Special Report: Using an iPhone in Ireland
30/09/07 15:38
Our experiences setting up the iPhone with our carrier...
[For updated information on the launch of the iPhone in Ireland- see this page]
We have been using an iPhone in Ireland for the last three weeks and so thought we would share our experiences in setting up the iPhone and using it with our Vodafone account.
Firstly, the background. We bought an iPhone in the US in September, having read stories of users being able to hack the phone and use a SIM card from a carrier other than AT&T, Apple's US cellphone partner. However we were unsure if this would work successfully. We just decided that it was worth the risk. We were going to be asked about it by our clients and it was worth investigating the options.
The model of iPhone purchased came with firmware version 1.0.2 installed. This is currently the last version which can be hacked, and if we update it to Apple's recently released 1.1.1 firmware, this would undo the unlocking process.
This process involved two main steps. The first was to allow the software to be installed to activate the phone; the second part was to unlock the phone for use with our Irish phone SIM card.
At the start, when you turn on a new iPhone, you are presented with a mesage on the screen which asks you to connect the iPhone to iTunes. This is because Apple want to guide you through the activation process with AT&T. We needed to avoid this step as there is currently no way to complete the process of iTunes activation in Ireland or the UK.
We followed steps set out on this site (see the Mac section). Unlockiphoneworldwide.com was invaluable as these steps formed the core of our unlocking process. The only part we didn't follow was the last section. Here is what we did, step by step (including where we differed from their instructions):
1/ We downloaded a program called iNdepdndence from this site. iNdepdendence allows you to activate the iPhone, thereby allowing you to use all other non-phone features. It bypasses the iTunes activation step, effectively turning your iPhone into an iPod touch. We could connect our iPhone to our wireless network, browse the web etc. This was essential to continue with the unlocking process. as we needed to transfer files from a Mac to your iPhone via our wireless connection.
2/ The next step was to install AppTapp (see here), an application which installs a program called "Installer" on your iPhone. The AppTapp installed on our Mac and took us through the steps. Once complete we saw a new icon called "Installer" on the iPhone. After tapping on it, following ther steps and an iPhone restart, a new blue icon appeared in the bottom row of the iPhone icons. Installer is one of the best gadgets for the iPhone- we applaud the developers for this work as it really is a gem. Installer looks for software from a number of internet sources and allows you to download and install their applications to the iPhone. It is so simple to use, and a real triumph in usability
3/ The next step was to install "Community Sources" within the new Installer application. Installer lists all available software, so this is just a matter of choosing it from a list and tapping on the install button. After an iPhone restart, the software in on the iPhone. "Community Sources" not visible as it places necessary files in the background to enable communication with your Mac. Next we did the same with two other applications called "BSD Subsystem" and "Open SSH". After installing all three applications through "Installer", we were ready to move on.
4/ We now ran the Terminal test listed on the Unlockiphoneworldwide.com page. This confirmed that we had a connection between our Mac and iPhone over our wireless network.
5/ At this stage we tried the SIM unlock application recommended by Unlockiphoneworldwide.com, but without success. We managed to install it on the iPhone, but it didn't unlock our iPhone for use with a Vodafone SIM. It reported that it couldn't unlock our SIM. So instead we followed their guidelines, but installed anySIM, a very simple an nicely put together application for the iPhone. This worked for us, and unlocked our iPhone. We could then use a Vodafone card.
We now had an unlocked iPhone, with a wireless internet connection. There were tow pieces left to complete- connection to the Vodafone GPRS network and setting up a form of voicemail.
6/ We followed the Unlockiphoneworldwide.com steps to enable the Voicemail button. In the US, iPhone users have a feature called "Visual voicemail". This is not possible with an unlocked iPhone in Ireland or the UK for the simple reason that this is a carrier-enabled feature and will only be available to iPhones connected to AT&T (or O2 in the UK in November). However we did need to set up our iPhone to use the "Voicemail" button for another purpose, which was to set it to dial "171", the Vodafone Ireland voicemail number. This way, when we tap on the Voicemail button, instead of seeing our visual voicemail menu, we dial into our Vodafone voicemail. Following the Unlockiphoneworldwide.com steps worked perfectly.
7/ The last step was our Edge or GPRS settings. This was to allow us to connect to the Vodafone data network where we weren't connected to a Wi-Fi network. Again we followed the Unlockiphoneworldwide.com steps (only step 2-4 of their Edge setup is necessary), but replaced their settings with the following:
APN: live.vodafone.com (or isp.vodafone.ie - ask Vodafone which one to use for your own data bundle)
Username: vodafone
Password: vodafone
This was a very simple step as we had done this in the past for other phones such as our Palm Treo. Just be careful here. Be sure to sign up to Vodafone's GPRS data plan [see our story here]; otherwise you will be in for a shock with your next bill as data is expensive if you don't sign up for an inclusive data plan.
And that was it. We now have a fully functioning iPhone, with phone, iPod, internet and all other facilities. We will write about our experiences later this week, such as what we like and what we don't so far.
