What to do with this iPhone?

[scienide09]

So, I've just learned that there's a free iPhone on it's way to me. My wife's father won it, and has no use for it. Knowing we're Mac people, he's giving it to us (freebie)!
Very sweet! I consider myself lucky, and look forward to when it arrives.

Some relevant info:
a) I live in Canada.
b) I don't have much need for a cell phone at the moment.
c) I would like to keep this iPhone (in anticipation of iPhones coming to Canada).

Is there much I can do with this iPhone in the meantime?
Without a phone plan, it's not much more than a fancy iPod Touch, correct?

Other things:
1) can I use it as a PDA-type device? (I need one!)
2) if I'm not using it as a phone, does it matter that it won't be activated in the US?
3) can I still use it for wireless net access, email, etc?
3a) any suggestions how I would do so on my university network, which requires SSH authentication to use the public wireless signal?

Any tips would be great. Thanks in advance for all your help.

Mods, if this isn't the right place for this thread, please relocate.

 

[72930]

You can use ZiPhone to use it with a Canadian SIM

 

[scienide09]

So, that's to jailbreak it, right?

Anything else I can do?

 

[powerbook911]

So, that's to jailbreak it, right?

Anything else I can do?

Well, if you jailbreak and activate it you can use it as an iPod as well as use Safari and Mail on Wi-Fi,

or you can choose the option in Ziphone to unlock the sim card, and then you could put in like a Rogers or any GSM carrier sim card and use the phone portion.

 

[ImperialX]

In other words, Ziphone can unlock and jailbreak the iPhone. I see no issues in doing so at the moment. It supports 1.1.4 perfectly.

 

[nickspohn]

You obviously want to jailbreak it for it to work for you...

So use ZiPhone. It's easy and quick, even a caveman can do it.

 

[scienide09]

Thanks for the replies.

I'm looking into options, mostly. I don't have a cell at the moment, and like I mentioned, I don't really need one right now. (Though as I look into a new job, that may change.)

Fancy Touch it is, I think. Maybe Apple will be able to make a deal with a phone carrier here in Canada before the summer.

 

[todd11231]

I'll email you my address...you should just mail it to me.

 

[CRAZYBUBBA]

If you had activated it, wouldn't you have to pay big $ for rogers/fido's data plans?

 

[carfac]

Activate and Jailbreak it. Use it for a bit with your home WiFi- just see how it works for you. All of this is FREE and REVERSABLE, if you need to.

If you really find the need, then get a Rogers account (if you have to, they sound so bad they might even be worse than ATT!) and unlock the iPhone.

 

[scienide09]

If you had activated it, wouldn't you have to pay big $ for rogers/fido's data plans?

Yes, if I wanted to be able to access mail and whatnot. I could use it as just a phone, without a data plan. Not that rates are much better here.

Activate and Jailbreak it. Use it for a bit with your home WiFi- just see how it works for you. All of this is FREE and REVERSABLE, if you need to.
If you really find the need, then get a Rogers account (if you have to, they sound so bad they might even be worse than ATT!) and unlock the iPhone.

I plan to stay away from the phone part, at least for the time being.
I want to do as you suggested -- use the wireless device side, to see if I use it enough that moving to a full phone/data makes sense.

Forgive the rather clueless question, but can the audio/video/wireless side of a jailbroken iPhone be used without a SIM card, or am I going to have to find one elsewhere to be able to use this stuff.

 

[thespazz]

Yes, if I wanted to be able to access mail and whatnot. I could use it as just a phone, without a data plan. Not that rates are much better here.



I plan to stay away from the phone part, at least for the time being.
I want to do as you suggested -- use the wireless device side, to see if I use it enough that moving to a full phone/data makes sense.

Forgive the rather clueless question, but can the audio/video/wireless side of a jailbroken iPhone be used without a SIM card, or am I going to have to find one elsewhere to be able to use this stuff.

Yes indeed it can. Just pop the sim out and you should be fine.

 

[scienide09]

Thanks! At least I know that I can use it for other uses until I decide whether a phone or phone/data plan is worth it.

Any other suggestions or comments would be great. Until it arrives I'll probably check out the iPhone forums a little, and dig through some of the Touch news and information.

 

[yoyo5280]

You could activate it with ATT somehow then keep it on airplane mode when your using it as an iPod and stuff!

Thats what my dad did