Welcome to the 411, my Q&A column answering all your questions about cell phones and cell phone accessories. I receive plenty of questions about these subjects via e-mail, so I figured many of you might have the same questions, too. At times, I might solicit answers from readers if I'm stumped. Send your questions and comments to me at nicole.lee@cnet.com. If you prefer to remain anonymous, let me know in the e-mail.
Nokia E71
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)Hi Nicole, I read CNET reviews from time to time and your team there is really helpful with great unbiased reviews. I am writing because I can't seem to find concrete information about using an unlocked smartphone. Like some people, I would like a smartphone, but do not want to carry a data plan and occasionally use e-mail and Web over Wi-Fi. I have read that buying an unlocked (smart)phone that is carrier-free can be used this way. But I have also read that companies (AT&T to be specific) can recognize even an unlocked smartphone not purchased from them, and automatically assign a data plan to the voice plan. I specifically want to buy a used unlocked Nokia E71, and get a SIM card with no contract or data plan. Can I do this, or do the new practices by carriers make that not possible? Any help is appreciated, thanks for your time.--Scott, via e-mail
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Blacksn0w
(Credit: GeoHot)iPhone OS hacker GeoHot released Blackra1n RC3 Tuesday, an updated jailbreak and unlock utility for the Apple iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch.
This version provides true carrier unlocking for iPhone OS 3.1.2 and baseband 05.11.07 by taking advantage of at+xemm crash exploit discovered by ih8sn0w.
The Blackra1n jailbreak process installs a new app--called Sn0w--onto an iPhone. It unlocks your iPhone, making it usable on any GSM carrier network. More information about the jailbreak can be found on GeoHot's blog.
Please note that by jailbreaking an iPhone, you may be violating your terms of service and voiding your warranty. CNET does not recommend jailbreaking; proceed at your own risk.
Sony Ericsson Aino
(Credit: Sony Ericsson)Just a few months after it was first announced, Sony Ericsson has officially launched the Aino in the U.S.
This unlocked GSM beauty boasts a crisp, 3-inch, 432x240, touch-screen display, plus a slide-out keypad, a 8.1-megapixel camera, compatibility with the PlayStation 3 console (plus support for Remote Play, Media Home, and Media Go features), tri-band HSPA, and even Wi-Fi.
It will cost you $600 upfront, but Sony Ericsson is throwing in a pair of stereo Bluetooth headphones, a charging base, and an 8GB microSD memory card to sweeten the deal. The Aino is currently available in Sony stores nationwide and from SonyStyle.com.
Until we get our own hands on it, read CNET Asia's full review of the Sony Ericsson Aino.
Welcome to the 411, my Q&A column answering all your questions about cell phones and cell phone accessories. I receive plenty of questions about these subjects via e-mail, so I figured many of you might have the same questions, too. At times, I might solicit answers from readers if I'm stumped. Send your questions and comments to me at nicole.lee@cnet.com. If you prefer to remain anonymous, let me know in the e-mail.
I really don't like having to sign any cell phone contract. If I buy an unlocked GSM phone, can I just pop in a SIM card and it'll work automatically?--Siri, via e-mail
Technically, yes, but it depends on the phone. If you really want to ensure that you can use the phone anywhere in the world, you should make sure it is a quad-band phone that is compatible with all four GSM bands (850, 900, 1,800, and 1,900MHz). Also note that even though you can make calls with it, most phones require you to activate a data or messaging plan with your carrier before you can use features such as MMS or e-mail. Kent German, a CNET senior editor, recently posted a quick how-to on activating MMS on unlocked phones, and you can ask your carrier if your phone requires more detailed settings. For the BlackBerry, for example, you need to know the APN or Access Point Name for your particular carrier to access the Internet. Here is a handy guide on how to enable full Internet access on the BlackBerry along with APNs of some of the more popular cellular providers. If our readers have any more tips on other platforms, please let tell us in the comments.
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The iPhone unlockers appear to have won another round, promising a simple iPhone 3G unlock in weeks.
(Credit: CNET)The iPhone Dev Team is promising a software unlock for the iPhone 3G by the end of 2008.
