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v8ko

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 15, 2009
23
0
Let me start by saying Im in an area that doesnt have GSM and honestly I dont care to have the data plan but I do want a mic, camera and better speaker than my IPT has, I also think the iphone looks a wee bit better.

The 3rd gen IPT's are coming out soon but Ive noticed the price on used 16gb 2nd gen iphones are pretty inexpensive. Im positive it cannot be this easy lol and I have searced Google and walked away with a split consensus as to whether or not it would work.

basically will all functions work like wi-fi, youtube, safari, mail etc?

Thanks in advance fellows!
 

g2tegg

macrumors member
Sep 5, 2008
67
0
Dont you need a sim card to get the iPhone from the boot up screen? I upgraded my girlfriends iPhone to 3.0 without a sim card and it wouldnt get past the screen with the slider until the sim card was inserted. But if you have a another active sim card Im sure you could insert it just to get it going.
 

chris7777

macrumors 6502
Nov 27, 2008
287
0
Whats the word on this.

I would just get a touch if it had a camera and voice recorder.

But since the current one doesn't

And I am unsure about the chances of the upcoming version,

I would love to use an iphone as my pda.

I would use it as a phone too if possible, I just don't want the insulting data plan. It is not quite as bad as texting but it is still too much for my everyday use where wifi would suffice.
 

xhArRiSoNxD

macrumors regular
Jul 8, 2008
171
33
Massachusetts
Well I believe you should be able to.

All you need is an inactive sim to place in the phone to stop it from saying "insert sim" over and over.


I had an extra phone that I wanted to just use as a music player. Although it is a tmobile phone I went to a tmobile store and asked for a "blank" sim chip not attached to an account and they offered it to me under the table for free. Then I tried to do this again at a later time and they tried to charge me full price for a sim chip. Around $30. Even though you can get one online for $5.99.
 

v8ko

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 15, 2009
23
0
whew, ok I guess its not as stupid of a question that I thought it was lol.

For those that have listened to music on an iPhone using the speaker is there much difference?

Anyone ever record music using the mic? how did that sound?

Also should I just be able to transfer all my apps and such over to the iPhone just like I would if I purchased another IPT?

Thanks for your responses so far fellows!
 

JediMeister

macrumors 68040
Oct 9, 2008
3,263
5
This article states that an original iPhone can be used in this fashion but offers nothing regarding a 3G or 3G-S in the same fashion.
 

4DThinker

macrumors 68020
Mar 15, 2008
2,033
2
For those that have listened to music on an iPhone using the speaker is there much difference? Anyone ever record music using the mic?
You can do voice recording on a 2nd gen Touch. All you need is a headset with mic. The headset that came with my Samsung Instinct phone works fine, but so will the one you can by from the Apple store. The onboard speaker is fine for phone conversations but horrible at music playback. No stereo, and a tiny speaker means no bass. On my Touch, the recorded quality from my mic was amazingly good. I can't comment on what music would sound like, as I haven't tried it. Not use why you would want to.
 

v8ko

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 15, 2009
23
0
This article states that an original iPhone can be used in this fashion but offers nothing regarding a 3G or 3G-S in the same fashion.

Nice. The article is pretty firm on using the sim card that originally came with the phone or at the least a sim that has at some point been activated through an iPhone. Anyone have any input on this???


You can do voice recording on a 2nd gen Touch. All you need is a headset with mic. The headset that came with my Samsung Instinct phone works fine, but so will the one you can by from the Apple store. The onboard speaker is fine for phone conversations but horrible at music playback. No stereo, and a tiny speaker means no bass. On my Touch, the recorded quality from my mic was amazingly good. I can't comment on what music would sound like, as I haven't tried it. Not use why you would want to.

Thanks for the info! Yeah Im aware of this but I really prefer not to need any add-ons. The headphone/mic thing isnt much bother but I hardly use my IPT that way. Im either in my car or have it hooked up to a pa in my studio or at shows between sets.

Basically I would want to use the mic for a scratch pad for music ideas, my DARE has a recording feature (if you want to call it that lol) but its lackluster at best.

And the camera, well that would be a bonus. :D
 

uberamd

macrumors 68030
May 26, 2009
2,785
2
Minnesota
Every time I do a fresh install on my 3G or 3G S it asks to plug it in before I can use it. It requires activation basically. Having said that, if you know someone with an iPhone already they could just toss their sim in the device and activate it for you quickly.
 

v8ko

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 15, 2009
23
0
Every time I do a fresh install on my 3G or 3G S it asks to plug it in before I can use it. It requires activation basically. Having said that, if you know someone with an iPhone already they could just toss their sim in the device and activate it for you quickly.

ok thats good info. Trying not to sound ignorant but would I need that sim card in everytime I connect to itunes on my computer? or would it be a one time thing? I know a guy that knows a guy with an iPhone :eek: :D

AND lol. Will I be able to switch all my current apps and music just like I would if I purchased another IPT?
 

uberamd

macrumors 68030
May 26, 2009
2,785
2
Minnesota
ok thats good info. Trying not to sound ignorant but would I need that sim card in everytime I connect to itunes on my computer? or would it be a one time thing? I know a guy that knows a guy with an iPhone :eek: :D

AND lol. Will I be able to switch all my current apps and music just like I would if I purchased another IPT?

