This thread has info and means to get legally unlocked phones from countries where the possibility might exist. Just the basics now (from Wikipedia and a PalmCentral's post) feel free to add.
Checklist for importing an "sim-unlocked" Pre:
1. DATA CONNECTION CONFIGURATION (APN): Is your carrier's data pre-configured? (check current tested list here, thanks to Dakis)
2. PALM PROFILE ACTIVATION: Is the Palm Profile activated (by importer) or can you do it (with data connection or bypassed with WebOS Internals Meta Doctor)?
3. 3G BAND COMPATBILITY: Does your carrier use same 3G bands as device?
Check page 3 of this thread for discussion on last two points...
4. WEIRD FOREIGN KEYBOARD LAYOUT: Can you live with different keyboard layout (although it is possible to change key assignments. e.g. pushing a Z on a QWERTZ keyboard will give you a Y, as if it were QWERTY)
SIMLOCKING/EXCLUSIVITY laws and practices (or network selling unlocked) from (wikipedia)
Germany - O2 is exclusive dealer, but sells unlocked Pres without a contract.
Spain - In 1998, the Spanish telecom regulator
Comision del Mercado de las Telecommunicaciones, saw that Spanish mobile carriers already provided unlocking codes voluntarily for fee within the first 12 months and for free after 12 months, so CMT decided not to put any legal framework in Spain.CMT has not revisited this decision since then, therefore there are no simlocking laws in Spain.
Movistar sells locked QWERTY Pres. Apparently it is possible to unlock with IMEI (legality unknown); see post in this thread here[/URL].
UK - In the United Kingdom, mobile phone network providers don't have to provide unlocking codes at all even after the end of the contract. Most operators offer some form of voluntary unlocking service, depending on the state of the contract and the model of phone, but usually for a charge. The full
Oftel 2002 SIM lock position paper specifies that there is no SIM locking law in the UK; the regulator only wants "consumer awareness". The examples within the position paper are just "examples" of current carrier practices for illustration purposes, but do not reflect any official Oftel regulation. The main networks may unlock handsets at their discretion at a cost either at the end of a contract or if it is a prepay handset after several months. O2's iPhone and Vodafone's new Blackberry offerings (i.e., Storm)
[ are two examples of UK carriers not offering unlocking codes.
PRICES AND SPECS
Germany - QWERTZ Pre, EUR 481 (
this is the unsubsidized/no contract price, it's simlock free )
Spain - QWERTY Pre (simlocked, contract only, exclusive Movistar)
UK - QWERTY Pre (
unofficially: simlocked, contract only, exclusive O2)
Note on language: The OS in GSM Pre's have
German, English, Spanish, French and Italian localization.
Edit (10/12/09): It appears there's something else that might prevent you from using a simlock-free Pre's data connection on any network. According this article (in German), the network connection is NOT MANUALLY CONFIGURABLE as "known" providers' settings have been pre-programmed - tests have nevertheless shown problems connecting. (Thanks for the link, Spud101)
Edit 2 (22/12/09): In addition to the issue above, two other questions remain unresolved: (1) whether the sole unlocked (German O2) uses the necessary bands to enable full 3G data use (EDGE is possible). Around page 3 of this thread, I'm not sure if it's a hardware or software thing. (2) Activation of the Palm Profile must be done (or bypassed).