[flashback]

Imagine if your internet provider dictated what kind of computer you could buy, and then went ahead and disabled some of it's features! That's what's happening in the cell phone world and it's getting out of hand.

I say separate the two, make it illegal for cell manufacturers (Apple, RIM, Nokia, etc..) to be tied to certain wireless providers (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint..), and do it soon!

Now the wireless provider can worry about the quality of it's coverage, data plans, speed, and customer service. That can't be too bad, right?

The phone manufacturers can then concentrate on making excellent devices without having to exclude/disable certain features at the whim of some wireless carrier executives. That can't be too bad either!

Lets have each component of the wireless industry (carrier/phone) worry about their own respective field, and in turn improve them! Then we as consumers can pick from the best device and use it on the best network, period.

Sorry for the long rant, but it drives me up the wall that to get certain devices I'd need to change providers. Newsflash; not all providers work in the same places!

[88 FLUX]

Sorry but your rant holds no credibility. None of that is really the case. Is it true that some phones on some carriers are locked down and have features disabled? Yes it is. But I think you are interpreting it much worse than it is.

You made the examples of Apple, RIM, and Nokia. Let's start with Apple. The carriers have not locked down the capabilities of it.. APPLE HAS. Apple intentionally made it a closed platform with limited abilities. Is that necessarily bad? No. If you don't like it, you don't buy it. That's just how Apple rolls.

Now let's talk about RIM. Once again, yes it is true that providers such as Verizon are known to disable certain features (such as GPS). But that does not leave you without a choice. RIM makes devices on both GSM and CDMA on providers that do not lock features. By signing a contract with someone like Verizon and accepting a locked down device, you have given your acceptance of such behavior. If you do not like it, do not go with a provider like that.

And then there's Nokia.... I'm baffled that you would even use a Nokia example. Nokia takes a lot of pride in their unbranded selections. Take a look at any of the N or E series devices for example. Where does anything in your rant apply to them?

Bottom line is, you always have a choice. No one is forcing you to purchase a particular item.

It's a business. And a very successful one at that. That's just the way the business works.

And also, in case you don't know, there's a lot more to it than "it's a cell phone. why can't i use it on Sprint" or other types of questions. There's a lot of technical specs behind such things that you may need to look into.

[kvaughan]

I don't know of any major wireless provider that disables phone features except for VZW with GPS.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[wallyjayrosenberger]

Centennial wireless doesn't allow streaming audio or video, tethering capabilities, or tcp access. But they do have unlimited data with the basic bb plan.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[noaim]

verizon does refuse capabilitys of devices though .... Im pretty confident in saying that theres a good chance that the wifi issue was caused by verizon in reguards to the storm...

There was early pictures of the storm that had a wifi indicator on it so I believe it was originally in the plans...

but whatever

I don't cry about it....

I know what I am buying before I buy it

But just so you guys know

There is huge things going on in the cell industry reguarding things like not being able to force customers to pay money to get out of there contract and such

Verizon is already paying out money to people who paid early term fees in previous contracts....



In the next 30 years you will see alot of things change with it.. cell networks will eventually over time turn into what home phones are now... as far as service


When the telephone came out you had the service and the phone itself was controlled by the company now you can walk into any store grab a phone and bring it home and plug it in....


This isn't something that happens over night but.. with the fact that the hardware itself is starting to be built around connecting to many different networks... there is a good possibility that in the future that outsourced phones will be universal...

[masterdnater]

Thanks for the novel lol jk

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[flashback]

I know it was a dumb rant. I think I'm just mad because Verizon is all that works in my area so therefor I'm stuck with what they offer and the business practices they employ.

Verizon blocks the GPS abilities of my Blackberry. I may not even use the feature if it wasn't blocked but it still bugs me on principal. AT&T doesn't seem to do this, but they have ZERO service where I live so that's not even an option.

[wallyjayrosenberger]

Same for me with centennial wireless. If I didn't have them then I wouldn't have service at home, work, or in between.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Stardan]

Are you saying that EVERY carrier should be able to build out a network in EVERY city? That would be alot of towers.

[jerry12]

I don't know of any major wireless provider that disables phone features except for VZW with GPS.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

other lock out features as well like the web browser on uscc phones and also the pop3 email client on some uscc phones and i am sure other carriers do the same in the name of cdma brew content.