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kyler13
Is your fiber grounded?
join:2006-12-12
Arnold, MD
1 edit | reply to wifi4milez
Re: GSM the already open network
Yes, but that's mostly because Americans don't understand it. I've said all along that I won't upgrade my phone on US networks unless it's free. If I don't have the freedom to take my hardware somewhere else, I won't pay for it, period. I'd pay a $5 monthly fee for two years to rent it (like my cable box) but I'm not even willing to pay $200 for a partially subsidized phone that won't cut the mustard in 2 years, repeat cycle until I've spent more than I would on an unlocked phone I'm happy keeping. Unlocked phones are expensive and give you the freedom to choose your network. Locked phones that bind you to the network should be cheap or free, but when the newest phones hit the market, they are pretty damn expensive. | |
wifi4milez
Big Russ, 1918 to 2008. Rest in Peace
join:2004-08-07
New York, NY
 ·Verizon FIOS
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
 ·RoadRunner Cable
 ·BroadVoice
| You raise a good point. My issue with buying a subsidized phone is that the newest, "coolest" ones are always a few hundred dollars. Look at it another way. A $200, subsidized phone requires (for arguments sake) a $80 per month plan for the next 2 years. On top of that, if you decide you want to change providers or (gasp!) get a new phone they hit you with a $200 ETL fee or make you extend your contract another two years! The alternative is purchasing that same phone (unlocked) for $400. This works especially well if you are out of contract with your provider, as then YOU call the shots. If you are unhappy with your service, you simply call and tell them "I am out of contract so I am switching to provider X". The retention reps will then scramble to do anything to keep you, including giving you a better plan while letting you stay month to month. Assuming you can get over the initial sticker shock of an unlocked phone, its hard to argue the benefits of a subsidized handset.
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If history teaches us anything, it teaches that simple-minded appeasement or wishful thinking about our adversaries is folly.
-Ronald Reagan-
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