{"id":1083,"date":"2013-10-08T11:15:25","date_gmt":"2013-10-08T15:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pcserviceonsite.ca\/?p=1083"},"modified":"2013-10-08T11:15:25","modified_gmt":"2013-10-08T15:15:25","slug":"what-does-imei-mean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pcserviceonsite.ca\/what-does-imei-mean\/","title":{"rendered":"What does IMEI mean?"},"content":{"rendered":"
It is Terminology Tuesday again. This week we are defining what IMEI means and what it means for you.<\/p>\n
IMEI is International Mobile Station Equipment Identity – it is a serial number asigned to mobile phones, tablets, mobile hotspots and hubs and some satellite phones. Cell phone companies use these numbers to verify valid devices.<\/p>\n
In Canada there is a new registry that lets you see if the device you are purchasing is stolen. The worst case scenario has you buying a phone privately and then going to activate it only to find out its stolen and you can’t use it. You can now go to Protect Your Data<\/a> and see ahead of time if the phone has been blacklisted.<\/p>\n This will save you a big costly headache.<\/p>\n From the article from the Toronto Star “New Registry Lets You Spot Stolen Phones” by Ellen Roseman, I was astounded at the number of lost or stolen phones in this country<\/p>\n 2010\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 496,000<\/p>\n 2011\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 420,000<\/p>\n 2012\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 263,000 (first nine months)<\/p>\n