Microsoft To Disable Windows Phone 7 Unlocking 237
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."
So how much did they get for this? (Score:4, Insightful)
So how much did they get for this?
I might be upset (Score:3, Insightful)
If I was to have a Win7 device.
But as I view Win7 devices as akin to strolling about town with an albatross around my neck, it ain't gonna ever happen.
So I'm not going to be upset.
Isn't that wonderful? Just think, one less totally $#*(@% pissed off person in the world. (c:
Re:haha, what? (Score:5, Insightful)
It's called a "business strategy". You may think its either smart or foolish, but it's a strategy. No one said businesses had to act in a democratic way.
Re:haha, what? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:RTA (Score:5, Insightful)
Translation: They were bought off.
Shouldn't they have waited... (Score:5, Insightful)
...until a few more suckers bought their product first? Consider it a loss leader. Are they so optimistic that they're gonna win against android and apple, that they can already afford to alienate their user base?
Re:RTA (Score:5, Insightful)
I love the doublethink there; "and they will be focusing on homebrew as well as stronger protection of WP7 developer intellectual property."
It's one or the other kids. They were bought off.
Re:haha, what? (Score:2, Insightful)
That's what he said: "dictatorial".
Seriously, in 2010, what is the difference between "business strategy" and "dictatorial"?
Re:RTA (Score:5, Insightful)
No, no, no, no, no....you misunderstand. They were HIRED. Yes, hired, because of their "potential" to add to the company. Of course, MS hasn't figured out what their job descriptions will be, but still. Being hired for a job you don't go to is completely different than "bought off". Completely different. Really.
Idiot phone (Score:5, Insightful)
Fundamental question: What makes a smart phone smart? Answer: Ability to run applications you want that actually improve your life in some small way. Taking away the ability and deciding for me what apps I can run and at what cost is a dealbreaker. Same reason I won't touch an iPhone no matter how many lame fart apps appear for it. DRM lockdown turns a smart phone into an idiot phone -a dumb piece of shit. Certainly not worth hundreds of dollars to me. Microsoft, keep it, and shove it!
Re:So... (Score:4, Insightful)
Not if you buy a good one dumbass. Heck, mine is not even running a vendor or carrier built OS.
Re:haha, what? (Score:5, Insightful)
It's a dictatorial business strategy. Yes, it is evil. Open computing has changed our world dramatically for the better. And every phone company out there apparently wants to put a stop to that.
Re:Idiot phone (Score:5, Insightful)
It's a phone not a computer.
Negatory, it's a computer. It just happens to be small, fit in your pocket, and take phonecalls as well. This "it's not computer, it's a phone therefore it's special and NEEDS DRM" is a load of bull being fed to everyone by vendors and carriers as an excuse for locking them down.
1. Total and utter freedom to install anything on your phone.
Yes. I should have to explicitly activate it, but yes. It's my property, it's my decision.
But miss a very important phone call due to a badly programmed application running down the battery or locking up the phone. Just think, that call could be a job offer, an ex-girlfriend wanting some fun or the news that someone is in trouble.
Not like that hasn't happened before, with dumb phones. I've had older pieces of crap that would the same shit.
2. Less freedoms but a better experience, higher quality software, less chance of battery rundown or lock ups?
You mean no freedoms, but not necessarily any of the other benefits are guaranteed. The core purpose for lock down with no opt-out is explicitly to route you into their services and their store.
If restrictions and licence fees weed out all the bad coders then it's a good thing.
I can assure you this will not weed out bad coders. It will weed out more than a few good coders, however.
Re:What about the law that says you have the right (Score:5, Insightful)
Because the auto industry got bad enough at a time we still cared about protecting consumers that we actually passed laws targeted at automotive companies abusing them.
I think we should pass similiar laws protecting consumers of other items, and in general. But lately all we pass are laws protecting corporate interests.
Re:haha, what? (Score:5, Insightful)
>>>You really don't want that kind of power on limited bandwidth cell networks
Yes I do.
I should not be prevented from loading VLC Player or Opera or any other 'free' program on my Phone (or PC or Mac), just because most users are idiots. Let's not downgrade our phone, laptop, and desktop computers to Lowest Common Denominator uselessness. Otherwise we might as well not have computers, if we can't run the programs we want to run. We might as well wrap chains around the computers instead, and bow down to kiss Microsoft's smelly feet : "Oh please sir, please let me run jEdit on my phone. Please master, please."
Bullshit.
If that's how "smart"... correction: dumb phones will be, then count me out. I'll stick with my open, not blocked computer rather than waste money on a phone that won't let me run the programs I desire to run.
Re:RTA (Score:5, Insightful)
Presumably hired to patch any apparent 'exploits' they would have otherwise caught.
Not a big fan of this, but it is more than a shade better than Sony trying to sue their problems out of existence.
Re:RTA (Score:5, Insightful)
More like they *want* the future to be vendor-controlled. They always hoped that, but never thought the consumers to be *that* self-destructive until Apple essentially did it. Now they hope they can ape Apple's success on that front.
Re:haha, what? (Score:5, Insightful)
Where do you think botnets come from? Users who download and install software from websites that they shouldn't but they aren't smart enough to know the difference, or skilled enough to notice the data usage spikes.
But why does that only seem to happen to Windows users?
You really don't want that kind of power on limited bandwidth cell networks. Remember the average person is an idiot.
Is that why you feel comfortable posting your logical fallacy?