The only companies that matter here are AT&T and (possibly) Apple. O2 can't do a thing with an AT&T iPhone. It's possible that AT&T can't do anything with an AT&T iPhone either - I guess it depends how Apple have programmed the carreir lock.

AT&T pay the subsidy that got you your iPhone cheap. They want to make their money back. Part of the way to do that is to sting you when you travel abroad. They don't want you putting a local SIM in it when you're away, any more than they want you putting a T-Mobile SIM in it in the USA. Beyond this, though, Apple may not want you using the iPhone on a network they can't control, either. You're a victim of their business decisions.

Roaming Issues with Iphone 3G
 

I think this is not widely discussed as many people might not have taken their Iphone 3G abroad, but for the past 2 months I have tried to roam with the Iphone in a number of places (Japan, Australia, China, US, etc...) and 1 thing I find annoying is that it does not pick up the carrier automatically some of the time and require reboots. Also I have disabled data roaming and did not switch off 3G, which caused more problems (as many discussed 3G reception issues etc....) Also when I take it back to my home country, it requires a few reboots to get it working.

It is definitely NOT as seamless as my Blackberry.

iTunes 8 and iPhone firmware 2.1 tomorrow?
 

Personally, I'm hoping for turn by turn GPS ^

"The 3G iPhone has no doubt had a bumpy introduction to the market. Signal issues, system crashes and other glitches have plagued users. Most recently, a glaring security flaw allowed people to bypass the password lock code and gain access to the iPhone's contact list. Firmware update 2.1, believed to be announced at tomorrow's Apple event, might fix everything."

http://www.informationweek.com/blog/...iphone_fi.html

This is a known issue with the Infineon basedband chipset, this is NOT an Infineon problem per say, but an implementation problem... Apple does not have optimal software running on the baseband chipset - hence all these issues. Other phone mfr's who use this same chipset addressed these issues some time ago. Deploying for network isn't as simple as write code and it works, there are WAY too many deviations on cell site infrastructure and equipment which cause grief to the phone software.

Apple could have done a LOT better field testing of this....

Of course, the "funny" thing is that Apple claimed last year that there was no chipset out there that could do what they want, but they still went with this fairly old 3G chipset that was around ages before they sold everyone the EDGE iPhone :D

If I had to make a guess, I'd say Apple initially looked at Qualcomm, but got scared away by the lawsuits or wanted chips when the ITC had banned them.

The Qualcomm stuff is worse at times. I've actually walked away from companies offering me a biz dev role to help sort out their handset positioning, my comment was "you going to hire decent engineers first"

But at least they are just a few hours away, instead of thousands of miles away in Europe :D

I have a dumb question... is there an easier way to get picture messages than going to viewmymessage.com???

Whats the latest on purchasing an Iphone in the USA that includes carrier discounts.... is one able to cancel the plan in say 10 days and still enjoy discounts or do plan terminations have some sort of penalty clauses? Im hoping to buy the latest IPhone version in the US and hack it to be able to use it with my Argentine GSM provider.

Costs for IPhones here are almost USD500 and a couple of FTers have told me you can get an IPhone in the States for around $250, but with a carrier agreement/contract. Thanks.

two problems. the first is that you must sign up for a 2 year contract, and if you cancel within 30 days, you must return the iphone. if you cancel after 30 days, you can keep it. thus, the minimum charge to keep the iphone will be 2 months of service plus the early termination fee and of course, the phone itself. at some point, a contract-free iphone will be sold for $400 more, but that hasn't happened yet.

the second problem is that there is no unlock for the iphone 3g at this time, other than spoofed sim cards (which reportedly can get stuck inside due to the tray).

Not exactly:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showp...4&postcount=16

yes, we're all waiting ;)

Come on guys, get creative! Fly to NZ and buy the iPhone unlocked and with no contract and no questions asked from a Vodaphone distributor. Easy.

Just think of the miles :)

Actually Beijing is a shorter flight (at least from here) and I'm just waiting to get confirmation they can unlock the darn thing :D

Hey, just noticed your location: Shanghai CN. Can you confirm whether China can unlock yet?

iPhone 2.1 Firmware to be released.

• Fewer dropped calls
• Better Battery
• Decreased crashing with lots of apps
• Quicker iTuens backup

I was pricing them in Shanghai last month, the 16GB version was selling for ~8,000 RMB. The labeling on the back was from AT&T, so they were US phones originally. They claimed they were unlocked, but wouldn't let me try until we agreed a price and I put the cash on the table. I was only offering 7,000 RMB so didn't end up trying it. Bargaining for expensive kit in China is so much fun ;)

I've heard that the official launch in China will be in December. No idea how they'll be offered, locked or unlocked.

I ended up buying in NZ while visiting family. Cheaper than China and unlocked and unencumbered.