Purchasing Iphone in the US

[ZeroNeo]

Hi all

Ok i am guessing that this topic has been covered somewhere and yes I have searched but maybe not well enough. Apologies in advance if i ma upsetting anyone.

I just want to be sure about something.

If a iphone is purchased in the U.S. and you jailbreak the phone can it be used on both Networks?? I am guessing yes but the reason i am asking is a colleague of mine had family come from the states and they were only able to use there Iphone on Vodacom and the phone hand been jailbreaked.

Lastly what would be the better option to get a unblocked version from the states or just get a normal one and jailbreak it.

Thanks in advance

 

[Synaesthesia]

Hi all
If a iphone is purchased in the U.S. and you jailbreak the phone can it be used on both Networks?? I am guessing yes but the reason i am asking is a colleague of mine had family come from the states and they were only able to use there Iphone on Vodacom and the phone hand been jailbreaked.

It should work on any network once it has been jailbreaked AND unlocked.

Lastly what would be the better option to get a unblocked version from the states or just get a normal one and jailbreak it.

Well there are a few issues with the new iPhone 3GS's - basically that you need to connect them to your PC every time your reboot it if it has been jailbreaked. A factory unlocked phone is always gonna work perfectly.

 

[fxit_man]

As Synaesthesia said above, the only problem with the NEW iPhones with the NEW bootloader is that you will need to re-run blackra1n (the jailbreaking tool) each time you reboot, or you will be forced to restore the phone and lose your jailbreak and jailbroken data... This is called a "tethered" jailbreak.. I am not sure if you lose the unlock, as I have never tried it and there isn't much info regarding this on the web..

The new bootrom requires a tethered jailbreak...

You will want to find an iPhone with the OLD bootrom.. Apparently, if the 4th and 5th digits together of the serial # are before 40 the you should have the old bootrom. e.g. xxx39xxxx is good and you do not need a tethered jailbreak, and can reboot the phone and maintain the jailbreak..

So if you can get the salesman at the Apple store to check the serial numbers to see if they have any of this older stock before you buy it that would be ideal...

So, I would suggest that you try and find a phone with the older bootrom so that you can jailbreak and unlock the phone in peace.. Perhaps if you could find an iPhone here which has the older bootrom then it would be worth paying the extra amount vs the US price..

Cheers

 

[ZeroNeo]

Thanks for the info guys

Unfortunately I am not gonna be going to the states myself but a friend of mine i will forward the information about the serial number and see what is available. I was told the phone goes for something like $300 for the 3GS 32G at Walmart but what do you guys thing are the chances that they would see
a factory unlocked version of the Iphone.

You guys perhaps know where you can get these factory unblocked iphone in the states, meaning are they sold in stores normally?

Thank for the info

 

[fxit_man]

Thanks for the info guys

Unfortunately I am not gonna be going to the states myself but a friend of mine i will forward the information about the serial number and see what is available. I was told the phone goes for something like $300 for the 3GS 32G at Walmart but what do you guys thing are the chances that they would see
a factory unlocked version of the Iphone.

You guys perhaps know where you can get these factory unblocked iphone in the states, meaning are they sold in stores normally?

Thank for the info

I think those would be the contract prices as far as I know.

I was told by a resident there that the 32GB 3GS's were about $900 in California, but I can't confirm the reliability of that information..

Your best bet would be eBay, paying with a PayPal account for added insurance.

e.g. http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=fa...hones&_odkw=factory+unlocked+iphone&_osacat=0

Some members on the forum have done this before (FaNix is on ethat I can remember), so you may want to ask them who they bought it from off of eBay and see if they have any more)

 

[Synaesthesia]

It's $599 for a 16gb 3GS unlocked, $699 for a 32gb.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/19/atandt-confirms-contract-free-599-699-iphone-3gs-for-next-week/
http://tamsijungle.tamoggemon.com/2009/06/14/how-to-buy-an-unlocked-iphone-3gs/

 

[robert222]

iPhone overseas

Apologies if this has been asked before, I have searched but can't find this topic...
If I buy an iPhone in SA (not locked?), will I be able to use it in the U.K with a UK sim card just by inserting the UK sim card? Will it work straight away or will I need to activate via itunes or something ? (I’m not planning to take my PC with me) I would like to load it up with apps and my music before I go and use it as my phone, ipod, email etc while travelling around the UK & Europe.
Thanks

 

[snorbaard]

If it's already been activated while here in South Africa, you can just swop the SIM card when you're in the UK and it will work. That's the good thing about iPhones bought in South Africa - they're not network locked (restricted) at all.