Quote:
Originally Posted by Mikozee
(Prepare your eyes and ready your fingers to type answers that you have probably answered hundreds of times already....)
Hello! After months of painstaking overwork, I finally managed to save enough money for a iPhone (I'm 15)! But, I had questions that no one I personally knew could answer and Cingular (Yes I still call them Cingular) could definitely not (or wouldn't) answer.
Yes there's Google (and of course, the forum search button), but with the amount of time I put into work and school, there simply wasn't enough time to Google for answers. Even now, typing this thread is considered "luxury" time for me.
So on with the questions!! (You do not need to post specific instructions. If there are sites containing them, you can simply post it)
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1. Is it mandatory to renew or start a new contract with Cingular in order to buy an iPhone? If so, is there anyway I can avoid this, other then through online order?
2. I heard from a friend (Apple freak...) that the iPhone warranty does not replace the phone, but replaces parts. And that you must pay for shipping yourself. Is this true? If not, is it anywhere close? (Get as detailed as you wish)
3. Would either jailbreaking or unlocking the phone void the warranty?
4. Is it possible to downgrade the firmware? Although I have a contract with Cingular right now, I'm planning on changing to either Verizon or T-Mobile in the future. And my basic knowledge of the phone tells me that the current firmware does not (or protects) allow you to unlock?
5. How high is the percentage of "bricking" your phone while either unlocking or jailbreaking?
6. If you unlocked or jailbreaked your phone, could you return it to factory settings by restoring it through iTunes? I heard that you can't upgrade iPhone's while in it's "unlocked state", otherwise it will brick it.
7. Is there anyway Cingular (or anyone with access to my online account) can view my internet history? In other words, can someone look at what sites I've been visiting without physical access to the phone.
8. Are bluetooth keyboards compatible? Now, I'm not an expert in bluetooth, so I'm not exactly sure what a bluetooth keyboard does, but I assume it can act as a keyboard for your phone if your phone has bluetooth compatibility. Because I've tried texting with a demo phone at Cingular, and the results were terrible!
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1. No. But it is mandatory to activate the phone with at&t and iTunes to maximize its fullest potential (visual voicemail and regular updates)
2. Not sure. I've never had to use an Apple warranty yet. This is only my fourth Apple device.
3. ABSOLUTELY! But you can do some pretty cool things with a jailbroken phone.
4. You'll never be able to run the iPhone on Verizon. They use a completely different technology than at&t. T-Mobile is definitely an option though.
5. Not very high unless you're one of the hundreds of people that bricked their phones after update 1.1.1 came out.
6. Not sure. New iphones have bootloaders that prevent certain mods being performed. IF you phone is modified, you definitely want to avoid iTunes updates.
7. Absolutely. With the right technology, every site you've ever visited can be tracked.
8. No.