Re: [tlug] WiMax for mobile internet?

[Jim Breen <jimbreen@example.com>]

On 24 January 2013 10:41, Darren Cook <darren@example.com> wrote:
>>>  1. Softbank data-hodai contract (the 2-year contract is up soon, and I
>>> do not intend to get a new phone from Softbank, partly because my
>>> current android phone is good enough, partly that I really, really
>>> dislike that it is locked and I cannot put in a local SIM when visiting
>>> another country.)
>>
>> Out of curiosity, why can't you just get it unlocked?
>
> Ignorance! Is it possible to do it without damaging the phone, or
> affecting the way it works with Softbank? (E.g. I'm happy to just update
> the android version when told to, I don't want to think about those
> details... perhaps I'm confusing that with root-ing the phone? Are they
> separate things?)

They are separate things. For unlocking you can buy an unlocking code
from one of the many outfits flogging them. I think I had to provide my
IMEI, so it's probably some sort of a hash. Once I had the unlocking code,
I had to put in a blocked SIM in (e.g. a supermarket free empty prepaid), it
asked for the unlock key, and it was unlocked. The unlocking even survived
a "factory reset". AFAIK it has nothing to do with the way it would work
with Softbank. Mine continued to work with Telstra, and worked in France
with an Orange SIM.

Rooting is a quite different exercise, as it's basically hacking into the OS,
usually by using special drivers. Unlocking is (just) exercising standard
phone features, which are there in any phones; not just smart ones.

HTH

Jim
-- 
Jim Breen
Adjunct Snr Research Fellow, Japanese Studies Centre, Monash University