[ youtube link ]
If you’ve picked up a GSM Pre with a QWERTY keyboard, chances are it came from Telefonica in Spain or O2 in UK or Ireland, and chances are it’s locked down tighter than, well, it’s likely not that tight, but tight enough that you can’t just throw any old SIM card in there and get to partying with other networks. No longer shall such things threaten your network-hopping schemes, as the Rebel Simcard II has been updated to work its magic with the Palm Pre. The Rebel Simcard works by slotting in between your desired SIM card and the phone, essentially fooling the phone into thinking the required SIM card has been plugged in.
Of course, you could get a Pre from O2 Germany and not have to deal with this workaround, but then you’ll have to work your way around a QWERTZ keyboard. Sadly, we also now know that while the GSM is Quad-Band, the UMTS is dual band 900/2100, which is to say it'll work here, but it won't do 3G. [via: Engadget]
By the by, it does appear that some folks have had some luck with genuinely unlocked Palm Pre phones from Spanish network Movistar.
Comments
Screw Pre, many of us have been waiting for the GSM version of it since the beginning of the year, some more, and yet they continue with that crappy exclusivity deal with Sprint.
Forget about it, I'm gonna buy a Droid or Cliq, both which are solid phones, well built and badass qwerty keyboard (a must-have for me).
I have used the Treo series since forever, and was looking forward to using the Pre, but the way Palm did, WebOS and Pre will die in 2010, considering your chances of getting one is very limited.
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