Verizon iPhones? - iPhone 3G

harobiking · 04-20-2008, 10:55 PM

My friend is currently on verizon can he purchase an iPhone from the apple store and unlock it using ziphine or can he not because verizon does not use sim cards?

Plz respond

fourtheye28 · 04-20-2008, 11:04 PM

You answered your own question...no sim card...no go. Sorry.

dturner · 04-20-2008, 11:23 PM

That is a shame, but you have to have a sim card.
When your friends contract is up make the switch. He/she will have the best phone currently on the market and with June and SDK fast approaching it is only going to get better.

Staszek · 04-21-2008, 01:35 AM

Its not only the sim even if Verizon had a sim its a CDMA network, currently the iphone is GSM only.

ColsTiger · 04-21-2008, 04:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by harobiking

My friend is currently on verizon can he purchase an iPhone from the apple store and unlock it using ziphine or can he not because verizon does not use sim cards?

Plz respond

Completely different technologies. Not compatible.

Youngbinks · 04-21-2008, 04:29 AM

The iPhone is also set to stay solely GSM for at least 4 more years so I would just recommend he switches to a GSM carrier once his current contract expires.

ColsTiger · 04-21-2008, 04:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Youngbinks

The iPhone is also set to stay solely GSM for at least 4 more years so I would just recommend he switches to a GSM carrier once his current contract expires.

well it will probably stay a GSM phone, but the original agreement was that Apple wouldn't produce a CDMA version for the first five years. That leaves out Verizon and Sprint. Of course the CDMA carriers will eventually shift to the new version of GSM (LTE) within the next five - eight years.

iphoneconnie · 04-21-2008, 06:30 AM

I got so much better reception in my area with Verizon, but I do think AT&T is getting better although I do still get dropped calls and less service area than with Verizon. I travel frequently with friends who all have Verizon and they always seem to get reception where I don't. I think Verizon has the better coverage. Too bad

.

ColsTiger · 04-21-2008, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iphoneconnie

I got so much better reception in my area with Verizon, but I do think AT&T is getting better although I do still get dropped calls and less service area than with Verizon. I travel frequently with friends who all have Verizon and they always seem to get reception where I don't. I think Verizon has the better coverage. Too bad

.

CDMA doesn't require as many towers as GSM. While GSM has better quality when there are towers nearby, it requires a tower every seven miles to maintain a good signal. You can ride on an interstate and see the GSM towers on the side of the road every seven miles. So with that in mind, you can only expect a good GSM signal to be good for about 3.5 - 4 miles from the tower.

electoman · 04-21-2008, 01:34 PM

I recently did some work in rural Georgia. My team carried Nextel phones (company issued) and I provided a Cingular (now at&t) data card for the foreman's laptop. The work was for Verizon. What we discovered was Nextel was useless most everwhere we went. I carried an 8525 at the time. I had no issues with coverage anywhere I went. My foreman had to email me in order for me to know what was going as his data card would work everywhere he went. I think that Verizon has a broader coverage area but, my experience with Cingular (now at&t) has been very good. Given the choice between hanging with Verizon or getting an iPhone and switching to at&t, I would have to go with at&t.

A side note, I have a friend that switched from at&t to T-Mobile and he states that his coverage is ok but not nearly as extensive as before. He wishes he had stayed with at&t. Of course, it is always a matter of personal preference.