Iphone Locked and iTunes wont let me update...HELP!

[besartk419]

okay i got an iphone off a friend. The phone had shown the connect to itunes logo and nothing besides that.i could not even access the phone to send an "emergency phone call". just black with the connect to itunes logo.
i had played around and got it to actually have the "Slide to emergency" bar now but the iphone still says to update.
itunes wont let me update it because it says its "locked" and "needs to be unlocked in order to allow itunes to update".

ALSO...the IMEI number is unknown.

i am a NEWBIE to doing things BUT have am pretty solid with figuring technical problems out. SO..if anyone could PLEASEEEEEEEEEEE send me some steps to try and fix this.

its an iPhone 3G- 8GB
OS on it- UNKNOWN?!?!

 

[darksniper404]

Try holding down the power and home button while it's plugged in.

 

[besartk419]

ive done everything. it switched back and fourth the recovery and normal.i cant even put it in DFU mode because it just goes back on and off like crazy. currently,i have it on normal mode waiting for some sort of miracle to occur.
if i do what u just told me,i put it into recovery mode. and yeh..

 

[flyingember]

talk to Apple.

 

[Ipheuria]

Well that phone sounds totally toast from your description. I've never heard of a bricked 3G but maybe the phone had hardware or battery problems and died during updating? If it says IMEI and OS unknown something got f'ed up and I second talking to Apple.