Can I activate used iPhone w/o 2yr ATT contract?

[YaHeyDer]

I just purchased my friend's used 1st gen iPhone for $50. He performed the 'wipe' function to restore this to original condition and remove his personal data (that rich son of a gun bought a new 3G). My friend always kept his phone up-to-date with iTunes and I think he had f/w 2.2.1 installed. Since he is the original owner, I know the phone has never been unlocked or jailbroken.

Being an existing ATT customer, I called the local ATT store to find out about activating this in my account. I was told that all I needed to do was sign a new 2yr contract and add a $20/month data package to my existing cell package. With the economy the way it is, I do not want to commit to 2yrs on something that is a not a necessity.

Can I unlock this phone and use it as a cell phone, iPOD and WIFI PDA? I have a wirelss network in my house and go to lots of places that have public WIFI (so I do not care about having EDGE cell data transmission). I have a Cingular SIM card in my current cell phone.

If not, I know I can recover my $50 on ebay. But it my be tough selling a bricked iPhone for $50.

[HackThatPhone]

Just jailbreak and unlock it and you are good to go. Stop by my site. I have every guide imaginable for modding the iPhone for Mac users.

[YaHeyDer]

I unlocked and jailbreaked last night...all is well. Thanks again! One note...had to use the Windows version of the pwnage tool (not lucky enough to own a Mac), so the tutorial was not a perfect match. I was able to follow on-screen instructions and fumble through it, however.

[zortmo]

Hi,
I'm in the same situation....inherited iphone from my daughter.....using sim card out of my phone...no data plan.
Did you have your (non data plan) sim card in from the start?
I don't have mac either....do you have link to windows pwnage tool?
Thanks,
Mike

[HackThatPhone]

I do not write Windows guides.

[zortmo]

OK, borrowed a powerbook.
OSX 10.4.6
Itunes 6
Should I update?

[JFrappuccino]

OK, borrowed a powerbook.
OSX 10.4.6
Itunes 6
Should I update?
http://www.iphonealley.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10453

Read this thread, and use the links i provided to unlock your inherited iphone.

[hypnotiq]

I'm looking into buying an iphone, but I've got a couple questions i need cleared up before I decide, I currently have an ATT contract with texting and no data and do not wish to upgrade/extend my contract or add data.

1. If I jailbreak and Unlock the iphone can I use my att sim card and not pay for the data plan? (if so, is there anything special needed to be done or is it just unlock jailbreak pop sim in and turn off 3g/edge?)

2. I've read that v2.2.1 with 2.30 firmware cannot be jailbroken/unlocked as of yet, is this correct?

3. I am planning on buying the phone off of ebay, which route would be best, buying brand new in box, no jailbreak and locked and then jailbreaking and unlocking when i get it, or buying a jailbroken, unlocked iphone?
(any recomended specs. to look for? should i make sure its v 2.2 not 2.2.1? should i make sure is 2.28 and not 2.3?)

4. If I block 3g/edge and don't have a data plan, I will not use any data right?

[YaHeyDer]

To hypnotiq,

1. I (this thread's OP) am using my 5-year-old Cingular SIM card w/o any data plan. As a phone...all is well. Since my phone is a 1st gen iPhone, I only have edge capability, however, I have disabled this because I do not pay for a data plan. The iPhone works just fine in wifi mode and most public places that I frequent have free wifi nearby.

2. My phone was/is version 2.2.1 (5H11) before I unlocked and jailbroke her. Not sure if 2.3 firmware is even out there.

3. This may not matter...one thing to consider...since you indicate that you are not interested in a mobile data plan, the 1st gen phone may be a better choice. As far as I can tell, the 3G and the on-board GPS are the only major differences (slightly different form factor too), and without a mobile data plan, your GPS options are pretty limited. Also, from what I read...the 1st gen iPhones are less tricky to hack.

4. If you disable 3G/edge, you can still independently use wifi.

Hope this helps...good luck!

[zortmo]

YaHeyDer,
I borrowed a mac that promptly crashed during os update....o'well.
My 2g has 2.2.1 with firmware 04.05.04_G. Can I unlock and jailbreak with windows version of pwnage tool? I've read on other sites it's hopeless with 2.2.1.
Did you follow the tutorial on this site for the mac?
Any advice appreciated.
Thanks much,
Mike

[YaHeyDer]

Based on what I read, you should be fine. I am not an expert, however I will tell you how I used/referenced the mac tutorial to unlock/jailbreak my 2g 1st gen phone.

Follow this procedure at your own risk:

You will need to follow most of step 1 on the mac tutorial at: http://www.hackthatphone.com/20/pwnagetool_2_2_1_1st_gen_iphone_expert.html, but everything is different after step 1.

From the mac tutorial, follow the iPhone Dev Team's download link to get a link to download QuickPwn 2.2.5-2 for Windows (you may need to install bittorrent free trial or equivalent to convert the .torrent file if you have not ever used .torrent files).

Download the 3.9 and 4.6 bootloaders (follow the mac tutorial link, you'll need to unRAR them, I had WinRAR on my PC...there are free alternatives out there...Google should help you find something)

Downloaded 2.2.1 firmware from Apple (follow the mac tutorial link)

After all files are downloaded and extracted into a known location, run QuickPwn 2.2.5-2 for Windows and follow on screen instructions...you'll need to help QuickPwn 2.2.5-2 for Windows find the downloaded files. I recall some tricky time-sensitive button pressing on the iPhone. I screwed it up a couple times before getting it right. QuickPwn 2.2.5-2 for Windows tries to "hold your hand" throughout the process...let them.

Good Luck!

[zortmo]

Thanks, it appears to have made it through process. Now is says "Different SIM Detected Please connect to Itunes".
I hope I did the right thing...I put the sim from my other phone in iphone during pwn.
What do I do from here?

[YaHeyDer]

Zortmo...sorry I had not noticed your post until now...were you able to figure this out? I suspect you are not unlocked yet based ont he message you see. On my unlocked iPhone, I am able to put any SIM (from a GSM carrier) into the phone and have it work as a phone.