Back in October the iPhone Dev Team signaled they were getting close to their goal, and Tuesday they announced that a software download would be available on New Year's Eve. The iPhone 3G has presented problems for those looking for a simple way to use their phone on the mobile network of their choice after Apple fixed a loophole that left the original iPhone wide open to unlockers.
There are ways to manipulate the SIM card that comes with the iPhone 3G to use it on the network of your choice, but that's not something the average person should try at home. If you want to unlock your iPhone, you'll need to have jailbroken it first, and you'll have to have heeded the iPhone Dev Team's advice to avoid the iPhone 2.2 software update without applying a special patch first.
That's because Apple might be fighting back against the unlockers using the other platform it controls: the Mac. Several reports indicate that Apple's Mac OS X 10.5.6 update prevents popular jailbreaking tools like PwnageTool and QuickPwn from recognizing iPhones connected to Macs running the latest software.
The iPhone Dev Team thinks it's just a bug, but Ars Technica seems to think Apple knew exactly what it was doing. Unlocking and jailbreaking have lost a bit of their luster with the release of the iPhone around the world and the huge response to the App Store, but there will always be some group of users who doesn't want Apple or their local carrier to dictate how they use their phones.
Tuan Anh Do shows off an unlocked iPhone 3G at one of his cell phone repair shops in Hanoi.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CBS Interactive)Editor's note: CNET editor and Crave contributor Dong Ngo is spending the next month in his homeland of Vietnam, and plans to file occasional dispatches chronicling his impressions of how technology has permeated the culture there. Click here for more of Dong's stories from abroad.
HANOI, Vietnam--Every obstacle presents an opportunity. I saw this firsthand in Hanoi.
Tuan Anh's shop on Nguyen Du street.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CBS Interactive)The obstacle in question: the iPhone 3G. Since its launch, it has proven a much tougher nut to crack than the original iPhone. Without a viable software-based unlock solution, the only way to make the phone work with any GSM carrier has been the use of a proxy SIM. Put this piece of very thin circuitboard in the iPhone 3G atop the carrier's SIM, and you can make calls and text on a new network.
(I did experience some problems using the proxy SIM, including short battery life, instability, and, most seriously, incompatibility with iTunes.)
Unfortunately, the recently released 2.2 software update, for now, has made the iPhone 3G impossible to unlock--unless you happen to be in Hanoi. Here, I met a man who takes the job quite seriously and gets it done the hard way, literally.
His name is Tuan Anh Do, and he's a 29-year-old businessman who owns five cell phone repair shops. A big part of his business is servicing the iPhone and iPhone 3G, and that often involves getting those devices unlocked at the hardware level.
One of his shops is on Nguyen Du street, a relatively small, quiet block in Hanoi. It's located in a typically narrow four-story house, with one floor serving as a reception area, and another holding the accounting department. The top floor is the workshop, where the magic happens.
Here I witnessed a brand new iPhone 3G getting its hardware unlocked and was really impressed. This is how it happened.
... Read moreDespite the best efforts of Apple and AT&T, it appears that the latest version of the iPhone has been unlocked via the same method as used on the original iPhone.
A Brazilian blog, TechGuru, posted the first report of it. Gizmodo checked it out, and said the method involves using a special SIM card adapter. It tricks the phone into thinking it's on an approved network.
"This method forges the International Mobile Subscriber Identity, making the phone believe it's working in the network in which it's supposed to work," Gizmodo writes.
If you speak Portuguese, please enjoy the video demonstrating the working unlocked phone below:
iPhone 2.0 jailbreak imminent?
(Credit: iPhone Atlas)The release of a tool capable of unlocking first-generation iPhones for use on unofficial carriers as well as allowing full read/write access to the filesystem--thereby enabling installation of unofficial, "jailbreak" applications--is imminent.
The iPhone Dev team has posted a screenshot, seen below, of an iPhone running OS 2.0 with both the App Store (Apple's third-party application solution) and Installer.app (the unofficial third-party application solution) running side-by-side. The iPhone is also unlocked, per the MTS carrier logo -- MTS is an unsupported wireless carrier.
