What really burns is AT&T isn't even going to offer no commitment service pricing to reflect the lack of phone subsidy...
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Apple Now Selling Unlocked iPhone 4 in U.S.
- Thread starter ChakaChaka
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I traded my iPhone for an Optimus V on VM. The iPhone is definitely a better phone, but with the monthly fee difference there is just no question the Optimus V is a better value. $150 phone + $25/mo plan. Unlimited data, free built-in GPS, and easy to activate wifi hotspot. Heck, just a mifi plan is more than the VM base plan for the Optimus (which again has UNLIMITED data). I don't like carrying extra gadgets, but jeez for the cost savings on VM compared to ATT/Verizon over two years (we're talking at least $1000-$1500 to make roughly the same services -- data and hotspot and GPS) I can have the Optimus V, an iPod Touch, an iPad or MacBook Air, and still have a lot of cash left over.
I love the iPhone, but I don't love it enough to fork over $2000 over two years when there are phones that are 80% as good for 25% the cost.
I love the iPhone, but I don't love it enough to fork over $2000 over two years when there are phones that are 80% as good for 25% the cost.
how do u like it so far? i went and picked one up at target at lunch and was $149 and a free $20 gift card so pretty good deal. I'm in the middle of dallas so sprint coverage seems to be real good here. the phone is working well so far. i can't believe the $25 price...seems crazy!
yeah that is where i am at right now as well. I just picked up an optimus V at lunch. phone seems really nice actually. Surprised by android. We use google voice, so integrates nicely of course with google android. I'm still trying to understand what the catch is?
I got mine from RS for like $125 plus a $10 GC back in February. For the price I think it's an impressive set up. VM was good/decent in my area, and never lost a call in my 3 months of ownership.
The phone, and perhaps the OS, were a mixed bag in my experience. Certain differences you expect (a bit of lag, less impressive camera, screen is eh, etc...) between a V and the i4. However the memory leaks got to be pervasive, and I was force closing apps all the time. Hard resets happened more frequently than I found acceptable. Finally the phone would get stuck dialing out to the last number over and over and had to hard reset to get it to stop. That was it for me. I went to VZ and picked up another i4.
I'm glad for the experience, and for someone with limited means I would strongly recommend the VM plans. However it just didn't work out for me, and actually helped me decide to plant my flag with Apple for the foreseeable future.
I agree that the Optimus V is not the greatest phone, but there are some nice aspects to it. Google voice integration is very easy. Google sync in general is very easy (photos/Picasa, GContacts, GCalendar, Gmail, Music/Music Beta, Docs). I never have to connect the phone to a computer since all my info and music are google-ized. I never worry about running out of space for music or photos. The camera is pretty good. It's easy to upload and share photos.
Now it's nowhere near as good for movies/streaming video as iOS. Also the onboard memory is small so I've run into problems not being able to fit all the apps I like in the phone.
However, Unlimited data+easy to activate hotspot function is just incredible at $25/month. Even if I used it only for the hotspot and carried an iPod or iPad for the iOS experience when I want it it would be worth it. I don't usually need to do that because the Optimus V is a very nice little phone that does 80-90% of what I liked about the iPhone and the rest I make up with my iPad if I'm at my kids' sports events and want to watch Netflix etc. (remember, hotspot via Optimus!)
Haven't had any problems with phone freezing or getting stuck. Have had it for two months.
Now it's nowhere near as good for movies/streaming video as iOS. Also the onboard memory is small so I've run into problems not being able to fit all the apps I like in the phone.
However, Unlimited data+easy to activate hotspot function is just incredible at $25/month. Even if I used it only for the hotspot and carried an iPod or iPad for the iOS experience when I want it it would be worth it. I don't usually need to do that because the Optimus V is a very nice little phone that does 80-90% of what I liked about the iPhone and the rest I make up with my iPad if I'm at my kids' sports events and want to watch Netflix etc. (remember, hotspot via Optimus!)
Haven't had any problems with phone freezing or getting stuck. Have had it for two months.
Google integration,and GV in particular, is a definite plus. Google Nav smokes any of the paid GPS apps available in the App Store. I liked the free app a day from the Amazon app store as well.
QC is a concern for me. The first V I purchased had speaker issues and I had to return it. Then of course the 2nd ended up with all those problems I mentioned previously. Of course even i4's go belly up once in a while. However the experience with the V drove home the importance of having a hands-on Apple store in my area. The local support is really valuable.
VM is getting a nice looking 4.3 inch Motorolla soonish. Depending on pricing that could be a pretty great deal.
Yeah, they don't cost $0.01 like the phones you get when you sign up for a contract that makes you pay $2000 over a period of 2 years.
Dude there is no catch, other than AT&T/Verizon marketing is the "emperor's new clothes", meaning they lead consumers to believe their service is far and away better than the competition. It's not (well, depending where you live). Look at the beating AT&T has taken for their coverage in NYC/SanFran.
