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\"How to,\" even when capitalized, is two words. You aren't Cory fucking Doctorow.
\"How to,\" even when capitalized, is two words. You aren't Cory fucking Doctorow.
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Geez, Joe, that's beyond Grammer Police - it's Grammer Nazi!
(better uniforms, but really bad retirement plan)
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OK, they're not CDMA. But they aren't GSM either, so unlocking them won't do you any good in other parts of the world.
Those CDMA providers are being disingenuous. If you want to be nitpicky about it, it's true that they don't 'unlock' the way GSM phones do, but you can reprogram a CDMA phone to work with a different provider.
I guess if the CDMA providers actually BAN you from using a phone they didn't sell you, that would create a problem, but I'll bet they're lying about that. They use the phones as an incentive to subscribe to the service, not the other way around.
Anyway, to modify your CDMA phone, you need the Master Subsidy Lock code. Once you have that, you can reprogram it.
It can be tricky, as I understand it, to get that MSL code, but once you have it, you absolutely can reprogram your phone.
This guy has some tips:
My second comment makes no sense if the first one isn't showing up...I initially said that Boost & Nextel were CDMA and thus not unlockable.
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trai_dep said: (better uniforms, but really bad retirement plan)
*guffaws*
trai_dep: It's spelled grammar.
Oh, wait. I was WRONG in my first comment. I didn't even see page two of the article at first.
Apparently, the major CDMA providers don't let you use rogue phones on their networks. Man, that's stupid.
Joe: You can't blame Cory fucking Doctorow on the use of HOWTO since it was a standard nomenclature for linux HOWTO documents long before BoingBoing was a popular blog.
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Yes, the term existed prior to BoingBoing, but Doctorow and his BB compatriots went a long way toward popularizing the obnoxious buzzword. How I yearn for the days when, as exemplified by the classic NY Times Mag How-To Issue, we could receive instruction without having the first two words QUICKLYSCREAMEDATUS.
BoingBoing... That's the banner-ad site with the occasional sliver of text thrown in, right? Heh...
Who cares about unlocking a phone when the telco contract will probably outlast the phone anyway?
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Charles hits the nail on the head. Carriers have the advantage and the life of phones ain't what it used to be because we all use our phones a lot more than we used to. And Nextel phones are iDen. Sprint/Nextell phones are CDMA. CDMA providers usually have more intensive data settings, so bringing a phone to another provider may cause a loss of Data services. Not all CDMA carriers have access to master files like Sprint and Verizon, so don't bag on them for not being able to unlock or reprogram your phone. I'd like to see consumers do a bit more research before they buy. And Boing Boing is a spectacular site, as are the Gawker sites, which have had great influence from BB.
I've had good luck with Cingular unlocking phones even with a brand new (less than a month) contract. I just called and told them I was going to an area of Indonesia where their map indicated no partner service (true, although it turned out there was partner service there). It took a followup call, but I was unlocked a week later.
Hmm... odd... I've never had a problem getting Alltel to use any CDMA phone I had access to. Granted, I'm calling in to the 800# and asking for an \"ESN Change\" and am strictly business on the call, but I often swap cell phones, sometimes just because the batteries are dead and I'm far from charger.