Unlock an Android Phone

Instructions:
1. Obtain an unlock code. T-Mobile users can wait three months from the date their contract starts and then request a free unlock code from T-Mobile. If you're not a T-Mobile customer or wish to unlock your phone immediately, purchase an unlock code online. You'll need your IMEI number, which you can find by going to Settings > About Phone > Status.


2. Turn off your Android phone and remove the back cover and battery. Look for the SIM card, and remove the one that's currently in your phone. Set it aside. Insert the new SIM card and replace the battery and back cover. Turn your phone back on.

3. When the phone boots up, it will display a screen asking for an unlock code for the new SIM. Enter the unlock code when prompted. Your phone is now unlocked.

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Android Apps Come to Google TV With Software Release

With the new tools, developers can test their existing mobile or tablet Android applications in a big-screen environment, eventually porting them over to run on Google TV. It’s also possible to create new Android applications made specifically for Google TV.

“With the add-on you can test your apps to determine if they would be a good fit for TV and whether any tweaks are required,” wrote Google TV product manager Ambarish Kenghe in a blog post.

Apps made specifically to interact with mobile and tablet interfaces, however, won’t run on the Google TV interface. For instance, if an application requires touchscreen interaction, a Google TV user won’t be able to find the app on the Android Market.

Google’s “smart TV” platform received much attention and critical praise after debuting it at the I/O developer conference last year. But after major networks began to block online versions of their content to Google TV set top boxes right around the time of Google TV’s launch, the product failed to catch on widely with consumers. So much so that Logitech, one of the largest manufacturers of Google TV set top boxes, reported “slightly negative” revenues for its Revue Google TV units, as product returns outpaced sales in the second quarter.

Still, Google has a chance to bolster the Google TV platform’s following by cross-breeding it with Android, a platform with a far stronger fan base.

Google TV devices will be Android compatible after an upcoming Android OS update to version 3.0 (Honeycomb).

Motorola Defy + Android + Water Proof

The Defy+ — announced even as Google was acquiring Motorola — is a souped-up, super-sealed version of the Defy. It sports a faster processor (1GHz, rather than 800MHz), a longer lasting battery (1700mAh, up from 1540mAh) and the latest iteration of Android, Gingerbread 2.3. Everything else is pretty much the same, including the 5 megpixel camera with flash, the 2 gig memory and the microSD card slot.

The Motorola Defy+ is IP67 certified, which means it is hermetically sealed against dust or sand. You can even immerse it in 3 feet of water. Suddenly those late-night drunk bathroom breaks, which have taken the lives of countless phones, aren’t so risky. But perhaps the best thing about the Defy + is it doesn’t look like a rubbery waterproof toy.

It’s headed first to Germany, where customers can buy it beginning this month for 269 euros, or about $389, without a contract. Look for it in other European countries, Asia and Latin America soon. No word on when it comes to North America.

Much like other waterproof gadgets, you can’t go diving with it, but why would you want to? But if you’re thrown into the shallow end of the pool or drop it in the toilet, it should be OK.

Photo: Motorola
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