I’ll be sure to satisfy your cravings for the iPhone’s beauty as far as possible in my coming entries. Just remember to keep on reading. But of course, I wouldn’t want to become peer pressure for you to spend another RM2k, would I? Hehe, thanks again for the comment! :)
Hi, any ideas how much it costs to replace the iphone / touch battery?
There are 2 options for end-users to replace your faulty and/or deteriorating iPhone and iPod Touch batteries. First of all, if of course directly through Apple and their authorized resellers. If your iPod/iPhone is still within its 1-year international warranty period, Apple will consent to replacing your battery for free should the battery performance drop below 50% of its original capacity. However, this official maintainence service is only provided to users in regions where the iPhones are localised in, meaning US and UK etc. And as for users whose devices have passed their warranty terms, take note that this service is rather costly even in the States, costing up to $60 for iPods and $80 for iPhones. I paid the local Machines branches a visit to help answer your question further. Apparently, while battery replacement services are not available for the iPhone locally as of now, iPod battery replacement fees are a staggering RM320 per trip including the replacement battery and labour fees. Before you get all upset and resort to AppleCare, here’s the second alternative for those with guts…
One can also opt to purchase a battery replacement kit from several internationally available resources, particularly Thailand, and have the battery replaced DIY style. Of course, the risks are there, and if not done with extreme caution and precision, you could be left with either minor deforms on the devices’ external hull, or worse still, an exploded lithium ion cell due to shorting the RED cable ;) The whole problem here is simply because Apple did not design the product with user-maintainence in mind. Despite all this though, my personal advice would be to save yourself the few hundred bucks, order a separate battery replacement kit and have it sent to an experienced freelance locally to assist you with the replacement for a nominal fee.
Hope that helps. Good luck! Appreciate your reply, mate…
Thanks Tim, i’ll wait for the local iPhone launch before buying 1 then..
It’ll be good to know what warranty coverage for the post battery replacement as well..90 days or remaining of the warranty year?
Thanks again for another interesting question, mate. I’ve looked into the matter by examining my copy of the iPhone Information Guide. As it turns out, the repaired/replaced part within the device will be covered by EITHER the remainder of the 1-year warranty term, or an additional 90 days, depending on which is LONGER from the date of purchase. In other words, your post-replacement warranty would be a minimum of 90 days…. Not too shabby, ehh? :)
Here’s an image I took of the section in the booklet containing this information in further detail. You can refer to it to help clarify your inquiry.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h170/SamanoskeAkechi/DSCN1926.jpg
Sincerely,
Timothy
Hullo, I’m a Malaysian currently based overseas, and I have been given the option to have either an iPod Touch or the iPhone.The vendor is offering unlocked iPhones, but without a warranty.
I’ve been trying to do some research on the unlocked iPhone and the possible pitfalls, but the information available is just too technical for me!
I was wondering if you could offer some help in view of my predicament, which has been tabulated as follows:-
1 – I’m a Malaysian currently based overseas. So if I do get the unlocked iPhone, it will firstly run on the SIM card of the country I’m located. Once I return to Malaysia, do you think I’d have problems popping my Maxis SIM card into the iPhone? I’m asking this because I was previously using O2’s Smartphone, and the phone just went mental when I took out my overseas SIM card and put in the Maxis SIM card. Phone’s never been quite the same since.
2 – From what I understand, it is obviously prudent for unlocked iPhone users to NOT take on any software updates offered by Apple for the phone. How about if I’m also a Mac user and intend to sync the info on my Mac to my iPhone? (Mail, Calendar, iTunes, etc) When I update my Mac’s software, would it affect the iPhone?
3 – Should I just wait for the iPhone to be launched in Malaysia and get the iPod Touch instead, to be on the safe side???
But the iPhone is just too too gorgeous. How?
Thank you in advance!!! :o)
-b-
Dear Blabarella,
After reading your various questions, I’ve come to the assumption that you’re not much of a tech-literate person, in terms of big terminologies and sort? In that case, here are some simplified answers to your questions :
1) No, the unlocked iPhone will work very much normally with any change of SIM or carrier. Simply because, the unlocking process opens up the iPhone to all other carriers besides AT&T. Having said that, the iPhone will be able to use and switch between any SIM card regardless of country of origin seamlessly. I believe the smartphone you mentioned suffered from such a fallback due to some localization options within the OS, AKA options unique to each country. Nevertheless, there are several options in the iPhone which you can customize accordingly to optimize its performance within these certain countries.
