[mirak]

My wife has t-mobile. She had a blackberry pearl which broke and is not under warranty. She wants an iphone.

I've got lots of questions about unlocked iphones. Your help would be appreciated.

1. Are there important differences in functionality between a software/sim (jailbreak/turbo, etc.) unlocked iphone, and an apple-official unlocked iphone? I'm worried about t-mobile or myself re-locking the phone with some sort of update. I also don't want to have to squirrel around with t-mobile reps (lie about my phone, etc.) if I have to call them.

2. Does the answer above depend on whether I'm getting a 2G or 3G?

3. Does getting a 3G really matter for use with the t-mobile network?

4. Do you need a data plan to install apps to the phone?

5. Will the $9.99 "50MB Web + 200 Messages" plan work with the iPhone? How would I add that service for an unauthorized unlocked iPhone?

6. Is eBay the best place to buy? What information do I need to verify before ordering/bidding?

7. Will my wife's myfaves plan still work? I know the iphone won't have the myfaves software, but will the myfaves unlimited minutes still apply to her "5"? If she wants to change her "5", can she do that on the internet? (I have reviewed conflicting information. Some say a myfaves phone is always necessary, others say it is never necessary, others say it is necessary only to change your 5).

Thanks for your help.

[smirkis]

if u want tmobile, buy a 2g

the 9.99 web plan will get you 50mb of downloads per month and its limited. try to buy one on craigslist.

no real difference between unlocked and locked. u use tmobile, they use at&t

[say55ow]

I am currently on T-Mobile with an unlimited blackberry data plan with 300 txt msg using an IPhone 2G 2.2.

I'll try my best to answer some of your questions based on my own personal experience.


Question 1. T-Mobile reps are very nice about people using the IPhone. They won't hassle you or anything,but don't exepect them to be knowledgable about your IPhone if you have issues.

I have not tried any type of SIM method to unlock my phone. When first got my phone, I used ZiPhone to unlock,activate,and jailbreak to 1.1.4.
After googling and reading this forum I made the jump to 2.2 using QuickPwn. I can say everything works flawlessly

Question 2. Nope

Question 3. Go with the 2G its cheaper. Using an IPHONE 3G doesn't matter on T-Mobile's 3G network(1700mhz) because its not supported so you'll only be getting EDGE speed.

Question 4. No you don't need a data plan to install apps. The apps can be installed through wifi

Question 6. Ebay might be your best bet. Depending on what you want to purchase read the description carefully and check the sellers feedback!

Question 7. Call T-Mobile and ask before you buy your phone

[myke55]

Originally Posted by mirak

My wife has t-mobile. She had a blackberry pearl which broke and is not under warranty. She wants an iphone.

I've got lots of questions about unlocked iphones. Your help would be appreciated.

1. Are there important differences in functionality between a software/sim (jailbreak/turbo, etc.) unlocked iphone, and an apple-official unlocked iphone? I'm worried about t-mobile or myself re-locking the phone with some sort of update. I also don't want to have to squirrel around with t-mobile reps (lie about my phone, etc.) if I have to call them.

if you end up buying an iphone that has already been UL/JB then you wont have to worry about any of that. you wont have to worry about tmobile reps handling you phone and your business as long as you have the right plan setup. if you dont get an iphone that has already been UL/JB then its so easy to do so. just follow the easy tutorials that are posted. easy as 1,2,3.

Originally Posted by mirak

2. Does the answer above depend on whether I'm getting a 2G or 3G?

no. unlocking and jailbreaking is all you. if you want an iphone and are inexperienced with it, then id prefer you to just get anything but the 3G. until the 3G is 100% completely exposed, i'd go with any one before it.

Originally Posted by mirak

3. Does getting a 3G really matter for use with the t-mobile network?

yes. even though tmobile now uses 3G network (specifically for the G1) it will not run on the 3G iphone. youd only be paying for a newer phone with the same specs as the older phone.

Originally Posted by mirak

4. Do you need a data plan to install apps to the phone?

no. any type of internet connection i believe...wifi, etc

Originally Posted by mirak

5. Will the $9.99 "50MB Web + 200 Messages" plan work with the iPhone? How would I add that service for an unauthorized unlocked iPhone?

not quite sure what youre asking here, but i have the all-access internet plan with unlimited messages. i just got that to keep everything simple and so i dont have to worry about pretty much anything. im sure it doesnt matter what phone you have, but i used to have the tmobile dash when i plugged in all my features. but you say you have a BB so it should be the same.

