said by pnh102 
:said by nasadude :"...reminiscent of AT&T's control of the landline system ...up until earlier this year."
This year?
I've been swapping out cell phones with AT&T ever since I got my first GSM handset back in 2002. I've used a few different unlocked phones, as well as locked phones that I bought from AT&T that I later unlocked.
I understand that this kind of choice may not work with Sprint, Verizon or Alltel, but I don't think most people really care about this non-issue. Every carrier offers many different kinds of phones at all price points. Couple that with the fact that most people are probably more interested in any carrier that has good service where they use their phones the most and I think the original complaint about a "lack of choice" is really more of a non-issue than anything else.
I really find it hard to fault a system that allows you to get a phone for literally nothing while simply paying for basic monthly service.
I agree. People quickly forget that the reason 99% of wireless customers are locked into contracts or devices is because they want them for nothing. If you want an unlocked phone you can take with you and use around the world you need to pay full price for it. I have been paying up to $1000 for phones for years, and this gives me the flexibility to what I please with them. Look at it another way:
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