Off to Rome to ge Iphone

cojomo2

Ok after reading these forums and chatting to people here, ive decided that im goin to italy for a short 3 day break and while im there will pick up an iphone 3g as they are unlocked etc...

if any1 has done this could they please advise me....

is it straight forward..i.e just go in to TIM or Voda ask for pre pay iphone 3g , pay and leave?

can i then immediately place my irish 3 USIM into it or do i have to do anything else??

should i get the 8 or 16 gig..? i hear people say they access all their music remotely through iphones so is there any real need for the 16gig??

Thanks every1.

p.s can i count on shops in rome have stock?

Username!

1. Put in the SIM and it will work straight away.

2. Enter shop, iPhone please, hand in the cash, fill a few PAYG details in and leave.

3. 16GB, you'll regret it if you don't - it's nice knowing the space is there.

4. Defiantely, the rush is gone, there will be a tonne of stock.

cojomo2

hi , thanks for the feedback//

just one thing..i read on some forums that you have to 'activate' the phone through itunes...and if i do this in italy , i will then need an italian credit card...others say no need for this step..just throw ur suim in and that it..

so do u know if its ok to start using it there in italy with my irish sim(as i want to make sure its all working good)...or is there a danger that if i do this it wont work when i get home as it was activated in italy??

also i hear they arent strict on the whole showing id to show you are an italian national...this true??

cheers

Username!

It wont require activation since it's not a Bill phone, pay in cash like buying any other PAYG phone.

Anyway, you can always bypass activation by Jailbreaking.

It's fine to use it anywhere you want, I wouldn't advice roaming though, costs a fortune.

The won't be strict anywhere with PAYG, they just want the sale!

Rob_l

cojomo2 wrote: »

hi , thanks for the feedback//

just one thing..i read on some forums that you have to 'activate' the phone through itunes...and if i do this in italy , i will then need an italian credit card...others say no need for this step..just throw ur suim in and that it..

so do u know if its ok to start using it there in italy with my irish sim(as i want to make sure its all working good)...or is there a danger that if i do this it wont work when i get home as it was activated in italy??

also i hear they arent strict on the whole showing id to show you are an italian national...this true??

cheers

cojomo i wouldn't worry about the italian national thing we are all EU citizens right? would seem very hard for them to restrict the sale to italians maybe im wrong though.
you will have to activate the phone for it work yeah but i think it depends more on your itunes account which can only be an irish one when you create it with you irish credit card, again im not 100% sure

cojomo2

ok im very confused...

i just rang carphonewarehouse and they told me regardless of which iphone 3g i buy, bill pay or speakeasy, that i will have to ''activate'' the phone via itunes which will require my creditcard.

so i can only assume that the same goes for all i phones, that they have to be activated in this way..

so wouldnt i be rite in sayin that when i buy my iphone in italy, i will have to activate it in this way..and not just simply pop my irish bill pay simcard in it...?

and if so..can i activate it in italy with my irish credit card via itunes or is it best to do that on my return to ireland?

if any1 has experience with this id really appreciate their advice

cheers

Danbo!

Carphonewarehouse said that because over here the phone is locked to o2, and you must activate it to use it on the o2 Network. No activation is required with an unlocked iphone, as it is already 'active'

cojomo2

great.. are u sure about this? thanks a lot for the info..

so i can pop my irish bill pay 3 sim in it straight away in italy..and it will continue to work when i get home??

do i even need an itunes a/c then at all ? i.e will the phone work with 2g and 3g for calls and we surfing without an i tunes a/c??

cheers mate

Rob_l

cojomo2 wrote: »

great.. are u sure about this? thanks a lot for the info..

so i can pop my irish bill pay 3 sim in it straight away in italy..and it will continue to work when i get home??

do i even need an itunes a/c then at all ? i.e will the phone work with 2g and 3g for calls and we surfing without an i tunes a/c??

cheers mate

if its not, its like i said cojomo you have to activate the phone with itunes for your app store account( Im nearly certain now this is the case) in which case using your irish credit card + irish address will tie you to the irish app store

cojomo2

if this was the case..

could i sign up with itunes rite now...and then when i get mt iphone in italy in a couple weeks..just put my irish billpay sim in it while im there in italy and it will work straight away there and also work when i get home?

boc121

cojomo2 wrote: »

Ok after reading these forums and chatting to people here, ive decided that im goin to italy for a short 3 day break and while im there will pick up an iphone 3g as they are unlocked etc.

Did you happen to find out how much they cost in Rome?
Cheers.

cojomo2

boc121 wrote: »

Did you happen to find out how much they cost in Rome?
Cheers.

