Over the years, I have collected (bought) USB modems in different parts of the world - Optus in Australia, Vodafone in Germany, Reliance (CDMA) in India and so on. I have not returned to these places to request unlocking these devices (most vendors allow unlocking after 12 months or so), but I wonder if there is some easy alternative way to do so, with my being a computer dork!

Also, would the Vodafone USB modem work (without unlocking or other modification) with locally purchased Vodafone GSM cards in othe European countries (e.g. UK, France) or New Zealand?