2) To clarify this for yourself, first understand that there are 2 groups of updates you must NEVER execute without further research, which are the iTunes and iPhone Software updates. Basically, with all these unlocking going on, one wouldn’t expect Apple and AT&T to sit aside and do nothing, right? With every new updates for these 2 items in particular, there’s a constant danger that Apple may have found a way to nullify and revert the unlocks, thus seriously screwing up your phone. This applies indirectly to iTunes as Apple’s engineers have been known to modify/add several protocols to iTunes which in turn may prevent unlocked phones from syncing with it, or worse…. Simply said, just keep to your unlocked firmware and iTunes 7.6.1 at the moment, and don’t touch any upgrades offered by Apple unless you have received affirmations that it is 100% safe. Keep to this, and you can then sync your phone away to your heart’s desires :)
3) Now this is a question we have been seeing time after time. And the answer is, unfortunately, indefinite. It all comes down to your budget, your requirements, and your self-confidence. If you still feel too insecure despite having read millions upon millions of comments from happy unlocked iPhone users around the world, or if you’re some loyal disciple of Steve Jobs, then I suppose it would still be the best option for you to wait it out for the next local release. However though, with unlocking already so much more automated and simple-to-use since many months ago, I really feel that there’s no reason for anyone to have to ponder upon such ‘safety’ or ‘security’ anymore. In one phrase : IT JUST WORKS!!! :D
There you go. You really need not worry about such things so much, mate :) Just drop us a comment or inquiry here anytime if you do feel insecure about doing something to your phone, Danny and I will be glad to respond to it and guide you through ASAP. Good luck with your decision!
Sincerely,
Timothy
Dear Timothy,
That’s it. You’ve got me sold. It’s the iPhone then! I can live with an updated iPhone & iTunes for some time!
Yes, I’m quite tech-illiterate, especially when it gets too complicated (which is why I switched to the Mac from PC in the first place – less jargon!), so the info you provided has been extremely informative!!
Once again, much much appreciated. I will definitely come a-visiting here every now and then!!
-b-
Umm, I meant to type “un-updated”. :p
i don’t understand why suddenly this danny foo sounds like an iphone guru or something..?? and i think some of the information that given by him is not exactly accurate and updated.. yes.. i mean you guys can share information here and there but then i think you better check your facts right before commenting on stuffs.. for more information maybe you guys can try websites like appleinsider.com, macnn.com, macrumours.com, engadget.com or gizmodo.com
cheers for timony goh because he is equipped with a lot of knowledge.. i am impress that he even knew about the 50% battery performance issue. i wouldn’t know if i am not in this line.. mind me asking.. are you in apple industry?
Hi there, I’m back again and taking up your offer on coming back here if I have any problems with the iPhone. :)
So far so good, save for 2 little bits.
1. Now, whenever I try to plug the iPhone in for syncing, after a while iTunes will display a message which states “The iPhone “iPhone” cannot be synced. Unknown error occurred. (-50)”. But when I check my iPhone/Mac thereafter, it turns out that the SYNC was in fact carried out. On the first day I was syncing the iPhone, there were no problems. Have you encountered this before?
2. I’ve been trying to sync some albums in my iPhotos to the iPhone. However, iTunes doesn’t enable me to select the albums I want to sync, ie I need to sync the entire iPhotos, which is ridiculous as I have too many pictures. After a few failed attempts, I gave up and thought what the heck, I’d try syncing the whole iPhotos. But then again, that error message mentioned at No.1 above appeared. But when I sync photos through selecting “Choose Folder” (instead of iPhotos) there are no problems. What gives, do you know?
Thank you very much!! :o)
confused:
It was your personal assumption and expectation of me being an Apple iPhone guru or something. Never did I claim I was one. And if I may have mislead you with the information provided regarding the iPhone, I apologize for that.
