The fallacy of unlocked phones

I think most people (that I know) that unlock their phones do so to ease app restrictions, internet sharing, data plan limitations and so forth
 
jiminator said:
I think most people (that I know) that unlock their phones do so to ease app restrictions, internet sharing, data plan limitations and so forth
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I thought that what Jailbreaking or rooting is for ? Or is Rooting the same as unlocking ? But then what is jailbreak compared to unlock ?
 
I unlocked my phone so I could throw local SIM cards into it when I travel. In Thailand I could get a sim card and 100 minutes + Data for ~$2 USD.
 
jailbreaking = rooting for iPhones

unlocking is making the phone carrier agnostic, but only if the phone's hardware supports the specific carrier's frequencies and network protocol
 
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caw2007 said:
jailbreaking = rooting for iPhones

unlocking is making the phone carrier agnostic, but only if the phone's hardware supports the specific carrier's frequencies and network protocol
Click to expand...


Thanks for the explanation. Why do people call it jailbreaking and rooting for different phones ? Just call it rooting your iPhone.
 
Zorachus said:
Thanks for the explanation. Why do people call it jailbreaking and rooting for different phones ? Just call it rooting your iPhone.
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It's called "rooting" on Android because you are getting access to the Linux "root" user. Think of it as a super admin account that can do anything. There is always 1 root user, although it might be disabled. It is an account created by the system, all Linux installs have it.

It is called "jailbreaking" on iPhone because you aren't getting access to the root user, you are instead breaking free of the jail the system has in place that prevents a regular level user from doing anything.
 
kllrnohj said:
It's called "rooting" on Android because you are getting access to the Linux "root" user. Think of it as a super admin account that can do anything. There is always 1 root user, although it might be disabled. It is an account created by the system, all Linux installs have it.

It is called "jailbreaking" on iPhone because you aren't getting access to the root user, you are instead breaking free of the jail the system has in place that prevents a regular level user from doing anything.
Click to expand...

awesome thanks
 
Zorachus said:
I thought that what Jailbreaking or rooting is for ? Or is Rooting the same as unlocking ? But then what is jailbreak compared to unlock ?
Click to expand...
you are right. unlocking is not the same as jailbreaking/rooting. my bad. :)
 
It all depends on what you want to do with the phone. Only want phone calls? Then yes, an AT&T cell phone unlocked will work on T-Mobile just fine. Better still. A quad band GSM phone will work on any GSM carrier.

So if you only want phone service, then yes, unlocking does in fact mean you pop in a SIM from another carrier and it works.

Sprint and Verizon shouldn't even be mentioned because generally speaking unlocking a phone refers to GSM phones where you only need to put in a SIM card for the carrier you wish to use, no special programming of the handset itself. Sprint and Verizon don't use SIM cards. (Granted I know of at least one Verizon Blackberry that is CDMA, and GSM with a SIM slot). So not sure why they were mentioned. Also, future phone tech while interesting doesn't pertain to unlocking phones *now*

TL;DR While you may recieve reduced functionality due to carrier-specific system upgrades yes, unlocking a GSM phone *DOES* mean you pop in a SIM from another carrier and it just works.

Author is trying to write an article that keeps him employed.

Also from the bottom of the article:
"Andrew M. Seybold is an authority on technology and trends shaping the world of wireless mobility. A respected analyst, consultant, commentator, author and active participant in industry trade organizations, his views have influenced strategies and shaped initiatives for telecom, mobile computing and wireless industry leaders worldwide."

CITATION NEEDED
 
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