July 5th is Unlocked iDay

Tomorrow is iDay, in case you didn't know. People will be lined up around the block at the Apple stores here in NYC to get their hands on an iPhone. I am not even sure I'll get one, but if I do, it will be unlocked. I don't care about visual voicemail. I've already got one better with Simulsays Beta (still buggy) running on my Blackberry.

What does interest me is an iPod with a killer browser. And I'll run it on whatever carrier I want to run it on, which in my case is T-Mobile. Here's what I need.

Here's a couple places you can get unlocked iPhones on the web:

Apple iPhone iPod Unlocked GSM Phone - Popular Electronics

Buy Apple iPhone Black Unlocked GSM Cellular Phone, Apple Cell Phones

And here is where you'll soon be able to get a software unlock.

Comments

[Stefano Buliani]

I didn't know they'd already started promising unlocked iPhones on the net.

I don't think the iPhone is right for you just yet, it is indeed a great iPod but as far as internet goes I don't think it will do, one simple reason: EDGE. Way too slow to do all the blogging and surfing, barely enough for emails. I'll definitely get one as soon as they release a 3G compatible model.

[Dan Cornish]

I think the best part of the iPhone will be to get Blackberry off their asses to build a proper browser on their phone. A real browser on a phone with a fast internet connection is a killer app. Perhaps they could use Firefox, or even Safari - both open source apps.

[Shripriya]

Fred, how are these folks promising unlocked phones already? Apparently the current phone is well and truly "locked" to AT&T. How can someone promise to unlock it before they even explore the OS?

One other question - let's say someone signs up to AT&T and then 2 years later wants to unlock it - can it be done? Or what if I want to travel internationally and use my own SIM? Am I able to do that?

[Giordano]

Hi Fred,

apart that I would wait for the 3rd or 4th iteration of the product to buy it (when they will get it right, as with every consumer electronics product), if the phone can indeed be unlocked, those folks are charging 300 bucks for a simple hacks. Much cheaper to buy it locked, and have someone in the know unlock it.

Cheers,
Giordano

[phil]

hey u saw this from mcmanus?

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/iphone_web_development_frenzy.php

money quote...

"CRM provider Etelos - which has already embraced other popular Web platforms like Google Apps, Netvibes, Pageflakes and Windows Live - announced on its blog today an Etelos CRM suite of modularized CRM tools, for use on the iPhone. It already works on the Blackberry, but Etelos' Eric Berto says that "the browser for the iPhone is much better than the BlackBerry".:

[Jeremy]

Try the opera mini browser on the blackberry... have it installed on the pearl and works great.

http://www.operamini.com/

[Mike Orren]

On the Blackberry browser, word is it's coming:

http://blackberrycool.com/2007/06/27/004942/

On SimulSays: Fred, how is it buggy? I downloaded yesterday and it works like a dream.

[Tony Alva]

Considering how Apple covets the proprietary nature of their products and the fact that AT&T spent mucho bucks on this deal, I'd be VERY weary of buying an "unlocked" phone from anybody to use on another network even if it's GSM to GSM until I actually saw it work with my own two eyes. I would imagine big issues with the browsing features at a minimum. Wait until you see someone talking and surfing on one before you leap my friend...

[mark]

the fact of the matter is the phone wont get near the blackberry email performance. you could on the other hand become one of those gadget deputies with more clobber on your belt. add a pocket pusher and you have just had a character transformation that piedro surely may approve of. No more apologies from deputy Wilson.

[Mo]

I agree with Tony, I don't believe the unlocked iPhone concept until I see it. When the iPhone was announced I think Pogue answered the question that one couldn't just buy this phone in US and than have it work in Europe by unlocking it.

[avner ronen]

seems like quite a premium for just getting it unlocked

[benjamin]

Even it if it *is* truly is an unlocked phone, how the hey are you supposed to use it on your t-mobile network if it doesn't take a SIM card? Can you just call T-mobile and give them some sort of code for your phone? Will that even work?

