[ale] OT, Cell phone unlocked.

[John Mills]

Seconded.

I have two phones I bought with T-mobile pay-as-you-go accounts and later 
unlocked. I still use them mostly with the original T-mobile acounts.

T-mobile had clear and reasonable policies for unlocking: a minimum period 
of use of the account (I think it was 6 months then) and to have purchased 
some service on the account within a specified time of my unlocking 
request. T-mobile tech support was 100% up-front about the terms, and 
provided both the codes and instructions for the unlocking. (There was a 
24-hr delay in the process, of which I was also informed.)  I had tried a 
couple of the free on-line unlock-code calculators but their instructions 
were not the same as T-mobile's and the codes did not work.

CAREFUL: Some cell phones only allow a certain number (3-5) of failed 
unlocking attempts, after which they "brick" themselves pernamently. Get 
T-mobile's help first if you can.

DISCLAIMER: I'm fairly ignorant when it comes to cell phone technology.

  - Mills

On Sat, 24 Oct 2009, Brian Stanaland wrote:

> Call T-mobile tech support. T-mobile tends to be pretty open. At least
> compared to the other carriers. I know a few people who've gotten unlock
> codes on subsidized Blackberrys after 6 months. T-mobile also worked hard to
> fix a problem with voice mail on iPhones after one of Apple's updates. And
> you can't even buy an iPhone from T-mobile.

>>> On Fri, 2009-10-23 at 15:50 -0400, Atlanta Geek wrote:
>>>> I seem to have lost my AT&T cell phone.  I found my old tmobile phone
>>>> and would like to get it unlocked so i can put an AT&T sim in it.
>>>> anyone know of a place I can get my phone unlocked in the North
>>>> Atlanta area.