iPhone "tech" support questions

[A&A]

I was hoping there was an iPhone expert that could help me answer some "tech" questions having to do with "jailbreak" and "unlock".

I have an older 3g phone (not the oldest models of iphone, but older).

Anyway, I had mistakenly "upgraded" to iOS 4.0.2 before finally jailbreaking and unlocking. I got all that to work (redsn0w and all that), but my phone is super slow to the point of unusable.

I was wondering if its possible to:

1. Downgrade to an iOS prior to 4.0? Even if I had not jailbroken before 4.0.2

2. Unjailbreak my phone and re-jailbreak in 4.0.2? (I want to remove some of the options I said yes to like "multi-tasking" and backgrounds to see if this helps the speed issue) However, when I try to "restore" itunes asks me to install 4.2 for which I believe there is no "unlock".

3. Can and should I just update to 4.2 and jailbreak and unlock?

4. Use it as a nice new toy for my 14 month old to toss around? (Its that painful to use.)

Thanks and sorry for all the "tech talk" (which should be a maybe a forum folder/thread header).

feel free to either post or pm me.

 

[Sleuth]

If you have the iPhone 3G and not the 3GS, you should be able to downgrade. Some good instructions are here: http://www.iphonehacks.com/2010/07/how-to-downgrade-iphone-3g-from-ios-4-to-iphone-os-3-1-3.html

I had the same problem with my old 3G and downgraded it to make it usable. I never tried 4.2, but according to jailbreakmatrix, that version can be jailbroken and unlocked:

http://jailbreakmatrix.com/iPhone-iTouch-Jailbreak

 

[A&A]

Sleuth:

Well after about 5 hours, the website you suggested and countless YouTube videos made by 15 year old kids around the world on "How to jailbreak", "Unlock", "enter DFU mode" and so forth, I finally did it.

Downgraded a 3G from 4.0.2 to 3.1.3 and it is unlocked and using a Claro SIM.

I am hoping this speeds things up.

Only thing now is my Contacts list is wiped off phone, and no apps other than factory installs and Cydia. I think i can restore contacts but I fear the apps may not be compatible. I will see.

If anyone wants some help or questions let me know.

There is one *hang up* in the Sleuth post if you are using a PC. Instead of ALT key at Restore, it is SHIFT key + Restore.

 

[MacDaddy]

Just for future reference, for others who may be reading this thread:

The iPhone 3G runs iOS4 interminably slow (as the OP discovered the hard way).
[There's even a class-action lawsuit pending against Apple for this; some are claiming that it's an underhanded way of forcing those with older hardware to upgrade to the iPhone 4. I think that might be tinfoil-hat territory, but to each his own. In their defence, Apple did release a patch with iOS 4.1 and above that addresses some of the problems running iOS4 on 3G's.]

Anyway, the upshot is that if you have older hardware, stick with iOS 3.1.3. If you have a 3GS, then go ahead and upgrade to iOS4.