SIM cards

Just in case you needed some more spare parts for your nonexistent iPhone 5, SW-Box.com is here to help. The site is selling a silver replacement SIM card tray for the iPhone 5 brand new priced at $2.92.

Believe it or not, the SIM tray does show some differences from the iPhone 4S version, which has led some to believe the part is genuine. Should this be true, it's clear that a newer, smaller nano-SIM design will not be ready for prime time when the sixth generation iPhone goes into production.

Reports of iMessages being received on the wrong iPhone have resurfaced, this time with Gizmodo posting a slew of information not intended for their eyes. Apparently an Apple employee briefly inserted his personal SIM card into a customer's iPhone, and ever since his iMessages are being delivered to her device.

This is after the customer's iPhone was reset and her personal infomation including her AppleID was reentered on the handset. Similar reports of the problem have cropped up intermittently in the past, with Ars Technica weighing in on the issue. Support forum threads regarding the problem have sprung up at Apple and elsewhere as well.

Users complaints about iPhone 4S SIM card error messages that read "Invalid SIM" and "SIM Failure" have been piling up on the Apple Support forums since the device went on sale in October. The glitch prevents users from using their phones when the SIM card is in the slot.

According to ZDNet this is not a new problem. The Sim card error message is from a design flaw that has affected the iPhone 4 in the past. Sometimes the SIM card causes a short circuit when it makes contact with the tray eject mechanism. The short circuit causes the error making the SIM card unable to connect with the wireless provider. This prevents users from performing the most basic functions like texting or placing phone calls.

A newly discovered Apple patent filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office outlines a new method for iPhone users to determine carrier rankings.

The filing, submitted in April of last year, and discovered by Apple Insider this week, would allow iPhone owners to search for competing carriers and service plans directly on their phones. In 2010, Apple was rumored to be working on an embedded SIM iPhone service that would allow users to shop for a plan on their device, instead of dealing directly with the carriers. This angered European carriers who threatened to cut subsidies if Apple went ahead with their plan.

You can stop cutting your SIM cards, because T-Mobile if offering free micro SIMs for Apple smartphones via their website. All you have to do is sign a two-year contract and enjoy the EDGE network. Doesn't sound like such a great deal if you ask me. The T-Mobile online ad reads:

T-Mobile has been rumored to be preparing to offer the iPhone on their network for awhile now, and even though Apple is trying to buy the carrier, some analyst believe that 2011 will be the year it actually happens. While regulatory authorities examine the possible AT&T/T-Mobile deal, AT&T is claiming that the companies would operate separately for several years. If true, this would make a T-Mobile iPhone still desirable.

Do you have multiple cell phones for personal and business purposes? A company called Vaveliero has figured out a way to help you cut back on your mobile devices. Vaveliero has invented an iPhone 4 case that allows you to use multiple SIM cards on one phone.

The accessory replaces the iPhone 4′s microSIM slot with an external SIM adapter giving you the option of using two accounts on one device.

It's unclear if you need an unlocked phone to use more than one carrier, and the different accounts can't be used at the same time. But it's a cool feature that could come in handy at the office by allowing you to carry one device to work, and by giving you the option to switch to your personal line at quitting time or during breaks.

Just last month reports indicated that Apple was planning to integrate reprogrammable SIM cards into iPhones, cutting wireless carriers out of the activation process. Turns out that opposition from European carriers has derailed the project. According to a report in the Sunday Telegraph, the wireless companies threatened to stop paying iPhone subsidies for contract subscribers. Currently, carriers pay the subsidy directly to Apple and collect the money from customers during their service subscription period.

An anonymous source at one mobile operator told the paper that Apple has "been sent back to the drawing board with their tails between their legs." The company's work on embedded SIM cards may not be entirely wasted, as the report also explains that future iPads may include the special SIM. The iPad is not subsidized by mobile carriers, and a reprogrammable SIM card would make it possible to activate the device at the point of purchase on a variety of carrier's networks.

Apple is reportedly partnering with SIM card manufacturer Gemalto to come up with its own reprogrammable SIM cards that could ship embedded in iPhones. GigaOm has heard from several European wireless carriers that the project is underway, and they're not thrilled about the prospect. An embedded SIM in the iPhone would make it possible for Apple to allow iPhone buyers to decide which carrier they want at the point of purchase.

iPhone activation could all be handled with a simple app download from the Apple App Store, cutting out the carrier's involvement in the process. Gemalto would provide support for the iPhone to find a phone number and start service on a carrier's network, and the appropriate data would activate the device after it's written to flash memory in the SIM chip.