The iPhone has been at the center of attention in the cell phone world for quite some time.  While many other phones have come out to compete against the iPhone (some more successful than others), the iPhone has reigned supreme.  Featuring a state-of-the-art touch screen, tons and tons of user-made and professional apps, and of course a multimedia functions, the iPhone has stolen the hearts of techies around the world.

Getting an unlocked iPhone can prove to be a hard task however.  The new iPhone 3GS model has yet to be hacked through the means of software and so in order to unlock a preexisting iPhone you need to use 3rd part SIM cards or hardware.  Because of this set back, if you’re interested  in buying an unlocked iPhone, you have to result to websites selling them new in the box.

One of the most popular sites to buy an unlocked 3GS iPhone is eBay.  The prices of an unlocked iPhone are astronomically high and are almost twice as much as a one found obtained with a new contract.  Yes, people are paying over $800 for the unlocked 32 GB model.  The high demand and low availability of the unlocked version of the iPhone has a played a major role in the price.

If you don’t want to pay $800 for the unlocked model, you’ll have to consider other websites that sell 3rd party hardware that will unlock the phone for you.  These 3rd party devices either attach to existing SIM card in the phone or replaces the SIM card altogether and are able to unlock the iPhone.  As a disclaimer, some of these devices have been known to disable or damage the phone and so research should be done before using one these units.

Finally, if you don’t want to worry about damaging your iPhone or paying trumped up prices for a new unlocked iPhone, the best thing you can do is wait.  Within a few months, software hackers should come out with something that will allow you to unlock your phone.  While this isn’t the “best” way to unlock an iPhone, it will definitely lower the prices on eBay and other auction sites when it does happen.  So, even if you aren’t going to use the software yourself, you can at least buy a new one for hundreds of dollars less.