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Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

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Old 15-06-2009, 7:06 AM   #1
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Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

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
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Old 15-06-2009, 1:54 PM   #2
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Re: Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

Any idea of the french price?
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Old 15-06-2009, 2:04 PM   #3
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Re: Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

Quote:
Originally Posted by ben.bayliss View Post
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.
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Old 15-06-2009, 2:20 PM   #4
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Re: Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

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?
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Old 15-06-2009, 2:23 PM   #5
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Re: Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

Quote:
Originally Posted by sim667 View Post
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.

Quote:
Originally Posted by wayneski View Post
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.
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Old 15-06-2009, 3:10 PM   #6
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Re: Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

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?
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Old 15-06-2009, 3:50 PM   #7
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Re: Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

Quote:
Originally Posted by bowfer View Post
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.
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Old 15-06-2009, 5:04 PM   #8
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Re: Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

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
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Old 15-06-2009, 5:39 PM   #9
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Re: Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

If it's unlocked you could put anything in it - the deals are endless.....
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Old 15-06-2009, 6:36 PM   #10
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Re: Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

>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.
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Old 15-06-2009, 6:51 PM   #11
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Re: Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

True but I cant use it abroad and have to play the cat and mouse game with iTunes updates.
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Old 15-06-2009, 6:54 PM   #12
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Re: Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

Looks like you'll have to be nice to your friend then
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Old 21-06-2009, 3:45 PM   #13
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Re: Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

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?
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Old 21-06-2009, 4:00 PM   #14
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Re: Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

I thought there was warranty issues with these italian phones
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Old 21-06-2009, 4:03 PM   #15
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Re: Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

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).
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Old 21-06-2009, 4:08 PM   #16
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Re: Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

Quote:
Originally Posted by simon69c View Post
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.
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Old 21-06-2009, 4:29 PM   #17
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Re: Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

Quote:
Originally Posted by tjradiohead View Post
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.
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Old 21-06-2009, 11:39 PM   #18
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Re: Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

Quote:
Originally Posted by sim667 View Post
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.
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Old 22-06-2009, 2:32 PM   #19
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Re: Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

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
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Old 22-06-2009, 2:38 PM   #20
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Re: Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

What is the confirmed pricing for Italian phones? Seems it's higher than I originally posted..
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Old 22-06-2009, 2:41 PM   #21
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Re: Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

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

20€ cheaper from apple.it
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Old 23-06-2009, 1:22 AM   #22
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Re: Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

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!

Last edited by ben.bayliss; 23-06-2009 at 1:36 AM.
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Old 23-06-2009, 7:37 PM   #23
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Re: Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

Quote:
Originally Posted by ben.bayliss View Post
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.

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Old 24-06-2009, 8:38 AM   #24
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Re: Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

Where? I can't find anything for even close to that price on eBay.
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Old 24-06-2009, 9:14 AM   #25
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Re: Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

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?
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Old 24-06-2009, 12:45 PM   #26
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Re: Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

Quote:
Originally Posted by ROBIN50N View Post
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....
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Old 29-07-2009, 8:24 PM   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RobM83 View Post
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!

Quote:
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.

Last edited by RobM; 30-07-2009 at 7:02 AM. Reason: Merged multiple consecutive posts
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Old 31-08-2009, 3:48 PM   #28
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Re: Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

Quote:
Originally Posted by simon69c View Post
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
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Old 31-08-2009, 3:55 PM   #29
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Re: Anyone buying an Italian 3GS?

Quote:
Originally Posted by bbq View Post
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.
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