getting unlocked 2G... what do I do first?

[sdapple]

Hello... this is my first post.

Quick background: I live in a state not covered by AT&T, but am a big apple customer. We have 3 macs, apple TV, 3 ipods, dotmac/mobileme subscriber for 7 years, etc. As you can guess, I would really like an iPhone and have been waiting, hoping AT&T would come to my area. No luck.

So... my brother who does live in AT&T land found a used iPhone 2G. Supposedly it is unlocked running the 2.1 update. My brother did see the seller make a call with a TMobile SIM card and tells me it is in very good condition. We have a local GSM carrier in my area. I've talked with them and they have several customers using 2G unlocked iPhones. In theory, everything should work...

Here's my question: should I do anything once I get the phone? Should I just plug it in to iTunes and see what happens? I'm guessing the seller used Pwnage. Do other programs offer the 2.1 unlock? Anyway, I just need some advice on the steps. Do I plug into iTunes first and then go get my SIM? Will iTunes walk me through the steps to register, etc? Should I run pwnage again to be sure it was done correctly (I'm hoping not to do that?).

Help from experienced uses is appreciated. I'm looking forward to this... the mobileme push/sync deal has been working wonderfully from Touch to my three computers and having this feature on my cell phone will be great!

 

[sdapple]

Okay... maybe I'll reword this. I figured SOMEONE would answer...

If you were getting an "unlocked" used iPhone 2G running 2.1 from a friend, what would you do first?

Do I simply plug into iTunes? Do I need to run anything to activate? Do I associate the phone with my computer first and then go get my SIM? Or the other way around? Should I "reset" the iPhone to make sure all data is clean?

I'm new to this deal and wonder what you suggest. Obviously if I were getting a new iPhone thru AT&T I would have plenty of support from Apple, etc.

Any suggestions.... advice....

 

[bbh]

Okay... maybe I'll reword this. I figured SOMEONE would answer...

If you were getting an "unlocked" used iPhone 2G running 2.1 from a friend, what would you do first?

Do I simply plug into iTunes? Do I need to run anything to activate? Do I associate the phone with my computer first and then go get my SIM? Or the other way around? Should I "reset" the iPhone to make sure all data is clean?

I'm new to this deal and wonder what you suggest. Obviously if I were getting a new iPhone thru AT&T I would have plenty of support from Apple, etc.

Any suggestions.... advice....

Well.... I'm still not sure what your problem is, but..anyway, here goes....

Turn it on. See if it functions as a simple iPod Touch without telephone service. If it does, good so far. Attach it to your computer and let iTunes tell you if it needs to be activated. If it does, you can either "pwn" it to activate it or take it to an AT&T store for activation (and the attendant AT&T service plan...). If you are not planning on using AT&T, but rather T-Mobile (your only other choice here in the U.S., I believe), you have to have a T-Mobile account in order to get a T-Mobile SIM card. In this case, the T-Mobile scenario (I have a 1st gen 16gb iPhone I am using on T-Mobile, by the way) requires that the iPhone be at least "unlocked and activated"... but while you are doing that you may as well "jailbreak" it so you can have access to "outside Apple" applications and hacks. You do not have to avail yourself of these things, but the Pwnage Tool does all three operations in "one sitting", and is really easy to do with readily available instructions. Google "iClarified" and go to their website to download Pwnage Tool instructions. Obviously, you have to download Pwnage Tool, as well.

IF, ON THE OTHER HAND, when you attach it to your computer and iTunes, assuming you have put in someone's T-Mobile SIM card, and iTunes simply prompts you to upgrade to the latest software, simply decline. It (iTunes), should prompt you to set up an account with your device. No harm in doing this, JUST DON"T SELECT ANY UPGRADE STUFF JUST YET.

With SIM card in the iPhone, and everything seemingly running just fine, you can assume the pwning to 2.1 was done ok. If it doesn't "see" 2.1 on your phone, YOU (yes, you....) could repwn with the latest pwnage tool to bring you up to 2.1 with all the pwnage stuff still intact, OR...you could go ahead and accept the iTunes offer of upgrading your software to 2.1. THIS WILL ELIMINATE ANY THIRD PARTY APPS YOU MAY HAVE INSTALLED, BUT IT WILL LEAVE YOUR IPHONE STILL UNLOCKED AND ACTIVATED, BUT NO LONGER JAIL-BROKEN. If you can live with only Apple apps, this is an "ok" state of affairs. As close as you can get to "Apple Legitimate" with an unauthorized carrier only.

Just remember, don't jump on any upgrades without getting the "buzz" from the hacking community about what a particular upgrade does to "hacked" phones. So far, Apple upgrades have NOT re-locked/deactivated pwned iPhones, and that is the presumption of the hacker community, but who knows what the future holds. If you have any particular questions, ask before you act.

 

[sdapple]

Great... thanks for the help. I plan to use it with a local GSM provider (not AT&T), so I need it unlocked. According to the seller it is already unlocked and running 2.1. I assume this means I just plug into iTunes?

What's this activation stuff? If the phone is already unlocked, will it need to be activated? Should I activate if I'm not planning to use with At&T?

 

[neesh0]

since the seller used the phone with tmobile in front of your brother, that means you do not need to do anything with your phone when you get it. it will be safe to plug into itunes and use. But, DO NOT restore or update the software, it will re lock and un activate your phone. Hope you enjoy your iphone as much as I did mine .

 

[bbh]

since the seller used the phone with tmobile in front of your brother, that means you do not need to do anything with your phone when you get it. it will be safe to plug into itunes and use. But, DO NOT restore or update the software, it will re lock and un activate your phone. Hope you enjoy your iphone as much as I did mine .

I don't want to quibble here, but numerous folks have reported that when they simply UPDATED (NOT NOT RESTORE !!) from Apples 2.0 to 2.1 using the iTunes Update, the iPhones lost their jailbreak and any third party apps they had, but DID RETAIN the UNLOCKED/ACTIVATED aspect of the iPhone. I can ascertain that I myself, did this with no problems. The iPhone DID NOT re-lock. I "re-pwned" mine to get Cydia and the T-Zones hack back (apparently not necessary anymore...) and to restore the start and DFU logos to the Apple default instead of the pineapple and Steve.