What the Hell IS Unlocking a Phone!?

[MoDi10]

Ok, so there are thousands and THOUSANDS of threads on unlocking your T68i...I have that fone for T-MoBiLe...but I have no idea what unlocking is. And what is firmware? I'm pretty sure I have the newest firmware, because I got mine on Amazon.com for 25 bucks. Is there anyone that can tell me what all this stuff means? What are its benefits?! And is it truly necessary!? Lastly, are there any hidden games on the T68i? Please tell me if you find any. Thanks a lot. HOLL@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

[ZaphodB]

Originally posted by: MoDi10
Ok, so there are thousands and THOUSANDS of threads on unlocking your T68i...I have that fone for T-MoBiLe...but I have no idea what unlocking is. And what is firmware? I'm pretty sure I have the newest firmware, because I got mine on Amazon.com for 25 bucks. Is there anyone that can tell me what all this stuff means? What are its benefits?! And is it truly necessary!? Lastly, are there any hidden games on the T68i? Please tell me if you find any. Thanks a lot. HOLL@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Your T68i is 'locked' to T-Mobile, meaning that if you were to switch to Cingular GSM or AT&T GSM, or take the phone overseas and buy a SIM card there, you wouldn't be able to use it. Unlocking means entering the code (called a subsidy unlock code or a SIM-unlock code) required to give you the ability to put another company's SIM card in it.

Only GSM companies (T-Mobile, AT&T's new network, and some Cingular markets) have SIM cards - no one else has SIM cards except Nextel, and theirs aren't compatible with anyone else's.

If you have been a customer for 2 months (this is flexible), you can send e-mail to simunlock (at) t-mobile (punto) com with your phone's model (T68i) and IMEI (serial) number, your account number, and tell them you are going overseas and want to use a local SIM card and need the unlock code. You can get the IMEI by turning on your phone and pressing *#06# - it is a 15-digit number and is also located under the battery.

Firmware is the computer programming that makes your phone operate. It's called 'firmware' because it's stored on a chip in the phone instead of on something akin to a hard drive or floppy drive or SIM card. Where you got your phone doesn't matter - you can get phones with old firmware from Amazon, depends what they have in stock. It doesn't REALLY matter what your firmware is unless there's been a feature upgrade, which as far as I know, there hasn't been.

There are no hidden games on T68i handsets.

[MoDi10]

Whoa, thank u so much. I'm finally beginning to understand all this stuff. I really appreciate it. Anyway, if anyone out there knows great sites for the T68i as far as games, accessories, and all that stuff, lemme know. Also, my biggest question at tha moment: What is the best device for Bluetooth with my PC? I want a USB adapter for bluetooth, but I'm not sure if it'll work w/ my Windows XP computer. It's a PIII, 800 Mhz, all that stuff. Someone let me know on the best device out right now. Price is pretty important. I'm not really lookin to spend beyond 40-50 bucks unless it's completely necessary. Thanks in advance![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

[DBZGokuKS]

The D-Link DBT-120 (D-Link Page) is one that I've heard to be pretty good. Bluetooth adapters aren't very popular yet, so you might not be able to find one at your local Best Buy or CompUSA. You might need to buy it online. The aforementioned D-Link is $49 from D-Link's website. If you want a list of all Bluetooth adapters for PC, here's the official list.

~KS

[fjellhamar]

Hi there. have a slightly different story about unlocking. Have AT&T t68i which I got unlocket and I'm using it on my t-mobile program. Works well.
But, I cannot use this phone for GPRS (fast data transmission) because the firmware in AT&T's t68 i phone is different from the firmware in T-mobil's t68i phone.
Does anyone know if there is a fix for this???