[jackson]

iBlah iBlah iBlah iBlah

iYadda iYadda iYadda

iZzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Michael]

I second the SIM card question. I heard Walt Mossberg say that you can't access the SIM card

[Robert Seidman]

Fred, I'll go $10 you will have an iPhone WITH an AT&T account before Thanksgiving.

I'd go before Labor Day even but I'm a coward! I don't think it's going to be impossible to "unlock" this phone, I think what will be made impossible or at least a significant pain is synching it with your iTunes, because they can make iTunes do all kinds of stuff to make synching painful to impossible.

probably for a while you could get around it and just unplug your internet connection when you synch. But then they'll just modify iTunes (if tomorrow's new version isn't already this way) so it blocks that with: "this device must have a LIVE internet connection to be synched" messages.

If I knew there was going to be a stand alone iPod version of this by Xmas, I might wait myself, but I don't think it's going to be quite that soon.

If you can live without synching, I think you can work out an unlocked iPhone. I don't see Fred wanting this device if he can't put the music he wants on it, whenever he wants it...

[hello]

Fred,

Found this very useful info buried in blog comments (I think it was GigaOM).

A complete description of the ATT/iPhone data and voice plans, including SIM card portability. Please see:

AT&T Internal Apple iPhone document leaked. Prepaid iPhones, unboxing, credit checks, and more!
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2007/06/28/att-internal-apple-iphone-document-leaked-prepaid-iphones-unboxing-credit-checks-and-more/

[MacMan]

You guys are all so misinformed:

- The SIM card IS accessible (you just need a paperclip to open it)

- There's NO WAY anyone has figured out how to unlock this phone without actually having one, so I would be VERY skeptical about these offers.

- The $800 for a $500 phone is NOT $300 profit because you HAVE to activate the phone with AT&T in order to use ANY of its functions (including the iPod part) and there's a $175 cancellation fee. So the profit is more like $125 (unless they already know of a way to activate it without registering with AT&T- considering that you HAVE to register it with iTunes, I don't see how they could possibly do this).

[nik cubrilovic]

the iphone will be hacked within 24h of coming out - regardless of the itunes question. firmware hacking is easy. apple provide most of what you need (since the method for updating the firmware will be in itunes, which somebody trying to crack it can watch).

[fewquid]

Went to the Apple store and played with the darn thing.

It is the best media playing/web browsing mobile device I've seen. But for me, it's a sucky phone.

Strike 1: There's no obvious predictive text function, so you really have to type. That sucks for texting...

Strike 2: The dial buttons in phone mode are HUGE. I had more of a fat fingers problem dialing a number than typing text.

Strike 3: After just 5 minutes of testing, I could tell that the lack of buttons would be a huge problem for me. I tend to use number-assigned speed dial a lot. I also dial/text without looking at the keypad. Can't do that on a touch screen. You also really cannot use an iPhone one-handed.

I want an iPhod. An iPod with all the nifty features of an iPhone, without the actual phone (and AT&T) part...

But I would imagine Apple won't make an iPhod anytime soon...

[Eric Marcoullier]

That unlocked iPhone has gone from $799 to $1,299 since you took that screen shot. Crazy.

[Steven]

If the iphone is unlocked and you can replace the sim card in it, will i be able to put my t-mobile sim card in it and have it work? Is it only a matter of time before the iphone is cracked or is it truly imposible?

[Joe]

I freakin hate apple for not selling the iphone unlocked. Jobs must have been jacking off the day when they decided that! That or eating his own shit. U tell me...

[T-Mizzle]

C'mon guys. Do some research. They are definitely making headway into unlocking it, but as of 9:00PM EDT they are not finished working on it. When it is "unlocked" completely, it will be just like any other phone that you want unlocked...pay your money, download the program, insert your own SIM card, done. Or...do what you can to unlock yourself.

[len]

I am english and tempted to buy an unlocked phone from the states,
but i cannot see away around the problem of when you connect to itunes that it will just block you using any of the functions.

[len]

I am english and tempted to buy an unlocked phone from the states,
but i cannot see away around the problem of when you connect to itunes that it will just block you using any of the functions.