iPhone. By it one place, use at another?

[yoyo5280]

Hey!
I am currently livin it up in Japan. I am really hoping to buy the iPhone. However I MAY be moving in 1 year or so and I would deffinantly want to bring the iPhone with me. Can I just go to another country and use the iPhone provider there or am I locked to softbank?

Also does anybody know how S! Mail will work on JiPhone?

 

[MattyK]

its buy, and just notify you're carrier you're moving they'll cancel your contract and you can go unlock it with the carrier of your choice in that country, or jailbreaking always works

 

[yoyo5280]

so its locked to softbank, and when I move I have to unlock it? Darn. THen again that means I can use it on any carrier when I move right?

 

[MattyK]

if you wanna do it the official way, then yes, only the carriers that the iphone is available to, but if you jailbreak it you have access to any carrier.

 

[Abstract]

so its locked to softbank, and when I move I have to unlock it? Darn. THen again that means I can use it on any carrier when I move right?

Are phones in Japan regularly locked? I was hoping it would also be available unlocked in Japan, because if it doesn't come that way in Australia, I was thinking about buying it in Japan.

 

[yoyo5280]

Yes, most phones are locked here.

 

[evilboy]

iPhone will be locked to SoftBank, and NO SoftBank will NOT unlock it when you cancel your contract, end your contract, etc (read the agreement). So far there is no unlocking/jailbreaking method developed for iPhone 3G, so unless dev community came up with something and you are eager to try it, you won't be able to use SoftBank's iPhone 3G outside Japan. (except roaming of course)

 

[yoyo5280]

That is bad. Anybody recomend any good UNLOCKED phones that are comparable to the iPhone? I am looking at a couple Nokias (6500 Slide and N73) but there must be other options.

 

[onlycopunk]

There's a rumor floating around that if you were to say buy an iPhone from ATT in American. Toodle over to the UK made a British iTunes account and got an o2 sim card you would be able to activate on O2.

Basically saying the phone will work for any Apple specified carrier. I wish someone would confirm this though.

 

[yoyo5280]

That is exactly what I wanted to hear!