What is Digg?80 Comments
- MikeOSX, on 10/11/2007, -3/+57Go ahead and sue AT&T. They will just spawn and re-merge.
- YodaJones, on 10/11/2007, -5/+29I think by law all cell phones have to be unlockable. I think the only obstacle will be is if all the phones features are supported by other cell carriers.
- fuzzmeister, on 10/11/2007, -1/+18@fkr3
There is a SIM slot on the iPhone. - marktrefgarne, on 10/11/2007, -9/+22Next up on Digg... a company offering to sell you a flying car! No promises on when they'll be able to deliver it, or the price, but wow, lets all digg it anyway!
- magic6435, on 10/11/2007, -3/+13sorry buddy you cant by the iphone without a new contract. so you already being on att doesn't matter
- jaycliche, on 10/11/2007, -2/+11"Go ahead and sue AT&T. They will just spawn and re-merge."
Lol...well put.
Now that's what I call a free market (for them). - magic6435, on 10/11/2007, -0/+8@anevilweasel
If you call widgets running in safari 3rd party add ons............... - magic6435, on 10/11/2007, -1/+9Wrong it actually just recently became legal to try to unlock it yourself. and that law is set to expire pretty soon it was only to test the waters.
- rockrapdude, on 10/11/2007, -12/+19And you thought the PS3 was a money waster.
- Ub3rg33k, on 10/11/2007, -1/+8Word is that the servers ATT uses for visual voicemail and other iPhone specific functions will also be used to push firmware updates. Not sure if that's true, but I could totally believe that Apple would do such a thing in order to keep unlocked (and hence uncontrolled) iPhones off the market.
- WildTang3nt, on 10/11/2007, -0/+7@bemenaker (#7171196)
They're GSM phones... - djdole, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6@magic6435
You don't have to be a NEW cingular/att customer to have a new contract.
Phone upgrades are equivalent to new contracts too.
With Cingular, all that 'contracts' are, are agreements that you'll keep your plan for the length of that contract, or else pay a early cancellation fee. After your current contract is up you don't HAVE to cancel or renew, you can keep paying monthly at your current rate, just you now also have the option to cancel anytime.
Additionally, after your contract is up you can elect to upgrade your phone which requires the signing of a new 1 or two year contract, under which the iPhone purchase would fall.
Now if your buying it at the Apple Store or a retard Cingular kiosk they'll probably argue that you have to sign up for a new plan, but then those people are mostly idiots and are working for the commission so don't care about the best way for YOU to upgrade, just the best way for THEM to make the most commission.
Basically, Cingular/Att isn't going to make CURRENT customers quit and sign up on whole new plans just to upgrade their phone. They want to retain their current customers, not piss them off and send them packing to whomever offers the iPhone next. - Robotsu, on 10/11/2007, -1/+6"No flash or java is a BIG hindrance to be buying this phone"
Why? Which applications on existing mobile phones are you wanting to run on the iPhone that you will now not be able to?
The point I am getting at is this: I'm fairly sure that about 80% of these people are crying about phantom applications that have never been written, which is just silly.
The iPhone was never marketed as, and was never intended to be, a pocket computer: It is, completely as advertised, introduced, and sold; an iPod; a Phone; a full-featured Web Browser. Running web-applications is just an additional upside. As long as it's 3 main features work strongly enough on the same device, the iPhone will be succesful, even despite the absolutely ridiculous hurdles set forth by "analyst" expectations (pretty much calling the thing a ***** God Phone) and wild internet rumors and fanboys. It is a strong product, and it would be a shame for Wallstreet or techies to sell this thing short. - chaosium, on 10/11/2007, -1/+6"Ah, the american way - sueing everyone..."
Yeah, antitrust legislation is so anti-Euro. - magic6435, on 10/11/2007, -3/+83rd party addons? hahahahahhahah no luck there my good sir. sorry.
- ISurfTooMuch, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Apple might not push updates to those phones, but that doesn't mean they won't get the new firmware. Someone will have a phone that does get the updates, download the updated firmware, mod it as needed, and make it available online. It happens all the time in the phone modding community. I remember when I had a Moto V551, and I updated its firmware through my PC instead of having to mail it off for an update. I also modded the phone to improve its functionality. And the only reason I didn't do this with my LG VX-8300 was that I didn't have a data cable, and the local Verizon store did it for me.
Mark my words. The iPhone will be hacked within a month of its release. I expect the first thing you'll see is a mod for third-party apps to be run on it without restriction. If Apple tries to push a patch to disable this, then you'll soon see a mod to remove that patch. Believe me, it'll happen. - nigelelliott394, on 10/11/2007, -4/+8I wonder could it be used in the UK like that.
