Through the eyes of a cell phone unlocker, it seems that RIM is always making an effort to tighten security on their new Blackberry devices.  This time it has gone beyond RIM, with Bell and soon, Telus adding new locks on their Blackberry phones.

We like to call them “MEP4″ locks instead the old MEP2 that we’ve grown so fond of. It has already been implemented on the Bell 9700 which has 2 locks – the network lock and the Service Provider (SP) lock.  Unlock code developers, crackers and hackers are still in the process of developing a quick and “Instant” method for unlocking these MEP4 codes.  Although we are able to unlock the Bell Blackberry Bold 9700, it’s interesting to see that RIM, Rogers and T-mobile are still using MEP2 codes for the Rogers Blackberry Bold 9700 and T-mobile Blackberry Bold 9700.

Perhaps Telus and Bell are doing this to protect their new HSDPA network? Or maybe they are passionate about retaining their clientele and keeping exclusivity of their handheld devices.  Who knows?  Regardless, we have discovered 2 methods to unlock the Bell Blackberry Bold 9700.

Method 1: Unlocking the Bell Blackberry Bold 9700 with IMEI & PIN#

Calculate the 2 unlock codes with just the IMEI and PIN #.

PROS:

• Can be calculated accurately within 24-72 hours
• Incorrect IMEI and PIN submissions will result in a “Not Found” code instead of returning an incorrect code due to an incorrect IMEI submission

CONS:

• Longer than normal process times
• If your IMEI and PIN are not in the database, you will get a “Not Found” code even though everything was submitted properly
• Very pricey compared to method 2

Method 2: Unlocking the Bell Blackberry Bold 9700 with Blackberry Logger info:

Calculates the 2 unlock codes with a “Logger” that is read off of your phone with a third party program.This is the method we have adopted to unlock your Bell Blackberry Bold 9700.

PROS:

• Accurate codes are generated within 0-48 hours
• A great way to accurately generate all the information from your Blackberry device to avoid errors in typing your IMEI.

CONS:

• Instant speeds are not available
• Altered logs will create incorrect codes – do NOT alter when you send in your Bell 9700 logs.

The program to get your Blackberry log can be downloaded here.  After getting your IMEI and MEP from the program, you can purchase your Bell Blackberry Bold 9700 unlock code.  Simply enter the MEP under the “Model” section.

Happy unlocking

Last year, with much hype, the first 3G Blackberry was released, called the Blackberry Bold 9000.  With it’s super fast speeds compared to the older EDGE phones, amazing picture quality and much much more, RIM was able to set a new standard for their Blackberry devices.  Following came the Curve/Javelin 8900, Storm 9530, Storm 2 9550, Tour 9630 and the Curve/Gemini 8520 . RIM has finally released the Blackberry Bold 9700, and with great pride, have provided faster speeds, greater picture quality, and so many more features.

Many Canadian consumers have been eagerly dialing *611 to Rogers Wireless requesting hardware upgrades, many signing new contracts with Rogers, and the third party markets like Craigslist, E-bay and Kijiji being swarmed with over inflated prices on the Bold 9700 AKA Onyx. An even bigger hype is now in motion.  With T-mobile awaiting their release of the 9700 the American consumers await in excitement.  With all this excitement, we’ve decided to create a comparison between the Blackberry Bold 9000 and the Blackberry Bold (2) 9700.

This review on the Bold 9000 and Bold 9700 will guide you through the new features and hardware of the 9700 and hopefully act as a means to help you make a decision in shopping for a new Blackberry.

We’ve covered the following in the 2 videos above….