No, you just need the sim to get it activated. My 3G has no sim in it since I have a 3G S but I can still sync it, etc.

As for iTunes, it should work just fine. On the iPhone (since once he puts the sim in and activates it via iTunes) go to Settings -> Store -> Sign Out, then sign into your own account. You should be golden.
 

v8ko

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 15, 2009
23
0
No, you just need the sim to get it activated. My 3G has no sim in it since I have a 3G S but I can still sync it, etc.

As for iTunes, it should work just fine. On the iPhone (since once he puts the sim in and activates it via iTunes) go to Settings -> Store -> Sign Out, then sign into your own account. You should be golden.

In your opinion is this worth doing? I currently own a 2gen 8gb IPT and its just spent memory wise. Everytime I add music I have to delete some as well lol. So I figure getting a 16gb will help there plus the other litle bonuses that come with the iPhone.

What difference in battery life can I expect (if any) using the iPhone as an IPT

BTW your inputs been invaluable to me so thank-you for your time.

oh and one last thing (for now) this wont harm/alter the sim card from the person Im borrowing it from will it?
 

uberamd

macrumors 68030
May 26, 2009
2,785
2
Minnesota
In your opinion is this worth doing? I currently own a 2gen 8gb IPT and its just spent memory wise. Everytime I add music I have to delete some as well lol. So I figure getting a 16gb will help there plus the other litle bonuses that come with the iPhone.

What difference in battery life can I expect (if any) using the iPhone as an IPT

BTW your inputs been invaluable to me so thank-you for your time.

oh and one last thing (for now) this wont harm/alter the sim card from the person Im borrowing it from will it?

Well it depends on the price. How much are you paying for the 16GB 3G? Battery life is good, probably about the same as the iPod Touch. However with the camera and what not you will be playing around more probably thus draining the battery faster.

And it won't harm or alter the sim. I can switch sims between my iPhones and regular phones just fine.
 

macfan881

macrumors 68020
Feb 22, 2006
2,345
0
yeah im looking to use my dads old 1st gen phone i have a 1st gen ipod touch but i really would love to thave that external speaker esp for mlb at bat and having the bluetooth and camera would be a plus along with not having to fork out $ for the firmware updates
 

roboleg

macrumors newbie
Jun 11, 2009
11
0
Canada
I personally do not have an iPhone; I have an iPod touch. But here're my thoughts:

If you want better battery life when you aren't using the phone radio, you could always turn that off. You could turn on Airplane Mode, but from what I gather that also turns off WiFi and Bluetooth, which may or may not do what you intend it to. However you could jailbreak your iPhone and install a utility to turn these on or off separately.

Using an iPhone as an iPod isn't such a bad idea now that I think about it! :p
 

uberamd

macrumors 68030
May 26, 2009
2,785
2
Minnesota
I personally do not have an iPhone; I have an iPod touch. But here're my thoughts:

If you want better battery life when you aren't using the phone radio, you could always turn that off. You could turn on Airplane Mode, but from what I gather that also turns off WiFi and Bluetooth, which may or may not do what you intend it to. However you could jailbreak your iPhone and install a utility to turn these on or off separately.

Using an iPhone as an iPod isn't such a bad idea now that I think about it! :p

Well when there is no SIM in the card, is the phone radio even on? And while its not a bad idea, the battery in the 2G iPhone probably has quite a few cycles on it so I am not sure what the charge quality will be. Also, its thicker, heavier, and more expensive than the iPod. Plus, if someone says "cool you have an iPhone, can I see it?" and they realize the phone functionality isn't there they may think you are nuts for not just having an iPod.

But hey, its a personal choice I suppose. I have an old iPhone 3G but I still use my iPod Touch when exercising.
 

v8ko

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 15, 2009
23
0
Using an iPhone as an iPod isn't such a bad idea now that I think about it! :p

You mean since Ive thought about it. ;)

Well when there is no SIM in the card, is the phone radio even on? And while its not a bad idea, the battery in the 2G iPhone probably has quite a few cycles on it so I am not sure what the charge quality will be. Also, its thicker, heavier, and more expensive than the iPod. Plus, if someone says "cool you have an iPhone, can I see it?" and they realize the phone functionality isn't there they may think you are nuts for not just having an iPod.

But hey, its a personal choice I suppose. I have an old iPhone 3G but I still use my iPod Touch when exercising.

Great point about the battery life, Hmmm. People already think my IPT is an iPhone so that wont change lol. This all just came about because I need more storage space and I thought why not an iPhone?

Thanks so much again for your time. :D
 
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