Sim Lock is the capability built into GSM mobile phones for service providers to restrict the use of these phones to specific countries and network providers. Mobile phones can be locked to only accept SIM cards from specific :

• Countries (your phone will work in Singapore, but not Thailand)
• Network providers (T-Mobile, Maxis, Vodafone, Singtel, etc)
• Service providers (another name for network providers)
• SIM types (only specific SIM cards can be used with the phone).

Virtually all mobile phones are shipped with country and network provider locks, firmware installed on them which is specific to the network provider. If you have a Cingular phone, it displays the Cingular logo and supports only Cingular features. This firmware is installed by the service provider and is separate from the locking mechanism.

In UK, network providers are permitted to charge a fee for releasing the unlock code. You can also unlock a mobile phone to work with a different network, but you might need to have the master key or even upload a different firmware version, a procedure recommended for advanced users only.

Get help if you are not sure how to deal unlocking mobile phones. UniquePhones has been around for 5 years and has delivered over 2.9 million unlock codes to customers worldwide in 165 different countries. Because of their experience, you can now find unlock procedures for over 1,500 handsets from all of the leading manufacturers like Nokia, Motorola, Samsung and Sony Ericsson to name a few. Moreover, UniquePhones’ unlocking services are amongst the lowest available on the Internet, with prices starting from just $3.99 per handset.

Users will enjoy all 4 benefits of unlocked mobile phones.

1. increase the resale value of the mobile phone by up to 300% when you wanna sell it off
2. use any SIM card on any network in your phone to get cheaper tariffs from rival networks.
3. use local service providers while traveling to cut down the cost of calls and text messages.
4. enable dual, tri or quad band functionality to use the phone in more countries around the globe.

Perhaps the most common concern about phone unlocking is the legal aspect. As long as you own your handset, unlocking it is perfectly legal. The very fact that mobile phone manufacturers are required to supply unlocking information should be enough to convince you. So long as your handset does not remain property of your service provider (if you are on a contract, for instance), you are free to do as you wish with your phone.

UniquePhones
Mobile phone unlocking specialists

For 5 years, Everything USB has been a great special interest website following all the latest developments of Universal Serial Bus technology. As to how I see it, their website is divided into 5 major categories. Namely News, FAQs, Hardware, Software and Forum.

• News

Here’s the section where all the latest discoveries are posted. Sorted by descending date, each article is described along with a picture. The graphics gives readers a feel of the product.

• FAQs

Over here, one can find the answers to the 11 most frequently asked questions on the site. The question that sounded useful to me was Question No.2. Now I know how to identify PCs with USB 2.0 easily. Thanks to Everything USB!

• Hardware

The hardware section is again neatly divided into 6 different categories. Each category contains it’s own subcategory. The categories are

1. USB Essentials
2. USB Storage
3. USB Audio & Video
4. Portable Audio & Video
5. Input Devices
6. Other USB Adapters

• Software

Here, they talk about well known USB Applications. For the record, I have a post on Portable USB Apps over at this link . You can read about it and find handy applications that fit right into your little USB.

• Forum

From what I can see, the 3 most popular topics are

1. Mass Storage Solutions
2. USB Cables, Hosts, Hubs, Switches
3. MP3 Players & Portable Video Players

Like any other forums, registration is required. Generally, most topics of the threads are about comparisons and problems that have or may occur.

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