Simon Spence/2007
[For updated information on the launch of the iPhone in Ireland- see this page]
We have been using an iPhone in Ireland for the last three weeks and so thought we would share our experiences in setting up the iPhone and using it with our Vodafone account.
Firstly, the background. We bought an iPhone in the US in September, having read stories of users being able to hack the phone and use a SIM card from a carrier other than AT&T, Apple's US cellphone partner. However we were unsure if this would work successfully. We just decided that it was worth the risk. We were going to be asked about it by our clients and it was worth investigating the options.
The model of iPhone purchased came with firmware version 1.0.2 installed. This is currently the last version which can be hacked, and if we update it to Apple's recently released 1.1.1 firmware, this would undo the unlocking process.
This process involved two main steps. The first was to allow the software to be installed to activate the phone; the second part was to unlock the phone for use with our Irish phone SIM card.
At the start, when you turn on a new iPhone, you are presented with a mesage on the screen which asks you to connect the iPhone to iTunes. This is because Apple want to guide you through the activation process with AT&T. We needed to avoid this step as there is currently no way to complete the process of iTunes activation in Ireland or the UK.
We followed steps set out on this site (see the Mac section). Unlockiphoneworldwide.com was invaluable as these steps formed the core of our unlocking process. The only part we didn't follow was the last section. Here is what we did, step by step (including where we differed from their instructions):
1/ We downloaded a program called iNdepdndence from this site. iNdepdendence allows you to activate the iPhone, thereby allowing you to use all other non-phone features. It bypasses the iTunes activation step, effectively turning your iPhone into an iPod touch. We could connect our iPhone to our wireless network, browse the web etc. This was essential to continue with the unlocking process. as we needed to transfer files from a Mac to your iPhone via our wireless connection.
2/ The next step was to install AppTapp (see here), an application which installs a program called "Installer" on your iPhone. The AppTapp installed on our Mac and took us through the steps. Once complete we saw a new icon called "Installer" on the iPhone. After tapping on it, following ther steps and an iPhone restart, a new blue icon appeared in the bottom row of the iPhone icons. Installer is one of the best gadgets for the iPhone- we applaud the developers for this work as it really is a gem. Installer looks for software from a number of internet sources and allows you to download and install their applications to the iPhone. It is so simple to use, and a real triumph in usability
3/ The next step was to install "Community Sources" within the new Installer application. Installer lists all available software, so this is just a matter of choosing it from a list and tapping on the install button. After an iPhone restart, the software in on the iPhone. "Community Sources" not visible as it places necessary files in the background to enable communication with your Mac. Next we did the same with two other applications called "BSD Subsystem" and "Open SSH". After installing all three applications through "Installer", we were ready to move on.
4/ We now ran the Terminal test listed on the Unlockiphoneworldwide.com page. This confirmed that we had a connection between our Mac and iPhone over our wireless network.
5/ At this stage we tried the SIM unlock application recommended by Unlockiphoneworldwide.com, but without success. We managed to install it on the iPhone, but it didn't unlock our iPhone for use with a Vodafone SIM. It reported that it couldn't unlock our SIM. So instead we followed their guidelines, but installed anySIM, a very simple an nicely put together application for the iPhone. This worked for us, and unlocked our iPhone. We could then use a Vodafone card.
We now had an unlocked iPhone, with a wireless internet connection. There were tow pieces left to complete- connection to the Vodafone GPRS network and setting up a form of voicemail.
6/ We followed the Unlockiphoneworldwide.com steps to enable the Voicemail button. In the US, iPhone users have a feature called "Visual voicemail". This is not possible with an unlocked iPhone in Ireland or the UK for the simple reason that this is a carrier-enabled feature and will only be available to iPhones connected to AT&T (or O2 in the UK in November). However we did need to set up our iPhone to use the "Voicemail" button for another purpose, which was to set it to dial "171", the Vodafone Ireland voicemail number. This way, when we tap on the Voicemail button, instead of seeing our visual voicemail menu, we dial into our Vodafone voicemail. Following the Unlockiphoneworldwide.com steps worked perfectly.
7/ The last step was our Edge or GPRS settings. This was to allow us to connect to the Vodafone data network where we weren't connected to a Wi-Fi network. Again we followed the Unlockiphoneworldwide.com steps (only step 2-4 of their Edge setup is necessary), but replaced their settings with the following:
APN: live.vodafone.com (or isp.vodafone.ie - ask Vodafone which one to use for your own data bundle)
Username: vodafone
Password: vodafone
This was a very simple step as we had done this in the past for other phones such as our Palm Treo. Just be careful here. Be sure to sign up to Vodafone's GPRS data plan [see our story here]; otherwise you will be in for a shock with your next bill as data is expensive if you don't sign up for an inclusive data plan.
And that was it. We now have a fully functioning iPhone, with phone, iPod, internet and all other facilities. We will write about our experiences later this week, such as what we like and what we don't so far.
Simon Spence/2007
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