Comments on: Why unlocking the iPhone is a waste of time

Gadget blogs are atwitter over a new application that helps unlock the iPhone 3G. But unlocking the device no longer makes much sense, says Don Reisinger.

[dkitsov]

One is starting to get irritated with Mr. Don Reisinger. Mr. Reisinger does not seem to be remotely aware of anything he is writing about. This article is the 10th article by Mr Reisinger I have reading the last two months that shows an utter lack of understanding of the topic in question. Does Mr. Reisinger research his articles? Most likely not. Are there editors on Cnet? If there are, I can't believe Mr. Reisinger is such a great lay, that it warrants continues employment of Mr. Reisinger. If he is, however, kudos to him. The good looks and the youth go away, all that will be left is stupidity.

[dkitsov]

One is starting to get irritated with Mr. Don Reisinger. Mr. Reisinger does not seem to be remotely aware of anything he is writing about. This article is the 10th article by Mr Reisinger I have reading the last two months that shows an utter lack of understanding of the topic in question. Does Mr. Reisinger research his articles? Most likely not. Are there editors on Cnet?

[nixermac]

Don,

Given that many of the learned commenters have all said what you should have asked for if you did not want to spend time researching. Appreciate that you don't need to 'unlock' your phone as you probably will never set foot outside of the 'world' (US of A). There are a lot of people that will and need to travel.

The roaming rates are 'sell your soul and pay me'. You would say why do I need to use the iPhone when abroad. Well, I have my address book, my emails, my notes, my apps, et al. If I switch on my iPhone abroad and get a voicemail, I pay by the minutes. Even Shylock would hesitate to do such business.

This great country is supposedly free. Where is the freedom gone?

The next thing we know Apple will tell me that I cannot use my Macbook Pro when traveling abroad with any other service provider.

The primary premise is not just fun. You may want to see the Google video that the 'dev team' presented. They are gurus and that is how they have helped people unlock the iphone. Apple is the next Dark Side of technology and Steve Jobs is the Sith Lord. Take my word people.

Please tell us that by this blog you wanted to gauge what people were thinking. Please accept that we have seen through you.

CNET,

Please stop Don from blogging further on this network unless he amends this article.

[FundiMkuu]

agreed with sartawetsdfgsd.
For rare americans that travell.
I live in East Africa, free world of wireless communications with no carriers dictatorships.

iPhone would be just a phone, iPod Touch is what you need on your international travel. Landing in one of stop over airports or at your final destination you can buy basic Nokia for $ 30, simcard will cost you $ 0.50, prepaid vouchers available at every street corner deep into night, not happy? change carrier.

Advantage of having basic nokia? there is a powerfull torch, very needed as electricity tends to be cut of usually when you are looking for your washroom.

[bmn_1213]

This article is a waste of time!

CNET please fire this guy.

[domsos312]

Well I was going to comment on how you are completely wrong about your assumptions about unlocking an iPhone 3G. But I see that most people have already nailed you about most of them. A few things could be that, some people are tied into large contracts with another carrier and don't want to buy out and then put their money into a carrier they won't like as much, AT&T. Or AT&Ts plan for the iPhone is more expensive for the new iPhone then the last and is just more expensive in general. Or possibly the carrier the person is with that they like doesn't really have a phone that competes with the new iPhone, like T-Mobile, they really don't and some people such as teens, like me, are controlled to which carrier they have because of their parents and want an iPhone and are now able to have one for every carrier. And if the "banned" devices you were talking about were sooo imortant, that comes through jailbreaking, which you can do on an iPod Touch.

[LeeHounshell]

My T-mobile account (grandfathered) gives me unlimited internet and enough hours for my needs for only $32 a month. If I switch to an iPhone now, AT&T will start slamming me with monthly $100 phone bills. That's why I'll wait for a T-mobile version.. or get an Android phone next.

[ctekmediadotcom]

This is my first time commenting, so I hope you enjoy...