Which was why I got a now close friend of mine; Timothy, to head the Apple iPhone arena here. And you’d be shocked to note, this young iPhone techy is still in school. So don’t bully him. :P
Blabarella:
Welcome back. In a good way, of course. :)
1. Nope, I’ve not experienced such an error. Though I wonder if Tim has.
2. I can’t really answer that as I sync to my PC workstation more than my Macbook. Tim also syncs to a PC but I’ll see if he can pull out a solution for you. :)
Thanks very much guys. This lady waits with bated breath for your reply! :)
Dear Blabarella,
My sincerest apologies for the delayed response. I have been looking up numerous sources for definite answers to your problems. These are the the best answers and solutions available thus far :
1. As it turns out, there is no specific reason behind the error code (-50). It appears to only be a common problem with iTunes Store, which I doubt is related to your iPhone’s sync issues at the moment. Regardless, I have indeed come across several reports of similar characteristics, and the best method by far is still the Five Magic R’s. ;) Recharge, Retry, Restart & Reinstall.
First, ensure that your iPhone is at its full charge before attempting to sync again. Second, attempt to connect your iPhone’s sync cable to a different USB port, preferably one of the 4 ports at the rear of your PC. If that doesn’t work, try hard-rebooting your phone by holding down both the Sleep and Home button until it shuts off, ignoring the “Slide to Power Off” slider. Relax, this procedure is used to kick phones out of freezes, thus there’s no data loss or damage done. Finally, if things get desperate, reinstall iTunes. If you’re on a PC and iTunes 7.6, be sure to delete the folder “Mobile Device Support” under “Program FilesCommon FilesApple” before attempting reinstallation.
2. As Danny mentioned, neither one of us are are as Mac-inclined as we are on PCs. From experience and some observation though, I believe syncing in the iPhone only permits image grouping with system folders, not albums in other applications, though I’m also aware that iPhoto is a first party application by Apple. Syncing entire collections in iPhoto though, should be possible as you mentioned, as long as the images don’t surpass the storage limits of the iPhone. Though I’m not entirely sure, I believe fixing the the (-50) error may help resolve your issue here. Generally speaking, this is pretty much why I never rely on separate applications to sort and categorize my photos, because naturally other apps will have problems viewing them in the same manner. The normal folder system is still the safest way to go :)
Well, I hope that may provide you with the little help I can provide you with. I’m not the best of people to seek advice from when it comes to OSX because of its extremely simplified and different ways of handling files, in such a way that sometimes problems like this arise. Anyhow, I’ll be awaiting your feedback, mate. Thanks!
Sincerely,
Timothy
Hello everyone,
I just got an unlocked 8G iphone in Shah Alam for less than RM2k two days ago, and thought I’d share how its going so far. The phone is using the 1.1.4. firmware (is that the right term?)
The iphone is using my 3G Maxis sim card which previously sat in a Nokia E70. As far as calls and sms, no problem. I have also managed to set up my gmail and yahoo mail accounts on the phone. MMS is also okay thanks to settings obtained on one of the iphone forums online. (The Maxis customer service guys earlier suggested I go to a Maxis Service Centre to get the settings put in manually)
Have not yet been able to set up my office email. I guess I need to talk to the tech support guys in the office to get all the settings etc.
I’ve been able to sync the iphone with my laptop at home, and back up contacts, transfer music from cds to the phone etc. I don’t have an iTunes account so I hope this means I won’t get into any problems from Apple engineers trying to undo the unlock etc.
I rely on my wifi access at home and the office to surf, watch youtube, etc, and while initially thought that elsewhere I wouldn’t get any access because the iphone is not 3G…I was surprised this afternoon to see the iphone access email using Maxis GPRS. I tested it for youtube and it works as well, although of course it was slower than wifi.
I guess that’s all for now. Every day there’s something new to learn.
I have been using an unlocked iPhone 1.1.3 (by ZiPhone) for about 2 weeks. Everything was working fine, until 3 days ago, when I was unable to make outgoing calls. I can, however, receive incoming calls and SMS, and even send out SMS. I have tried resetting and rebooting the iPhone, but nothing works.
Danny/Timothy,
What is wrong/What should I do? Should I upgrade the iPhone/iTunes and unlock it again, perhaps?
Hi, just got the iphone 2 wks. Just started using. Can I ask where I can check the battery status? like how many hours or percent left?
