I used this website to unlock 4 of my phones so I don't need to buy new ones and get locked into contracts. It also lets me have a backup phone if one of mine breaks. woo hoo.
It took me a little time before I figured out how to input the "pw" from the codes, but if you toggle thru the + (or maybe it was #) they show up.

let me know if you need any help.


http://unlock.nokiafree.org/

are 'backup' phones like 'backup' cds?

explain "locked"

I don't have a Nokia but I have a Samsung. There's a company we use here, and the last time we went there, he charged me $20 a phone to unlock.

Cotton, basically, when you unlock a phone, you're releasing the phone from the place you bought it from. For example, if you bought a phone from T-Mobile and you've got your sim card in it, and then you decide to go to London, you can pop in a London-bought (whether it be Vodafone, Orange or whatever) sim card into your phone, and bam, you're in business (vs. paying your former carrier's long distance fees). Basically it allows you to move from provider to provider.

oh. i'm cool on that.

Service providers lock phones (some providers) in an attempt to keep you from taking thier discounted phone and then going to someone else, which means the new provider doesn't start off in the hole (by discounting you a phone). The lock is on the programming, so that you can't program it to be another number, or to look for another guy's towers. They are generally algorithms into which you feed your 11-digit serial #.

i never heard of an american providor that doesn't lock 'em

(deleted because I'm an idiot)

that's why I posted the above link so you could unlock them yourself for free.

(I unlocked all mine.)

Verizon locked its prepay, but not regular phones. At least during the 3 years I was there. But that was rare - you're correct.

I was searching for this thread to find my link, and for some reason it appears to not be in here, so I went and found it and am posting it for anyone's use.

(and primarily my own future use in case I lose the bookmark.)

http://unlock.nokiafree.org/

Explain "cell phone."