I have been on the foorum for quite a few hours now and the amount of information is staggering.

Well done to the admin and mods for this great resource.

<rant mode on>
Not so well done to all the people who cant be bothered to read the existing threads and search, unfortunately this is causing the forum for get cluttered with enormous amounts of crap that is, ironically, resulting in n00bs asking the same questions or replying without adequate knowledge (and therefore often confusing issues).

Anyway i hope the admin and mods are aware of this and are thinking of addressing this, so that it continues to be a good as it can be. Again, well done on a great resource.
<rant mode off>

So back to my question.....

There are two very different sections, namely software unlocking and sim unlocking. I will be buying an iPhone soon and hope to land a 1.1.2 OTB (uk). I have researched the jailbreak and think that the iClarified site provides a great n00b guide (now with added video).

The question of unlocking then arises. Now im not that bothered and if i have to i'll opt for the o2 tarrif, but clearly if i can use my existing vodafone card in it i would be a lot happier

Some people are carrying out HW unlocks on the 1.1.2, some are using sims and some are waiting for the sw solution to come out (if and when etc).

So my question is this....

If someone didnt feel comfortable in opening the phone and carrying out the physical HW unlock procedure, and someone didnt mind paying for a sim solution ....

..... what disadvantages are there in opting for a sim solution over the other method(s)?

cheers

R
(n00b on a steep learning curve)

I don't really think there is any disadvantages in particular.

First of all, you don't make a change to the baseband, so if the shit ever hits the fan, it's easier to revert to factory settings if you need it repaired at apple. i.e keeping the warranty.

Secondly, it's ten times easier than opening the phone.. (Saves you damaging it, cosmetics and vital stuff)

Thirdly, the only disadvantage is it costs money. I suggest you get iPhoneSimFreer. Their customer support might be rubbish. And they seem a little immature. Although what they sell is all you need. I've sold 10+ phones with an iPhoneSimFreer, and I've yet to hear a complaint (touchwood).

My advice, go for a sim solution. It keeps your warranty. It's also safer if you don't have technical skills.

Although that's up to you

i went the *sim route also, but at the time hardware method wasn't out yet. so i actually thought about doing the hardware method but my phone already works, and there aint a damn thing wrong with it. everything works, there isn't 1 thing that doesn't work, its completly customized, and i can make phone calls. what more could u ask for in your iphone?

took 5 seconds to install the sim solution also, hardware method takes hours if not days and could lead to you haveing NO phone at all in the end if you fuck up. not work my risk but i suck at stuff like that anyway