Buying an iPhone for Irish/American use

[njdevil]

My apologies if this has been asked before, but:

This Christmas, I want to buy an unlocked iPhone 3G. I go between Ireland and New Jersey regularly (I'm mostly in Ireland). Should I go to eBay to buy an already unlocked one- or can I buy one from AT&T and pay the early termination fee and unlock it myself?

I am used to pay-as-you-go phones in Ireland, and getting a sim card here shouldn't be hard- But do AT&T or T-Mobile sell prepay or pay-as-you-go 3G sim cards?

 

[Moi un Mouton]

The early termination fee is probably your best route.

On the other hand, you might want to look at the Ireland Pay-as-you-go deal:
http://www.o2online.ie/wps/wcm/connect/O2/Home/Shop/Phones/iPhone/iPhone+3G+8GB/Speak+easy/
There are nice lot of goodies available from O2 if you buy it that way. (Wifi, free calls, etc)

Unlock is simple on the 3G, but not so on the 3GS, so I'd advise you to get the 3G as you indicated.