Part 1: Bold 9000 vs. Bold 9700 – Hardware, Firmware and Features

The Blackberry 9700 certainly has not failed to please our expectations.  With the sleek style of the Curve 8900 and Tour 9630, RIM has created a device lighter, but faster than the 9000.  In our video, we attempt to cover the following…

• Physical Overview – Embedded Rubber buttons vs. Metal buttons on the 9000
• Text Messaging – Firmware 5.0.0.321 vs. Firmware 4.6.0.162
• Back of Phone – SIM card slots and Micro SD slots
• Stickers – Ripping of the stickers.  It pains us to do it, but it was done for you.
• Loading Screens – Blackberry Logo loading screen vs. Blinding White light

Part 2: Bold 9000 vs. Bold 9700 – Media: Images and Video

In our best attempt, we’ve taken pictures in low light in a stationary position (9000) vs (9700), and in daylight (9000) vs (9700)with the 2 blackberry cameras from the same angles.  We also thought it’d be cool to take video footage of downtown Toronto with the Bold 9000 in 1 hand and the Bold 9700 in opposite hands.  Here, you will be able to measure the video quality as well as the audio quality from both phones.

• Picture Quality: Low light & Day light pictures
• Video Quality: Measuring the sounds of the streets and Starbucks

Conclusions:

We’ve been able to draw a few conclusions from our video review.

• With version 5.0 on the Bold 9700, processing speeds, internet speeds and features such as text messaging are significantly better
• The lighter weight and smaller device make it more convenient to carry around
• Embedded rubber buttons will wear slower on the 9700 than the metal buttons on the Bold 9000
• Images capture more colors with the 9700.
• Video quality is incredibly different.  The Bold 9000 has a higher pitched audio and has a tendency to cut in and out, while the 9700 captures more of what your voice really sounds like and blocks out unwanted noise, yet captures subtle wanted noises.

In our opinion, we believe that the Blackberry Bold 9700 will be the best Blackberry smartphone available on the market for at least the next year.  I’m not sure how, but RIM will have to find a way to outdo themselves, yet again.

If you’ve already purchased this phone or plan to, you can unlock get your unlock code here.

We’re proud and excited to say that we have unlocked the Blackberry Bold 9700 (Onyx) from both Rogers Wireless and T-mobile.  In the spirit of “sales”, we’ve put the Blackberry Bold 9700 unlock codes on sale for $16.99.   Hope you all enjoy your unlocked Bold 2!  You’ll also like the fact that RIM has built in a method so you don’t have to go to advanced options –> SIM card —> type MEPD —> type MEP2 —-> enter unlock code.
Once you power on the phone with a “non-accepted SIM”, it will ask you if you would like to enter your MEP2 unlock code!  Thanks RIM for a lovely and convenient way to unlock this beautiful phone!

Here’s a quick overview on what exactly comes in the box for the Blackberry Bold 9700 from Rogers Wireless.  If you decide to purchase one of these phones off of a third party classifieds site like Craigslist, Kijiji or E-bay, make sure that all parts are inside to ensure you receive a new product.

What is in the Box for the Blackberry Bold 9700 AKA Onyx?

• Blackberry Bold 9700
• Battery
• A/C Adaptor
• Micro USB cord
• Leather swivel case
• Manuals
• Rogers Wireless SIM card
• Stereo headphones – (Not in-ear)
• Proof of Purchase (for Warranty)
• 2GB Micro SD card (already inserted in the phone)

Being an avid Blackberry user, I’ve used several devices including the 8700, 8100, 8300, 8320, 8800, 8900 and the 9000 within the past 5 years.

I’ve had the Bold 9000 for the past year and have the privilege to create a thorough video review on the Bold 9700 vs. the Bold 9000 with a temp model that I received yesterday.

I saw a contest on Crackberry for an unlocked T-mobile Blackberry Bold 2.  All you have to do is comment on why you think the Bold 2 9700 is better than any other Blackberry device out there. I was tempted to hold back and to let my video speak on my behalf when it is completed, but I had to regurgitate a few words, which ended up being too many words.

For those of you contemplating whether or not the Bold 9700 is a worthwhile buy, take a read through here and you’ll have a better idea.

Blackberry Bold 9000 vs. Blackberry Bold 9700

Trackpad:

1.) Although this is not the first Blackberry with the trackpad, it is my first time having the opportunity to play around with it.  It makes life on my Blackberry a lot easier, allowing me to process my business orders quickly and more accurately.  It kind of reminds me of those IBM laptops with the cylindrical rubber mouse in the middle of the keyboard where you just move your finger on it.  However, the trackpad is actually a lot smoother than the trackball and even the IBM mouse.

