Scholar
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397 Messages
Unlocking Your Phone Is Now Illegal
What is this contry coming to. If you own the phone or contract is out, it should be yours to do what you want with it. Read Article
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/now-illegal-unlock-cellphone/story?id=18319518
mendomar012
Scholar
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151 Messages
11 years ago
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Max69
Professor
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2.1K Messages
11 years ago
Your other option is to pay full price for an unsubsidized, unlocked phone.
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kgbkny
Guru
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309 Messages
11 years ago
In my case, this ridiculous law is the final factor that has convinced me to only buy Nexus phones from now on. Aside from the fact that carriers incessantly meddle in firmware updates, they now want to tell us how we can and cannot use our phones. Pardon me, but I thought we became owners of the phones when we bought them?
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kgbkny
Guru
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309 Messages
11 years ago
Am I correct in understanding that we don't own the phone until the contract is out?
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redpoint73
Professor
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3K Messages
11 years ago
Be aware that the law only applies to devices purchased from your carrier AFTER the 1/26/13 deadline. Any devices purchased before this date are still perfectly okay to SIM unlock.
Obviously a law created by politicians who have no understanding of technology (remember the guy who said the Internet is a "series of tubes"?), and just bending to the wills of the corporate lobbyists. Why is the Library of Congress setting rules for telecommunications anyway??? Media like DVDs I can somewhat understand. But a smartphone is not a form of media. Next, the Library of Congress will tell me I can't change the oil in my car, or get it changed anyplace but the original dealer, since that would also be "reverse engineering", and cars have computers in them, too.
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redpoint73
Professor
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3K Messages
11 years ago
You can call AT&T and tell them the situation. They may/may not give you the code, depending on whether your device is within the "exclusivity" period (up to 10 months after the phone's release). You also need to be a post-paid account holder in good standing for at least 90 days.
It doesn't hurt to at least try. Then if they don't give you the code, you may need to seek alternate means (borrow an unlocked phone, purchase a cheap unlocked phone, use an old backup phone, etc.).
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mendomar012
Scholar
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151 Messages
11 years ago
=2159.76 <---- so after paying this much to att for two years they can't just let the phone be unlocked.
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kgbkny
Guru
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309 Messages
11 years ago
There are other "alternative" means, as well. 😉
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21stNow
Professor
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2.7K Messages
11 years ago
AT&T still throws too many rules/obstacles up even in this case. They claim exclusivity on phones and won't unlock them, even if you purchase at the no-commitment price. They also mark phones as "exclusive" that were released on other carriers. How the Samsung Galaxy S III was exclusive is beyond me. Everyone brought out the dictionaries to define "unlimited" when data plans were throttled; maybe I need to bring out the dictionary for the word "exclusive".
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kgbkny
Guru
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309 Messages
11 years ago
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