Hacktivation?

[IanF0729]

I have a quick question regarding activation v. hacktivation of the iPhone 3GS.

Essentially, I ordered an iPhone 3GS from AT&T today as I became eligible for the handset discount. However, as I am currently living in Belgium, I will want to jailbreak and then unlock the iPhone (after le boyfriend brings it over to Europe when he visits in a few weeks) so that I can use it with my Belgian carrier.

I think I've gotten a good handle on the overall process, and plan to use blackra1n and blacksn0w, respectively.

However, should I activate the iPhone with my AT&T SIM card before I jailbreak the iPhone? Or, should I "hacktivate" the iPhone with blackra1n? Is there a practical difference between the two? If, after I return to the US, I want to roll back the jailbreaking and just use the iPhone like I got it from the factory on AT&T's network, how would a hacktivation affect my ability to do so?

Thanks for all the help in advance. I'm excited to finally take the iPhone plunge!

 

[Nermal]

Frankly, it's a better idea to get the phone from Mobistar as they're not locked in the first place. You could therefore install any future updates without fear of the phone becoming re-locked. I have no idea what the price difference is like, but if it's small then I'd suggest cancelling your order with AT&T just for the freedom and convenience of a non-locked phone. I've also heard that push notifications don't work with unlocked phones, although I don't know whether that's still the case.

I know that doesn't answer your question at all, but I'm just putting it out there in case you weren't aware that Mobistar's phones aren't locked.

 

[Moi un Mouton]

^^ +1

Buy it unlocked in Belgium, then you can use it anywhere you go in the world (within reason, that is!!!)

 

[dhlizard]

I have a quick question regarding activation v. hacktivation of the iPhone 3GS.

Essentially, I ordered an iPhone 3GS from AT&T today as I became eligible for the handset discount. However, as I am currently living in Belgium, I will want to jailbreak and then unlock the iPhone (after le boyfriend brings it over to Europe when he visits in a few weeks) so that I can use it with my Belgian carrier.

I think I've gotten a good handle on the overall process, and plan to use blackra1n and blacksn0w, respectively.

However, should I activate the iPhone with my AT&T SIM card before I jailbreak the iPhone? Or, should I "hacktivate" the iPhone with blackra1n? Is there a practical difference between the two? If, after I return to the US, I want to roll back the jailbreaking and just use the iPhone like I got it from the factory on AT&T's network, how would a hacktivation affect my ability to do so?

Thanks for all the help in advance. I'm excited to finally take the iPhone plunge!

Are you sure you won't get a new unit with the new bootrom that requires a tethered jailbreak ?

I would avoid this if at all possible.

 

[labman]

another vote

buy it in Belgium factory unlocked is a much better way to go. higher resale value too being factory unlocked. if they figure out how to plug the holes here then you are still good and don't have to worry about unlocking the phone with any new updates. also you can easily get it serviced in Belgium.

 

[IanF0729]

Thanks for the input, all.

The Mobistar unlocked iPhones are too expensive in comparison to the subsidized phones from AT&T. The Mobistar iPhone retails for €575 ($852 - thanks, exchange rate) and the AT&T iPhone retails for $200. So, that's why I've made the conscious decision to go through the hell that is AT&T.

Plus, I've already purchased it from AT&T. So the ship that would cost me an extra $650 has sailed.

And, I assume I will have to deal with the new bootrom, and, therefore, have a tethered jailbreak as my only option for the moment. I'm crossing my fingers that the dev-team comes up with a fix for the "tethered" part of the jailbreak eventually. And, I can always revert back to factory firmware when I get back to the US if it's too annoying.

So, that brings me back to my original question: should I activate with my AT&T SIM card before jailbreaking, or have blackra1n hacktivate it?

All that being said, I miss the days of unlocking when all I needed to do was call T-Mobile and ask them to give me the unlock code.

 

[dhlizard]

If you plan to use the AT&T sim while JB, just leave it in during JB.

Works fine.