iPhone Sync using Linux Ubuntu 9.04

Hi. I have just switched to Linux OS, Ubuntu 9.04. I have had multiple issues with Windows XP being crash happy and virus ridden. Finally sick of the Microsoft Corporation's BS, I installed Ubuntu no less than a month ago. I have backed up all of my music, videos, pictures, even my mobile apps for my iPod touch. Now I recently received my sister's old iPhone 3G, since she got the newer iPhone 3G S. The sim card is deactivated(I prefer it that way; Like an iPod Touch 2nd Gen, only with a camera, a stronger/faster Wi-Fi antenna, built in microphone, and external speaker rather than internal, plus the vibration alert for push notifications). I then found out that Linux and iTunes version 9 are incompatible with one another, and so far, I have only barely succeeded in installing iTunes using Wine(a Windows emulator that installs a simulated C:\ drive that is looped to that operating system's own desktop and main user directories, such as the Music, Videos, Pictures, and Documents file folders), and even that fails to work, with iTunes having "error 5" and can't start because the installation needs to be repaired. I'd like to know if there can either be a solution to installing via the use of Wine, or a separate downloadable version of iTunes for Ubuntu. If you'd like to know why I don't just use a Mac instead, I suggest you look into my EMPTY WALLET. I have heard that iTunes will easily work from a Virtual Machine that installs Windows on a separate partition, and i have attempted to do just that, only to find that Windows AGAIN pulled more BS out from it's *** and required a product key to validate a version of XP (install disk is from before Service Packs 1, 2, & 3) so outdated that I don't even want to waste time on it. Can anyone help me?