Jackie :
Calling in/out problems relate directly to your baseband. In other words, yes, a complete restore in iTunes would be best. Try unlocking it with iPlus 2.0 this time to see whether it helps compared to ZiPhone ;)
jeane :
The iPhone’s battery gauge does not provide information on the remaining battery life, as such information would be an estimation at best. What it DOES display is the hours the phone has been in use/sleep since the last charge. It’s under Settings > Usage. If you’re after more in-depth details like voltage, serial number and remaining capacity in %, install an app called BatteryInfo. Hope that helps!
Sincerely,
Timothy
Dear Timothy,
I’m sorry for not being able to convey my thanks earlier. This new mommy is pretty tied up most times, and yes, even the iPhone needs to take a backseat as far as the baby goes!! Anyway, I wanted to say that one day as I was twiddling around with my iPhone, trying to figure out what the problem was and referring to your little fix-it suggestion, it just started behaving, and I’ve never had that error message since (touchwood!). I don’t know what happened, but I’m not complaining!
Anyway, now that I’m more comfortable with the iPhone, I find that there are some surprising weaknesses to it, as compared to normal mobile phones! Quite uncharacteristic on the part of Apple, I should say. I’d love to raise the issues here, as you or Danny may have the possible solutions to it (or encountered similar problems), but it’ll have to wait until a time when I can type the stuff out! Baby’s yelling already so gotta run! ;)
Hi Danny,
Yes it is me the same a-hole desmond that you knew from school… first off great site [keep up the great work] and would like to apologize for all in school nonsense that i have done to you.. cheers
Hi Timothy,
Great write up, i feel you man.
First off i have been using a mac since the powermac days and i honestly have never had a windows based PC in my house [too many problems, i find]. Currently with my iBook G4 that has served me so well for the past 5 years and is still here up to date [slightly slow yes] but still the same mac i bought and of course moving on to the MB Pro im looking at getting at the end of this year. I have always loved apple for its reliability and of course it simplicity combined with technology.. absolutely worth every penny all my apple stuff. no regrets, to all windows based users the saying “once you go mac, you never go back” actually is very true as many people i have know have converted.
The iPhone [yes, i am using one too], is an absolutely amazing product. Gives you full control over a phone. YOU decide what you want this phone to do for you, YOU decide the applications, YOU decide the look, YOU decide, period. That is the same to most apple products – PERSONALIZATION
Of course the phone may be amazing yet there are some things people may not or can not accept – cant transfer files with other phones btw you can transfer between iPhones with WIFI [music, photo’s, etc], bluetooth only meant for headsets, etc. But the overall package versus the couple of things taht makes you unhappy in the end will make you realize how well the money you have spent.
For me as i am a loyalist to the Apple brand, i have no complaints, not only because of being loyal but Apple has NEVER failed me. My iBook for 5 years only has been reformatted once and even that is because i wanted to upgrade the OS.
That is my 2cents of the products the Apple brand gives, the after sales service, the reliability, the technology, the beauty. I don’t think many companies in the world can give you what the Apple brand delivers.
Anyways, cheers to all mac users out there.
A great comment written by you, Desmond. And, no worries – those were the days. Though I still clearly remember the mindless fight you tried to pick with me during school. LOL!
Anyway, seeing how much you’re an avid Apple lover I strongly suggest you starting an Apple product blog. From there, you can share all your love with others. Of course, whether you want the articles to be technically related later is your decision. :)
Think about it. And if you haven’t found me on Facebook, please do. Cheers!
hahah yeah man it was totally mindless and stupid i agree and as i mentioned earlier i apologize again…
im in advertising now at O&M KL.. what about you? great site you developed i know you are in the IT line but you running your scene or working somewhere? great site i would like to say excellent write ups i would say… i stumbled upon your site accidently and was really amazed…
no time to blog about my love for macs… will reply with comments at your site if anything… cheerios to you and peace
Hi,
I am a week old iphone user, its fantastic & so so in love with my iPhone !
I can’t forward SMS….Help.
My iphone 1.1.4 + weTool but it fails to forward SMS .
Pls can we hv iphonian gathering…it would b cool!
Mazni, that’s odd. I just tried a test forward using weTool and it worked fine.
1. What mobile provider are you using?
One of the things I learnt is if your number is 60, without the ‘+’ sign in front you may not be able to SMS out. But if you’re sending directly to 012 or etc, then it should work.
2. What time did you try forwarding?
Anyway, a gathering could be cool. Why not you start one via Facebook?