
Don't Buy an Unlocked iPhone From AT&T, Just Cancel a New Contract - timr
http://gizmodo.com/5021186/dont-buy-an-unlocked-iphone-from-att-just-cancel-a-new-contract
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thorax
I'm confused (maybe)-- why would the "locked" phone suddenly become unlocked
when you cancel your contract? Not sure I follow how this trick would work.

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pchristensen
He mixed up locked and no-contract. AT&T will offer "no-contract" phones for
$599/$699 but they will still be locked to AT&T. You can use a different plan
or pre-paid, as long as it's from AT&T. If you cancel, it's still cheaper than
buying a no-contract phone, but you can't use another carrier (until the jail-
breakers figure iPhone 2.0 out).

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menloparkbum
Apologies in advance if this question is inappropriate for hacker news, but
the gadget blogs seem to have quite trollish communities and I didn't want to
bother posting the question there...

If I get an iPhone in the USA, with a contract or no-contract, can I pop a
local SIM in it if I travel to Europe or Australia and expect it to work?

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gms
Negative. If you're talking about a first-gen iPhone, you can download illegal
unlocking software and sort yourself out. For the new iPhone 3G, no such
software exists (yet).

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halo
Is unlocking software illegal in the US?

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DenisM
no it's not.

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jamesbritt
Are there ways to get and use an iPhone in the US without having to have
anything to do with AT&T?

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drewcrawford
Yes, you can import them from Belgium (or Italy, or possibly Australia). Due
to the laws of Belgium, it is illegal to lock a phone to a single carrier.

Unfortunately they seem a bit pricey: <http://blog.steven.be/2008/06/belgium-
iphone-prices.html>

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jamesbritt
Thank you.

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pchristensen
Looks like it's going to get more expensive to cancel an iPhone contract :)

