If you purchase an iPhone 3G at the Apple Online Store you can activate it with any wireless carrier. All you have to do is insert the SIM from the service provider of your choice into the iPhone 3G and activate it by connecting to iTunes 8. That statement makes most people who hate cellular phone contracts especially those that are locked to a particularly service provider very happy. Most people would much rather pay the full retail price for a cellular phone then get locked into a contract. If an iPhone 3Gs that were unlocked had been available when they purchased theirs they would have never committed to a long term contract in the first place just to get a better price.

However, there is some bad news to go along with the good news. One of the few places you can buy an unlocked iPhone is in Hong Kong. The first sentence in the first paragraph is a paraphrased version from the Hong Kong version of Apple’s online store, where the local people can now purchase the contract free unlocked version of the iPhone.

A 16GB one goes for about $798 which is only $100 or so shy of triple the $299 you’ll have to pay for the iPhone if you sign up for two years worth of AT&T service. However, people so hate locked cellular phones and contracts that it may still be tempting to them. Particularly if they may have plans to visit Hong Kong sometime in the near future anyhow.

However, many people already own an iPhone, and don’t need another one. In addition may people are already signed up with AT&T until sometime in the future. Therefore, the only advantage of an unlocked iPhone that is purchased in Hong Kong would be the possibility of using a prepaid SIM card when they’re in another country to avoid AT&T roaming fees. This may seem like an advantage at first but it may not be worth the $800 on top of the $299 they’ve already invested in the iPhone they already own.

Most people will still be pleased when AT&T begins to sell its contract free, retail priced iPhones and would be even more pleased if Apple were to sell an unlocked iPhone for use with any service provider. Most people don’t understand why they don’t already. Maybe they simply don’t see enough of a market, or the service providers that they are in cahoots with demand that only locked phones be available.

Click here to find unlocked cell phones and buy unlocked iphone.

If you think that when you buy iPhone, you will be simply getting a cool cell phone, then you are far from the truth. The iPhone is way more than that: it is an internet device, iPod and extraordinary phone all in one. The release of the first iPhone took the World by storm, but the latest 3G version is even more successful. What makes this smart phone so much better than anything we have seen before is the fact that you can always extend its functionality by downloading more and newer applications that will help you be more productive or give you more entertainment options.

If you live in the United States, then the easiest way to get an iPhone is to sign a contract with AT&T – you will have to pay for the phone, the first month fee and tax. Since Apple has signed an exclusive contract with AT&T, they are trying their best to prevent illegal use of their smart phones in the US; when you buy one from AT&T you cannot unlock it and use it with another provider legally; even though you might get it unlocked by the use of some software, this will immediately void your iPhone warranty. Another factor to consider is that if you want to buy it from an Apple retail store, you will have to have a two year contract with AT&T (for the 3G model), you must be over 18 years of age and credit check is required.

Of course, as long as you qualify, you can buy iPhone online as well; when buying from the Apples site, you are allowed to purchase only one per order, but the process is pretty straightforward. All you have to do is fill in your details – Apple will send them to AT&T for credit check and once that is out of the way, you will get your phone shipped to the address that you have provided and on the same address you will receive your monthly AT&T bill.

In Canada and some European countries, you will have to go through a similar process, but in most cases more than one provider will stock and sell it. Even though you cannot legally unlock iPhone that has been purchased from the US, you can still take it with you and use it overseas since AT&T provides a World Traveler service, which allows you to use the phone in more than 200 countries.

Of course many people want to buy iPhone and use it with any provider they wish, but you should understand that if you attempt to unlock it yourself, you might not be able to use it afterwards. Unlocking programs are sold virtually all over the Net and their authors claim that they work really well for 2G and 3G phones, but you might be wasting your money or even inflict damage to your phone. You should always buy iPhone from authorized sellers, which are the Apple retail stores, the Apple’s web site and the AT&T sores; use an online store locator that will help you find one near you and you can become a new iPhone owner right away.

Click here to buy iphone and here to buy unlocked iphone.

If you are looking to buy blackberry, then you most probably have been impressed by its slick design and multitude of useful and cool features. Of course, the different models come with different look, price and applications, but if there is one thing that they all have in common is the fact that owning one is a delight!

Even though blackberry has become a household name, only few people know that it is actually manufactured by a Canadian company, named Research in Motion; the company’s original idea was to design, build and sell a smart phone that is used mainly by the corporate user. Research in Motion spent countless hours trying to incorporate numerous technologies that allow emailing, messaging, use of calendars, organizers and other similar tools and once they manage to do exactly that, RIM started developing and refining the applications that came with that technology. Their final goal was to develop a sophisticated product that is great for any corporate user, regardless if he or she has any advanced computer skills or not.

Of course, quite some time has passed since the launch in 1999 and today everyone can buy blackberry and use it to make his or her life simpler and his work more productive. From all the features offered by this fantastic smart phone, apart from making phone calls of course, the capability to email and send instant messages is what gained the blackberry an enormous popularity; well, with the development of the smart phone technology, you can expect much more from the latest models: built-in browser, organizer, modem, and social networking are just a few of the exciting new features. Do you need directions while you drive? That isn’t a problem either – GPS navigator with voice and visual capabilities will show you how to get to the next town or find the classy restaurant to take your date to.

