I got QWERTY unlocked GSM Pre - here's how!

[Michau]

Since today, I am a happy owner of an unlocked QWERTY GSM Palm Pre

I have bought it on this Ebay auction:
Palm Pre - Nueva y Libre - New and Unlocked - eBay (item 140352348549 end time Oct-21-09 07:03:24 PDT)

It appears that it is a Spanish Movistar phone that has been unlocked. It has been activated by the seller on the Movistar network. The leaflet in the box is in Spanish, but otherwise it is the same phone that is being sold in UK.

I have plugged in my Polish GSM card from Plus GSM network. It recognized the network and connected to it. Then it prompted me to select interface language (I chose English), and after that it walked me through Palm profile creation. The profile has been created successfully (which means that data also works).

The phone shows "3G" icon next to signal bars and I can browse the Web easily, make phone calls etc. - it is fully unlocked. And it's QWERTY so no keyboard hacks are necessary

The seller apparently has some source which supplies him with unlock codes for Movistar Pres. I can see that he has another one for sale right now.

[goma]

Hi Michau, enjoy your phone I'm the seller

[TopTongueBarry]

Originally Posted by Michau

Since today, I am a happy owner of an unlocked QWERTY GSM Palm Pre

I have bought it on this Ebay auction:
Palm Pre - Nueva y Libre - New and Unlocked - eBay (item 140352348549 end time Oct-21-09 07:03:24 PDT)

It appears that it is a Spanish Movistar phone that has been unlocked. It has been activated by the seller on the Movistar network. The leaflet in the box is in Spanish, but otherwise it is the same phone that is being sold in UK.

I have plugged in my Polish GSM card from Plus GSM network. It recognized the network and connected to it. Then it prompted me to select interface language (I chose English), and after that it walked me through Palm profile creation. The profile has been created successfully (which means that data also works).

The phone shows "3G" icon next to signal bars and I can browse the Web easily, make phone calls etc. - it is fully unlocked. And it's QWERTY so no keyboard hacks are necessary

The seller apparently has some source which supplies him with unlock codes for Movistar Pres. I can see that he has another one for sale right now.

Originally Posted by goma

Hi Michau, enjoy your phone I'm the seller
David Gomez
goma78@gmail.com

I just looked. He now has THREE of them for sale! Question is, will AT&T US 3G data work on them?

Palm Pre - Nueva y Libre - New and Unlocked - eBay (item 140357332254 end time Nov-14-09 03:26:14 PST)
Buy It Now Price: EUR 525.00 (US $778.86 each).

[asQuirreL]

I'm guessing probably not, because of the it not being a quad band, AT&T's network will need a specific radio chip, which the Europe ones don't have.

[abhinandanjain]

Hi - will unlocking be affected by future webOS updates?

[shootz]

Originally Posted by abhinandanjain

Hi - will unlocking be affected by future webOS updates?

Shouldn't be if it is an IMEI unlock.

[bruba]

So the Spanish Pre is unlocked or it can be unlocked (online?) without rebel sim?

[goma]

Spanish Pre has UMTS/HSDPA with EDGE/GSM.

Updates won't affect the unlock.

It can be unlocked by code provided by the operator.

[sucklingpig]

Originally Posted by goma

Hi Michau, enjoy your phone I'm the seller

Hi David,

Very exciting! Just a couple of questions:

1. Could you confirm if the phone is dual-band UMTS 900/2100?
2. Is there any warranty available for the phone, such as if there are any dead pixels, slider twisting, dislodged central buttons etc? Or do we proceed to send this back to Palm in Spain?

Many thanks in advance, I'm sure you will have many people interested in your unlocked QWERTY GSM Pres!

[bennish]

wow, this is what i've been waiting for.

so, goma, the phones are ALREADY unlocked via IMEI? if so i'll be popping on and getting one straight away. if it's unlocked via imei, that's not a hack or anything and it should just work anywhere 900/2100?
any other aussies interested? i'd be using it on optus network.

Actually, I'm also very interested in knowing about warranty, or at least, if it has any defects/build quality problems will you exchange/refund?

