Locked phones (was Re: A timely rant: Time for SIM-free phones.)

Mon Feb 26 20:26:36 CET 2007

Sam...

Thanks for posting that link.  A great write up on the "Fundamentally
Immoral" business practices in the cellullar communications industry today. 

What I expect from the "Operators" or "Carriers" (depending on which oceans
are nearby) is that they cease and desist using obfuscation and bundling to
hide the true cost of their services.  Ala-carte pricing that can be
compared business to business.

Another Mini-Rant of my own: 

Cell Plans That Help Parents Teach Responsibility

As a parent, one of my great angers with the cellular industry is that
NO-ONE has offered a pre-paid plan that limits the child's monthly use of
the air-time resource by cutting it off once the minute limit is exceeded
for the month.  Calls FROM and TO the parent account would still go through
and be billed to the parent account.  

But the cell industry in not interested in what is best for Society as a
whole, namely  young people who can demonstrate the ability to conserve and
manage resources.  Thanks for being such good citizens, guys. (<< Sarcasm)

Alan McSwain

Original Message:
-----------------
From: Sam Kome sam.kome at motricity.com
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2007 13:18:59 -0500
To: community at lists.openmoko.org
Subject: RE: Locked phones (was Re: A timely rant: Time for SIM-free
phones.)

I think that the article I linked to really clearly covers all of the
issues presented in the email responses.  The price subsidies, the
locked/unlocked, the SIM buying, the phone w/o SIM buying, etc.

That's why I brought it to this group, because I respect the
intelligence of the folks here, and I think they care about furthering
the efficacy and usability of mobile computing and communication.

I took it for granted that everyone on the list, including myself, knows
the difference between T/CDMA (also available with SIMs, but nevermind)
and GSM devices in terms of subscriber identity management.  

I _don't_ take for granted that anyone not working in or around the cell
phone industry can even spell SIM, let alone understand the implications
of whether or not their phone has a removable chip, or if that chip will
work in another device, let alone with another carrier.

When my mother/brother/friend in the US wants to buy a phone, they are
very likely to go to one or two cell phone outlet stores, RTFMA, and see
a plethora of plans with minutes and calling circles and
free-after-x-o'clock.  They will not be able to reasonably compare these
to each other without performing sophisticated systems analysis on the
fly.  They will and do sign up for 2 year contracts _and/or_ locked
devices.  

This by the way, makes my job (creating mobile content) more difficult,
so I have both the philosphical and selfish professional incentives to
try to both educate the general public and solve the core problem as I
see it, which is a sea of proprietary devices that have lousy software
and worse user interfaces.

How'd I do? Still childish boring bullshit?  

-----Original Message-----
From: community-bounces at lists.openmoko.org
[mailto:community-bounces at lists.openmoko.org] On Behalf Of Shawn
Rutledge
Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 12:51 PM
To: community at lists.openmoko.org
Subject: Locked phones (was Re: A timely rant: Time for SIM-free
phones.)

SIMs are great - I don't like SIM-free phones like Verizon ones that
require somebody at Verizon to switch the service to a different
phone.  With GSM you just switch the SIM yourself.  Of course it would
also be nice to be able to use different devices without having to
physically switch the SIM (like use the GPRS connection in a laptop or
PDA).  Anyway "SIM-free" is misleading as you are using it, because
you are actually complaining about locked phones that will only work
on one network.   And BTW it's not so hard to buy new unlocked phones
on the net if you are willing to pay unsubsidized prices for them.

As for Jobs, I think he negotiated a lot of unique stuff that cannot
typically be negotiated with a carrier.  It's too bad the phone still
costs $500-600 even with a contract.  Makes me wonder what the real
manufacturing cost is; is the hardware that super-duper or are they
just wanting to have even better margins than they get on ipods?

On 2/26/07, Sam Kome <sam.kome at motricity.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
> We should paper the world with (something like) this rant ahead of the
wide release of Neo1973.
>
> The fettered masses really don't get it yet.
>
>
>
> Covers 8 myths which drive folks to buy locked phones and/or 2yr
contracts:
>
>
http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/features/item/Its_time_to_buy_SIM-free_ph
ones.php
>
>
>
> "How would Apple fans react if the latest Mac computer was exclusively
locked to a particular ISP, was only available to people who live in
that ISP's service area, and people had to sign up to a 2 year contract
with that ISP? The Apple fans would be mad as hell, so why on earth are
they having to put up with exactly the same restrictions on a portable,
pocket-sized Mac computer called the iPhone?"
>
>
>
> "How is it that Finland, a poorer, lower-density country without phone
contracts, and with a law banning locked phones, developed far better
phone coverage than America, the land of locked phones and 2 year
contracts?"
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Sam Kome
>  UX Team Member
>
>  www.motricity.com
>  view corporate video
>
>
>
> NOTICE: This e-mail message is for the sole use of the intended
recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information of
Motricity.  Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is
prohibited.  If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the
sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message.
> _______________________________________________
> OpenMoko community mailing list
> community at lists.openmoko.org
> http://lists.openmoko.org/mailman/listinfo/community
>
>
>

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