8 gig 499 euro

16gig 569 euro

cojomo2

Ok im still not clear..if any1 is 100% sure can they please reply to this straightforward question::

Do you need a valid itunes account to 'activate' a factory unlocked iphone3g from italy!!?

murfie

dont know about activating it but for downlaoding apps you will need a itunes account. what is your problem with having a itunes account anyway? They will only charge you when you buy song or a app but most of the good apps are free anyway.

godskitchen

You dont need to input your credit card details to activate the iphone, I didnt, there is an option, on the page that lets you skip that section.

cojomo2

ok but is it ok to activate it in italy with my irish sim? and do i need an itune ac to do this??

i read somewhere that if u activate it in italy then maybe it wont work when i bring it back to ireland...but they wernt sure..does any1 know anything about this?

CivilServant

cojomo2 wrote: »

ok but is it ok to activate it in italy with my irish sim? and do i need an itune ac to do this??

yes. yes.

i read somewhere that if u activate it in italy then maybe it wont work when i bring it back to ireland...but they wernt sure..does any1 know anything about this?

bull

cojomo2

thank for the reply..so despite what some are sayin,..i deffo do need an itunes ac to activate this italian phone?

steven22

thank for the reply..so despite what some are sayin,..i deffo do need an itunes ac to activate this italian phone?

deffo LOL


how much clarification do you need? YOU CAN USE THE IPHONE WHEN IN ITALY AND IF YOU COME ACROSS ANY PROBLEMS WHEN YOU ARE BACK IN IRELAND THEN YOU CAN RESET THE PHONE TO DEFAULT SETTINGS SO YOU WILL NOT "BREAK" YOUR GADGET!

partypiper

cojomo2, you'd probably be better off spending 569 on anxiety medication

culabula

cojomo2 wrote: »

ok im very confused...

i just rang carphonewarehouse and they told me regardless of which iphone 3g i buy, bill pay or speakeasy, that i will have to ''activate'' the phone via itunes which will require my creditcard.

so i can only assume that the same goes for all i phones, that they have to be activated in this way..

so wouldnt i be rite in sayin that when i buy my iphone in italy, i will have to activate it in this way..and not just simply pop my irish bill pay simcard in it...?

and if so..can i activate it in italy with my irish credit card via itunes or is it best to do that on my return to ireland?

if any1 has experience with this id really appreciate their advice

cheers

As I told you in your other thread, there is NO need to activate the iPhone.

culabula

cojomo2 wrote: »

Ok im still not clear..if any1 is 100% sure can they please reply to this straightforward question::

Do you need a valid itunes account to 'activate' a factory unlocked iphone3g from italy!!?

Anyone? Did you not believe all I said over the past few days?

You buy it. You will need ID.

Remove from box, pop your Irish SIM in. It will work.

For a laff, remove that SIM, pop any other SIM in, it too will work.

No need to activate, no need for jailbreaking, no problems.

As the old saying goes, "it works straight out of the box".

To use the app store, you will eventually need to create an account with iTunes which you can do from anywhere in the world.

To use the phone, just pop a SIM in.

culabula

cojomo2 wrote: »

if this was the case..

could i sign up with itunes rite now...and then when i get mt iphone in italy in a couple weeks..just put my irish billpay sim in it while im there in italy and it will work straight away there and also work when i get home?

You can sign up with iTunes anytime you want (in a democracy), iPhone ownership is not required.

culabula

cojomo2 wrote: »

thank for the reply..so despite what some are sayin,..i deffo do need an itunes ac to activate this italian phone?

NO_YOU_DON'T

quintron

so wheres cojomo2?

He's either on a plane to Italy or his head exploded. I know mine nearly did after reading this thread..
..so... do you need.. just kidding

culabula

quintron wrote: »

so wheres cojomo2?

He's either on a plane to Italy or his head exploded. I know mine nearly did after reading this thread..
..so... do you need.. just kidding

I'm picturing the scene in the iPhone shoppee in Roma.......:-)

Rowley Birkin QC

That was tough going.

culabula

bigkev49 wrote: »

That was tough going.

