Postby Irock » Fri Jan 23, 2009 2:06 pm
Cell phone companies operate a lot differently over here than they do in the UK and Europe - networks are a lot more closed in general. My company has been doing this for years, it's a pretty common practice. While technically my songs aren't locked in my phone, I have to have Windows Vista to move songs to / from a compter, and I don't. They're basically treated like ringtones - they'll give you a credit to get a new one if you had it for < 60 days on your old phone, as a "courtesy." Our ringtones are $2 each, and the mobile web apps on the phone blocks the cheapo online ringtone services.
Some (most?) of the major providers won't even let you keep your phone from another provider when you switch, because thier phones are designed specifically for their network. My company made a big announcement about a year ago that they'd let you keep your phone, but I read the other day that so far that's only available for like 2 *commercial* devices, and no consumer ones.
So yeah, it sucks. That's capitalism for ya. There's no money in being a service provider anymore, so they have to find a way to beef up the data charges.
"There are many fish in the sea, Maria. But you're the only one I want to mount over my fireplace." ~Walter Matthau
