Questions before attempting the unlock
First and foremost. To the brilliant hackers who liberated this wonderful product, I say thank you.
Anyhoo. I have already purchased an iPhone but I have yet to receive it since I am not in the US. But I have been browsing these forums ever since the Dev team announced their unlock. To be perfectly frank, the vast amount of information is overwhelming. There are so many guides, errors and pieces of software that it can get confusing. I wouldn't call myself an idiot and I can follow instructions pretty well. But many of them use terms that many people have no clue what they mean. Many of us simply are not very technically gifted like you are. I have some questions, because I really dread messing up this phone. I want to try to understand as much as I can before I even get near the phone.
1. Which guide provides the highest success rates for unlocking?
2. Are the unlock procedures different for a phone that has never been used, versus one that has already been activated on AT&T? If so, can anyone link to a guide that provides instructions for a never used phone.
3. Is unlocking easier on the Mac or PC? Which software is more reliable and effective? I have access to either.
4. What version of iTunes gives stress free unlocking?
5. Can you use any sim card after unlocking or are you tied to the sim card you used in the unlock procedure?
6. Can you use a prepaid SIM from any carrier in an unlocked phone? I use a carrier called Cable and Wireless in my country. Their prepaid SIMs work in all unlocked phones I have purchased so far. I am hoping that continues.
7. Is EDGE the same as GPRS? Neither of the carriers in my country provide EDGE service as far as I know but I get free GPRS on my service. Its not a deal breaker for me if it doesn't work cause GPRS sucks.
8. All guides so far indicate that you need a Wi-Fi connection. I'm assuming so that you can download some software from the Internet. What if you don't have a Wireless Access Point or Router? Can you use Internet connection sharing (computer to computer) to give the iPhone the necessary wireless access?
9. Can I buy you a Heineken or a Guinness?
I ask these questions because even the fool proof guides dn't mention those issues. Many thanks for your answers.