2008 Woodie Awards
Tech Talk: Cheaper cell phones: unlocked and online
Zachary Leahan
Issue date: 9/26/07 Section: Features
- Page 1 of 1
The typical American cell phone user buys their phone through a carrier. When the carrier sells the phone, it offers a discount for a two-year contract. The typical consumer doesn't consider the total cost of ownership and takes the bait. Sometimes a cell phone neophyte will agree to a pricier plan to get the discount.
The discounted phone is a "locked" phone. The concept of "locking" is only applicable to carriers that use Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards, AT&T, and T-Mobile. The phone is "locked" to the particular SIM (number) and carrier. In other words, if I slip my AT&T SIM card into a locked T-Mobile Phone, it won't work.
There is a world of advantages with an "unlocked" phone. If you buy a phone through your carrier, you are limited to the phones they carry. For instance, I wanted the newest and thinnest Motorola SLVR L9.
At the time, AT&T only carried the older SLVR L7. Consequently, I bought my phone online "unlocked." An unlocked phone allows you to use the phone anywhere and with any SIM. I just slipped the SIM card in and could make calls right away and retrieve all of the contacts stored on my SIM. Now I have a better phone without renewing my contract.
The fact that few people in the US have the model contributes to the coolness factor. If you are into having the latest and greatest, check out gsmarena.com and cnet.com to research phones. Find the best new phone price on google.com/products or use Amazon or eBay to find a used phone. I'll end up selling my phone on eBay when I am done with it. The value is higher since it is unlocked.
Not everyone at this school wants the latest and greatest. Many St. Joe's personalities just want phones to work and be cheap and tough. If they are cool, that's a plus. Say this user breaks or loses his phone; they can pick up a used "unlocked" phone on eBay for $10 to $30. Staples in Narberth has a cell phone recycling bin for old phones.
The benefits of unlocking have started the race to unlock the iPhone. The iPhone can only be purchased with an accompanying two-year contract from its sole carrier, AT&T. So far there are various methods of unlocking, ranging from disassembling the iPhone and sending computer commands to running fairly technical software. If the phone is fully unlocked, it would work on T-Mobile's network here in the US or on other carriers in other countries.
Hackers love this task because it follows the attitude of "I own it, so I can do whatever I want to it." Imagine being the only person in the UK with a working iPhone before its official release.
Quick Tip: Forget using fee-based 411. Use Google's 411 service. 1-800-GOOG-411. It's free with no ads.
The discounted phone is a "locked" phone. The concept of "locking" is only applicable to carriers that use Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards, AT&T, and T-Mobile. The phone is "locked" to the particular SIM (number) and carrier. In other words, if I slip my AT&T SIM card into a locked T-Mobile Phone, it won't work.
There is a world of advantages with an "unlocked" phone. If you buy a phone through your carrier, you are limited to the phones they carry. For instance, I wanted the newest and thinnest Motorola SLVR L9.
At the time, AT&T only carried the older SLVR L7. Consequently, I bought my phone online "unlocked." An unlocked phone allows you to use the phone anywhere and with any SIM. I just slipped the SIM card in and could make calls right away and retrieve all of the contacts stored on my SIM. Now I have a better phone without renewing my contract.
The fact that few people in the US have the model contributes to the coolness factor. If you are into having the latest and greatest, check out gsmarena.com and cnet.com to research phones. Find the best new phone price on google.com/products or use Amazon or eBay to find a used phone. I'll end up selling my phone on eBay when I am done with it. The value is higher since it is unlocked.
Not everyone at this school wants the latest and greatest. Many St. Joe's personalities just want phones to work and be cheap and tough. If they are cool, that's a plus. Say this user breaks or loses his phone; they can pick up a used "unlocked" phone on eBay for $10 to $30. Staples in Narberth has a cell phone recycling bin for old phones.
The benefits of unlocking have started the race to unlock the iPhone. The iPhone can only be purchased with an accompanying two-year contract from its sole carrier, AT&T. So far there are various methods of unlocking, ranging from disassembling the iPhone and sending computer commands to running fairly technical software. If the phone is fully unlocked, it would work on T-Mobile's network here in the US or on other carriers in other countries.
Hackers love this task because it follows the attitude of "I own it, so I can do whatever I want to it." Imagine being the only person in the UK with a working iPhone before its official release.
Quick Tip: Forget using fee-based 411. Use Google's 411 service. 1-800-GOOG-411. It's free with no ads.
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