[c_man]

Is this for real?

How is it that 'goma' posted his reply just 4mins after 'Michau' posted his......

[Tcub]

Originally Posted by c_man

Is this for real?

How is it that 'goma' posted his reply just 4mins after 'Michau' posted his......

Maybe he's a member of the forums... A post like this would have showed up on the "Today's Post" list. The timing is really close but I'd take it as a coincidence.

[bennish]

he's got a good ebay rating...? are we concerned here

also it's done through paypal, so you're protected i think?

[Michau]

I don't know about warranty, as I always buy Palm phones on overseas Ebay auctions and don't worry about warranty. I paid via PayPal, so it should be covered with normal PayPal guarantees. The seller claims that it is an IMEI unlock.

My Plus GSM network in Poland has UMTS at 2100 MHz and voice at 900 MHz. So if UMTS works for me in Poland, it will work in any other European country (but not in AT&T).

[jackofspeed]

I spoke to the seller shortly before Michau won the auction, and he explained the same to me - IMEI unlock via a contact of his.

Movistar phones are not unlocked by default and I'm not sure if they do a contract free sale. I assume he has a contact in Movistar in Spain, or that Movistar will sell IMEI unlock codes.

[goma]

1. I don't know how to see if it has dual band. Palm Spain says UMTS/HSDPA with EDGE/GSM.
2. Factory warranty in Spain is 2 years, I send the original invoice to the buyers.

bennish, warranty is offered by Palm Spain. I'm not a shop. I don't understand very good you want to know (my English is not very good). You can put in it any sim you want.

[trim81]

will you proivide the unlock code with the purchase?

OR can you post a youtube video with you unlokcing with the ##CODE# to show its an actual IMEI unlock?

[sucklingpig]

Originally Posted by goma

1. I don't know how to see if it has dual band. Palm Spain says UMTS/HSDPA with EDGE/GSM.
2. Factory warranty in Spain is 2 years, I send the original invoice to the buyers.

bennish, warranty is offered by Palm Spain. I'm not a shop. I don't understand very good you want to know (my English is not very good). You can put in it any sim you want.

Thanks David,

I think you will find your unlocked GSM Pre's in QWERTY format very popular indeed. However, it would be even more popular should you be able to more clearly outline the warranty policy by Palm in Spain?

Have you contacted them to find out if the phone is shipped overseas (I'm in Australia) and a fault/defect is found, can I ship this back to Palm and they will honour the warranty policy? I know that Germany only honours warranties if the phone is sold to someone who lives in Germany, and that person returns the phone to the store. See O2's response regarding the Pre - Auto Lingography.

Thanks kindly.

[c_man]

Originally Posted by sucklingpig

Thanks David,

I think you will find your unlocked GSM Pre's in QWERTY format very popular indeed. However, it would be even more popular should you be able to more clearly outline the warranty policy by Palm in Spain?

Have you contacted them to find out if the phone is shipped overseas (I'm in Australia) and a fault/defect is found, can I ship this back to Palm and they will honour the warranty policy? I know that Germany only honours warranties if the phone is sold to someone who lives in Germany, and that person returns the phone to the store. See O2's response regarding the Pre - Auto Lingography.

Thanks kindly.

I don't think it would be useful to us who live outside of Spain/Movistar coverage.. O2 UK refused to support the warranty on a Pre if I had got it from O2 Ireland. See here: http://forums.precentral.net/gsm-pre...ml#post1998905

[sucklingpig]

Originally Posted by c_man

I don't think it would be useful to us who live outside of Spain/Movistar coverage.. O2 UK refused to support the warranty on a Pre if I had got it from O2 Ireland. See here: http://forums.precentral.net/gsm-pre...ml#post1998905

Thanks c_man for this helpful link.

My understanding in that case is that warranty is still supported if I were to return the phone to the original carrier in the country of sale? i.e. Movistar in Spain in this case? I understand that the warranty does not enable one to return it to just ANY carrier in another country.

At least this will provide additional peace-of-mind, despite the numerous reports of happy clients who have purchased the phone off ebay/Expansys.