[ben.bayliss]

So, apparently TIM and Vodafone in Italy will be selling the 3Gs unlocked as per the previous 3G. The prices are €499 / €599 which by my calculations work out slightly cheaper than the UK PAYG price - for an unlocked phone!

Anyone else going abroad this summer and planning on picking up an unlocked phone from Italy? Stick it to O2 a little more

[smithersmk]

Any idea of the french price?

[sim667]

Originally Posted by ben.bayliss

So, apparently TIM and Vodafone in Italy will be selling the 3Gs unlocked as per the previous 3G. The prices are €499 / €599 which by my calculations work out slightly cheaper than the UK PAYG price - for an unlocked phone!

Anyone else going abroad this summer and planning on picking up an unlocked phone from Italy? Stick it to O2 a little more

It will lock them when your do the software updates.

[wayneski]

Is there any way of doing this without going to the actual country in question?
I think if I factor in the travel costs it may be a bit more expensive than a PAYG from here!
Sim667 are you sure it will relock with the updates? Does that mean there are diffrent software releases in countries where they are sold unlocked vs here?

[RobM]

Originally Posted by sim667

It will lock them when your do the software updates.

No, it wont. They are not locked in the first place and the software updates can be applied without fear of locking. It's not like a normal iPhone that's been software-unlocked, it's just never been designed to be locked.

Originally Posted by wayneski

Is there any way of doing this without going to the actual country in question?

Yup, wait a few weeks / months until they start appearing on eBay. But you'll have to sacrifice a few body parts to afford them though, as they go for silly money. Much higher than the PAYG UK version usually.

[FZR400RRSP]

Play.com are selling unlocked 3G 16GB phones for £599
Full back up, full warranty.
They won't reveal their sources, but 'T3' magazine got confirmation tht they are fully legal/legit etc.etc.
Now given that the new iphone has been announced (3mp camera etc.), I expect the price for the existing one will go down.
Won't it?

[chelsea.tone]

Originally Posted by bowfer

Play.com are selling unlocked 3G 16GB phones for £599
Full back up, full warranty.
They won't reveal their sources, but 'T3' magazine got confirmation tht they are fully legal/legit etc.etc.
Now given that the new iphone has been announced (3mp camera etc.), I expect the price for the existing one will go down.
Won't it?

Plays are Italian i think.

[ensyed]

A friend of mine goes to Italy regularly. Can he just pick it up at the airport?

I could put a 20 pound simplicity sim in it with the web bolt. Right?

Thanks

[Butters]

If it's unlocked you could put anything in it - the deals are endless.....

[amcluesent]

>I could put a 20 pound simplicity sim in it with the web bolt. Right?<

YOu could do that with a PAYG bought in Blighty.

[ensyed]

True but I cant use it abroad and have to play the cat and mouse game with iTunes updates.

[chelsea.tone]

Looks like you'll have to be nice to your friend then

[tjradiohead]

My parents are currently in Italy and just text me asking "do you want anything bringing back?" and I immediately thought.... hmmm.

Will I bump into any issues if my parents bring me back a 3GS and I use my 02 sim?

[jerryq7777]

I thought there was warranty issues with these italian phones

[simon69c]

None at all. Just be aware that in order to get it serviced in the UK you'll need to get Apple Care for it though (which will also extend the warranty period to 2 years).

[tjradiohead]

Originally Posted by simon69c

None at all. Just be aware that in order to get it serviced in the UK you'll need to get Apple Care for it though (which will also extend the warranty period to 2 years).

Where did you read that? I thought that as we are all in the EU, the warranty must be EU wide.

[simon69c]

Originally Posted by tjradiohead

Where did you read that? I thought that as we are all in the EU, the warranty must be EU wide.

Well when I was in the Apple Store on friday I saw a little notice on the genius bar that said something along the lines of the warranty only providing servicing in the country of purchase, whereas applecare specifically includes global servicing.

Could be worth finding out for sure though - might be apple trying to pull a fast one and EU law prevents them from refusing to honour warranty repair on Italian etc. iPhones.

[alan280170]

Originally Posted by sim667

It will lock them when your do the software updates.

I think sir you are talking BS, I have an Aussie 3G and have been into a UK and USA Apple store with problems, told them it is an legally unlocked ie factory and the have helped and fixed my problems without any hassle.

[KSK MAfio]

Guys you can replace them also in the UK.

Let me know if you need any help with the Italian phone...
Today I have sent 4 over to my colleagues in the uk(i did the same last year).

Ciao
Mafio

[ben.bayliss]

What is the confirmed pricing for Italian phones? Seems it's higher than I originally posted..

[KSK MAfio]

719 euros for the 32 gb and 619 from a TIM or Vodafone shop..

20€ cheaper from apple.it

[ben.bayliss]

Hmm £510 for a permanently unlocked 16GB... £70 more than the PAYG phone....

I suppose it all depends on how quickly (if at all) the Devteam figure out if the 3GS has any exploits possible.!

My folks are going to Italy in August. Think I'll wait until then and see what happens. If it looks like a good punt, then I'd probably buy 2 and flog one on eBay. The officially unlocked ones go for $$$$ on there even now!

[alan280170]

Originally Posted by ben.bayliss

Hmm £510 for a permanently unlocked 16GB... £70 more than the PAYG phone....

I suppose it all depends on how quickly (if at all) the Devteam figure out if the 3GS has any exploits possible.!

My folks are going to Italy in August. Think I'll wait until then and see what happens. If it looks like a good punt, then I'd probably buy 2 and flog one on eBay. The officially unlocked ones go for $$$$ on there even now!

Yeah, but you better sell it quick as the price will come down rapid.

Can get a 3G 16GB legally unlocked for $200 at the moment on ebay.

[ben.bayliss]

Where? I can't find anything for even close to that price on eBay.

[ROBIN50N]

someone asked before, what happens if you take it to be repaired, and it needs replaceing. would they have to give you a locked one?

[RobM]

Originally Posted by ROBIN50N

someone asked before, what happens if you take it to be repaired, and it needs replaceing. would they have to give you a locked one?

Apples warranty isn't international as far as I'm aware, so you wouldn't even get to that stage. Could be wrong....

[pazz]

Originally Posted by RobM83

Apples warranty isn't international as far as I'm aware, so you wouldn't even get to that stage. Could be wrong....

Could be wrong???? Dont post if your unsure!

Originally Posted by AppleCare iPhone Terms & Conditions

Apple may restrict service provided under this Plan to the Covered Equipment’s original country of purchase.

Found in paragraph 1 here: http://images.apple.com/legal/applec...ne_English.pdf

or original site here: http://www.apple.com/legal/applecare/appforiphone.html

I stumbled across this post and couldnt believe that someone was considering the same idea as me.

€600 will buy you a 3GS from a Genuine Apple Store in Italy. The handset runs a standalone OS minus carrier. There are no issues with upgrading OS's or iTunes.

[bbq]

Originally Posted by simon69c

None at all. Just be aware that in order to get it serviced in the UK you'll need to get Apple Care for it though (which will also extend the warranty period to 2 years).

I had heard of this before ... can you confirm if you can buy the apple care after the fact? say within the first week?

Chers

[chelsea.tone]

Originally Posted by bbq

I had heard of this before ... can you confirm if you can buy the apple care after the fact? say within the first week?

Chers

Yes you can.