Microsoft on Thursday announced a new round of challenges for its “Smoked By Windows Phone” contest series. If users with non-Windows Phone handsets can perform a variety of tasks faster than a Microsoft Windows Phone, they can win a limited edition Hunger Games PC (HP Folio 13 Special Edition) valued at $1,049.00. Even those who lose the challenge can still win, however, as Microsoft will be handing out unlocked Windows Phones to those willing to trade in their current smartphones. It should be ...

An internal document allegedly obtained from T-Mobile says the iPhone offers a “poor” customer experience on T-Mobile’s network. While it’s arguable that is a true statement since current iPhone models don’t support T-Mobile’s 1700MHz and 2100MHz 3G/4G bands and can only run on a second-generation EDGE network, there are now well over a million T-Mobile customers currently using unlocked iPhones on its network. The internal document instead asks customer service representat...

Sony Ericsson announced on Tuesday that its Xperia arc S and Xperia neo V are now available unlocked in the United States from Sony Store locations. The Xperia arc S runs Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread) and is equipped with a 1.4GHz processor, an 8.1-megapixel camera, a 4.2-inch “Reality” display and support for 3D and 2D sweep panorama photography. The Xperia arc S is available in white, black, blue and silver for $529.99 without a contract. Sony Ericsson’s Xperia neo V also runs Android 2.3....

Apple on Friday began offering a factory-unlocked version of its popular iPhone 4S smartphone that will work on any GSM network in the world. The company now sells the unlocked phone in both black and white starting at $649 for the 16GB model. The 32GB iPhone 4S costs $749 unlocked, and the high-end 64GB model costs $849. No carrier contract is required with the purchase of an unlocked iPhone 4S from Apple’s online store, and the vendor is currently quoting shipping estimates of between 1 and 2 weeks. A...

Sprint and Verizon Wireless will both offer iPhone 4S handsets that will be GSM-unlocked, a new report states. Macworld on Tuesday confirmed that iPhone 4S units sold by Sprint will be GSM-unlocked out of the box, while handsets sold by Verizon Wireless will come locked, but a user can call Verizon asking for an “international unlock” and the carrier will oblige provided the user’s account has been in good standing for 60 days. Customers who plan to roam internationally or use an unlocked iP...

Sony Ericsson announced on Friday that its Xperia ray Android smartphone is now available unlocked in the United States for $429.99. It is equipped with Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread), an 8.1-megapixel camera, a VGA front-facing camera for video chats, a 3.3-inch Reality Display with an 854 x 480-pixel resolution, 512MB of RAM, a 4GB microSD card, an aluminum frame and a 1GHz processor. The Xperia ray can be purchased from Newegg’s website as well as through other online retailers. It is available in gold,...

It has been more than six months since HP officially took the wraps off of the Pre3 and it looks like the company is finally getting ready to bring the phone to market. Pre-orders for an unlocked model of the Pre3 have started on HP’s official German website, but don’t get too excited: the German variant has a QWERTZ keyboard instead of the QWERTY layout we’re accustomed to. Other specs include a 1.4GHz Qualcomm processor, a 3.6-inch 800 x 480-pixel resolution display and a 5-megapixel camer...

T-Mobile now offers micro-SIM cards for subscribers with unlocked iPhone 4 smartphones who want to use its network. The SIMs are listed at $9.99 but are currently available for free online. T-Mobile confirmed last month that its network is now home to more than 1 million iPhone handsets, though the bulk of them are older models that accept full-sized SIM cards. The carrier also said at that time, however, that it would soon offer micro-SIM cards for iPhone 4 users. While subscribers with unlocked iPhone 4 han...

HTC has issued a statement naming the first phones that will receive unlocked bootloader updates this coming September. In a statement to BGR via email, the company said that the international version of its Sensation smartphone, T-Mobile’s Sensation 4G, and Sprint’s EVO 3D will be among the first phones to receive a patch that enables bootloader unlocking.”While we wish we could flip a simple switch and unlock all bootloaders across our device portfolio, this is actually a complex challeng...

T-Mobile USA has gone on record in stating that its network is now home to more than 1 million unlocked Apple iPhones. While the figure is not incredibly surprising considering the massive popularity of Apple’s smartphone line, it certainly reaffirms the fact that T-Mobile subscribers are itching for an iOS option. Though the overwhelming bulk of iPhones being used on T-Mobile’s network are 3G and 3GS models, unnamed T-Mobile spokespeople also confirmed that the carrier has micro-SIMs in developm...

Apple on Tuesday began selling unlocked iPhone 4 handsets in the U.S. a day earlier than expected. The smartphone is now available in 16GB for $649 or 32GB for $749, and both models come in black or white. Other manufacturers, most notably Nokia and Sony, have sold unlocked smartphones in the U.S. for quite some time. Neither company has seen much success with unlocked handsets thus far, though Apple’s approach is somewhat different. Apple’s primary sales channels in the U.S. are undoubtedly car...

With rumors of something new being cooked up at U.S. Apple Stores later this week, widespread speculation swept the Web suggesting Apple would finally take the wraps off its updated Sandy Bridge-powered MacBook Air notebooks. According to well-known and well-sourced iOS developer Chronic, that won’t be the case. Instead, for the first time, Apple plans to offer unlocked iPhone 4 models directly to consumers beginning Wednesday. Part numbers break down as follows: MC603 (16GB, Black) MC604 (16GB, White) ...

“It is our intention to enable the unlockable/relockable bootloader currently found on Motorola XOOM across our portfolio of devices starting in late 2011, where carriers and operators will allow it.” Those were the words of Motorola in response to a very persistent customer. Irwin Proud, an Australian national, purchased a Motorola Atrix 4G during a recent trip to the United States. Proud acquired the handset hoping that Motorola would follow through on its promise to provide an unlocked-bootloader...

Motorola definitely hasn’t won over the hearts and minds of the most hardcore Android tinkerers — thanks in large part to the company’s locked-down hardware and software. But Moto is showing signs of life. In a recent tweet, Motorola quipped that:The XOOM will have an unlockable/relockable bootloader that will enable developers to access hardware for developmentNot a bad starting point, and certainly a great way to get developers excited about the world’s first Android 3.0 tablet. Now&...