Newbie to IPhone

[mohammad]

Hi!!

Well I'm totally new to the Macworld, so I'm planning to refresh hardware's around me with Apple gadgets!! i just posted a note in the Macbook Pro forum, now the second post comes here..

Since I live in Iran, I've to buy the unlocked phone. Can anyone please describe the pro's and con's of the unlocked version in details?

Is it best that I buy a locked phone, then I unlock it myself? or I just buy an unlocked one from the begining?

Any additional info provided is much appreciated as well!

Thanks,
Mohammad

 

[TEG]

It is much easier to purchase an unlocked phone than to deal with attempting to unlock it yourself. As long as the unlocked version is done right you shouldn't notice anything different from the normal. However, thinking about it, you are in a place where it may be difficult to find someone to assist you if a new software update were to relock the phone, you may want to unlock it yourself so you are familiar with the process.

Welcome to Mac Community.

TEG

 

[moel]

I would personally wait until the 1.1.4 Out of the box comes along! Then buy an unlocked one from the internet and then and this bit is very important

DO NOT UPGRADE IT UNTIL YOU ARE SURE YOU CAN SOFTWARE UNLOCK IT

 

[mohammad]

It is much easier to purchase an unlocked phone than to deal with attempting to unlock it yourself. As long as the unlocked version is done right you shouldn't notice anything different from the normal. However, thinking about it, you are in a place where it may be difficult to find someone to assist you if a new software update were to relock the phone, you may want to unlock it yourself so you are familiar with the process.

Welcome to Mac Community.

TEG

Thanks for the welcoming!

What do you mean by if it is unlocked right? how can I make sure if its done the correct way? If its not done right whats going to happen?

Well since I'm an IT guru myself, I believe with the resources available on the net I would be able to unlock it myself as well...

Cheers

 

[mohammad]

I would personally wait until the 1.1.4 Out of the box comes along! Then buy an unlocked one from the internet and then and this bit is very important

DO NOT UPGRADE IT UNTIL YOU ARE SURE YOU CAN SOFTWARE UNLOCK IT

Are there major differences with the versions? How can I check the version of a unit? And can an unlocked phone be upgraded?

 

[blaster_boy]

Each version of the firmware on the iphone brings something new. However, for now there are no big changes, just evolution and bug fixes.

Please note that an iphone is both a computer and a phone. This has implications for the opening up of the iphone.

Jailbreak : for the computer part of the iphone : allows you to install programs of your own choosing on your iphone.
Unlock : for the phone part of the iphone : unlocking allows you to make and receive calls in another country using a non-authorised sim card (like an Iranian sim card).

New phones come with 1.1.3 firmware which can, for the moment, only be jailbroken and NOT unlocked. In other words, the computer part of the 1.1.3 firmware has been hacked, but the phone part of the iphone has not been hacked, and thus you cannot make calls with this iphone using an Iran sim card.

A new 1.1.3 iphone can be jailbroken, be downgraded to 1.1.2 but even then you cannot use the phone part.

iPhones which originally had firmware 1.1.2 and lower can all be jailbroken and unlocked. They can even be upgraded via a special process to firmware 1.1.3 but only the computer part is upgraded, the phone part (also called the baseband modem) stays at 1.1.2 or lower.

If you upgrade an unlocked iphone via iTunes to the latest version, you will have a nice ipod, but you will no longer be able to use the phone part. You will have to wait until or if a new unlock procedure is found by the hacker community.

My suggestion would be to buy an iphone already unlocked from a supplier that you trust (or that has good references from other people).

I used international-orders.com but wasn't too happy with them as I ordered the iphone with pre-paid tax, but they sent it to me with tax to be paid by me - so they got themselves an extra bonus.

Of course they refused to pay back the difference

Happy with the iPhone though !

 

[thefunkymunky]

1.1.3 OTB now unlockable

 

[fastbite]

You are in Iran so i would buy it already unlocked as others suggest. Otherwise maybe is better to keep it locked -- if on the 26 the SDK is out...

 

[mohammad]

Each version of the firmware on the iphone brings something new. However, for now there are no big changes, just evolution and bug fixes.

Please note that an iphone is both a computer and a phone. This has implications for the opening up of the iphone.

Jailbreak : for the computer part of the iphone : allows you to install programs of your own choosing on your iphone.
Unlock : for the phone part of the iphone : unlocking allows you to make and receive calls in another country using a non-authorised sim card (like an Iranian sim card).

New phones come with 1.1.3 firmware which can, for the moment, only be jailbroken and NOT unlocked. In other words, the computer part of the 1.1.3 firmware has been hacked, but the phone part of the iphone has not been hacked, and thus you cannot make calls with this iphone using an Iran sim card.

A new 1.1.3 iphone can be jailbroken, be downgraded to 1.1.2 but even then you cannot use the phone part.

iPhones which originally had firmware 1.1.2 and lower can all be jailbroken and unlocked. They can even be upgraded via a special process to firmware 1.1.3 but only the computer part is upgraded, the phone part (also called the baseband modem) stays at 1.1.2 or lower.

If you upgrade an unlocked iphone via iTunes to the latest version, you will have a nice ipod, but you will no longer be able to use the phone part. You will have to wait until or if a new unlock procedure is found by the hacker community.

My suggestion would be to buy an iphone already unlocked from a supplier that you trust (or that has good references from other people).

I used international-orders.com but wasn't too happy with them as I ordered the iphone with pre-paid tax, but they sent it to me with tax to be paid by me - so they got themselves an extra bonus.

Of course they refused to pay back the difference

Happy with the iPhone though !

Thanks for the detailed explanation.. I'm now fully aware of what is Jailbreak and Unlock! So I know that I'd get one definitely unlocked from scratch..

 

[mohammad]

1.1.3 OTB now unlockable

Has anyone tried this with 1.1.3?? One more thing.. If I buy an Iphone with firmware 1.1.2, then they find a hack to unlock 1.1.3, will it be quite straight forward for me to upgrade to 1.1.3 and unlock it myeslf?

When I buy an Iphone, do I have to register it in the apple.com website to be able to upgrade or not?

And no one has still has explained to me what will be the cons of an unlocked/Jailbreaked Iphone?

Many thanks Guys!!

 

[blaster_boy]

Has anyone tried this with 1.1.3?? One more thing.. If I buy an Iphone with firmware 1.1.2, then they find a hack to unlock 1.1.3, will it be quite straight forward for me to upgrade to 1.1.3 and unlock it myeslf?

When I buy an Iphone, do I have to register it in the apple.com website to be able to upgrade or not?

And no one has still has explained to me what will be the cons of an unlocked/Jailbreaked Iphone?

Many thanks Guys!!

Unlocking to a new and higher firmware version used to be easy, but since Apple doesn't want us to, my guess is that each new firmware will be harder to crack and upgrade to, at least for the foreseeable future.

No you do not have to register your phone to upgrade it. iTunes knows though and will ask you to upgrade to a new firmware when it checks from time to time with apple. But for an unlocked iphone, there is no registering or activating with at&t.

Cons : no visual voicemail. No support from Apple. Possibility that you brick it and it will no longer work and there is no one in the country that can help you.

Pros : lots and lots of software. calling using your own sim card.