Similar to a lease
If you don't like the terms, don't sign up for a 2 year contract. It's that simple.
Regards,
-scott Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson. |
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But really...
that has nothing to do with unlocking the phone though.
Let us look at a lease of a car... Sure you don't own it, but you are effectively the 100% caretaker of it and financial responsibility for it. If you don't change the oil in it for 2 years... or run the tires down to the cords... Or never clean out the yuck from the kids... Wait, you just turn it in after 2 years. With a phone, once the contract ends... its a "rent to own" type of thing... so you are supposedly the owner. If you pay the Early Termination Fee... what the flip do they care anymore. --
greg@gregfolkert.net PGP key 1024D/B524687C 2003-08-05 Fingerprint: E1D3 E3D7 5850 957E FED0 2B3A ED66 6971 B524 687C |
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Re: But really...
http://www.att.com/e...#fbid=Ke5R9HazASM
All contract obligations, including any term commitment, associated with the device to be unlocked have been fully satisfied. That includes getting out of the contract early by paying the ETF: http://appleinsider....their_iphone.html So again, if you don't like the terms, don't take the contract. Regards,
-scott Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson. |
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It's got nothing to do with the contract terms
And everything to do with the fact that if you end up with a locked phone that's 100% yours, you have no legal recourse to unlock it if the carrier that locked it goes "lol, no" when you say "I'm out of contract, please unlock my phone". Or, more likely, they go "sure! We can unlock your phone, for just $100 and a three-week wait!"
If you go "you're not the boss of me!", and head out into the wilds of Internet land to unlock your own god fucking dammit phone , you're totes in contravention of the DMCA and eligible for an all-expenses-paid holiday with Club Fed. And that's just not very star-spangled or apple-pie-ish or gun-totingly free now, is it? (Did I mention that the iOS OSK sucks donkey dong?) Jtfc, Scott, you've got me and Greg in agreement here. Do you need more convincing? |
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Things are different over here.
We've got several incompatible network technologies. Even if you can get your phone unlocked, it doesn't matter. If you want to use it, you probably have to use it with the system that branded it in the first place.
It's not a big deal. Now if GSM phones were locked this way, you'd be right to be outraged. Nobody says you can't use the phone you "bought". Even if it's locked. You can play Angry Birds (or whatever) to your heart's content. ;-) It's just that you can't use it on their network unless you satisfy their terms. It's not about the thing you carry in your pocket - its about access to their network. HTH. Cheers, Scott. |
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Come, now.
All this talk of "incompatible network technologies" is just handwaving away the fact that it's now totes fine for the network to make it unpalatable or if they want downright impossible for you to legally unlock the phone.
The phone, ah yes, the phone. Let's pretend that you sign up for a two year plan, diligently paying every dime of every payment. Two long, long years elapses and the SuperGizmoTron 5000 GTI Maxx that was so shiny is now long since rendered comical, the vendor having lost interest in OS updates about six months into your contract. But you stuck it out, and here you are, two years later, free, free as air. That phone in your hand? Your phone, that you just got done paying for? NOT YOURS. It's not about "access to the network", because if it were, unlocked phones wouldn't work, and of course they do. This law is bullshit legislation, and you should not be fine with it, even if you never unlock a phone in your life. |
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I don't understand why you're so upset about this.
People aren't going to be thrown in prison for unlocking their phones. Even if the DMCA says they might be.
http://www.androidpo...hing-of-the-past/ Can I Unlock My Cellphone To Use It On Another Carrier? FWIW. Cheers, Scott. |
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I'm not upset. I'm annoyed
Because this is just the kind of idiotic legislation with chilling effects that has a habit of crossing the pond.
And anyway, whether I'm upset or not is immaterial. This law does nothing for you, but does plenty for the poor beleaguered carriers. It just makes it easier for them to screw you. |