I consult with a very large audience in the Bay Area. Many of my clients travel internationally, which means unlocking is a big deal to them. The cost savings is huge! Yes AT&T we would rather do without you... I also, have other clients that would simply like to be without AT&T, and or they are completely happy with Tmobile.

Don, get a clue do your homework. There people are finding this stuff useful.

BTW: ziggy_dust knows what he's talking about, and bozeefus well, I guess he's read more of Don's articles (this is my first one and I'd say I have to strongly disagree with Don.)

Quote from ziggy_dust : "Firstly, you need to learn the difference between Jailbreaking an iPhone and UNLOCKING an iPhone. Jailbreaking an iPhone allows you to install 3rd party apps and UNLOCKING an iPhone allows you to use different phone providers." such as Tmobile (only other one in the US)

If you are the kind of person that wonders about Jailbreaking, and Unlocking enough to read these articles, then knowing about this stuff is not a complete waste of time. But, if you do not need your iPhone to leave AT&T for good, or even for a short time then yes, it may be a waste of time to unlock your iPhone.



P.S. There are some really cool apps available to Jailbroken iPhones i.e. Vonagent, SpoofApp, iBlacklist, etc... that are much easier to have (install) if you have "Cydia" or "Installer" which are installers (similar to the App Store) that get installed on your iPhone when you Jailbreak it.

[Michael Bolanos is a freelance IT Consultant in the San Francisco Bay Area/Silicon Valley]
[Microsoft MCSE, Cisco CCNA, Checkpoint CCSA, Novell CNE, Apple ACTC, Apple ACN]

http://web.mac.com/hitekmike/tekweb/Hitek_Blog/Hitek_Blog.html

Remember, in technology, as in life... "to each his own."

[johnmdesjardins]

Clearly the author doesn't travel much outside the US. Any International traveler knows the value of using local SIMS. His observations are only relevant for Americans who rarely leave the US.

[man290663]

Easy Solution to this:-
Keep the iPhone Locked - in warranty and working but use Local SIMS from networks that the iPhone will work with eg O2 in the UK as you can be sure they have better coverage in 3G than other networks.

the last unlocked iPhone I came across (Cydia based) caused all sorts of problems when its open files left the owners confidential documents open to public viewing (we had a nosey security specialist) and as a result of this they lost the contract they had with us.

Locked iPhones are a good thing - who wants a phone with files that anyone can hack into via WiFi or bluetooth!!

[loose_screw]

What a dumb ignorant comment. Let's lock YOU up so that no one can steal from you. How does that sound?

[biplane2]

[quote]Easy Solution to this:-
Keep the iPhone Locked - in warranty and working but use Local SIMS from networks that the iPhone will work with eg O2 in the UK as you can be sure they have better coverage in 3G than other networks.[/quote]

Many fabulous travel destinations do not have such networks (networks that already have a contract with Apple), so this is not really a solution. Have a real vacation and you will see for yourself.

[quote] the last unlocked iPhone I came across (Cydia based) caused all sorts of problems when its open files left the owners confidential documents open to public viewing (we had a nosey security specialist) and as a result of this they lost the contract they had with us. [/quote]

The last <insert a race> person I came across, totally <insert a bad verb here> me. Is this enough to conclude that there is a problem with the <insert same race>? Wouldn't you think that there was a problem with that specific person?

[Perry_Clease]

"His observations are only relevant for Americans who rarely leave the US."

This brings up the question of how many US citizens travel outside the country for pleasure.

For those that do travel what roaming rates do you pay? What constitutes a "gouge" by AT&T. A quick look at the AT&T website shows these "numbers", I could not find out how many minutes the "World Traveler" phone plan gives you.

AT&T World Traveler $5.99 per month. Take your service with you as you travel the world to over 200 countries. With AT&T World Traveler, get discounted roaming rates in over 85 of those countries. Call 1-800-331-0500 to sign up now.