Ooops, I'm going to take the blame for this a bit and let's give Cojones2 a break. He actually PM'd me on the subject and I've only just seen his message.

culabula

PS -I'd get it from TIM rather than Voodoofone, Cojones2.

cojomo2

Na my head hasnt exploded yet\1thos i have had pretty bad head aches lately!

thanks for all the replys..i dont usually spend anywhere near 500 on a phone so just wanted to be safe and make sure i knew what i was doing..i hear so many conflicting things on this issue,,anyways..

culbula..thanks for the advice and info, you have put my mind at rest!

now just to find some other gadget to get obsessed with...

quintron

Best of luck with your new phone cojomo2. You deserve it! Ciao.

samhail

cojomo2 wrote: »

8 gig 499 euro

16gig 569 euro

is that the kinda price they still are ?

guy on ebay selling an unlocked one for 485(+22 shipping) it is bidding but ending in 22 hours. 0 bids after 7 days? hmm
http://cgi.ebay.ie/Apple-iPhone-3G-16GB_W0QQitemZ220309808418QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item220309808418&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1300|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

carrotcake

samhail wrote: »

is that the kinda price they still are ?

guy on ebay selling an unlocked one for 485(+22 shipping) it is bidding but ending in 22 hours. 0 bids after 7 days? hmm
http://cgi.ebay.ie/Apple-iPhone-3G-16GB_W0QQitemZ220309808418QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item220309808418&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1300|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318

Looks like a fake to me. The gap between the home button and the screen is too big. The phone doesn't come in a little plastic bag, and the accessories don't look right either. Plus the seller has zero feedback.

BlindedByGInge

Definatly not a trustworthy item.
1. iphone in foreground is about 1 inch smaller than other 2 in pic (maybe iphone 2g)
2. seller has zero feedback, avoid at all costs, set up his account less than 30 days ago
3. would be making a loss at that price, definatly 2 good 2 be true
4. u would get the wrong plug for the charger
5. gives no real details about unlocking process, just goes on about the colour!!

AVOID

culabula

I's be alerted first and foremost by the unusual location of the item:

Revesby, New South Wales, Ireland

Celticwarrior

So... In summary!

Any sim into the unlocked Iphone from Italy - already activated - no issues!

Want any app etc - get an itunes account for your unlocked phone! No issues.

Instead of creating a new thread - I thought it might be ok to post in here.

Was thinking of buying an unlocked one from Ebay - i've never spent that much money on something like this on ebay. Does either of these seem ok?

http://cgi.ebay.ie/NEW-SEALED-IPHONE-16-GB-3G-LEGALLY-APPLE-UNLOCKED-BLACK_W0QQitemZ390006858368QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item390006858368&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2|65%3A3|39%3A1|240%3A1318

http://cgi.ebay.ie/NEW-BLACK-WHITE-LEGALLY-UNLOCKED-3G-APPLE-iPHONE-16GB_W0QQitemZ280285072272QQihZ018QQcategoryZ3312QQcmdZViewItem

I want to use it then on meteor.

culabula

Celticwarrior wrote: »

So... In summary!

Any sim into the unlocked Iphone from Italy - already activated - no issues!

Want any app etc - get an itunes account for your unlocked phone! No issues.

Instead of creating a new thread - I thought it might be ok to post in here.

Was thinking of buying an unlocked one from Ebay - i've never spent that much money on something like this on ebay. Does either of these seem ok?

http://cgi.ebay.ie/NEW-SEALED-IPHONE-16-GB-3G-LEGALLY-APPLE-UNLOCKED-BLACK_W0QQitemZ390006858368QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item390006858368&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2|65%3A3|39%3A1|240%3A1318

http://cgi.ebay.ie/NEW-BLACK-WHITE-LEGALLY-UNLOCKED-3G-APPLE-iPHONE-16GB_W0QQitemZ280285072272QQihZ018QQcategoryZ3312QQcmdZViewItem

I want to use it then on meteor.

I can't see any problem at all with this except for the hefty mark-up. I'd rather use the difference from 569€, the official selling price, to fly to Italy and buy it myself and have a decent lunch with the change.

Celticwarrior

I know, I know but I don't have time to go to Rome to get it. If I did, I'd gladly do it and make a full ass holiday out of it.

culabula

Celticwarrior wrote: »

I know, I know but I don't have time to go to Rome to get it. If I did, I'd gladly do it and make a full ass holiday out of it.

Torino? Milano? Food's better :-)

Celticwarrior

I'd my heart set on Rome!

BlindedByGInge

Celticwarrior wrote: »

So... In summary!

Any sim into the unlocked Iphone from Italy - already activated - no issues!

Want any app etc - get an itunes account for your unlocked phone! No issues.

Instead of creating a new thread - I thought it might be ok to post in here.

Was thinking of buying an unlocked one from Ebay - i've never spent that much money on something like this on ebay. Does either of these seem ok?

http://cgi.ebay.ie/NEW-SEALED-IPHONE-16-GB-3G-LEGALLY-APPLE-UNLOCKED-BLACK_W0QQitemZ390006858368QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item390006858368&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2|65%3A3|39%3A1|240%3A1318

http://cgi.ebay.ie/NEW-BLACK-WHITE-LEGALLY-UNLOCKED-3G-APPLE-iPHONE-16GB_W0QQitemZ280285072272QQihZ018QQcategoryZ3312QQcmdZViewItem

I want to use it then on meteor.

