SIM Card

Nokia threatens not to license essential patents if Apple “imposes” its Nano SIM variant

Handset maker Nokia is increasing pressure on Apple ahead of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute’s (ETSI) ruling on the emerging SIM card standard, due later this week. The latest in the ongoing power struggle includes Nokia issuing another statement accusing Apple for bending unwritten rules and misusing the standardization process "to rubber stamp its proposal".

All that jazz for a smaller SIM card standard? Color me skeptical, but I'm questioning Nokia's motive here. Is the other Nano SIM variant backed by Nokia, Motorola and RIM really so much better than Apple's, which requires a tray (seen in the above shot)?

Apple granted Nano SIM-related patent that Nokia is “not aware” of

Once again, the Finnish cell phone giant Nokia is opposing Apple's proposal for a new requirement related to the emerging Nano SIM card standard, dated back to 2011. According to a rumor yesterday, Apple wants to license its version of the Nano SIM to others royalty-free in exchange for any Nano SIM-related patents held by other companies.

Today, Nokia said in a statement it does not know of any Apple patent related to the iPhone maker's Nano SIM variant. Essentially, Nokia just slammed Apple's recent strides aimed at promoting its Nano SIM variant ahead of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute's (ETSI) ruling later this week...

If approved, Apple will license its Nano SIM to others royalty-free

Last week, we told you about two opposing proposals concerning the emerging Nano SIM standard. An Apple-backed solution requires a tray so phones would need to be re-engineered with this in mind. It is largely believed to benefit the ultra-thin design of a sixth-generation iPhone.

The other proposal is led by Nokia and backed by Motorola and RIM. It calls for a Nano SIM variant that doesn't require a tray and is even smaller than Apple’s. The two camps had tabled their proposals to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and now a report has emerged claiming that Apple's solution, if approved, will be offered on a royalty-free basis to any industry player...

Nokia says Apple’s Nano SIM card proposal is no good

Espoo, Finland-headquartered Nokia is officially opposing Apple's requirement for an emerging mobile industry standard basically calling for a miniaturized SIM module roughly a third smaller than the Micro SIM used with the iPhone 4/4S. A proposal put forth by Motorola, RIM and Nokia has some technical advantages over the Apple-backed nano SIM that requires a “drawer” to protect it.

As a result, cell phones would need to be re-engineered with this in mind. Nokia says its variant of the Nano SIM doesn't require a tray and is even smaller than Apple's. Both camps have tabled proposals to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). With 92 votes, Nokia is the largest ETSI voting body, so no wonder Apple has filed multiple membership applications in order to increase its voting power.

Nokia has explained its stance in a lengthy statement issued to The Verge just this morning...

Apple imposing Nano SIM standard on Motorola, RIM and Nokia

When Apple was designing the iPhone 4, the company had adopted the smaller Micro SIM format for space constraints. Smaller in size compared to the standard Mini SIMs, Micro SIMs do the exact same job while using less space. But with mobile devices getting even slimmer these days, even Micro SIMs waste too much valuable space inside thin mobile gadgets.

Apple thinks smaller is better so last summer the company submitted a new requirement to the European Telecoms Standards Body for the use of even smaller SIM cards in mobile phones (AT&T followed suit). But the battle over the upcoming Nano SIM standard has put Apple once again on a collision course with its rivals in the smartphone space, namely the opposing group led by Android maker Google and joined by the ailing BlackBerry maker Research In Motion and Nokia of Finland, reports the Financial Times (subscription required)...

R-SIM SIM interposer unlocks your iPhone 4S on iOS 5 and 5.0.1

Even though we are still waiting on an iPhone 4S software unlock from the Dev Team, there are a couple of hardware unlock solutions available. Just last week we told you about the TPSIM SIM interposer, and now another one has surfaced.

The R-SIM is a turbo SIM card for your iPhone 4S that will unlock your handset, allowing you to use it on any compatible GSM network in the world...

New SIM interposer promises to unlock iPhone 4/4S on a number of basebands

Unlocking is not nearly as important to iPhone users as it once was. Over the last couple of years, Apple has opened up its popular handset to hundreds of new carriers, and has even started selling its own factory unlocked models.

But if you don't want to spend $650 buying the unlocked version of Apple's new iPhone 4S, you have a few other options. One, you could wait for the iPhone Dev team to release its unlock for the new handset. Or you can pre-order one of these...

How to Protect Your iMessages on a Stolen iPhone

Apple's iMessage may be a fine SMS/MMS tool, but as we recently reported, it isn't without its problems.

If you are unlucky enough to find your iPhone stolen or lost, then under some circumstances it is possible that the iPhone can continue receiving iMessages. Even moving your phone number to another handset, changing your Apple ID password, and remote wiping the handset may not stop the problem.

There are two possible fixes, and they are as simple as turning on your iPhone's SIM card PIN and calling your phone carrier...

Recent iPhone 4S 5.0.1 Update Was in Response to SIM Card Errors

Apple released a number of updates for its iOS products this week. It seeded the second beta for iOS 5.1 to developers, Apple TV 4.4.4, and a small iPhone 4S update.

The latter release was strange because it wasn't available to everyone (just those on iOS 5.0 or lower), and the version number didn't change. So, what was it for?

“No SIM Card” Error Plaguing Some iPhone 4S Users

Apple has had its hands full with iPhone 4S issues over the past month. There's been reports of poor battery performance (associated with iOS 5), audio echoing during phone calls, and connection issues with both Wi-Fi and 3G networks.

Now it appears that another problem with the device has surfaced in Apple's discussion boards. One support forum is filled with iPhone 4S users that are getting frequent "No SIM card installed" errors, rendering their smartphones practically useless...

Vooma’s Peel Case Gives Your iPhone a Second SIM Card

TechCrunch spotlights an interesting new case from the folks over at Vooma. The accessory adds a second SIM card slot to your iPhone. You might recognize some of Vooma's previous work, which includes other iDevice products like the iPod touch Peel 3G case.

We've seen cases like this before, which add a second line to the handset via an integrated SIM card slot. But this is the first time that we've seen one that is compatible with the new iPhone 4S. Don't get too excited though, as it does have one major caveat...

Travelers Will Want to Consider the iPhone 4S on Verizon or Sprint [Updated]

We already knew that the iPhone 4S was going to be the first world phone to come out of the Apple labs, and that meant that both GSM and CDMA handset flavors would roam on the networks of international carriers. This was good news, meaning that customers of both Verizon and Sprint could now take their handsets abroad and continue to use them.

Now, there's even better news for those customers, with Macworld discovering that they might actually have an advantage over AT&T (and all other GSM carriers across the planet), thanks to the unlocked SIM slot on the CDMA iPhone 4S...