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Unlocked Cell Phone HELP NEEDED!

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koolmoecraig:

So I took the fat pay check that I received from iFilm and treated myself to a Sony Ericsson K790A phone.  Details can be seen here:

http://reviews.cnet.com/Sony_Ericsson_K790a/4505-6454_7-31762056.html

Anyway, when I go to get service on the phone(Cingular or T-Mobile), do I have to commit to a contract?  Can I just do month to month since I'm not getting their free phone?  If I do have to be on contract and they give me one of those free phones, can I sell it on Ebay as "unlocked"?  Also, I'm not grasping the whole SIM card thing.

Any help would be appreciated.  The phone is just so badass that I dove in without figuring out the details.

Thanks!

NightGod:

Yes, No (unless you want to pay per minute, rather than getting a monthly minute plan), Yes

SIM card is what "locks" the phone (and what connects you to the service provider). It's a little plastic memory chip that goes into your phone (usually underneath the battery). Until the SIM card is put in the phone, it's unlocked and can be used on any network. Once you put the SIM card in, the phone can't be switched to a different network (phone number can be changed by the provider)-there are ways to unlock some phones, but it's a twitchy process and doen't always work, sometimes it ends up frying the phone.

shardian:


--- Quote from: NightGod on October 24, 2006, 04:17:47 am ---Yes, No (unless you want to pay per minute, rather than getting a monthly minute plan), Yes

SIM card is what "locks" the phone (and what connects you to the service provider). It's a little plastic memory chip that goes into your phone (usually underneath the battery). Until the SIM card is put in the phone, it's unlocked and can be used on any network. Once you put the SIM card in, the phone can't be switched to a different network (phone number can be changed by the provider)-there are ways to unlock some phones, but it's a twitchy process and doen't always work, sometimes it ends up frying the phone.

--- End quote ---

I understood that the phones were locked by the phone manufacturer on a per order basis for the provider.
Nokia phones are super easy to unlock. Other phones...not so easy. I was given an LG phone from a friend, and I had to send it off to get it unlocked.

Lewis Black:


--- Quote from: NightGod on October 24, 2006, 04:17:47 am ---SIM card is what "locks" the phone (and what connects you to the service provider).
--- End quote ---

I am a pretty experienced Motorola cellphone tinkerer ('hacker' is a bit strong to describe myself) and this is actually untrue, the phone is locked in the firmware.   That is why 'unlocked phones' go for more than carrier-locked ones on ebay. 

A quick search at http://www.howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=37 will get you all you need to know.



Lewis Black:

:D

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