Treo 680 unlock frustration...have code in hand

[porto35]

They gave me the same instruction but it was wrong. You have to put non Cingular or non AT&T SIM in before you enter the unlock code.
Make sure the phone function (radio on) is on (wireless mode on)
press dial - the button with the phone picture (to show your dial pad on the screen)
enter*#*#unlock code#
press GREEN button not dial (the upper left)

[skullyface]

I'm not sure what I just did, but I was screwing around trying to get the s/n of my ATT 680 and did the *#60 thing to try to get that. but it didn't work so i tried *#*#60# and the phone came back with a statement that "my SIM was now unlocked" or something to that affect. i'm confused. I thought I had to put in some longer number to unlock it.

I'm I really unlocked? How do I check?

[carydc]

I am new to the Unlocking Fun for these Branded Phones.

Need some ground rules.

Once the Phone is unlocked do I need to unlock it again for a different SIM Card or does it remain unlocked forever after that?

Which upgrades to the ROM do I use even after the phone is unlocked?

Only the one that matches the original SIM and then update?

Do I need to unlock the phone again after a ROM update?

There does not seem to be much in the forums or Internet about unlocking 101.

There is a single unlock discussed. But there is no further information beyond that. I am wanting to know more.

Regards,

Cary

[irishgoaltender22]

Originally Posted by carydc

Which upgrades to the ROM do I use even after the phone is unlocked?
Only the one that matches the original SIM and then update?
Do I need to unlock the phone again after a ROM update?
There does not seem to be much in the forums or Internet about unlocking 101.
There is a single unlock discussed. But there is no further information beyond that. I am wanting to know more.

My first piece of advice would be to buy a factory unlocked/unbranded phone. You can find them on eBay and Amazon.com with 1 year Palm warranties for less than $250.

When you buy a branded phone and unlock it the phone will not always be perfect. Some of the applications have been coded to work specific ways with specific networks. Changing the network on these phones will change the performance level of the application. Unlocked/unbranded phones from Palm will not have these issues.

Beyond this phone carriers are often iffy when it comes to 1) unlocking phones or providing their codes, and 2) new carriers often lack true support when they see you are using a phone branded for another network. Branded phones that are unlocked after market are simply more of a pain than they are worth. In some cases it is the only option, but this is not one of them.

If you do decide to get a branded phone and unlock it yourself it will not stay unlocked forever. Hard resets will restore the phone back to the state it was in the day it was given to the branded network carrier, and any work you have done will thus revert back as well.

I am unable to really comment on updates and which carriers updates you should use. Again, if you buy a new, unlocked/unbranded phone from Palm it will have the most recent updates on it. Palm just stopped selling them on their site 3 weeks ago so the last batches are making their way through circulation now.

I bought mine on eBay for $205 which included 3 day shipping, insurance and as I mentioned it came with a 1 year Palm warranty and a 90 day seller warranty. I am contemplating buying another one simply because I dont know what will come from Palm in the form factor when the new OS is released next year. If the prices drop and unlocked/unbranded 680s are still out there I will probably end up doing just that.

[carydc]

It is interesting that this is the case.

I had ordered what was advertised as an Unlocked Phone. It came from Cell2Get.com which is a Yahoo Hosted Site. They are in Brooklyn from what I can tell near Kennedy.

They did not ship the method I asked for. It took three days for them to ship it. I did get two years coverage insurance on the phone and the phone was the going rate. I am missing the earbud for the phone. But all other pieces are present.

I did email back about the unlock on the phone and am yet to get a response from them. Needless to say I am wondering just how reliable if at all the insurance will be considering the level of response I am getting.

As for the type of update it looks like according to Palm you should be using the particular update that is for that particular branded company.

Now that I am aware that I need to reunlock the phone with hard resets and likely with ROM updates I understand the situation.

As for the particular products that may or may not work on these branded phones I am not too particular. I have my own purchased suite I prefer to use from www.shsh.com and a couple other sites. When I get done it barely resembles a Palm and I can five way to just about everything on the phone that I want to use.

Thank you for the heads up on the key reentering that makes it imperative that I keep the unlock sequence handy and in a safe place with me at all times so that I can reunlock the phone on a moments notice.

Also just as important to maintain daily backups of the phone so that nothing is lost in case of a hard reset or ROM Update.

Considering they have recently stopped shipping the 680's it sounds like I will get some good use out of this phone. But it appears this may be an antique that should quickly be retired in lieu of the newer models.

Not to jazzed with the new pics on the Treo Centro 2 that I have seen with no keyboard. I believe we should keep the keyboard or make it into a sliding phone on that tack if you do not wish to have the keys visible all the time. No clamshells, they break too easy as with the Treo 300.

Again, Thank you for the follow up it is greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Cary