Weight & Feel:

2.) It’s significantly lighter than the bold 9000, yet it still has the same keyboard design.  The weight is a huge factor for both men and women since no one really likes carrying around heavy weight.  For women, the 9700 provides a lighter solution than the Bold 9000 for your purse, handbag etc.  For men, lighter on the belt clips.  In fact, every morning when I go to Starbucks to grab my morning coffee, I leave in sweatpants and sweatshirt with the weather cooling down.  The Bold 9000 actually has enough weight to pull my pants down a little, but from this mornings encounter with the 9700, the pants stayed up just fine

Display:

3.) The resolution is a little bit higher on the Bold 9700 (480×360) compared to the bold 9000 (480×320).  Even with such a small change in resolution, since the screen is small compared to your desktop monitor, it makes a world of a difference!

Battery Life:

4.) Battery life is significantly better especially with 3G on.  On my Bold 9000, which I still love, my battery would die anywhere between 12pm-4pm if I left it on 3g.  So far from the 9700, with a full charge and unplugged at 8am EST this morning, it’s at 75% and it’s 2:00pm.  With the bold 9000, I had to revert to EDGE in order to use my battery for the full work day.  The 9700 provides a method to sustain your battery life for high talk-time users and high e-mail/data users.
Wireless Info – 3g, Wifi, GPS:

5.) The phone has 3G, wifi and gps! Finally RIM has a package for all 3 with the compact size!
Text Messaging – Firmware 5.0:

6.) Text messaging looks like Blackberry messenger now! I think it’s the 5.0 firmware update, but regardless, since the 9700 come stock with 5.0, it’s beautiful with the changes

Processing Speeds:

7.) Processing speed is SIGNIFICANTLY faster.  I think this will mean a lot less battery pulls for those of you who can’t stand doing it!

Better support on ASP.net Websites:

8.) In order to make some web orders, a lot of the modern websites are adopting asp.net.  With the Bold 9000, ALL of the dropdown menus were all bunched up and you couldn’t read any/all the text to select the appropriate option.  The 8300s, 8800s and anything produced before these are even worse for asp.net sites!  Since a lot of the websites I go to are asp.net format, the Bold 9700 has provides all of the dropdown menus in perfect sync and does not distort properly optimized sites.  This can all be done on the built in web browser now instead of using third party apps like Opera.
Media – Pictures:

9.) On to the media!  I tested the bold 9000 vs. the bold 9700 for pictures in low light and day light.  The bold 9000 created some what of a “rainbowy” effect in low light while the phone was completely stationary taking the picture.  The 9700 had much better light balance, resulting in a much better picture.  In day light, they were very similar, but with the 3.2 megapixel camera on the 9700 compared to the 2.0 megapixel camera on the 9000, the difference is evident.

Media – Video Recording:

10.) As for the video recording, I recorded myself walking to the bank with the Bold 9000 in 1 hand and the Bold 9700 in the other hand.  Although some people would look at me funny, it was definitely worth the venture!  The quality on the Bold 9700 was significantly better on both video and audio.  The biggest difference I found in the video is with the audio.  From previous concerts and/or events that I’ve been to, the Bold 9000 resulted in some choppiness in the audio.  I think the 9700 will have a much clearer sound in loud settings.

CONCLUSION:

For the past year, I thought that the Bold 9000 was the best phone that RIM has ever made, hence, I didn’t stay with the 8900 for very long and all the other previous Blackberries I used, nothing compared to it.

Now that the 9700 has been released in Canada, and soon in the USA and worldwide, I can confidently say that it will be the best phone that RIM will have out for a very long time.  RIM has truly outdone themselves and I cannot wait until they attempt to outdo the Bold 9700 in 2010!

Post Script:

We will be uploading our video as soon as it is completed for you to see the difference between the Bold 9000 and the Bold 9700 in more detail.  We’ll also have an unlocking tutorial for the Bold 9700 as well.  The Blackberry Bold 9700 Unlock Codes are available on our site now.

