Buying iphone 3GS (unlocked and Jailbroken) for 200-250 USD....Good Idea ??

raksrules

raksrules

Elite
I had previously considered getting the iPhone 4 but the unlock thing is really not software based and i don't want the hassle of gevey SIM etc etc. So i have decided to get the iPhone 3GS. This phone is for my wife and hence NOT for a power user or user who cares about dual cores and Operating system. I have a heard a lot about the Iphone OS (iOS) usability from a novice user's perspective. Someone who does not care much about tinkering with the phone and figuring things out. If at all any tinkering is required, i will do for her.

So here are my queries

1. Is the iPhone 3GS used at 200-250 USD for a unlocked and jailbroken a good price ??

2. Are all iPhone 3GS, all baseband / firmware etc software unlockable (no gevey/turbo SIM) ??

3. Does the latest version if iOS (i.e iOS 5) work fine with 3GS and can the phone still be unlocked and jailbroken ?

4. How is the performance of iOS5 on 3GS, lags etc ??

5. Is this phone a candidate for a non power user wanting a touchscreen phone.

6. Do all apps that work on iPhone 4/4S also work on 3GS ? Lower screen resolution hinders anything from apps not running ?

7. Does the iPhone 3GS use a regular SIM or a Micro SIM ?

8. Does the iPhone 3GS unlocked / jailbroken with iPad baseband have GPS issues ? If yes then what ??

PS: I have had other phones in mind like the captivate but i don't want her to go the android way as i know she finds it bit difficult using it. (i have a ZTE Blade)

Please take your time to answer them and guide me more.
 
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Check out the features and speed of iOS5 on 3GS - iOS5 on Iphone 3GS Full Feature Demo - YouTube

Should iPhone 3GS owners upgrade to iOS 5? (Ask Maggie) | Signal Strength - CNET News

Some users have horrible battery life after upgrading 3GS to iOS5.

And any Iphone 3GS on iOS4 can be software jailbroken and unlocked, basically when you unlock a iphone 3GS, the baseband is upgraded to 6.15 (thats the baseband from an iPad)

and things are looking good for 3 GS and iOS5 as well.. but wait for few days for users to try it out...

Unlock iPhone 4, 3GS iOS 5 with Ultrasn0w Tomorrow - Jailbreak 5 / 4.3.5 / 4.3.1 / 4.3.2 / 4.3.3 / 4.3.4 Untethered - iPad 2 Jailbreak

PS: These are just links and references , wait for an actual user to post more details.
 
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thats a hit or miss, depends on your luck... Although the problem occurred only on few devices but the cause was not triaged when I sold my iphone 3g last year to avoid this problem

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk
 
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I have figured out that most of the iPhone 3GS selling on ebay.com or craigslist are most probably unlocked with their baseband updated to 6.xx which is an iPad baseband and this screws up the GPS i guess.

Is it possible for me to buy an AT&T locked iPhone 3GS and unlock / Jailbreak myself while PRESERVING the baseband ??? If yes then please point me to some tutorials for the same and what all locked phones (which baseband i mean) are eligible for the unlock / jailbreak with preserving the baseband.
 
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raksrules said:
I have figured out that most of the iPhone 3GS selling on ebay.com or craigslist are most probably unlocked with their baseband updated to 6.xx which is an iPad baseband and this screws up the GPS i guess.

Is it possible for me to buy an AT&T locked iPhone 3GS and unlock / Jailbreak myself while PRESERVING the baseband ??? If yes then please point me to some tutorials for the same and what all locked phones (which baseband i mean) are eligible for the unlock / jailbreak with preserving the baseband.
Click to expand...

The reason the Unlock upgrades the baseband to 6.15 because the Iphone 3GS basebands releases for the past one year are not unlockable.

So you upgrade to iPad's baseband and then unlock it.

If you get a new Iphone 3GS from att, the only way to unlock them would be to upgrade to 6.15 again.

Try to get the unlocked iphone 3GS from ebay/craiglist or some other local source and confirm with the user before buying if GPS works as for majority of the iphone's GPS works fine after a unlock.
 
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