BlackBerry® International $69.99 per month** Use your BlackBerry device to send and receive unlimited e-mail in the U.S. and around the world in over 140 countries. Call 1-800-331-0500 to sign up now.

Data Global Plans for iPhones Keep up with email and browse the web with your iPhone when you travel abroad. While using data on iPhone (either voice or data usage, including data usage incurred from delivery of Visual Voicemail messages+) is unlimited within the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, international data roaming can get expensive quickly as international roaming rates apply. Consider that opening an email with a 5 megapixel picture in it, or downloading a 3 minute video on YouTube each takes about 2MB of data. That's why AT&T has created two Data Global Plans for iPhones with lower rates in 36 countries*.

There are four packages available:
$24.99/month: 20MB Data Global Plan gives you 20MB of usage within over 65 countries*
$59.99/month: 50MB Data Global Plan gives you 50MB of usage within over 65 countries*
$119.99/month: 100MB Data Global Plan gives you 100MB of usage within over 65 countries*
$199.99/month: 200MB Data Global Plan gives you 200MB of usage within over 65 countries*

[stufried]

I travel to Dubai and the UK. While ATT will sell you a discounted data roaming plan for the UK, they won't for Dubai. Your data is roughly $15 a meg in Dubai, but you can buy unlimited (10 gig soft cap) for $100. It may be pricey, but you get their real quickly. Additionally, you can tether an unlocked iPhone. I

[nyfener]

Why unlocking the iPhone is NOT a waste of time?

THINK GLOBAL

[mikemelancholic]

T-Mobile is not the only option. My friend has his iPhone unlocked and fully capable using Cincinnati Bell Wireless. Sure, not everybody can use Cincinnati Bell, but there are other options out there.

[Boredumb]

I agree for the most part in not 'unlocking' the pos. It would simply make for a simpler & more seamless operation on the whole. However, Buying ANY phone WHATSOEVER directly from any cell service provider is what needs to be addressed. All cell phone users would be much better off buying an already unlocked phone off the internet from say expansys for one.. You are not tied to a carrier (quadband willing) & nor are you put upon to renew any contracts. I purchased a winmo 6.1 ppc off the net recently that works out of the box with either att or tmo. It also has a standalone sirf iii chip which works perfectly even without a sim at all.
The concept of jailbraking/unlocking needs to be done at the purchase level so that it is essentially not necessary. You get a better selection of phones and do not have to suffer a carrier's pos g1 or pos iphone with it's buyme button and rediculous data fees.
If I really wanted a mobile internet device I would probbaly get the oqo with a sprint/verizon connect. Wifi for the moment is perfectly fine and I don't pay for GPS either (STUPID!).
Anyways the iphone does have a spectacular display and audio engine. Which also unfortunately makes for ****** battery life.

[Tf11nc]

Not really sure why this blog posting is relevant. Author shows no understanding of the difference between jailbreak and unlock, much like the mainstream media does when attempting to discuss this. Starting to get annoying.

[Boredumb]

I really wish all you humptys would get off the symantic bandwagon. Who really GAS if he referred to a couple of words which you think was 'wrong' in their context. I really hate when people use the word download. As if every way in which a pc connects is a 'download' duhh.
He is correct in that unlocking this pos is a waste of time. I for one specifically will never ever buy a locked cell phone again.

[ruchit47]

well well you are happy with AT&T that why unlock??
thousands of people are waiting for iphone in other countries like INDIA. They want to grab iphone from USA in cheap offers and unlock it to use it in India. Thats why world is waiting for the unlock.

[Grid_Reaper]

I expect a bit more research by a CNET writer. Not knowing the topic of your article is about is quite embarrassing.

It's also sad to see how US-centric your perspective is by not even considering that the iPhone could be used internationally with other carriers. iPhones can now be seen around the world, and unfortunately for your reputation, so can your incompetent article.

[themagician8]

You get PAID for this Don...?

How do ya get a gig like this without any experience or knowledge of what your writing about...?

I want a job like yours.