Puremobile to Offer Unlocked iPhone in Canada - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

fredr123 · 08-30-2007, 09:27 AM

Online cell phone reseller Puremobile has partnered with that iphone hacker kid to offer unlocked iphones in Canada on the Rogers/Fido network. Though the website is not currently taking orders, it looks like they're pretty serious.

This article in the Ottawa Citizen has more information and makes it sound like Rogers is ready to go too.

Slava · 08-30-2007, 09:36 AM

I first thought that after hating the Blackberry and Treo that I would skip the iphone. But after some reading and just pure anticipation I might jump on to the bandwagon and try to pick one of these up as soon as they are available!

Burninator · 08-30-2007, 09:48 AM

I was very interested until I read this.

The hack, which includes gutting the device and re-soldering wiring before loading new software onto the phone, is not something that can be performed easily. Hacking the iPhone voids the device’s warranty.

Not really that interested in paying over $600 for a phone that doesn't have a warranty.

photon · 08-30-2007, 09:51 AM

Wasn't there a software hack as well now?

fredr123 · 08-30-2007, 09:53 AM

I have a few friends who got an iphone to play with at work. They were skeptical at first but came away believers. The biggest problem I have with the iphone in Canada, however, is the cost for the service. Much ink has been spilled on data rates in Canada. That alone will probably put a damper on everyone's enjoyment of the iphone north of the 49th.

In the USA, unlocking a cell phone for your own use on a different network is a specific exemption to, I believe, the DMCA and is probably legal. In Canada, I'm not so sure. Plus, from what I understand, not all features on an unlocked iphone work properly at this time.

kermitology · 08-30-2007, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by photon

Wasn't there a software hack as well now?

I think they've been working on a software fix, and there might be some solutions, but AT&T has but huge pressure on them about releasing it.

photon · 08-30-2007, 11:08 AM

I think the pressure from AT&T has been about them selling it for a profit moreso than releasing it. Like fredr123 said I think just unlocking it has a specific exemption from the DMCA, so if the hackers just released it free into the wild there wouldn't be much AT&T could do legally, but because they're trying to sell it...

kermitology · 08-30-2007, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by photon

I think the pressure from AT&T has been about them selling it for a profit moreso than releasing it. Like fredr123 said I think just unlocking it has a specific exemption from the DMCA, so if the hackers just released it free into the wild there wouldn't be much AT&T could do legally, but because they're trying to sell it...

That's correct. But people want to make money off the software. Does that apply to Canada as well?

photon · 08-30-2007, 11:17 AM

Good question. The US has in the past put lots of pressure on countries to do things they see as violating their DMCA even though those countries don't have laws like that (piratebay, allofmp3, etc), so I could see them trying to block this at least, and given the government's apparent willingness to bow to the big companies and their desires for a DMCA like law I don't think they'd fail.

kermitology · 08-30-2007, 11:22 AM

Why did Apple decide to align to AT&T? Did they not think they'd make enough money off of the phone itself? Or are they so set on making money hand over fist on phone sale, phone plans, and data usage?

fredr123 · 08-30-2007, 11:34 AM

Absolute speculation here, but I think going exclusively with AT&T was part of a cautious roll out strategy for the device. This was a first generation handheld that breaks the mold in many respects. I imagine the technology to make the internet and phone service "just work" requires a certain amount of stability in the backend. Working with a single service provider makes things simpler initially and allows development and debugging to be quicker. You don't have to worry about quirks between service providers so much in this setup.

There's also the money factor. An exclusivity deal brings in big bucks over and above revenue attributable to sales of individual units or service plans.

Juventus3 · 08-30-2007, 11:34 AM

I always thought they're marketing plan for iphone was to release it exclusively through AT&T for this model, then release other models next year on other carriers...It throws demand through the roof. Plus Apple has the image of exclusiveness...making it widely available to all network customers wouldn't fit into that. I'm more than likely wrong, just my 2 cents.

burn_this_city · 08-30-2007, 11:51 AM

Apple got a sweet heart of a deal from AT&T to provide the phone exclusively to them. Personally I wouldnt touch that thing with a 10 ft pole. Its going to be like the 1st, 2nd gen Ipods which in my humble opinion were absolute garbage. Apple also made the rediculous mistake of having the battery sealed in the body of the phone.. So after 300 charges when the phones battery life is in serious decline you need to send it away for however long it takes apple to change it.. Good old form over function.. Besides that the touch display is going to look haggard after a couple years of handling..