[dan1668]

I know for a fact not everyone would be in the same boat as me on this issue, but RIM should start selling their phones directly to the consumers unlocked with the cmda/gsm option in each of their phones. Allowing customers to have the most up to date phones without any form of bloat ware,poor selected updates, and stupid gimmicks.

The draw back would be the price, but that would be the only real issue since RIM could support pretty much all the networks that allow the use of purchased unlocked phones activated on their network. In all seriousness it's something that should of been done a loooooong time ago.

This would also pretty much make them think much more carefully on each of their new phone models and not allow a junkie line to get out or the carriers will be the only ones buying them and the real consumers will end up going to a different manufacture.

[FunkyDog]

Wow....... well said.....

[Mister Xiado]

No, because people are cheap consumerists.

FEW people will pay full price for a phone. They think that their contract discount doesn't exist. Of course, most people think that cell phones are magic anyway.

Just because a few prosumers don't mind dropping half a grand on a mobile email platform does not mean that it's in the best interests of RIM's bottom line to eliminate the middle man. Imagine the caterwauling that would be heard if everybody had to pay RIM $50 an hour to fix their between-the-left-and-right-ears issues. No, better to get free service from the cell service providers.

[ridesno159]

So Apple should allow their iPhone to be used on all carriers then, and not be allowed on the "junkie" (Att) carrier then?

You should do some research on the differences between CDMA and GSM networks then. There is no such thing as a "unlocked" CDMA phone. Plus you wouldn't have the battery life of the 9700 on a CDMA network.

Do some research and look at the work involved in developing a CDMA/GSM phone that will work on ALL carriers. You WILL find that RIM is doing exactly what they should be doing, except for making an OS 10 in 2010........

[mjizzle]

RIM should make the same models for all carriers, like it did with the Pearl 8100, Curve 8300 & 8500 and 8830.

[cavingjan]

One of the things to consider is that the bulk of the "bloat" comes through Service Books anyway so a fresh BB will still get them when the carrier you choose to use sends them to you.

[amazinglygraceless]

This will never work and would have a massively negative impact on RIMs sales.
There are millions of users (me for instance) that will NEVER pay full retail for a
cellphone. Doing what you suggest would be the equivalent of cutting their own throats.

[Masahiro]

You could already buy unlocked phones off Craigslist, most likely for far cheaper than any price a carrier or OEM can offer. It's one of the main perks of being on a GSM carrier.

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