[cenutrio]

Hi guys, old Mac user here finally tempted to get an iPhone.

I lost my old cellular this past weekend (blame the beer), getting a decent one ¨open¨ (so I can use with my old cellular number) is gonna cost me around 120-150 euros (for a crappy cellular anyway). Then, I realized that a friend of mine is in the States right now, and returns in a few days. I have some questions:

1. If my friend gets me an american iPhone in an Apple Store, is it possible to hack it to run using my spanish (Telefonica) SIM card?

2. Is the software reliable, I mean are you guys pleased?

3. Up & downs you can find.

I certainly appreciate your input here, being part of the Mac (switched with the original iMac)/iPod (1G) community has been great, and I think it is time for me to step on the next Apple wave.

I´m looking for your feedback, if positive, I´ll ask to buy right away.

Thanks in advance.

[analogika]

I thought you could buy an unlocked iPhone in Spain, can't you?

Unless you get a hacked (literally) SIM card, maintaining a cracked iPhone can be a bit of a headache.

[Simon]

You cannot SIM-unlock a 3G iPhone from the US (yet). You can however apply a hack to a 2.5G US iPhone to unlock it.


There are unlocked 3G iPhones in Spain (pic taken in Barcelona), but with those prices, I think you'd be better off getting an unlocked iPhone in Belgium.

[cenutrio]

1. Telefonica sells the iPhone, yet they sell it with a plan that it is quite outregeous.

2. There are unlocked iPhones but they cost too much (thanks for those pics Simon).

3. I already have a SIM card with my cell number, that works flawlessly with other cellulars, i.e. Sony ericssons...

I hope this illustrates the situation better. Thanks for the fast replies to Simon and analogika.

[vmarks]

You can get the original iPhone from the US and unlock it. This isn't very difficult to do, although I tend to recommend staying a firmware behind current, depending on the iPwnage team's releases.

You can use a 3G iPhone, but the only way to do so is with a turboSIM or similar sim card piggyback device. These are fairly affordable, and you can use the current firmware from Apple.

It isn't hard to maintain, it's just a little work up front. Downsides? No visual voicemail and possibly having to manually set the internet settings.

[CorpITGuy]

Absent a reliable unlock method for the iPhone 3G, I wouldn't try a US iPhone. Instead, I would consider paying the outrageous price from Telefonica.

I did hear that in Belgium the iPhone 8GB is going for € 449,00. If true, that's not so bad for a carrier unlocked iPhone. Can someone confirm these prices?

[cenutrio]

Hi again,

A friend who is quite proficient in these things gave me this link. Apparently it works, very well.

The downside now is that apparently, now, when buying an iphone in the states (apple store included), you have to sign for an ATT plan. Is this right?

I know that the 2G iphone leaved the apple stores shelves not questions asked.


Pd. On another hand my younger sister returns from Australia in late october, is it possibel to get it in AUS unlocked, or not tied to a plan....

I know, many questions

[analogika]

Another problem to consider is warranty.

I don't know about Spain, but at least up until fairly recently, trying to bring a US-bought iPhone in for warranty repairs at a T-Mobile store here in Germany would get you laughed at.

[tooki]

Apple's warranty terms require that an iPhone be serviced in the country of purchase (unlike any other Apple product, whose warranty is worldwide).