51–60 of 107 posts
I've owned a few unlocked phones and found that switching networks is largely useless as my phone is unlikely to support the best data features from another provider.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
But you haven't paid for it. You've typically paid for about 1/3 of it, and agreed to a contract which specifies a 2-year payment schedule for rest as part of your phone bill.
Yes you have. You "paid for it" when you signed the contract, to which you are obligated regardless of what happens to your phone. A mobile phone contract is not a loan; the phone is not collateral. You can't choose to give back your phone in lieu of an early termination fee.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
But you haven't paid for it. You've typically paid for about 1/3 of it, and agreed to a contract which specifies a 2-year payment schedule for rest as part of your phone bill.
If your account is current, it shouldn't make any difference. If your account is not current, there is always the civil court system, debt collection, etc.
Cellphone unlocking is a step in the right direction. For this "movement" to work, long-term, we will need these small wins first.
Vote with your wallet. Don't buy locked phones. Once the consumers know the power they have in their hands, change will come easier.
I'm torn on the issue of buying locked vs unlocked. I have a family to support, so I don't have $500 or more to spend on an unlocked iPhone. Even if I had the money, I live in the US, and I haven't traveled outside of the country in over 10 years. Finally, there is no monthly discount on service if you bring an unlocked phone to a carrier, so that's the third strike. I'll continue to buy a new locked device every cou…
Meanwhile, progress is being made to legalize cellphone unlocking. With grassroots groups leading the charge, the Obama administration announced its support for overturning the ban last week. I'm astonished that people overwhelmingly believe this falsehood. The White House response opposes legalized phone unlocking, except to phones already out of contract. When they say they "support unlocking", they have a differen…
> We Should Be Allowed to Unlock Everything We Own You don't own a subsidised cell phone until your contract is out.
Oh wait no, it's a DMCA violation and a criminal offence, well that all seems fair and proportionate.
"...once we buy an object — any object — we should own it." Sure, but a purchase often comes with restrictions that you agree to before deciding on the purchase. If you don't agree to the restrictions you can avoid the purchase altogether. I can buy a six hundred thousand dollar house and still not have the right to put a garden gnome on my lawn if I bought in a community with by-laws that prohibit that. "Because man…
I think we should call this the "Just-market Fallacy" (I just Googled it and I'm not the first person to use the phrase), analogous to the Just-world Fallacy.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I'm astonished that people overwhelmingly believe this falsehood. Maybe that "falsehood" doesn't conform to your beliefs about what sort of unlocking should be allowed, but I think the quote you highlighted is a reasonable one. There are legitimate reasons to allow restrictions on what can be done with subsidized devices which are still bound by a service agreement. Your comment suggests that you're astonished that…
If I'm allowed to take a hammer and smash the phone while it's "bound by a service agreement" I should also be allowed to fiddle with the electronics. The reason it is not illegal to smash the phone is because it is your phone. The service agreement is a contract that you entered saying you will pay a monthly fee for two years independently of what happens to the phone. The phone is used by the phone company as an in…
And because you have to either continue paying for service or pay a termination fee. In either case the provider is recouping the cost.
Meanwhile, progress is being made to legalize cellphone unlocking. With grassroots groups leading the charge, the Obama administration announced its support for overturning the ban last week. I'm astonished that people overwhelmingly believe this falsehood. The White House response opposes legalized phone unlocking, except to phones already out of contract. When they say they "support unlocking", they have a differen…
> We Should Be Allowed to Unlock Everything We Own You don't own a subsidised cell phone until your contract is out.