Im writing this quick guide because I just saw the most unbelievable thing for sale on Ebay. This guy is selling "Iphone Sim card removal tools" for £10 EACH and £5 postage. IS HE KIDDING!!!!!!!!! Someone needs to tell him that you can remove the sim card tray with a PAPERCLIP. Please Please Please if your tempted THINK about it first. Anyway here goes.............

DO always check that your buying a GENUINE iphone and not one of these crappy jap imports that LOOKS like an iphone (the CECT something) but trust me it AINT.

DONT be fooled into thinking that just because a periphial works on the iphone (1st gen) that it will work on iphone 3G because more often than not it WONT. I know cuz ihave had both. I think Apple meddled with the connection just enough to make you have to buy new equipment.

DO look around and dont just bid on the first one that takes your fancy. Some people seem to believe they can write their own check with an iphone.

DONT buy anything that tells you it will unlock and jailbreak your shiny new iphone 3G because it WONT (at least not yet). scout around the net with google and you will see that the software to perform this function isnt ready just yet but its not far off. Just because something worked on the 1st Gen model up to 1.1.4 does not mean it will work on the new one. The best you can hope for is that if you have a 1st Gen on v2.0 software then it MAY work but i have not personally tested this. The worst that can happen--- You have a lovely black shiny BRICK. be warned.

Do be aware of the fact that if you buy an unlocked and jailbroke iphone if you update the software then you will lose the unlock and probably wont be able to use your sim card in it. Be sure you know what software it is running and download a copy of Ziphone v3.0 if you can. One click to unlock heaven.

On the subject of Ziphone DONT pay for it. I just got stung by a company called iphoneunlocking to the tune of £22.99 to allow me to download this fantastic unlocking program or theirs only when you download it it AINT theirs its a copy of Ziphone and to add insult to injury its only v2.5. I already have v3.0 and it is FREE but please feel free to donate to Zibri if you have the means. He does a great job and we want him to keep doing it for the iphone 3G.

DO make sure when buying an iphone that it will work in the country you are planning to use it in. There are an awful lot of iphone sales coming from USA at the min and im pretty sure that at least some of the earlier models do NOT work in the UK.

Finally DONT forget 'If it looks to good to be true, it probably isnt true.

Thanks DAVE