let apple pay for using AT&T . every other carrier sell their expensive phones to us eon any network. it is that the technology worth more than it's $500 us price. so you will still pay for it on AT&T. Get a Sony p900 or a Treio phone unlock, they can do hat the iphone can do. what the hackers can do is create the zoom software for the p900 or the trio to allow the phones to zoom the same way as the iphone, this will end the i phone.

Like most people that have either bought one or want one, I like the look of the iPhone and its gimmick value.

I have real phones/ pda's for useful stuff, but I like my pointless pretty toys - the one thing I'd like somebody to clear up is the following:

Having read about the geeks trying to 'hack' the iPhone but only opening features that essentially turn it into a $600 ipod, wouldn't the actual telephone part work fine in countries outside of the US?

The iPhone is quad band, so, for example, if you had one on a contract in the US and came to the UK, it would most likely register onto the Vodafone or O2 network on roaming. If it does that (as it will have to connect to one of the networks here with the US being on stupid 1900), why can't you use it as a phone in the UK (or other country) on a different network if you don't care about the other features?

Is it like these cheap 'Pay As You Go' handsets which require the actual networks' sim-card to be installed to function? Otherwise, couldn't I get one offline and just use it outside of the US as a phone?

Any ideas?

Apple has their agreement with AT&T, but they don't make any more money off the iPhone after the sale. I don't think Apple will mind when someone cracks the iPhone, making it more appealing to people who will buy only when AT&T isn't involved, or at least non-contractually so.

Nav, the problem with a non-unlocked iPhone outside the US is that you will pay 10x the money to roam on O2 or Orange or Voda. Once unlocked, you can pop in any SIM and use the local network at local rates, and even get a prepaid US plan from tMobile. And the benefit to enabling the iPhone without the phone is using the wifi capabilities without a monthly plan. The iPhone is still the best pocket internet device out there, and that makes it worth the money even without a phone.

The best option in my mind is still failing the AT&T credit check and going prepaid with goPhone, except for those annoying balance messages (anyone crack that yet?).