| From: |
"Lewis G Rosenthal" <os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com> |
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| Subject: |
Re: [OS2Wireless] OT?? cell phones |
| Date: |
Sun, 04 Oct 2009 15:13:54 -0400 |
| To: |
OS/2 Wireless Users Mailing List <os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com> |
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Hi, Ray...
On 10/03/09 05:18 pm, Ray Davison thus wrote :
Hey, it is wireless, and I couldn't find any place else to take the question.
When a cell phone is locked to a carrier, what is locked, the phone or the SIM. I always thought it was the phone because they are sold as locked or unlocked. If so, then what is this?
http://www.b2cshop24.com/en/turbo-sim-unlock-card-for-gsm-cell-mobile-no-need-to-cut.html I have several Motorola, GSM that I want to unlock from AT&T. I own them. And I have extra SIMs. Is AT&T required to unlock them if I request?
Without belaboring this highly-OT discussion <gr>, and following onto what others have said, the following might be of some help:
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/how-to-tech/how-to-unlock-cell-phone.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIM_lock
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DMCA
http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/24/know-your-rights-is-it-illegal-to-unlock-my-iphone/
http://thetravelinsider.info/roadwarriorcontent/unlockingfaq.htm
http://www.publicknowledge.org/node/2156
Note that the exemption added to the DMCA in 2006 which allows for the lawful unlocking of cellular devices sunsets next month (November, 2009); I know of no pending motion in Congress to extend it, and the findings of the May, 2009 Copyright Office hearings are supposedly not scheduled to be delivered to the Librarian of Congress until 28 October.
I also know of no law which *compels* a carrier to unlock any phone.
The carrier logo is irrespective of the locked or unlocked nature, and merely provided by the firmware upon bootup. Thus, if you were to flash a particular phone with another carrier's image (and it didn't brick the thing entirely, as these often do), you would get to see that carrier's logo upon bootup.
Disclaimer:
I use a toothbrush, but I'm not a dentist.
I can sometimes fix an electric toothbrush, but I'm still not a dentist (or an electrical engineer).
I try to obey the laws of the United States, but I'm not an attorney.
I have *never* personally unlocked a cell phone - any cell phone - nor have I obtained nor distributed the tools or information necessary to accomplish such a task.
Where there's a will, there's usually a way.
and finally...
This discussion is so far OT for this list, that OT, TOT, and RTOT barely can begin to describe it. :-)
Anyway, HTH. There are *lots* of good sites for this type of discussion with people with undoubtedly much more experience with these things than the vast majority of those on this list. I like http://www.engadget.com/ & http://pdaphonehome.com/ , both of which have some good forums frequented by more than just the usual 13-year-olds.
HTH
--
Lewis
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Lewis G Rosenthal, CNA, CLP, CLE
Rosenthal & Rosenthal, LLC www.2rosenthals.com
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