Microsoft To Disable Windows Phone 7 Unlocking

Alex writes "In the first update to Windows Phone 7, Microsoft is planning to block ChevronWP7, which allowed users to unlock any retail Windows Phone 7 device for application side-loading without having to pay $99 per year for a WP7 marketplace account. The update, which is slated for release this month, will also introduce copy and paste functionality, among other improvements. ChevronWP7 was discontinued less than a week after its release about two months ago. ChevronWP7's three developers, Long Zheng, Rafael Rivera, and Chris Walsh were approached by Brandon Watson, Director of Developer Experience for Windows Phone 7, and decided to kill their app."

Comments

haha, what?

[binarylarry]

So Microsoft charges you $100 bucks a year to access your phone's app store? Really?

That's so Ballmer.

Re:haha, what?

[Bing Tsher E]

Where did you get that image you flashed onto your phone? Did you code it yourself? Did you review it thoroughly if you didn't code it yourself? Or maybe a trusted group of your peers reviewed it?

Re:RTA

[Lead Butthead]

stronger protection of WP7 developer intellectual property

Translation: Kill the application and we won't sue. Otherwise by the time we're through with you, you'll wish you've never even conceived of this application. Sure we might not win, be we'll make sure the stress induced shave a good five or ten years off your natural life expectancy.