Clarification for ATT Customer

[nigelquest]

I currently have att service with the high speed data plan and a Samsung BlackJack. I would like to purchase an iphone, activate it and use my existing plan and sim with it. I do plan to make calls and use edge with the iphone. Then, when I need high speed internet I can move the sim back to my blackjack. By using the 1.1.3 downgrade and upgrade break will I be able to achieve all of this? Thanks in advance!

Nigel

 

[nigelquest]

Addtionally, is there any reason to wait for the SDK kit to release before buying and hacking an iphone?

 

[Aries326]

Addtionally, is there any reason to wait for the SDK kit to release before buying and hacking an iphone?

You can bet that when the SDK comes out, there will also be a 1.1.4 to replace the current 1.1.3 When that happens, all your time spent trying to jailbreak 1.1.3 now will go to waste. Just wait for the SDK. You'll soon find most of these programs for a JB iphone converted over.

See what happens if you take the sim card out of the blackjack and stick it into the iPhone. Better yet, go to your local AT&T store and tell them you wanna use the iPhone instead. They should be able to help you out.

 

[nigelquest]

Even though I want to use ATT I dont want to lock in to a 2 year contract for a phone Im paying full price on.

 

[Kobaiyashi]

I currently have att service with the high speed data plan and a Samsung BlackJack. I would like to purchase an iphone, activate it and use my existing plan and sim with it. I do plan to make calls and use edge with the iphone. Then, when I need high speed internet I can move the sim back to my blackjack. By using the 1.1.3 downgrade and upgrade break will I be able to achieve all of this? Thanks in advance!

Nigel

I believe you should have no problems doing any of this. I had a regular (not a "smart phone") nokia with AT&T and, like you, wanted to switch to the iphone without renewing my contract. I accomplished that by going out to the apple store and buying an iphone, then jailbreaking it so that I could use it simply by sliding in my att sim from the nokia. I then called up ATT and added an unlimited data plan to cover the internet usage ($19.99/month).

The only downside I see to all of this is that you don't get visual voicemail.

RE: the SDK. While you might have to jailbreak again when the SDK comes out, the dev team that makes the jailbreak released it in the form of a self-executing install which just requires you to run a file on you iPhone and then wait 20 mins. It couldn't be simpler. Thus, I don't see why anyone whose phone is already jailbroken wouldn't just upgrade to 1.1.3.

 

[nigelquest]

Thanks for the info. Two more questions.

Why doesnt visual voicmail work?

Would you provide the link for the exact file you used? I just want to grab the right one and I am lookign for a one click solution. Though reading more I think I need to use this guidehttps://forums.macrumors.com/threads/422278/ do to the fact my iphone will have 1.1.4 out of the box.

Thank you so much for your help!

 

[Ryan.Tanner]

Even though I want to use ATT I dont want to lock in to a 2 year contract for a phone Im paying full price on.

I don't understand people worrying about locking into a contract. Do you see yourself moving on to Sprint, or Verizon anytime soon? If you do not, then do not worry about the contract. You have to pay for your phone every month anyways.

 

[ewxlt]

It's an unusual phenomenon that you either pay 20% over retail to stay out of a contract OR get the 2 year contract.

It's almost impossible to get a 1year or any other variant anymore. These companies need to guarantee that revenue from us I guess.

 

[nigelquest]

My understanding is on the iphone you pay full retail and get no discount. So why would I give a commitment and get nothing in return???

Also, I dont plan to switch, but that doesnt mean ATT wont piss me off tomorrow and I would rather have the option to walk if I would like.

 

[Kobaiyashi]

Thanks for the info. Two more questions.

Why doesnt visual voicmail work?

Would you provide the link for the exact file you used? I just want to grab the right one and I am lookign for a one click solution. Though reading more I think I need to use this guidehttps://forums.macrumors.com/threads/422278/ do to the fact my iphone will have 1.1.4 out of the box.

Thank you so much for your help!

Visual voicemail doesn't work because AT&T needs to somehow activate the service on their end and they won't do that unless you officially get an iPhone activated through them. As far as I can tell, there is no workaround to this. I never have used it, so I don't miss it and it's well worth the lack of contract.

Here is the info for the self-executing jailbreak 1.1.3. (PS. you need to search the forum next time cause people will flame you for asking questions that have been answered already.) http://www.modiphone.net/official-113-jailbreak-fixedre-released-sync-fix-on-installer/

 

[Kobaiyashi]

With regard to why people care about avoiding the 2 year contract, I have a few reasons.

1. I am on a family plan that has a corporate discount. AT&T does not allow me to get an iPhone while on this plan. I actually tried to go legit at first and only jailbreaked (?) the phone when I realized AT&T was going to force me to give up the discount.

2. Cingular/AT&T's service and customer service is--IMHO--shoddy. I first had cingular in college and a month after I signed up, they came out with the unlimited nights and weekend plan (I believe they were one of the first). They obviously hadn't planned well enough since as soon as that happened, I could no longer make or receive a phone call after 7pm... UNTIL 10!. I was literally a day or two beyond the month trial period and begged and pleaded for some solution to the problem. I was literally told, too bad, you're stuck and there's nothing we can do. It will cost you 100 to break the contract.

I only switched back last year when I found out the iPhone was going to be exclusive to AT&T.

3. Assuming you unlock the phone, you can then decide later to switch from AT&T and move over to T-Mobile. I like having that option (see 2 above).

4. You're not getting a discount on the phone as you would if you signed up for a 1 or 2 year contract and got another phone. What is the advantage of locking yourself in? Visual voicemail? For me, that's not a fair trade.

 

[rjohnstone]

My understanding is on the iphone you pay full retail and get no discount. So why would I give a commitment and get nothing in return???

You do get something in return... you get unlimited data plan for $20 month.
The current unlimited data plan without an iPhone purchase is $39.99 per month.
Things like Visual Voice mail only work on an iPhone and unless you activate an iPhone plan, AT&T will not enable the feature for you.
Either deal with AT&T or just accept the loss of functionality.
Apple and AT&T have a 5 year lock on the deal in the US, so no other provider can offer Visual Voice mail service.

 

[Kobaiyashi]

You do get something in return... you get unlimited data plan for $20 month.
The current unlimited data plan without an iPhone purchase is $39.99 per month.
Things like Visual Voice mail only work on an iPhone and unless you activate an iPhone plan, AT&T will not enable the feature for you.
Either deal with AT&T or just accept the loss of functionality.
Apple and AT&T have a 5 year lock on the deal in the US, so no other provider can offer Visual Voice mail service.

I echo most everything you say except to note that AT&T does offer an unlimited data plan (with 200 texts) for 19.99 -- I believe it is called MediaMax 200.

 

[Kobaiyashi]

was just thinking today, there is one more downside to not signing up legit. You don't get to use the locate me feature in google maps but rather have to use the navigon work around to locate yourself via cell phone towers.

 

[rjohnstone]

I echo most everything you say except to note that AT&T does offer an unlimited data plan (with 200 texts) for 19.99 -- I believe it is called MediaMax 200.

No longer available.
Go shop the data plans and you will see that it is no longer offered.

 

[Kobaiyashi]

No longer available.
Go shop the data plans and you will see that it is no longer offered.

I signed up for it just over a week ago (via a phone call to att) so either a) they literally just got rid of it or b) it's something they will give you if you ask for it... like the secret menu at in-n-out.