April 2nd, 2009
It was almost a month ago when I first wrote about my idea for the ghetto iPhone, Since then, I’ve done A LOT of research. And what I’ve found is that, it pretty much can’t be done. At least, not right now. The fundamental problem always comes down to wireless broadband access. The reason that the original ghetto iPhone idea (iPod Touch + Boost Mobile wireless broadband service) held some water is because of the low cost of Boost Mobile’s service. But I haven’t found any reliable way to access Boost Mobile’s data network and share it with another device. A similar idea I researched was to use an iPod Touch with the soon-to-be released Novatel MiFi 2200. But the problem with this setup is the cost of wireless data for the MiFi. Savings over a basic iPhone plan would be nominal at best. I found some information about swapping an iPhone’s SIM card with the SIM card from an AT&T GoPhone. Apparently, people have done this with ease. But last fall, AT&T stopped offering unlimited 3G data plans for GoPhones. And that’d make the cost of operating an iPhone in this way to be prohibitive. Based on an e-mail and a Twitter conversation I had with David, I looked into the possibility of using an unlocked iPhone on T-Mobile’s network. T-Mobile actually has the most reasonably-priced wireless data plan of all of the carriers in my area. But there seem to be conflicting reports as to how well iPhones actually work with T-Mobile’s network. Apparently, T-Mobile’s network and AT&T’s network (the network the iPhone is designed to work with) work off of different frequencies. So it’s more likely that a T-Mobile-ready iPhone would only ever get EDGE service instead of the faster 3G. And I’m a bit squeamish over this unlocking business. So, the T-Mobile route isn’t really any good, either.
And all of that brings me to an announcement: I’m gettin’ an iPhone! That’s right. I’m just gonna do it. If it turns out that I can’t afford the monthly rate plan, I’ll simply cancel the contract, sell the phone on eBay and probably make a little money in the end. Apple is selling refurbished 3G iPhones right now at pretty reasonable prices. So, why not? I’m going to order the phone this weekend, after the new, lower-priced cell phone plan I signed up for kicks in. Just to see if I might be able to carry that voice plan over to the iPhone. AT&T will probably kick it out, but it’s worth it to wait a couple days to give it a try.
Getting back to the ghetto iPhone: Keep in mind that the iPod Touch will officially get Bluetooth support this summer. I’m curious to see what comes of that. I still say that some type of Bluetooth tethering to a cell phone’s Internet connection (again, thinking of Boost Mobile) would be a great way to actually give rise to the ghetto iPhone. When I wrote my first entry on the subject, the iPod Touch’s Bluetooth chip hadn’t officially been acknowledged by Apple. So, the upcoming upgrade is a step in the right direction.
Hopefully, my time as a ghetto iPhone scientist is done. But if I can’t keep up with the iPhone payments, I’ll probably be back in the lab soon enough.
April 2nd, 2009 at 8:25 am
I am so excited that you’re getting an iPhone! I can’t wait to see what color you get.
Sorry your idea for a ghetto iPhone didn’t work out. I’m sure it’ll be possible in the future though, by which I mean, what we currently call an iPhone will become a ghetto iPhone when a much more advanced phone is released.
April 2nd, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Getting the iPhone through AT&T is the easier way. If it gets too expensive, you can always cancel your contract and try one of the other ways. Then eBay can always be an option just like you said. I wonder what a jailbroken iPhone 3G that’s not under contract goes for these days.
April 2nd, 2009 at 12:59 pm
I’ll be getting the black iPhone, Wesley. It’s the only color AT&T offers for refurb’d models.
And the iPhone aftermarket is nuts, David. Used phones that aren’t even jailbroken sell for anywhere from $300 – $400. Maybe more. It dawns on me that a good way for anyone to scrape together some quick cash would be to get an iPhone under contract, wait a month, cancel the contract and then sell the phone on eBay.
April 6th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
Or get a Nokia S60 phone and install JoikuSpot. Converts your 3G into WiFi…
April 10th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
Thans for the tip, Arashi. After I posted this entry, I learned that someone I know in Australia is already doing that.
August 22nd, 2009 at 5:44 pm
It seems as if the ghetto iPhone can be used in Korea. Check out the article here: http://www.web20asia.com/267