Unlocking HTC phones are probably the easiest phones to unlock.  After getting your unlock code, you simply insert a non-accepted SIM card (Ex. T-mobile SIM card in a Rogers HTC phone) and it will prompt you for the unlock code.   Enter the unlock code and hit enter. Begin your roaming freedom by getting your unlock code.

You can search for your HTC unlock code through our main page.

After watching the evolution and expansion of unlock codes companies, it seemed “impossible” for companies to find a real method to unlock Nokia phones locked to AT&T.  We are proud to say that we have discovered a proven method to unlock AT&T Nokia (BB5) phones.

The most popular cellphone unlock codes include the Nokia E71x, Surge 6790, Mural 6750 and the Nokia 6555.

Your Unlock Code can be purchased on our main site.  Click here to purchase your Nokia Unlock Code.  “Sailor – Stop your roaming“…

For written instructions, please see below…

1          Insert AT&T sim card

2          Power on the handset
3          Press the # key once
4          Press the “P” button
5          Press the “W” button
6          Press the “+” button
7          Enter the unlock code
8          Press the “+” sign
9          Press the 1 key
10          Press the # key one time

We came across this video today on roaming.   It’s almost as if they’re trying to brainwash you.  Loving the Marley remake though!  Kudos to Vodafone Ireland!

Cellfservices in Afghanistan - Roaming Free

With hundreds of people participating in our free Blackberry unlock code giveaway – “Tweet for a Treat”, I guess you could say, was a great success!  With a final number of 514 unlock codes given for free, or $11,302.86 worth of unlock codes, we are happy to have satisfied so many people’s needs.  On July 4, 2009, we blogged an entry called Cellfservices Wireless Usage and Roaming Survey – Are we Ripping Ourselves Off? which explained how North American users are allowing themselves to get destroyed by carrier roaming fees.  From our promotional giveaway, it seemed like the majority of people just wanted their phone unlocked because it was free, while others wanted to unlock their phones to increase the monetary value of their Blackberry on the grey market.

Ladies and gentlemen: we are desperately hoping that you will take advantage of your unlocked Blackberry when you are traveling internationally.  Even traveling for 4-7 days once a year is worth significantly more than an unlock code valued at $56.99.  The most common misconception of unlocking your phone is – “the greatest benefit of unlocking your phone that it allows you to use your favorite phone on your favorite network.”  Although that may be a benefit to some, the beauty is when you’re roaming.  Let’s use one of our clients as an example.  Here is an e-mail I received on July 7, 2009.

Hello Sam!

I just wanted to say thank you for the unlock code and educating me on what it is for.  My trip to Germany was fantastic!  My brother took me to a T-mobile (Germany) store as you instructed and I picked up a prepaid SIM card.  My local friends were able to contact me on my NEW local German number and I passed on the number to my wife back in Miami.  VERY COOL!  I did a rough calculation and I saved about $200-$250 while I was there!  I sent out a mass e-mail to my work colleagues and some friends as well about your services.  If there’s anything I can do for you, just let me know!  If you’re ever visiting Miami, please give me a call.  My wife runs a restaurant along the beach and we will be more than happy to treat you anytime.

Stay in touch,

Jamie

T: xxx-xxx-xxxx

When we receive e-mails like this, it tells us that we are doing our job right.  We are always looking for ways for people to save money on their roaming fees and will always update our blog with new information!  If you have 5 minutes, please take a read through our Cellfservices Wireless Usage and Roaming Survey – Are we Ripping Ourselves Off? entry.

If you have any tips you would like to share on how to save on your wireless bills – particularly roaming fees, please post in the comments!  We would love to hear from you!

To those who qualified for our Tweet for a Treat promotion but had their codes missed, please visit us http://cellfservices.com/tweet.html for full details on how to redeem your free Blackberry Unlock code.  We have responded, processed and sent back all qualifying codes today.  Your last chance to submit through e-mail is at 3pm EST. Please read ALL information at tweet.html before sending an e-mail.