Originally Posted by mirak

6. Is eBay the best place to buy? What information do I need to verify before ordering/bidding?

no. thats more of a personal interest. buy wherever you can find the best price for the sale. depending on how much you get with the offer and how much the offer is. just do a lot of looking around because you can sometimes find a very good deal. i got my 2nd gen off ebay for only $355 in next to PERFECT condition, already jailbroke and unlocked, and all the accessories it comes with, including a white iNcase and a leather belt case. and the seller was also kind enough to include itunes program on a burnt cd and a typed up paper on how to work the iphone with tmobile. was very pleased with this. i searched for a while before making my purchase and snagged up this one. so like i said, try ebay, ioffer, craigslist...whatever YOU are looking for, go get it

Originally Posted by mirak

7. Will my wife's myfaves plan still work? I know the iphone won't have the myfaves software, but will the myfaves unlimited minutes still apply to her "5"? If she wants to change her "5", can she do that on the internet? (I have reviewed conflicting information. Some say a myfaves phone is always necessary, others say it is never necessary, others say it is necessary only to change your 5).

yes. my favs will work. the iphone has a "Favorites" tab on the calling list, i just put my fav5s in there and yea youre right it doesnt have the software (of course) for the fav5's logos and goodies etc. but all of that will work. dont worry about that. and if you want to change your fav5s, just simpley go to your mytmobile account and do what is needed

[mirak]

Thanks for all the responses so far. Sounds like the 2G is definitely the way to go.

A lot of these questions probably arise because I don't know much about the iPhone in general. The actual phone usage should be easy - just pop the sim card into an unlocked phone and it is ready.

What concerns me are the applications. It sounds like most applications, media, etc. are obtained and installed by using the phone's internet connection. Does the phone ever need to interface with software installed on a computer (like an iPod interfaces with iTunes?)

And, if I have wi-fi at home and don't need the web/e-mail capability away from home, then I don't need any sort of data plan? Does the phone function like a laptop where it detects a wi-fi network, plug in the network key, and it's good to go?

And another question: when the t-mobile guy sold us the Blackberry Pearl 8120, he told us that it could extend its reception by using wi-fi and VoIP. Essentially, if you're deep in a hospital and can't get cell reception but there is wi-fi (even if secured) the phone can still use it to make and receive calls.

I don't think my wife ever got that working on the 8120, so the rep might have been full of it. Does an unlocked iPhone offer any similar capability?

[BearZ]

The applications never interface with the T-mobile connection itself you do not need to worry about T-mobile relocking your phone they are actually pretty cool about you having an iPhone(they dont care)
you can use wi-fi at home/office to download apps etc, downloading apps over Edge is not recommended as it would take a long time and drain your battery plus it might just not work
Data plan: you could buy the cheapest data plan out there for T-mobile, this is what I like about using an iphone with Tmobile, proxy hack and bam, you have fast internet! no paying $20-30 for stupid slow *** Edge and slow *** 3G.
the VOIP funtion: does NOT work with the iPhone, unless you have something like Fring and have a Skype account(which you pay for to make/recieve calls), but Tmobile does NOT provide VOIP for iPhone(it might have for the Bb pearl)

In any case, its a good idea to get a 2G iphone, jailbreak/unlock with the quickpwn method(easiest one) and use it with Tmobile, im loving every second of it, except for when i have bad reception

Good luck!

Originally Posted by mirak

My wife has t-mobile. She had a blackberry pearl which broke and is not under warranty. She wants an iphone.

I've got lots of questions about unlocked iphones. Your help would be appreciated.

1. Are there important differences in functionality between a software/sim (jailbreak/turbo, etc.) unlocked iphone, and an apple-official unlocked iphone? I'm worried about t-mobile or myself re-locking the phone with some sort of update. I also don't want to have to squirrel around with t-mobile reps (lie about my phone, etc.) if I have to call them.

you will not have to lie to Tmobile, they are ok with you having an iphone. as for jailbreak Quickpwn is your best bet for jailbreak and unlock. nobody can relock an iphone

2. Does the answer above depend on whether I'm getting a 2G or 3G?

as of now, you can only use a 2G iphone with any other service other than ATT in the US. because there is no way to soft-unlock a 3G iphone. unless you get your hands on an unlocked iphone 3G from abroad which would be pretty rare and expensive.

