Help the noob who wants to buy an iPhone

[GFLPraxis]

Sorry guys, I'm sure this has been asked a million times but I'm getting lost in the sheer number of threads.

I've been repeatedly told in the past not to buy an iPhone off the shelf if I intend to use it on T-Mobile because the new boot loaders on them prevent it from being unlocked.

I'm seeing lots of references to a software called ZiPhone. Does ZiPhone unlock, or jailbreak (I'm aware of the difference, I followed the iPhone hacking scene earlier but then stopped and now am way behind)?


Essentially, can I buy an iPhone off the shelf or from Apple's refurb store today, and pop in my T-Mobile SIM card and get a blackberry data plan and expect it to work as a phone and with internet?

 

[kashmoney2006]

Sorry guys, I'm sure this has been asked a million times but I'm getting lost in the sheer number of threads.

I've been repeatedly told in the past not to buy an iPhone off the shelf if I intend to use it on T-Mobile because the new boot loaders on them prevent it from being unlocked.

I'm seeing lots of references to a software called ZiPhone. Does ZiPhone unlock, or jailbreak (I'm aware of the difference, I followed the iPhone hacking scene earlier but then stopped and now am way behind)?


Essentially, can I buy an iPhone off the shelf or from Apple's refurb store today, and pop in my T-Mobile SIM card and get a blackberry data plan and expect it to work as a phone and with internet?

ZiPhone can jailbreak and unlock. depending on what you tell it to do. i only used it to jailbreak, so i cant comment much on its ability to unlock and what BL you need and what not. but from what i have read, ZiPhone has been successful at unlocking phones very easily. hope this helps

 

[philgilder]

Essentially, can I buy an iPhone off the shelf or from Apple's refurb store today, and pop in my T-Mobile SIM card and get a blackberry data plan and expect it to work as a phone and with internet?

yes, (although im not sure on the blackberry bit - this will depend on your operator, i dint understand it)

but yeah, ziphone unlocks all iphones - new or old

 

[marksubishi]

if you've got a mac for your computer, there is a BIG update on a program called iNdependence 1.4.
it unlocks OTB iphones running 1.1.3 firmware even with a 4.6 bootloader. I've tested it on a factory restored 3.9 bootloader iphone with 1.1.3 firmware (baseband 4.03 current) and it unlocked it, whilst bringing it to a 4.02 baseband (i.e. 1.1.2 firmware baseband)

however, the author of the site i go to informed us all that it works on the OTB phones with new bootloaders and the whole nine. (tested it)

not only that, but even the guy that unlocked the first iphone released some new stuff that unlocks it too.

**hackthatphone.com** good stuff

 

[Neobond]

I bought 2 phone this week from apple, and they are both unlocked using T-mobile, w/o data only wifi. Used ZiPhone (2.3 for one and 2.4 for the other). The whole process took about 20 min (for two phones, and sim swapping).