The problem is people vote with their wallets and buy in to expensive devices/service. If you saw the carriers promoting prepaid, I really believe you would see expensive devices come down in price.
Well there is one catch. No roaming.
VM uses Sprint lines only, and doesn't have roaming agreements. Unlike VZ, Sprint, etc... VM doesn't have any arrangements with the other carriers to pick up your call/data/etc... when you are out of range of one of Sprint's towers. When you're out of range your phone essentially becomes an MP3 player. Not a huge problem for those with good Sprint coverage. However it is a complete deal breaker for some.
I will say I took a road trip through the midwest with my V and had 0 problems with calls/data. Strong signal the whole time, though we stayed to the highways.
i wonder what apple changed with these unlocked Iphones. i contacted AT&T to try and get my current iPhone 4 unlocked and got this response from the online chat CSR rep "Submitted request. Iphone not unlockable. All iPhone devices sold by AT&T are designed to work exclusively on the AT&T network. AT&T does not provide the unlock code for iPhone devices."
Fair enough on the roaming. I suspect though, that the majority of people overpay for the THEORY of roaming. A security blanket they pay for but will never use. They are really around their home areas 90% of the time. A true unlocked CDMA/GSM phone you could use almost all the time where you are based and the times you travel pay $10-$20 for the luxury of Verizon coverage for a week.
And I wonder why AT&T only keeps growing with such an indescribable and hateful customer treatment. Not only this, but they are the most expensive carrier there is. Props to the CEO of AT&T who despite offering terrible everything still has millions of users.
It's a load of BS - Electrically the locked and unlocked phones are more or less identical. The unlocked phones' IMEIs are in a database of unlocked phones, so when an activation request is sent, Apple responds back with the unlock code as a part of the activation ticket. The IMEI unlocks that were briefly available for $175 somehow managed to add iPhones to this database, and even AT&T phones were becoming officially unlocked.
Exactly, collusion and anti-competitive behavior keep prices high regardless of cost. The carriers are going to charge the maximum amount people are willing to pay regardless of how much towers cost. If each tower cost $1, they would still charge $100 / month if enough people are willing to pay it.
This is the annoying part. I paid $499 last year for an iPhone 4, and for a while had a software unlock. (I eventually lost the unlock when Apple replaced my phone and I ended up with the new baseband.) If I paid full price, I ought to be able to upgrade. My phone has never been subsidized and if anything, I overpay because I don't get a non subsidy discount when I'm on ATT in the US. If the unlocked option were available last year, that's what I would have done.
The micro SIM thing can be a pain in the ass if you work for an organization that issues where sharing or swapping SIMs might be commonplace.
That has nothing to do with apple; that's a carrier decision.
Nothing. Factory and carrier unlocked phones are on Apple's whitelist. It seems like the GSM exclusivity ended just recently. Of course, that'd partly explain AT&T's bid for t-mobile.
If you read the posts about getting the CDMA iphone on Metro PCS, you'll find that it's about the carrier and not the phone. If you can convince straight talk to add your phone, you've overcome 99% of the problem.
So I feel like I google this every now and then, but from my latest reading—and please correct me if I'm wrong—there is no software unlock for iPhone 4s yet. Dev team has been claiming it's coming, but we have no idea when.
There is a moderately sketchy hardware unlock that involves putting in a custom SIM which forces "the activation of the baseband using the emergency dialer, and…[works] up to iOS 4.3." This costs approximately $75 and may or may not be illegal and may or may not work in all cases.
Do we think that the release of factory unlocked iPhone 4s will change this?
I have a 3GS that I jailbroke and unlocked, but I just smashed the screen. So I have to decide whether to pay $70 to get the screen fixed or $200 for an iPhone 4. I like being able to tether 3G data to my computer and I'm going to be in Europe for a trip so having an unlocked phone would be very helpful.
Let me know if you have any advice.
Thank you.
There is a moderately sketchy hardware unlock that involves putting in a custom SIM which forces "the activation of the baseband using the emergency dialer, and…[works] up to iOS 4.3." This costs approximately $75 and may or may not be illegal and may or may not work in all cases.
Do we think that the release of factory unlocked iPhone 4s will change this?
I have a 3GS that I jailbroke and unlocked, but I just smashed the screen. So I have to decide whether to pay $70 to get the screen fixed or $200 for an iPhone 4. I like being able to tether 3G data to my computer and I'm going to be in Europe for a trip so having an unlocked phone would be very helpful.
Let me know if you have any advice.
Thank you.
I don't think contract termination also yields an unlocked handset, you'll be out of the contract but still SIM-locked to AT&T. No use for travelling for example.
Don't you have to pay the local sales tax for the unsubsidized price? So a 32gb model in California at 8.25% would cost you $61.79 in taxes on top of the subsidized price.