Unlocking 2.2.1 - 3G yes/no . . confused!

[steevg]

Hi guys, just registered here as I'm totally baffled with all this unlocking info flying around the web at the moment.

Took the iPhone my daughter purchased in the UK (O2 network), to a local whizzkid (I'm in NZ), who unlocks these things for a living, only to be told that as it's been upgraded to the 2.2.1 firmware version, he couldn't do it! (????)

She bought the iPhone only a few months ago before coming back to NZ, and was told at the store she'd be able to unlock it once back in NZ! When she approached the store by phone, they told her - "Tough" you should have had it unlocked in the UK! But when we offered to send it back, they said they couldn't guarantee unlocking it, even if it did get there safely(??) eh??!!

What's going on . . . can I unlock this thing for her or not? At the moment, it's an expensive ornament sitting on my office shelf. She'd like to use the darn thing before it becomes obsolete.

Seems like this forum is the place where I might get some answers.

Thanks in advance for any clarity on this!

Steevg

[mythamp]

I believe the only way to use it would be to use a piggy-back sim (view example), 2.2.1 had a new baseband which is not yet possible to unlock.

Or you can wait for the DevTeam to unlock the 3.0 OS when it comes out! but I suggest you do not wait for that and instead getting the piggy-back sim. The reason for that is, maybe they will just released a custom firmware of OS 3.0 in which the baseband will remain as the old 2.2 and thus you will not still be able to unlock your 2.2.1 iPhone.

[jpadock]

At this moment you can only use an sim card like this one- (see the video on how its done) Unlock iPhone 3G - Instant Unlock any iPhone. Incl 2.2.1 and hopefully there will be a software solution provided by the dev team some time soon. Its a good thing to folow the blog of the dev team here Dev-Team Blog
Good luck!

[steevg]

Thanks guys, . . . but do these cards work full time? Are they a permanent "fix"?? I saw a post somewhere on this forum saying that they're a bit intermittent. . working for a while, and then not working!

Also, I'm in New Zealand . . . will they work here?


Thanks for the link to the Dev Team's blog, I'll keep checking anyway.

[Poseidon79]

These SIM cards are your ONLY solution. There are several brands... universalSIM, TurboSIM, RebelSIM, GeveySIM.. etc. Some work better than others and everyone will tell you a different story. They are only about $20 so it's not a huge investment. I personally recommend RebelSIM as it seems to lock onto the towers better than others.

[steevg]

Many thanks for the information . . . phew it's a minefield out there with all the different options supposedly available!

I found this site just recently . . . . anyone tried these guys??

iPhone 3G Unlock - How to Unlock 3G iPhone? | iPhone SIM Unlock

[jason.ri]

Hi, I have used this one and had quite good experience with them Unlock iPhone 3G - Instant Unlock any iPhone. Incl 2.2.1
Good luck with the unlocking!