And if this isn’t enough incentive for you to buy blackberry, then there is more: the blackberry’s functionality can easily be extended with the numerous applications that you can download from the blackberry App World. And if you need some entertainment, then you won’t be disappointed either: music, video player, camera and audio recording, and streaming radio will keep you in a good mood or help you record those precious moments with your family and kids.

If you look a bit deeper into the technology behind the latest models, you will understand just how great this smart phone is; the push technology allows you to instantly get notified when a new email arrives to any of your email accounts. When you add the features like SMS, MMS, voice notes, extended battery life, multiple network and wi-fi support, large display, Bluetooth and the ability to type quickly and accurately on the keyboard, then it becomes more than obvious that if you buy blackberry, you won’t be disappointed at all. And last but not least, the slick design and the light weight make the blackberry one of the best smart phones sold today!

Click here to find unlocked cell phones and buy blackberry.

The two most popular cell phone technologies today are CDMA and GSM; a locked cell phone that uses CDMA carrier cannot be unlocked, while this is not necessarily the case for a GSM phone.

However, let’s define locked cell phone: the locked cell phone is “tied up” to a certain cell phone provider and cannot be used with a different one, unless it gets unlocked. The providers lock the phones in order to ensure their customers loyalty; the consumer will gladly buy a locked phone since they are usually much cheaper and you can even get a free phone with certain plans. As with everything else, there are pros and cons: once your phone is locked, you cannot switch providers before the end of your contract and in some cases even after that. The dissatisfaction of many consumers with the whole concept has led to a class action suit by the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR) in California in 2004.

A locked cell phone that uses GSM technology can become unlocked: in many instances this is only possible after the expiration of the contract. Yet again, it depends on way too many factors: the carrier, the model of the phone and the contract that you have signed. Since a locked cell phone can only be unlocked if you know a specific code, you will have to contact your carrier and ask them to reveal that code to you: some carriers will do just that, others will never give you the code and some will only do so under certain circumstances.

Unlocking your cell phone by using third party services is illegal in many countries, which is why you should do so only if you are certain that you are not breaking the law. The Internet offers a vast pool of information on how to turn a locked cell phone into unlocked, but keep in mind that attempting to do that on your own might render your cell phone useless. Unlocking calculators for certain brands of cell phones can also be found quite easily online; many websites offer such services either for free or for a small fee. Keep in mind that if you attempt to unlock your phone and enter the wrong code one too many times, it might get “hard locked” and you will have to take it to a service location.

However, even if you manage to turn your locked cell phone into an unlocked one, you might lose some services and features that you have gotten accustomed to like your GPS for example.

It is generally a pretty good idea to plan ahead and decide if you want to purchase a locked cell phone on a first place; unlocking it might be impossible, difficult or costly. Unlocked cell phones are in general quite a bit more expensive, which is why if you want to get the latest model at a very reasonable price and you don’t mind singing up a two year contract, then you might opt in for a locked cell phone.

Click here to find unlocked cell phones and buy unlocked iphone.

Most cell phones are sold by the service providers and they are “locked,” which means that the cell phone can only be used with that specific provider. This makes it impossible to switch between providers or use your phone while traveling overseas without paying for roaming services. Singing up a two year contract most certainly has its advantages since you are most likely getting a very cheap cell phone and good rates, but if another provider comes up with a much better offer, you can’t use a locked phone and simply switch to their services.

The unlocked cell phones, on the other hand, give you a great freedom of choice: you can use whichever provider you like or you can purchase a prepaid SIM card, if they are available in your country. The unlocked cell phones are usually sold by third party retailers or the phone manufacturers themselves; in fact many phone models are only sold unlocked.

You can also buy unlocked cell phones online – thousands of web sites and online shops sell unlocked cell phones and the prices can be quite good too; this is mainly due to the fact that the online shops don’t have to pay a lease in the mall or pay salaries to sales staff. Of course, when shopping online you should take a few precautions: you should purchase unlocked cell phones only from reputable and established sites, make sure that they offer at least some guarantee on your purchases and always keep in mind the posting and packaging costs before making any final decisions. If the phone is being shipped from another country, you might be liable for custom duty as well.

However, you will have to be aware that not all unlocked cell phones work with all providers; most providers use GSM technology, but they might use different frequency that is not supported by the phone that you have purchased. In most cases, though, all you have to do is purchase the unlocked phone, insert the SIM card in, and you are good to go.

Another difference between unlocked cell phones and the locked ones is that the latter usually come with a few extra services that are part of your contract and that you don’t have to pay for. If you have a locked phone, Web access and GPS might cost you nothing, but with your unlocked phone you might have to pay extra for them.

One more advantage of buying unlocked cell phones is that they are much easier to sell; in case you decide to buy the latest model that has just been released, you can easily sell your old unlocked cell phone since it is not tied up to any specific provider.

Owning an unlocked phone has certainly its advantages, which is why the regulations in many countries, especially in the EU have been changed to make switching between providers or at least unlocking the cell phones after the end of a contract much easier process.

Click here to find unlocked cell phones and buy unlocked iphone.