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AT&T Crippling BlackBerry for iPhone?

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the new-sheriff-in-town dept.

0xdeadbeef writes "BlackBerryCool got a tip that not only was AT&T removing GPS functionality from their version of the BlackBerry 8820, they're doing it so it won't show up the iPhone. While carriers crippling phones to stop them from competing with pay-per-use services is nothing new, this might be the first time they've done it to make their other products seem less diminished."

1 of 211 comments (clear)

  1. Re:I'm not so sure why AT&T would want to do t by G+Fab · · Score: 0, Troll

    Look, a lot of people are pretending that this has nothing to do with apple. Obviously this only helps AT&T insofar as it helps Apple. Apple chose Cingular for a reason, and that reason was that it would promote this device in various ways. This is one of them.

    Apple probably insisted that AT&T do this. No other explanation makes sense. It's not evil, it's just business. The iPhone is supposed to be the ultimate phone with maximum flexibility. I'm sure to many people, it actually seems that way. No reason to hate Apple for this. It's the way this industry works.

    If you really really want your flexibility, you can't buy subsidized products. These companies are paying for your phones so they can have some control over them. If you don't mind, then it is win-win.

    If you do mind, just buy an unlocked phone and use a carrier that supports your phone.