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Question for you cell phone experts

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relic2279:

--- Quote from: Freedom Kira on September 07, 2010, 07:23:04 PM ---By the way, I had a company try to unlock my 5300 and they failed (tried the code twice, didn't unlock), and told me that I would have to pay $100 to send it in to hard-unlock it. Is that normal?
--- End quote ---
$100 to unlock a phone? That's insane. There is no such thing as a "hard unlock" that I'm aware of. It's all software. Hell, T-mobile will unlock your phone for free, no questions asked if you call them and simply ask nicely.


--- Quote ---Also, still want confirmation that the SIMlock/subsidy lock is on the mobo...

--- End quote ---

The subsidy/simlock would not fade your phone to black. Or shut it off. That's like your car not turning over when you turn the key, and thinking it's not turning over because you are out of gas. Even if you are out of gas, the engine should still turn over.

Freedom Kira:

--- Quote from: relic2279 on September 07, 2010, 07:46:29 PM ---$100 to unlock a phone? That's insane. There is no such thing as a "hard unlock" that I'm aware of. It's all software. Hell, T-mobile will unlock your phone for free, no questions asked if you call them and simply ask nicely.

--- End quote ---

But how would you unlock a hard-locked phone? That's what they were worried about, because the third try would hard-lock the phone and make it unusable.


--- Quote from: relic2279 on September 07, 2010, 07:46:29 PM ---The subsidy/simlock would not fade your phone to black. Or shut it off. That's like your car not turning over when you turn the key, and thinking it's not turning over because you are out of gas. Even if you are out of gas, the engine should still turn over.

--- End quote ---

I mean, is the SIMlock located on the mobo (and not the SIM reader)? So if I were to switch out the mobo for a new one, would I have to unlock it from the network the new mobo was on (if it is a used one)? I haven't taken the mobo out of the phone before so I don't know if the SIM reader is connected to the mobo or not.

daveLovesIt:

--- Quote from: Freedom Kira on September 08, 2010, 03:37:39 AM ---But how would you unlock a hard-locked phone? That's what they were worried about, because the third try would hard-lock the phone and make it unusable.

--- End quote ---

Same thing as sim-block when you put in a wrong PIN too many times. Either ring the network provider, or take it to a phone shop that knows what they are doing. The only reason I would imagine a network provider won't unblock a phone, it flags up as being reported stolen.

I'm almost certain this "hard-unlock" for $100 is a scam. What it probably means is, "I'll send it to my cousins shop, and he'll plug it into his PC; unlike me, he knows his stuff. Please pay my shipping fees." Thinking a phone cannot be unlocked because network codes don't work is like saying "I cannot copy my SAM file because Windows doesn't allow it."

Freedom Kira:
I had that feeling, yeah. What should I do with the 5300 then?

Side note, I grabbed the damaged phone for $20-ish USD, so about $27 USD with shipping.

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