Evan Lovely's Site

I have an iPhone 3G in Montana with a (406) area code phone number that I brought over from Verizon (the phone number, not the iPhone) with me about a year ago. It works great! It took a little bit of work to get it rolling, but it's actually not too hard. If you're willing to jump through a few hoops, I'll explain in plain English how to get the coolest piece of technology in existence.

Before we begin, a minor background on the situation for the uninitiated. iPhones are currently only sold in the US on AT&T. AT&T is not available in Montana. The main option here is Verizon Wireless, which most of the Montanans I know have. The reason you can't get an iPhone on Verizon is because the iPhone & AT&T "speaks" GSM and Verizon & it's phones "speak" CDMA. However, Cellular One is in Montana and does "speak" GSM, so you can get an iPhone on Montana's Cell One. To allow an iPhone to get on a cell carrier that speaks it's language (GSM), there is a process called "unlocking" that allows your phone to get on any network. Unlocking is not illegal.

So, here's what you need to do to get an iPhone in Montana.

1. Buy an iPhone. In order of preferred method: ask your friends, check the Craigslist for your area, or buy one off eBay. It doesn't have to be an "unlocked" one you see frequently on eBay. That just means that the next step is taken care of for you, which is the hardest, but still doable.
2. Unlock it. So there'...