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forquare1
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 6:36 pm Posts: 5161 Location: /dev/tty0
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Mon Aug 23, 2010 11:37 am |
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jonbwfc
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:26 pm Posts: 17040
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Why are all mobile phone companies apparently managed entirely by knobs?
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Mon Aug 23, 2010 12:30 pm |
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finlay666
Spends far too much time on here
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 9:40 pm Posts: 4876 Location: Newcastle
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My recent tweet sums it up, I don't want their crap on my device, branding or not. Either way I had enough of an arse on trying to get O2 to repair my X1 when I had it with them, their customer support just doesn't want to know. On the plus side any Galaxy S owner can unlock their phone for free via a hex editor and a small executable, doesn't even need a rooted phone  (Mine came sim unlocked which is a bonus) http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=761045
_________________TwitterCharlie Brooker: Macs are glorified Fisher-Price activity centres for adults; computers for scaredy cats too nervous to learn how proper computers work; computers for people who earnestly believe in feng shui.
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Mon Aug 23, 2010 1:58 pm |
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forquare1
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 6:36 pm Posts: 5161 Location: /dev/tty0
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Mon Aug 23, 2010 5:34 pm |
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Amnesia10
Legend
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 2:02 am Posts: 29240 Location: Guantanamo Bay (thanks bobbdobbs)
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If the management grab their ego-handsets before the variant software is applied they must think it is crap as well! 
_________________Do concentrate, 007... "You are gifted. Mine is bordering on seven seconds." https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTg5MzczNTkhttp://astore.amazon.co.uk/wwwx404couk-21
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Mon Aug 23, 2010 8:35 pm |
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l3v1ck
What's a life?
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:21 am Posts: 12700 Location: The Right Side of the Pennines (metaphorically & geographically)
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I can see Vodafone point. If download a version with all the wrong network settings it could cause problems that they have to deal with. I got Vodafone's update for the Desire today. It was worth the wait. After the initial slow half hour, it just worked. Nb. I only see their point while they don't force all their branding on you.
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Mon Aug 23, 2010 9:47 pm |
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Linux_User
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Tue May 05, 2009 3:29 pm Posts: 7173
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I don't know about Vodafone, but T-Mobile make it very easy to configure your phone to work on the network. I managed to set up a Desire within 10 minutes, which was previously on the Orange network.
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Tue Aug 24, 2010 12:11 am |
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big_D
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:25 pm Posts: 10691 Location: Bramsche
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I like the German model, go to the store, chose the phone, chose your network, chose your plan and see how much of a discount the network will give you as a result, on a vanilla phone. The iPhone is the only major exception, only being available on T-Mobile...
O2, Vodafone etc. also sell branded devices, but they make up a very small part of the market, as most people shop at the equivalent of Dixons than they do at an O2 or Vodafone shop...
_________________ "Do you know what this is? Hmm? No, I can see you do not. You have that vacant look in your eyes, which says hold my head to your ear, you will hear the sea!" - Londo Molari
Executive Producer No Agenda Show 246
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Tue Aug 24, 2010 4:14 am |
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jonbwfc
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:26 pm Posts: 17040
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Interesting article with an admittedly sensationalist headline. I agree with the general point it makes though and the Galaxy S firmware shenanigans is another example of this. For all the fandroid's banging on about it being 'open' and 'setting the customer free from Apple's control' all in fact it's done is hand back control to the carriers. What little gains at the carrier's expense the consumer did make with the iphone have been rolled back as soon as they got the chance and Android/Google haven't done a thing about it. As soon as they felt able to, the carriers were back up to their old tricks. The open handset alliance in the end has made absolutely no difference at all.
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Tue Aug 24, 2010 9:21 am |
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EddArmitage
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 9:40 pm Posts: 5288 Location: ln -s /London ~
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The non-telco stores over here (Argos being an example I know of for sure) sell telco-branded phones.
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Tue Aug 24, 2010 9:30 am |
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big_D
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:25 pm Posts: 10691 Location: Bramsche
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Pfft! And all the Nokias, Ericsson and Samsung 'phones I bought over the years? They weren#t bound to any carrier either... The last Ericsson, Nokia and a Samsung I bought in the UK were unbranded (between 1998 and 2002).
_________________ "Do you know what this is? Hmm? No, I can see you do not. You have that vacant look in your eyes, which says hold my head to your ear, you will hear the sea!" - Londo Molari
Executive Producer No Agenda Show 246
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Tue Aug 24, 2010 9:43 am |
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jonbwfc
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:26 pm Posts: 17040
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The people who bought unlocked phones before the smartphone 'revolution' was a vanishingly small portion of the market compared to those who bought them tied to a carrier. Jon
Last edited by jonbwfc on Tue Aug 24, 2010 1:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Tue Aug 24, 2010 9:47 am |
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Amnesia10
Legend
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 2:02 am Posts: 29240 Location: Guantanamo Bay (thanks bobbdobbs)
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I bought my smart phone with O2, I am still with them but on a much cheaper contract. The phone was never tied but O2 didn't do that then. Though I had a contract that basically tied me to them for the duration.
_________________Do concentrate, 007... "You are gifted. Mine is bordering on seven seconds." https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTg5MzczNTkhttp://astore.amazon.co.uk/wwwx404couk-21
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Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:39 am |
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jonbwfc
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:26 pm Posts: 17040
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more fun. American mobile phone companies really do go out of their way to make themselves unpopular don't they?
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Tue Aug 24, 2010 1:56 pm |
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l3v1ck
What's a life?
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:21 am Posts: 12700 Location: The Right Side of the Pennines (metaphorically & geographically)
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How can they send a cease and desist letter for distributing, what is, open source software?
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Tue Aug 24, 2010 8:04 pm |
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