- Legolover64, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Verizon plz?
- ISurfTooMuch, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Maybe, but even if the firmware push could re-lock the iPhone (and a firmware flash can certainly do this), someone will simply mod the firmware to disable the iPhone connecting to these servers.
- djjuice, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4This is good news if it happens, but do people realize that an unlocked phone is quite expensive? You are buying the phone at a retail price. If the iPhone is $499 and $599, the unlocked price must be around $800-$1000. Look at some unlocked nokia phones, they are quite expensive.
- ryanknapper, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4However the carrier doesn't have to unlock them until your contract is up. In two or three years the market may be flooded with unlocked v1 iPhones.
- johnbellone, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Skype.
- spiffywilco, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3The only thing that would make this useful for me, IMHO, is when I travel abroad. My phone I have now (bought in Hong Kong) was unlocked out of the box. When I'm in the US, I can pop in a Cingular sim card, and I get service. Then when I got to Italy, I slide in my TIM sim card, and local service and convenience of having a mobile, without having to pay ridiculous amounts to Cingular.
Bottom line, if I were to buy an iPhone ever (nice phone) it would have to be unlocked or unlockable before I even consider it. - locojones, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4There is no "law" entitling anyone to have their cellphone unlocked. The Copyright Office made a list of recommended exceptions to the DMCA, one of allows consumers to unlock your cellphone without running afoul of the DMCA. But the Copyright Office is not a legislative body. It can't write laws. What it can do is promulgate internal rules and regulations, and make recommendations regarding Copyright to Congress.
So if you unlock your phone, and you get sued under the DMCA, you might have some protection based on this new internal rule. However, there is nothing that requires AT&T or anyone else to provide you unlock codes for your shiny new phone. - longbow486, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3for that price i would buy a Dell D620 that has a GMS card in it
- troyallen069, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Mom Mom Mom it's not fair
- magic6435, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3@djdole
You can not extend your contract for the iphone. you must sign up for a new 2 year contract regardless of weather or not you have a current contract. - EtherGnat, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3The iPhone doesn't support MMS even on at&t's network.
- Avalontor, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3And not only is it locked to at&t it's also locked to iTunes. You have to have a valid iTunes account for the phone to work.
- Ub3rg33k, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2That's not the point. The point is if you did manage somehow to get an unlocked phone, you're stuck with it as is. You will never be able to receive updates for it. If there were a serious flaw that required a new firmware, you'd be completely screwed.
- OS2Guy, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2Well, it's true about AT&T using special servers. Part of the deal with AT&T and Apple included the use of Apple Servers for features on the iPhone. Without those servers the features won't work.
So yes, you may be able to get an unlocked iPhone but you're still going to have to take that iPhone into an AT&T store, purchased a two-year contract and have them provide their SIM card in the iPhone. Any other SIM card will not work.
And despite those who keep repeating the false information that the battery is not interchangeable, it is and can be removed and replaced by the user - if and when it ever gives out. To recharge you simply use the same plugin cord that comes with the iPod. I have an 80gig iPod and it takes just 15 minutes to fully charge it on my windows or Mac machines. - guerchmann, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1What a spammer!
- LeeSoong, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Program it for Virgin Mobile?
iPhone and 18 cents pay per minute, no contract = Mega massive sales of iPhones. - superkendall, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I think AT&T had better announce rate plans soon. The way to get people to stick with AT&T is simply to offer much better rate plans than someone like T-Mobile, which they should be able to do with the phone unsubsidized and all...
What I would really love to see is a "pay as you go" plan that allowed for data access and international roaming. I have a T-Mobile RAZR currently, and I can't get data (or at least can't use the phone as a modem) and I can't use it abroad. But I do like the reduced costs of pay as you go since I don't make a lot of calls. - HappyScrappy, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1fangorious:
There's nothing to support what you say. People just say it.
When Cingular sells a phone with a 1 year contract, there is a $100 subsidy in there. When they sell a Cingular phone with a 2 year contract, there is a $200 subsidy in there.
This will be the same for iPhone. Where the $100 or $200 goes may change (maybe it subsidizes the data rate pricing instead of the hardware pricing), but regardless, if you bought it without contract, that $100 or $200 would have to be made up somehow. Out of your pocket most likely. - EtherGnat, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Have you ever used a Verizon smartphone? They cripple the hell out of traditional phones, but the only thing I've ever seen disabled on their smartphones is tethering (which the iPhone probably won't do anyway), and there's usually an easy workaround for that.
