According to the new Press release on the price points, it will be better getting a contract and cancel it then getting not subsidize

What do you mean by this?

He means that it will cost less to sign up for a contract and terminate it after 30 days and keep the iPhone than it would be to buy the non-subsidized version of the iPhone.

Wasn't it previously determined that if we cancel our contract we have to return the phone to the place of purchase?

Originally Posted by aranmor

Yes they lock the IMEI, but internally at AT&T only, this means that you can't use the phone with ATT again since the system will not allow it to function, but there is not like a bureau of stolen cellphones that regulates all blocked IMEIs and transfer them to all carriers so they can block it too, and they can't do anything to the phone itself but ban it from their network

Perhaps you should give this site a read.. It begs to differ: http://www.gsmworld.com/using/security/index.shtml

Originally Posted by xero9

Perhaps you should give this site a read.. It begs to differ: http://www.gsmworld.com/using/security/index.shtml

we're cowboys here in the US. Neither AT&T nor t-mo does that over here. They find it less of a hassle and more "cost effective" to just "fry" the sim. I worked for voicestream AND AT&T customer service as a summer job while in college and whenever we got a call on stolen or lost phones we just deactivated the sim. The customer accounts are prioraties. Not the phone. And as a personal experience I once lost my 710 and claimed the equipment insurence. They sent me a w600 (the other no longer existed) and I found my 710 a week later. Gave it to a friend who also had AT&T and up until last year he was STILL using it on AT&T. Traded it for the iPhone. That being said, I'm sure even AT&T doesn't know excactly how they are going to handle the iPhones. Up until know they've handled them different than the rest so who knows....

Originally Posted by thefewtheproud

Wasn't it previously determined that if we cancel our contract we have to return the phone to the place of purchase?

If the contract is cancelled within 30 days it must be returned to place of purchase. Therefore wait over 30 days and keep the phone. Search the rest of the sight to get info on the whole early termination idea.

You can now simply buy an iPhone 3G from AT&T without a contract. $699 for the 16GB. Just incase some out there did not know this already.

Originally Posted by naximus

You can now simply buy an iPhone 3G from AT&T without a contract. $699 for the 16GB. Just incase some out there did not know this already.

No I thought that as well until I looked closer. That information is under the "current customers" section of the ATT page. The "no committment" thing just means that an ATT customer can upgrade to the iphone this way even if they are not yet eligible for an upgrade. Essentially they are paying a higher price to upgrade early. From my understanding we are not able to go to ATT and buy a 3G phone contract free. Correct me if I'm mistaken.

Originally Posted by mechanixhorseman

I'm in the military. All I have to do is show them a set of orders (real or fake, they don't know the difference) where AT&T doesn't provide coverage, and they let me cancel my contract for free.

You are also a horrible servicemember. I think your CO would love to hear that you are promoting the idea of using fraudulant orders to save a pathetic $175 bucks on a cellphone.

You should be ashamed of yourself!!