It is now easier than ever to use Straight Talk’s popular $45 unlimited talk, text and data pre-paid plan with your AT&T or unlocked iPhone.

Part 1: Ordering the SIM and Service

Go to http://straighttalksim.com/shop.php

Click Buy Now

Select AT&T Compatible Phone
If you have an iPhone 3 or 3G, select Straight Talk SIM Card
If you have an iPhone 4 or 4S, select Straight Talk Micro SIM Card

Enter your ZIP code

Click Continue

Read the fine print and select Continue

Verify the type of SIM is correct (either AT&T SIM or AT&T Micro SIM)
Click Select SIM Card

Under the SIM and service bundle option, click Add To Cart
NOTE: At this time, you must purchase the bundle. You cannot purchase the SIM without the required service plan, because you need this service to activate the SIM. 

Verify the contents of your shopping cart and click Proceed To Checkout

Select the FedEx 3 Day shipping method
NOTE: As of this writing, Straight Talk is offering a free shipping promotion on all SIM purchases. The discount will appear at checkout.

Enter your shipping and payment information and click Next Step

Review your order details and click Submit Order

Part 2: Activating Your Service

When your SIM arrives, follow the included instructions and go to the activation website: https://www.straighttalk.com/Activate

NOTE: here is where you must choose to either get a new number or transfer an existing number (you cannot change your mind later)
NOTE: when the website says “Activating your phone”, they also mean “Activating your SIM”
NOTE: when asked for your phone’s serial number, use the one printed on the red activation card — not your iPhone’s serial number

When your online activation is complete, insert the SIM card into your phone

When you see that cellular service is active, try making a phone call or sending a text message

To enable data on your phone automatically, open and activate this configuration file: http://bit.ly/straighttalkmobileconfig

Alternatively, if you don’t have a WiFi data connection, you can enable data on your iPhone manually under Settings > General > Network > Cellular Data Network

For the APN, enter: att.mvno

If you have any issues accessing data after importing the mobileconfig or updating the APN, reboot your phone.

If you continue to have issues, review the detailed information on this wiki.

FAQ

Q. I originally signed up with a new number, but now I want to transfer/port my existing number. Is it still possible?

A. You must Straight Talk customer service (877-430-2355) and explain the situation. They will most likely have to send you a new SIM card, and you will have to repeat the activation procedure.

Q. Is data truly unlimited under the $45 prepaid “unlimited” plan?

A. No. If you use a lot of data (>2GB) per month, you may get a notice from Straight Talk. If you continue use an excessive amount of data, they may terminate your service. FWIW, I use my phone a lot, and I have never run into an issue.

Q. How do I get MMS to work with Straight Talk on my iPhone?

A. Because you cannot modify these settings easily from the default Settings application, you will need to jailbreak your phone or use other roundabout procedures to get MMS to work. For more details, see the wiki. Or just use email and iMessage, like I do.

It’s that time of year again, when Dell refreshes their server configurations with new components. This time around, the previous “Mainstream SSD” solid-state storage options have been replaced with new, vaguely-named “Value MLC” parts:

100GB Solid State Drive SATA Value MLC 3G 2.5in HotPlug Drive-Limited Warranty Only [$1,007.00]
200GB Solid State Drive SATA Value MLC 3G 2.5in HotPlug Drive-Limited Warranty Only [$1,870.00]

While there are few technical details to be found on Dell’s website, I was able to confirm the identity of the OEM drives: they are the new Samsung SM825 drives.

I haven’t had much time to test the new drives, but initial benchmarks using Oracle ORION are in line with the manufacturers’ specs:

For technical details and more than enough marketing double-speak, head to Samsung’s product page (warning: annoying auto-play video ahead).

