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.