- superkendall, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2Doesn't it seem pretty unlikely that Apple would not push updates out through iTunes as well? They already do for iPods after all...
- tropican8, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1They have since corrected it. I wish I could do the same for the Digg story.
- zdiggler, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1They need OK from AT&T to sell unlocked phones. If the phone is unlocked it will be sold for ungodly amount of $$$. Sure it will work will work on other GSM network, you can like make basic phone call and send sms probably won't get all the data functions work right. Unlock code for the phone will be kept in Apple even safer 360 view of the phone picture currently.
- illflip, on 10/11/2007, -4/+4pretty sure its useless to use iPhone on another network. AT&T installed new servers just for the iPhone (im guessing for the visual voicemail feature). so you'd spend all that money for one, but not get the full functionality.
- joshuaok, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1@os2guy
Where are you getting that information about an interchangeable battery? Sure, with an iPod spudger and some good instructions it might be do-able, but it would almost certainly void the warranty. I wouldn't call that interchangeable. - Sneaks, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0@Magic6435: You can...Im an at&t subscriber, and I called them, and from what I was told, if you buy the iPhone, you have to pay a full price, therefore you wouldn't get a normal "subscription" discount and you still have to add back on to whatever you have +2 years... if you had subscribed 1 yr ago and had 1 year left, you buy the phone outright, with the requirement of staying for 2 more years... so anyone can get the phone including those already with at&t/Cingular.... This article also doesn't seem to fit with this "2 year commitment" thing... You'll have to pay the premium of the phone, the 2 year commitment and the 80+ bucks a month for the plan for 2 years or some outrageous cancellation fee, as well as for your "other" carrier that the phone is unlocked for...
Apple has an exclusive deal to sell only through at&t - illflip, on 10/11/2007, -2/+2ya i guess useless would be the wrong word for it. still, if im shellin out 600 bucks, i want all the capabilities.
- bryandale, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0the cost won't be an issue for a lot of people in technology backwaters like Canada. We had to wait years just to get iTunes music downloads, and we still can't get TV shows or movies (at least not legally). given a choice of waiting 2-5 years to get an iPhone in Canada or paying extra to get an unlocked one, a lot of us will be willing to pay a substantial premium.
- lordmike, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1Maybe next they can unlock the iPhone API...
well... one can dream, can't they? - Wilddigi, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1It won't happen. The iPhone is a product of Apple Inc. and a partnership between them and ATT and Apple is making the rules and regulations. You want it, you pay for it. You don't want to, you find another phone.
- 2k3john, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1The thing that boggles me most about the whole iPhone deal is why Apple, arguably the top pusher of "Cool" throughout the known world would team up with AT&T - that megalithic beast who brought us NSA wiretapping of internet traffic passing over its networks (remember the "trunk" room) and even now is proposing traffic filtering to combat p2p in a strategic alignment with the MPAA and the RIAA -
The iPhone is awesome and I want one. But teaming up with AT&T on this is like showing me something shiny and new and getting me totally pumped for it right before wrapping the whole thing up in *****... - kday, on 10/11/2007, -3/+2"Anybody that believes this should go an click on "Win a free iPhone/iPod" ad."
I got 4 of those free iPods from those free iPod things. 3 30 gb iPods, and an iPod shuffle. I sold them all, and gave 1 iPod 30 gb for my older sisters b-day. I got tired of iPods after a while, so I just started taking paypal payments instead. I also won a free macbook pro a while back, but I took the $1900 instead. It really wasn't hard. The macbook pro took patience though. I also got a crappy SD plasma TV, but I took $1000 check instead since I didn't want it.
I can't find my iPod proof pics at the moment, but here is some proof pics of the macbook pro and plasma checks:
http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/6536/picture1vc4.png
http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/9655/picture2lg7.png
Many of those "Free iPod" things aren't scams, you just have to be patient and know how to work the system. I don't do this stuff anymore because I grew up, and got bored of it. - goodluck4287, on 10/11/2007, -1/+0Just to let you guys know...
Someone mentioned it above, it is a law now that a GSM carrier in the USA (and there are only 2) must provide you with an unlock code.
However, visual voicemail will not work with T-Mobile (for now).
As far as the internet goes, you would probably need the $40 ***** T-Mobile complete internet plan, because who would want to look at WAP on an iPhone. Whether or not you will be able to enter a carrier's internet settings is up in the air now.
I assume iphonehacks.org or some ***** like that will emerge and turn the iPhone into a Mac Mini. -
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