Teenager bought iPhone from China - help?

[klhtrain]

Ok. This is the mother so please don't scream at me

My son the brilliant HS student bought a 3G from China - it is an Apple iPhone not a knockoff.

But it is evidently built to work on their network not ours.

Of course, he and his buddies (other idiots that did the same) are stuck with these because they never told parents what happened.

Questions please:
1. is there anything I can do to make these work on our US 3G network?
2. if not, short of ebay - is there anywhere to sell these things overseas? i will take a loss on it just to be rid of it (I have a real legit iPHone and love it) - can't see wasting it since it will work somewhere.

Thanks for your response (and not for laughing too much at me) -

Signed -
Mother of a future engineer (and current space cadet

 

[hghflyrjd1]

im guessing you should be able to unlock it as long as it is not on 3.1 software check settings-general-about scrool down u will see firmware or software version get back and let us know what it says

 

[klhtrain]

not finding it

ok the settings button on this thing bring me to
pen calibration
phone setup
security setup
restore factory settings

none of them bring me to a screen for s/w or f/w version.

i think because it is programmed for their network, it has less buttons and options. settings is not at all like it is on my iphone.

 

[NotCrazy]

plug it into your computer and see what version iTunes says it is [but don't let it update]

 

[xultar]

If it is a knockoff can it even use the iPhone OS or iTunes?

 

[klhtrain]

from what i am reading, when you purchase iphone in china, the government made them limit what the user could do - so that is where i am struggling. so it is a legit iphone but has only the things they are allowed to do in the network they use. it is basically an iphone A1324 but 16gb

so i don't know???

 

[DRTigerlilly]

does itunes give you the option to upgrade the OS? As far as i know no iphone has been released yet in China, they just finished negotiating the contract with Apple/Unicom.

Just google iphone china and look under news.

 

[lionheartednyhc]

Pen calibration??? that has to be a knockoff

 

[flyingember]

there has never been a Chinese iphone sold inside China legit.

no iphones use a pen.

that's a knock off.

 

[hghflyrjd1]

yea sounds like its a knock off by the pen calibration there is no PEN for the iphone not from apple

 

[Hack-My-i]

^X4 for knockoff...he probably has the I9 or I68...chinese knockoff's...

 

[LVCIFER]

klhtrain, unfortunately, it's not sounding like a good outcome.

First, if you sell it on eBay, you're goin to have to specifically list that it's a very good, exceptionally produced iClone. If you don't, people will return it, request refunds, and file negative feedbacks. So I recommend that you're honest and upfront about it.

Second, I have no idea how to get it to work in the US, however, if THESE forums don't help you, I also strongly recommend that you try modmyi.com's forums as well.

IF YOURE LUCKY - you'll find someone who can somehow install the current OS, and pseudo-TURN it into a pseudo-iPhone, but I doubt that all functionality will be the same and/or functioning.

Can you take screen shots of the settings options?

(Hold the home button and press the 'lock/sleep' button)

 

[DRTigerlilly]

if it is a knockoff it's not running the iphone OS just something made to reasonably pass for it, there is no way you're going to be able to get the iphone OS running on it.

 

[obee1]

"Unwired View reports on news from China Business Times [Google translation] that China Unicom is internally targeting a launch date of October 15th for the iPhone." - MacRumors

Why are you so certain the one they bought wasn't a knockoff? The iPhone hasn't even released in China yet. I would highly suggest the trash can over ebay for these fakes.

 

[flyingember]

"Unwired View reports on news from China Business Times [Google translation] that China Unicom is internally targeting a launch date of October 15th for the iPhone." - MacRumors

Why are you so certain the one they bought wasn't a knockoff? The iPhone hasn't even released in China yet. I would highly suggest the trash can over ebay for these fakes.

no iphone has pen calibration. thus it's a knockoff

 

[xultar]

**** it isn't even a knock-off. It is just a touch screen device of some sort.

 

[Hack-My-i]

**** it isn't even a knock-off. It is just a touch screen device of some sort.

if u cant figure out the brand of phone u have...ITS A KNOCKOFF!

 

[Hack-My-i]

I68+ TOUCH SCREEN UNLOCKED PHONE CELL I9 AT&T T-MOBILE - eBay (item 280399752474 end time Oct-20-09 08:33:00 PDT)

my brother had this same exact phone...he called T-Mobile and asked to speak with NON T-MOBILE Devices Dept and they transferred some files to his phone via SMS and the knockoff iphone works like a charm!! He has internet and everything on it!! give it a try

 

[DRTigerlilly]

@ loudrim_inc it works as a phone, and has some smartphone features but it cannot possibly be running the iphone OS...and it isn't an iphone...can it run Apps?

 

[Hack-My-i]

no it cant run iphone OS for obvious reasons lol, the phone was pretty basic, he could add internet pages to his home screen and all iphone apps would never work but all he wanted to do was use the internet which was surprisingly quick using T-Zones from Tmo, he had the 1.3 mp camera, video camera, video streaming, email access, MMS, SMS, Mp3 player, he can add a TF card for extra storage...it wasnt that bad for a 15 yr old