Unlock a Compaq Airlife 100?

[thegman]

Hi all,
I just got my first Android device, a Compaq Airlife 100. It's a delightful machine, and I thoroughly recommend it. Here's the thing though, it's a Spanish machine and I'm in the UK.

In Spain, they are sold through Telefonica/Movistar and it wants a SIM from that company for the 3G to work. I got a SIM from O2, which is a subsidiary of Telefonica, but it does not work. Conversations with O2 are predictably unhelpful.

Anyone know how to get this thing unlocked so I can use it on the O2 (or another) network. On putting in the O2 SIM, the Airlife requests an unlock code, any ideas on how to get this?

Thanks

Garry

 

[koppit]

The unlock code would probably have to be gotten from the original carrier. If O2 is a subsidiary of Telefonica, they should be willing to supply the code to you - it's not like you're taking it to another company. Your other option would be a rom manager - you could replace the onboard rom with one that has already been unlocked and rooted. The catch is you need root access - which you could potentially do yourself if you know enough, or wait until someone roots it for you.
I'll give you the info from the HP website, then leave it up to you to do research on putting an "update" file on you sd card... Power off first:

To perform a factory reset when the device will not boot, follow these steps:
Press and hold on the Home key on the keyboard and the Power button until a "!" and Phone symbol appear on the screen.
After the "!" and Phone symbols are displayed on the screen, press Alt-W . This action initiates the factory restore.

 

[thegman]

Hey koppit,
Thanks for the reply, I'll keep hassling Telefonica, see they can help me. The ROM manager idea is interesting, and as long as I can restore to factory settings if I screw it up, that's worth a go.

I guess as it's a new machine, it'll be a while before alternative ROMs pop up, so I'll try Telefonica first.

Thanks!

Garry

 

[koppit]

Well, there was a bit more to my post than meets the eye, the update file can also potentially be used to upgrade your device to a newer version of Android - one that may not have been locked. Do a google search on putting update.zip on an SD card, and see where that gets you. Best of luck!

 

[thegman]

Hey koppit,
I will do that, only thing is, if I don't get an update.zip specifically for the Airlife, am I likely to lose the drivers for things like the webcam, 3G, and other hardware specific to the Airlife?

Thanks

Garry

 

[koppit]

Sorry, I don't know enough about the device to answer that...

 

[tigger2u]

Hey koppit,
I will do that, only thing is, if I don't get an update.zip specifically for the Airlife, am I likely to lose the drivers for things like the webcam, 3G, and other hardware specific to the Airlife?

Thanks

Garry

What did you end up doing with your AirLife? Did you ever get it unlocked?

 

[thegman]

What did you end up doing with your AirLife? Did you ever get it unlocked?

Never got in unlocked, sold it on and got a Galaxy Tab, then sold that as I missed the keyboard, maybe an Eee Pad Transformer next!