Todays & Tomorrows Technology

Since many states are passing laws that prevent people from talking on their cell phones while driving, more and more hands-free devices are hitting the market. The latest, however, is officially from RIM and called the BlackBerry Visor Mount Speakerphone.

This gadget lets you play music from your phone over your car speakers wirelessly. It also lets you receive and make calls via your car’s stereo, so there’s no more taking your eyes off the road or your hands off the wheel.

Featuring Bluetooth, this speaker phone simply attaches to the visor in your car and you’re good to go. You can get the BlackBerry Visor Mount Speakerphone now for $99.99, which I guess isn’t too bad you simply must receive your calls in stereo.

RIM’s BlackBerry Onyx 9020 could be the second handset from the company to feature an optical trackpad instead of the usual trackball. While previous leaked shots of pre-release Onyx hardware have shown the smartphone with a trackball, according to the latest news from CrackBerry’s trusted sources the final production version will definitely get the trackpad.

The buttons on the Onyx have apparently also been reworked slightly, in part to better accommodate the trackpad. No photos of the updated BlackBerry have been released, nor concrete justification for the design decision, but it’s believed to be an attempt to minimize hardware failure and reliance on mechanical input methods.

What’s still unknown is when we can expect the Onyx to actually arrive on store shelves. The last we heard, back in March, was that it would land on AT&T and perhaps as a different version – with UMA support – for T-Mobile USA.

You will need to know your IMEI number (found in Options->Status). Most carriers should give you your unlock code, but you may have to purchase a code from a vendor.

BlackBerry 8300 / 8800 Curve
1. Go to Settings Menu -> Options
2. Select Advanced Options -> SIM Card
3. Type MEPD on the keyboard (you won’t see the text)
4. Type MEP then [ALT button] then 2 (again you won’t see the text)
5. A prompt should come up “Enter Network MEP Code” Type in your unlock code then press the track wheel to confirm.
6. The phone is now unlocked.
BlackBerry 8100
1. Insert SIM card and power phone on.
2. Make sure the radio and wireless are turned off.
3. Go to Options -> Advanced Options -> SIM Card
4. Type MEPD on the keyboard (you won’t see the text)
5. Type MEPP then [ALT button] then 2 (again you won’t see the text)
6. Enter the unlock code and press enter
7. Reboot. Device is now unlocked.
BlackBerry 8700
1. Follow steps 1-4 from above.
2. While holding the ALT key type MEPE
3. A prompt will appear. Enter your unlock code and press in the jog dial to confirm.
4. Device is now unlocked.
BlackBerry 6xxx, 7xxx
1. Go to Options -> SIM Card
2. Type MEPD for all models except 7100 in which case type MEPPD (you won’t see the text)
3. Usually you will see “active” NET lock. Disable by typing MEP2 or MEPP2 for the 7100.
4. You should be prompted to enter your unlock code. Enter it.
5. Device should be unlocked