Hey guys, my niece is 16 years old and she has an old mytouch phone that is broken so I want to buy her an iPhone as a gift. I know her parents have her on an AT&T plan. Can I just buy any unlocked iPhone and just give it to her and it will work? Or do I need to go through AT&T somehow to get the phone for her? Thanks for any help here, I'm not good with this stuff.
If it's a 3GS or older model, you should be able to swap out the SIM cards just fine. If it's an iPhone 4, you'll need to either buy a SIM card cutter (to trim the standard SIM in her MyTouch down to Micro SIM), or go through AT&T and get them to get her a new Micro SIM card.
I don't recommend any Android device to anyone. But if she's stuck on T-Mobile, I'd reckon Sensation or Galaxy S 4G are your best bets. Maybe take a look at the G2x since it's a pure Google device (no preloaded crapware apps that require Root to uninstall.)
I agree on Android being superior but not many teenage girls would agree. If she is okay with EDGE/WiFi, then maybe get her an unlocked iPhone. If not, then G2X or Sensation for sure.
I honestly wouldn't classify the g2x as a pure Google device... the Nexus S is a pure Google device... Rooting is about as simple as jail breaking.
I would say... if you're willing to spend the money... and you love her that much, then get her the iPhone 4 unlocked. (Might be cheaper to get on eBay, unless you want it brand new) As others have said, it won't have 3G... but that's about the only thing that it won't have.
By the time she gets it, she'll only want the iPhone 5 or nothing But honestly, your options are to get her an iPhone 4 that doesn't work properly on her network or to sign a contract for her on Verizon or AT&T. Of her two options, "nothing" is probably more compatible with reality.
I get the Iphone user who simply states: "Hey I don't mind that I use a technologically inferior product, but I don't care. I like its grade school ease of use, its crappy Itunes integration because I only use apple for music, and its b****in apps market that I pay more for than androids market for the same apps" But not the completely dilusional: "Nuh uhhh my Iphone competes spec wise and technology wise with the high end products of today" I needed a good apple laugh of the day.
Can I ask how old you are? I'm just curious because your rant 1.) was unprovoked, 2.) rooted in stereotypes, and 3.) the fact that you needed a "good apple laugh of the day" leaves your maturity in question. I'll take my technologically inferior (and 1 year old, but hey, lets not compare phones released at the same time) with grade school ease of use (darn, technology is making life easier, it's not supposed to work that way!) and crappy iTunes integration (because I'm way too dumb to double click an MP3 downloaded from Amazon to automatically add it to my iTunes library). Enjoy running anti-virus and anti-spyware on your smartphone like you do on a PC, your new awesome advertising model since Android users are so thrift that advertising is the only reliable source of revenue for developers, and having your private information sold to the highest bidder as Google silently victimizes you for all the information you give them all in the name of overspecced hardware and cheap, unvetted apps.