I would avoid the second 1 if i were u. it doesnt say how it is unlocked, probably turbo sim or jailbroken, too messy to deal with these. first one seems alright, but expensive tho as said above. try goin on to ebay.it, you can see more italian based iphones, ur ebay account still works on this but you have to guess your way through some of it.

Italian phones come unlocked as standard so no one ever has to open the box before it gets to u!

culabula

BlindedByGInge wrote: »

I would avoid the second 1 if i were u. it doesnt say how it is unlocked, probably turbo sim or jailbroken, too messy to deal with these. first one seems alright, but expensive tho as said above. try goin on to ebay.it, you can see more italian based iphones, ur ebay account still works on this but you have to guess your way through some of it.

Italian phones come unlocked as standard so no one ever has to open the box before it gets to u!

True, but it does say:

"Brand New Legally Unlocked Apple 3G Iphone 16GB."

In which I case, I can only assume that they are of Itlian or Hong Kong origin.

savemejebus

Don't they sell them unlockedi n belgium too?

BlindedByGInge

culabula wrote: »

True, but it does say:

"Brand New Legally Unlocked Apple 3G Iphone 16GB."

In which I case, I can only assume that they are of Itlian or Hong Kong origin.

I wouldnt be entirely sure about that. Turbo sim is still not voiding and contracts, terms or laws but still damages the iphone. therefore you can say ur turbo simmed iphone has been legally unlocked, which most uk iphone sellers on ebay tend to do. if it came from italy the seller would be keen to utlise this point as italian iphones are hot sellers.

Drakar

Oh and if you are really going to Rome, buy a few of them and sell them when you get home which could pay for your trip (+phone depending on how crazy you go).

cojomo2

Drakar wrote: »

Oh and if you are really going to Rome, buy a few of them and sell them when you get home which could pay for your trip (+phone depending on how crazy you go).

was thinkin about that but i dont really like the idea of ripping people off..but then on 2nd thoughs the trip is costing me 280 euro so id live to get some of that back..what do you think would be a fair price to sell a 8gig or 16 gig iphone3g here on adverts? im kinda skint, so i could really prob only afford to buy 1 extra to sell, or at a push 2..

cojomo2

Drakar wrote: »

Oh and if you are really going to Rome, buy a few of them and sell them when you get home which could pay for your trip (+phone depending on how crazy you go).

WOW..I took youre advice and put an add on adverts.ie, explained my case, that i was goin to italy to my myself an unlocked iphone and that it was costing me a fair bit in hotels/flights/time, and so would consider buying 1 extra unit to sell here at a mark up of a 100 euro to offset agains my costs ..and asked if any1 wanted me to get them 1..Well i was slated, called a tout and was told by 1 person that'' people arnt stupid, we know ur a tout, your add is a disgrace etc''

bloddy hell, if i saw an add like that, where i could but an unlocked 1(and not off ebay) here in dublin,id take the hand off them at a 100 euro markup, way cheaper that goin to italy for one or takin aa risk gettin 1 posted from ebay.. any1 agree with me or was my add out of order?

Rsaeire

cojomo2 wrote: »

WOW..I took youre advice and put an add on adverts.ie, explained my case, that i was goin to italy to my myself an unlocked iphone and that it was costing me a fair bit in hotels/flights/time, and so would consider buying 1 extra unit to sell here at a mark up of a 100 euro to offset agains my costs ..and asked if any1 wanted me to get them 1..Well i was slated, called a tout and was told by 1 person that'' people arnt stupid, we know ur a tout, your add is a disgrace etc''

bloddy hell, if i saw an add like that, where i could but an unlocked 1(and not off ebay) here in dublin,id take the hand off them at a 100 euro markup, way cheaper that goin to italy for one or takin aa risk gettin 1 posted from ebay.. any1 agree with me or was my add out of order?

As I haven't seen the actual advert, it's hard to say exactly whether it came across as a scam or not. Honestly though, you're the one going to Italy to get one unlocked, which you can't get done over here yet, so they're lucky you're even offering to get an extra one in the first place.

cojomo2

Rsaeire wrote: »

As I haven't seen the actual advert, it's hard to say exactly whether it came across as a scam or not. Honestly though, you're the one going to Italy to get one unlocked, which you can't get done over here yet, so they're lucky you're even offering to get an extra one in the first place.

exactly, thats what i thought! link to advert is here:

http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=80721

Rsaeire

cojomo2 wrote: »

exactly, thats what i thought! link to advert is here:

http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=80721

It would have been better if you linked to the Boards thread in the initial post, if that's allowed, but even still, the blatant animosity towards you was very much uncalled for.