[atekant]

I will be travelling to Italy in a couple weeks, and I was thinking maybe I should buy one of the unlocked phones they sell there.

My question is will I be able to just plug in a SIM, any SIM (just like any other unlocked phone) and be on my way, or does it need some sort of activation with a phone company?

I would be willing to purchase a pay-as-you-go SIM over there if it needs to be activated, but I would rather save that money if not needed.

Of course whether I can activate with my current provider (Fido in Canada), or whether they have a database of IMEI numbers they have sold and will block me from using a foreign iPhone with them remains to be seen.

TIA

[sursture]

IF it is truely unlocked there is NO need for activation.
(easy to check if you plug in yr US/Canadian SIM - if it gets a signal => Unlocked)
And if it runs FW 3.1 (Settings/General/About) then it is (as of today) not a locked phone that has been unlocked.
However, I would insist on doing a restore in iTunes - thereafter check if it is locked or not. That will 100% reveal any attempted scam.

An unlocked phone can be used with any GSM operator/carrier - just plug in the sim.

Make sure you have a data plan - if not. Set the APN to e.g. "FAKE", user "FAKE" and it won't connect to Data