Another screenshot shows the tool "BootNeuter" loaded under iPhone OS 2.0. This utility allows users to fully unlock the iPhone for use on unauthorized carriers.
(Cross-posted from our sister site iPhone Atlas)
Unlock your iPhone here
(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)Though there's no shortage of places to buy an unlocked iPhone, I haven't seen many wireless stores that specialize in selling them. But last weekend, I came across a store in San Francisco's Civic Center (corner of Larkin and Golden Gate) that does just that. Not only will the store sell you an unlocked iPhone with the activation of a new T-Mobile account--all for just $299--but also it will unlock your current AT&T iPhone for you. Since it was Saturday and the day after Independence Day the store was closed, so I didn't get the opportunity to inquire about how many unlocked iPhones they sell. But I would imagine they do a decent business.
iPhone 3G
(Credit: Apple)
Q: If I buy an iPhone 3G in one country, can we then terminate the contract and reactivate in in another country with a local carrier?
--HSquared
A: If you buy an iPhone 3G, no one will stop you from canceling the service and paying an early termination fee to AT&T. Yet it's unlikely that you'll be able to take the same phone to another country and reactivate there. If you were successful in unlocking it from AT&T, it would certainly be possible to use it abroad, but good luck on finding an operator what would be willing to give you service. Personally, I'm not optimistic that a carrier in any iPhone 3G country would activate a former AT&T handset, particularly when they can sell you one of their own. Of course, you could buy a prepaid SIM card, but not all carriers may support prepaid iPhone service (for example, AT&T won't). And don't forget that while all iPhone 3Gs around the world will have the same specifications, handsets will be "branded" for their country of use. In short, you could make this work but you'll spend a lot of time and money making it happen. Even if you buy a non-contract iPhone 3G from AT&T, you'll be spending a lot of money up front. Why not just buy the iPhone in your chosen country?
For more iPhone 3G questions, see our FAQ. And by the way, have you heard how Rogers' iPhone 3G plans don't include unlimited data? That's pretty outrageous, and I hope our Canadian friends get a better deal.
Q: I have the old iPhone, but I don't have a Wi-Fi connection and I can't receive EDGE where I live. Will the iPhone 3G give me a better chance of receiving EDGE?
- Mik
A: The iPhone 3G won't increase your chances of getting EDGE if you don't get it already. Though cell phones do play a big part in your call quality reception, they won't dramatically increase your data coverage. Also, while the new iPhone is offering 3G, it doesn't offer an improved EDGE capability over the current model.
Q: I am a satisfied Sprint "Simply Everything" customer, but I'm an iPhone fan as well. I've read about software that allows you to unlock your iPhone, however, I'm afraid that if I unlock an iPhone and use it on Sprint's network, I'll lose functionality. Do you have any experience with unlocked iPhones?
--Sharon
A: If you unlock an iPhone and use it on another carrier like T-Mobile, you will lose the visual voice mail feature and the 3G support but the handset will operate just fine otherwise. The main caveat is any software updates from Apple will "lock" the phone again to AT&T, so you'll have to download those at your discretion. But in your case, Sharon, I'm getting ahead of myself. Even if you unlock the iPhone it will not work on Sprint's network because Sprint uses an incompatible technology.
Q: I have a cell phone with AT&T that is $40 per month plus an extra $10 per months for a second line for my son. Can I cancel my service and take over his second line? And if so, can I transfer my contacts and phone number to his phone? Can I just replace his SIM card with mine?
- Joan
A: The beauty of GSM phones is that you can transfer your phone number and your contacts from one handset to another simply by switching your SIM card. So if you ever want to use your son's phone as your own, you won't have a problem. Yet you won't be able to cancel your service without canceling his as well. Because his phone is a "second line," it can exist only if your service is still in place. So don't get any ideas about getting cell phone service for only $10 a month. Conversely, you could cancel his second line anytime you'd like but you you may be liable for an early termination fee for that second line.
Kent German, CNET's cell phones guru, answers your questions about cell phones, services, and accessories and reports on the state of the industry. Send him a question!. For past columns, check out the columns in the On Call archive
