Buying an iPhone 3g

[rl36069]

hey, i just registered and im planning on getting an iPhone 3g. im using t-mobile currently and i dont wanna switch to At&t, is it possible to buy one for $199 and then cancel the contract after? i've been searching on their site but i'm still unsure, so hopefully i could get some answers here.

 

[iphonemilk]

You mean you want to Jailbreak your iPhone and use it under tmobile?

Yes it is possible to do that.... but i guess i am BIAS towards jailbreaking my advice is don't do it... =)

Switch to ATT, att has massivly improved since the first iPhone release, the network is actually pretty decent now. =)

Plus you get roll over minutes... which i have no fallin in love with.... also i believe if you jailbreak your phone you wont get visual voicemail... which is another huge feature i can't live without now.

 

[Jeremy]

You mean you want to Jailbreak your iPhone and use it under tmobile?

Yes it is possible to do that.... but i guess i am BIAS towards jailbreaking my advice is don't do it... =)

Switch to ATT, att has massivly improved since the first iPhone release, the network is actually pretty decent now. =)

Plus you get roll over minutes... which i have no fallin in love with.... also i believe if you jailbreak your phone you wont get visual voicemail... which is another huge feature i can't live without now.

Jailbreaking and unlocking are two different things. By jailbreaking your phone you can not use it with other carriers.

 

[wcarr3]

Additionally, on the T-Mobile network you won't get the benefit of 3G data access.

 

[Jeremy]

And you can not unlock it yet.

"Warning: If you care about the possibility of a GSM/3G unlock in the future (there is no unlock available as yet), do not update your 3G device with iTunes unless you do it via PwnageTool 2.0.2 (this means you?ll need to create a custom .ipsw with PwnageTool 2.0.2 and install it using iTunes) - If you have updated over the last few days with iTunes, you?ll still be able to Jailbreak using PwnageTool 2.0.2 but it may reduce the chance of you being able to unlock the Phone to be able to use a SIM card from all carriers in the future."

 

[rl36069]

thanks guys. I'm currently waiting for the unlock tool to be released by the iphone dev team. i also don't mind not having 3g for t-mobile yet, since it will be available in October. i will continue to think about what i will do. thanks.

 

[E Pow]

I"ll be totally honest with you. You should just make the switch to AT&T. Of course it's just my opinion and you have the right to decide what ever makes you happy but I just switched from T-Mobile over to AT&T and very happy. I was with Tmobile for 2 years and while their customer service is the GREATEST their coverage cant compare to At&t. Plus Tmobile is sorry when it comes to getting new devices. AT&T gets all the new devices and their coverage in Cincinnati is excellent. I had no reception in my own house with Tmobile. If it wasnt for my WiFi at home I'd never be able to talk on my cell with tmobile. Also, if you going to invest in getting the greatest device ever created (iphone 3g) why not switch to AT&T and being able to use all the features the iphone has available with AT&T. Again, it's your decision but to me unlocking and jail breaking your phone just seems like too much work and stress. From warranties to software updates, their is just too much you would lose if had a jailbroke or unlocked iphone. I'm not knocking it at all, i thought about buying a unlocked 1st generation iphone last year and using it with TMobile but i didnt. Cell phone life would just seem so much easier with no restrictions of an unlocked phone.

 

[rl36069]

yeah, i just don't want to switch to At&t right now cause i still have a little more than half a year left in my contract for t-mobile although it would be way easier to switch to At&t.

 

[rl36069]

so basically, is it possible to get the phone for $199 and then cancel the contract?

 

[Jeremy]

so basically, is it possible to get the phone for $199 and then cancel the contract?

Sure but what are you going to do with it then? You are going to risk and buy some sim unlock adapter online? There is no software unlock yet from the iDev team. Which, honestly, those are the only people I would trust when it comes to hacking the iPhone.

 

[rl36069]

yeah, im waiting for the iphone dev team to release it. i dont mind waiting.

 

[avt123]

I thought if you canceled the contract you would have to also return the iPhone now? I believe I read this somewhere that this applies only with the iPhone 3g because AT&T lost too much money last time around when people would buy the phone and then not use it with their service. I will look it up and update this post if I find it.

 

[rl36069]

ok thanks. that's what i heard too, but i can't confirm it.

 

[AZMerf]

I thought if you canceled the contract you would have to also return the iPhone now? I believe I read this somewhere that this applies only with the iPhone 3g because AT&T lost too much money last time around when people would buy the phone and then not use it with their service. I will look it up and update this post if I find it.

That is understandable since they are subsidizing the phone price (supposedly).

 

[Jeremy]

I thought if you canceled the contract you would have to also return the iPhone now? I believe I read this somewhere that this applies only with the iPhone 3g because AT&T lost too much money last time around when people would buy the phone and then not use it with their service. I will look it up and update this post if I find it.

You can keep it sure... you will get a bill for the full price of the phone though. Maybe more.

 

[rl36069]

ohhh. that's a possibility. im guessing that is what they're gonna do if you cancel it early.. ahwell thanks guys.

 

[iLoveiPhones]

I just called AT&T and they said that there's a huge cancellation fee if you get rid of your AT&T account and keep the iPhone 3G.

 

[rl36069]

is it $175? or is it more than that?

 

[Jeremy]

is it $175? or is it more than that?

I promise you you are going to pay a cancelation fee plus on top of that the true cost of the phone. It will not be cheap.

 

[Jeremy]

Do you plan to cancel your 3G service tomorrow? - The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)