how do you get a 3G iPhone with 1.1.4 f/w?

even if these have all fallen off the back of a truck that s'posed to be delivering them to O2's online store(!) then they'd all be loaded with v2.0 surely?

sounds to me like these are all old stock of 1st gen iPhones that they're trying to shift by labelling them as "iPhone 3G"

Or, they've been downgraded to 1.1.4 so that existing unlocking tools work, and when the inevitable hack is released for 2.0, they will offer you this for "free"!

I don't know whether 1.1.4 would even run on the 3G iPhone, but I'd be surprised if it can't be fudged on.

The Mobistar PR states that the Jesus phone they'll be selling works on "any Belgian network", so is it a spin to avoid a rush of bloody foreigners (tm/(c) Daily Mail) coming to steal (oops buy, oops being rip off) all their precious iPhones; or are they actually locked to a +32 sim?

Don't count on me to put my precious Voda sim in one of those... (especially after looking at the traumatasing sim removal tool).

What's to stop the Belgians getting the 1 Europhone in Germany then getting their bicycles back?

The deal is that operators give you a "free" or cheap phone up front and you effectively repay them for subsidising the handset over the next 12/18/24 months of your contract.

"The deal is that operators give you a "free" or cheap phone up front and you effectively repay them for subsidising the handset over the next 12/18/24 months of your contract."

Yeah, but I'd hardly call a subsidised iPhone "cheap" nor "free"...

will also be simlock free and open, cost is €469 for 8GB from Vodafone.it and TIM.it. Preregistration is available on the afore sites, however you'll need a Codice Fiscale (Italian Tax financial traceability number issued by the dreaded Guardia di Finanzia). The Contract iPhone 3G's from the two ops will be authorised at home via iTunes 7.7 , as they can't work out how to do it in-store. Demand is huge. Lots of sheeple complaining about the typical two thousand four hundred US dollar cost over the 24 month contract time. network d/l limited to between .6 and 1GB/month, but the two ops haven't got much data experience. The third Italian operator, 3 (tre), is hopping mad at not being involved in fridays debacle/free-for-all and intends launching a 3 branded iPhone 3G for €90 euros , with a minimum top up of around €10/20 per month, to undercut the others. 3 actually knows about data networks!

last fascinating fact for those who wish to spend dosh, look up the Apple UK refurb store, go to iPod, and refresh the "refurb iPhone" tab every few days. Rumour has it that once world+dog has bought 3G , then they'll release the mountain of 'refurb' 2G and iPod touches which are mysteriously stockpiled in Milton Keynes? (I made the MK bit up)

Quite interesting that Wired takes a whole other view on this. http://news.wired.com/dynamic/stories/I/IPHONES_BELGIUM?SITE=WIRE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-07-09-13-07-16