OK - this page clears a lot of this up.
The phone/SMS app crashing is NOT a TurboSIM or activation-related issue, but a localization issue with 1.1.2 which is obviously designed now to work in countries outside the US. Follow the link below for more info from the iphone elite wiki (or google "iphone elite" and search for "fix crashing phone")
(remove the spaces):
http://c o d e . g o o g l e . c o m/p/iphone-elite/wiki/fix_crashing_phone_sms_apps