Unfortunately most commercially available phones are SIM (Subscriber Identification Module) locked. In other words once you buy a phone from one carrier you can’t use it on a competing network. You are not alone if you think this is unfair. Enter the future: SIM free mobile phones.

Recognizing the vast money making opportunity third party vendors now sell SIM free mobile phones unlocked. Now anyone can use the make and model phone of their choice on any network. Manufacturers are doing whatever it takes to stay ahead of the curve by constantly releasing newer faster and more functional devices so consumers are glad to know that they are no longer limited to one particular carrier. Of course this freedom does have a cost.

At present you cannot walk into a store and find cheap SIM free mobile phones. You will have to do your homework to find them and will have to pay full retail price. As opposed to the low cost or even free phone deals offered by carriers. Fortunately because many people can’t afford to buy a SIM free mobile phone there are always ways to game the system.

You could hire someone to reprogram your device into a SIM free mobile phone and the service would cost less than a new phone but make sure you use someone reputable. Or cheaper yet you could search online for ways to hack your phone but just be careful, failure to reprogram the phone correctly could make it permanently unusable.

3G Mobile Phones

Modern 3G phones are like small computers and are very different from mobile phones just a few years ago. 3G Mobile lets you check out detailed local maps and also exactly find the nearest coffee shop, post office, gas station, or anything you are looking for. One of the functions in GPS that is built in, supports a Web-based application for locating handsets used by employees out in the field helps management to easily find the location of their field employees in real-time, by using the application’s sophisticated map display. International roaming using GSM and 3G mobile phones are widely used internationally. In Japan, a new generation of mobiles came out with 3,5G and 3,9G and is widely available all over Japan with great results

3G Mobile Video

Video on demand, try doing that over the EDGE network, or even the EVDO network. 3G Phones do not only make voice calls but allow you to make video calls, access the web and even watch TV while being mobile. They store video streams as the much used MPEG-4 format. They also open up the possibility of almost instantly uploading video for broadcasting over video websites or to share your pictures to your favorite social networking site. Some 3G phones have the ability to make calls at the same time they are showing a live video stream of the person you are chatting with so that you see as well as hear them. There are a few downsides, when using the phone with a high bandwidth signal it really helps to make the video super clear on a small screen, but unfortunately more data means more to process which taxes the phone’s smaller CPU and uses up the battery life. Also other issue is when using mobile broadband on the phone, the experience is sometimes affected by coverage issues. Unless the signal is very good, streaming video quality is still limited; however at the right location with a good clear signal, an excellent VGA picture with a great sound-track can be viewed. To use mobile video your 3G phone needs a video calling enabled function and not all currently available models are equipped with 3G Video function. When you receive a call on your 3G handset all calls will be displayed on your mobile screen as either a voice or video. When you receive a call for 3G Video, your handset will inform you that the incoming call is also a video call and will allow you to choose how to take the call.

3G phones are now becoming widely available and affordable and soon we will be able to use them as our personal, entertainment and portable communication centers. At this time 3G phones are currently available for purchase only in cities and countries with 3G coverage. Before taking the plunge and making your final decision on a handset compare the features and functions of various mobile phones and determine what is important to you and what you really need. Unique selling points of a 3G phone include: Streaming video from the likes of YouTube and other on-demand similar app that can receive video calls in real time so you can hear and see who you are speaking with. Browse the internet at speeds to stream live mobile videos or T.V. and most importantly how to they work as a regular phone for talking on. 3G Cell phones are bringing much more in the way of entertainment, such as games, music, better Internet surfing and much more.