3. Does getting a 3G really matter for use with the t-mobile network?

you cannot use 3G with Tmobile. look at answer above! ^^

4. Do you need a data plan to install apps to the phone?

you do not need a data plan to install apps, they can be installed via wi-fi or thru the app store on itunes.

5. Will the $9.99 "50MB Web + 200 Messages" plan work with the iPhone? How would I add that service for an unauthorized unlocked iPhone?

im not quite sure what plan that is but the most basic tzones web plan should work just fine, you can activate it online at Unsupported Browser, it doesnt matter if you are using an unlocked iphone or not

6. Is eBay the best place to buy? What information do I need to verify before ordering/bidding?

I personally bought mine from a friend, traded him for a brand new ipod touch 1g, but I have heard of people buying from ebay, probably your best bet, make sure the seller has good reviews etc before you buy.

7. Will my wife's myfaves plan still work? I know the iphone won't have the myfaves software, but will the myfaves unlimited minutes still apply to her "5"? If she wants to change her "5", can she do that on the internet? (I have reviewed conflicting information. Some say a myfaves phone is always necessary, others say it is never necessary, others say it is necessary only to change your 5).

Thanks for your help.

yes the myfaves plan will still work regardless of the software, she can change it online at any time. myfaves works regardless of what phone you are using. it uses outgoing call number to calculate used minutes and not the on-phone software. works perfectly well for me

hope that helped good luck again

[LrdBane]

I think the only reason i would like a 3G is for the Hardware GPS in it. Other than that I dont really think the prices they are asking for the 3G's are worth it to use on T-Mobile. More so cause the 3G will never work till t-mobile chances their 3G frequency which may never happen. And usage of those simchip devices untill a software unlock is done. Sure if your 3G phone breaks its cheaper to fix part wise VS a 2G for example the glass. LOL now that i mention it i do like the Headphone jack on the 3G doesn't require an adapter for most plugs and the speakers have been improved on the bottom. Plastic back i guess you get better reception and signal... oh heck now i want a 3G. LOL. J/K i like my 2G till the day it dies then maybe they will have done more with a 3G and Apple will have a new model.

I got the basic t-zones plan and i use my wifi mostly since i have it at home and at work.

BTW Good questions from a smart shopper I can see. The only dumb question is the one never asked I always say.

[bbbwrx]

Originally Posted by BearZ

im not quite sure what plan that is but the most basic tzones web plan should work just fine, you can activate it online at Unsupported Browser, it doesnt matter if you are using an unlocked iphone or not

I hear everywhere that you can do this online but I cannot seem to find it. Can you tell me where in my t-mobile I would go to add the 5.99 tzones plan to my current plan?

If not I guess i will just call but I have heard of people having issues where t-mobile wants you to get the 34.99 plan

[bclark1000]

I had a blackberry 8800 with 19.99 unlimited data plan from tmobile. I moved my sim card to an unlocked iphone. I used the epc.tmobile.com apn. It worked immediately. My plan was to see what my data usage was and then change from the blackberry plan to the 9.99 plan w/ 50mg and 200 texts. My data usage is going to probably be higher than 50mg, so for right now I'm going to stay w/ the 19.99 blackberrry plan. If you have a blackberry plan, I would suggest staying with that plan until you see what your data averages.

[BearZ]

Originally Posted by bbbwrx

I hear everywhere that you can do this online but I cannot seem to find it. Can you tell me where in my t-mobile I would go to add the 5.99 tzones plan to my current plan?

If not I guess i will just call but I have heard of people having issues where t-mobile wants you to get the 34.99 plan

oh crap! I dont see it anymore, it gives me plans specific to the phone I have selected, im just glad I had it before **** changed...but use a different phone to call T-mobile and tell them to give you the cheapest plan. i think its 9.99 now.
sorry

[bbbwrx]

i wouldn't give up i would continue to try and find a rep to give you the 5.99 plan. 48 bucks a year will add up and you are getting the same thing.

It wasn't hard for me

My tips are

1. Get a male rep(might sound sexists but they just seem to know their **** better)
2.be relax and make friends with the rep
3.act like it is not your fault but you are not blaming them
4. ?????
5. Profit