Here’s my take on the changes:

Resist the knee-jerk reaction to be turned-off by the MLC designation: you’ll find the same eMLC NAND components in the class-leading Fusion-io ioDrives and IBM’s POWER7 servers. Samsung gives these drives the same MTBF rating as the previous-generation SS805 SLC drives — not that MTBF is terribly useful. Regardless, you’re still deploying these with some type of software or hardware redundancy, right?

This change beefs up the lowest of Dell’s three SSD tiers by doubling IOPS and capacity at the same price points:

• Light Speed: 100GB, 200GB Samsung SM825 2.5″ SATA SSDs
• Ridiculous Speed: 149GB Pliant Lightning LB 2.5″ SAS SSDs
• Ludicrous Speed: 320GB, 640GB and 1.28TB Fusion-io ioDrives

All three are excellent offerings, and I’ve seen many a customer nearly faint in disbelief at the real-world performance increases they’ve brought to their servers. They all have their own benefits and trade-offs (price, performance, manageability, etc.), and the best choice will be dictated by your specific workload — and wallet.

Updated 2/7/12: This morning, Straight Talk began selling SIM cards and service without the need for a hardware purchase. It is now easier than ever to use Straight Talk’s popular $45 unlimited talk, text and data pre-paid plan with your AT&T or unlocked iPhone. For details, see this post.

What would you say to an unlimited plan for $45 per month? With no contracts? Running on the same nationwide AT&T network? Do I have your attention yet? Introducing Straight Talk’s unlimited plan:

That’s a savings of over $70 per month from AT&T’s postpaid offerings, and you’ll be free of any contracts. There was little doubt that it was possible, but I can now confirm that there are no issues using the new iPhone 4S with the $45 unlimited everything (talk, text, data) Straight Talk prepaid plan. This doozie of a deal has been around for quite a while, but it’s worth a quick review for those who haven’t heard about it before.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Any iPhone that works with AT&T. It doesn’t even have to be unlocked, because we’ll be using Straight Talk’s AT&T-powered MVNO.
• A Straight Talk smartphone. I recommend the Nokia E71, because it has been widely tested and confirmed to contain the correct TF64PSIMC4 SIM for use with the AT&T MVNO. Those in a rush can pay a premium for the smartphones available at your local Walmart, or you can order a refurbished E71 from their website for $99 $49 with free shipping.

The procedure is quite straightforward:

• Activate your Straight Talk smartphone from their website with the included SIM.
• Verify that your Straight Talk smartphone can make an outgoing call.
• If you’re using the iPhone 4 or 4S, take our that SIM and punch it down to size. (If you don’t already have one, I have had good luck with this inexpensive Noosy micro SIM cutter.)
• Pop that slimmed-down SIM into your iPhone. It will take a moment to acquire service, after which you should see “HOME” displayed in the carrier field.
• To enable Internet access, email yourself this configuration file and open it. (If you don’t trust me, go to unlockit.co.nz or help.benm.at and generate your own configuration file using att.mvno as the APN.)
• Done. Enjoy the same AT&T service for a new, low price.

Not too difficult, right? As always, there are a few other caveats worth mentioning:

• If you’re going to port your number from your current carrier, do so when you first activate the phone. You will not be able to do so after you’ve activated the SIM.
• If you want to use “classic” MMS with this plan, you’ll need to jailbreak your phone. I didn’t bother, because I only send pictures via iMessage or email.
• Don’t push it with the “unlimited” data consumption. I’m certain they monitor your bandwidth, and I guarantee there’s some fine print somewhere that says that unlimited is actually quasi-limited. Just use your phone as a smartphone, and don’t go nuts with tethering and BitTorrent, and you should be fine.
• I know you’re tempted to unload that unused Straight Talk smartphone on eBay or Craigslist. Resist the temptation. If you ever need to deal with Straight Talk support, they may require you to use their handset to duplicate the issue. The cost of the phone is a small price to pay, and it will pay for itself in just a few months of savings.

All things considered, it’s an excellent deal.

Is anyone else using Straight Talk with their iPhone? What are your thoughts?