i looked at the prices and im thinking of buyng in singapore the iphone 4 at istudio, only to use the phone in europe do i need jailbraiked or unlocked(these two terms) one? whats the difference?

iPhones from singapore are factory unlocked. No need for Jailbreak or Unlock - can use any micro-sim. Jailbreak is when you want to install free apps or customize you phone that you cant do with Apple's programs. Unlocking is something you do after you Jailbreak so you can use any carrier. There is a Jailbreak for 4.1 OS but no unlock available yet. You shouldnt have a problem anyway since your's will be factory unlocked already.

Will be cheaper to buy from the US (perhaps ebay) and have delivered to Thailand by UPS.

Mine was.

US locked. avoid like the plague. HK is the cheapest/

Consider the warranty validity. Will iPhone from USA or, say the UK, get warranty service if needed? My almost-new USA Nokia not warranty covered in certified Nokia center in Phuket.

do they sell in taiwan(how is it price wise) also and is it the factory unlocked one ?????

Will be cheaper to buy from the US (perhaps ebay) and have delivered to Thailand by UPS.

Mine was.

US phones are locked - AVOID!!! What it means is that with every software update, your phone re-locks.

Buy in Singapore, it's the 2nd cheapest price for an unlocked new iPhone 4 in the world after Hong Kong. I think the warranty is still only going to be good in Singapore, which is lame. Then again, Singapore has excellent service - generally speaking. If you buy it from an authorized Apple dealer I am pretty sure they'd do service via mail. I once bought a bad memory stick at one of the Apple dealers there. Sent them back the faulty RAM, they sent me a new one along with a written apology.

>>>>>i looked at the prices and im thinking of buyng in singapore the iphone 4 at istudio, only to use the phone in europe do i need jailbraiked or unlocked(these two terms) one? whats the difference? <<<<<<

Killerk .... "Locked" iPhones mean that they can only work with a particular network. In the past the US iPhones were locked into AT&T. The prices for these locked iPhones are cheaper because the network carrier (AT&T in the case of the US) subsidizes the price of the iPhone.

"Jailbroken" means that the "locked" iphone is hacked by a software program which allows it to work with any other network.

As mentioned by another poster here, if you have a "jailbroken" iPhone and you update the OS (which you will want to do about every 6-12 months) ... it removes the software hack and then you have to hack it again with a new software program to "jailbreak" it again.

"Unlocked" iPhones of course means that it will work with any carrier. So the unlocked iPhones are the most hassle free. But of course they are more expensive because they are not subsidized by any carrier.

You need to be careful when you buy your iPhone ... particularly in Bangkok and elsewhere from the non-authorized Apple resellers because some of them will sell the "jailbroken" phones, telling you that they are "unlocked" (at the higher "unlocked" prices) and you won't be able to tell the difference until you upgrade the OS a few months later and the phone stops working.

Very interesting thread.

This answers my long sought question about the difference buying an iPhone from an authorized phone carrier or an non-autorized seller.

Thanks to dtrain5000, nikster and rogerdee123.

Anybody traveling to Singapore to get me one

>>>>>i looked at the prices and im thinking of buyng in singapore the iphone 4 at istudio, only to use the phone in europe do i need jailbraiked or unlocked(these two terms) one? whats the difference? <<<<<<

Killerk .... "Locked" iPhones mean that they can only work with a particular network. In the past the US iPhones were locked into AT&T. The prices for these locked iPhones are cheaper because the network carrier (AT&T in the case of the US) subsidizes the price of the iPhone.

"Jailbroken" means that the "locked" iphone is hacked by a software program which allows it to work with any other network.

As mentioned by another poster here, if you have a "jailbroken" iPhone and you update the OS (which you will want to do about every 6-12 months) ... it removes the software hack and then you have to hack it again with a new software program to "jailbreak" it again.

"Unlocked" iPhones of course means that it will work with any carrier. So the unlocked iPhones are the most hassle free. But of course they are more expensive because they are not subsidized by any carrier.

You need to be careful when you buy your iPhone ... particularly in Bangkok and elsewhere from the non-authorized Apple resellers because some of them will sell the "jailbroken" phones, telling you that they are "unlocked" (at the higher "unlocked" prices) and you won't be able to tell the difference until you upgrade the OS a few months later and the phone stops working.

Actually "jailbroken" does not mean it is unlocked. The term "jailbroken" means that the software has been hacked to allow you to install 3rd party apps, not from the official Apple App Store. People jailbreak their factory unlocked phone so that they can use unofficial apps to improve the functions. You do, however, need to jailbreak before you can unlock.