Monday, January 18, 2010

UNLOCKED: The iPhone in Italy


Hello friends!

Here at Blogiorno, we like Apple products. We use Apples. We like Macs. And we like iPhones. In this post, we present to you, our dear readers, a little article about Apple's iPhone in Italia, and how in Italy, iPhones are "unlocked". What does this mean? Basically it means that in Italy, the iPhone is not locked down to be usable with only one carrier; with an unlocked phone you can register and use it on any cellphone network.

Here in America we do not get the unlocked iPhone. We are kept down. We are kept down, faces in puddles of brown, fetid water. We are kept down by powerful, faceless corporations. We are kept down by nocturnal corporate lobbyists, eyes bulging like mangy possums, their high-priced wingtip dress shoes pressed firmly upon our necks...if possums wore wingtip dress shoes...which, you know, they could. It is within the realm of possibility...as are our dreams, dear friends, as are our dreams.

Ahem.

Anyway, this doesn't mean you cannot get an iPhone in America unlocked; you can but it's illegal and you'll pay thousands for it on the "black market". But Maria cara, I wish I had an unlocked iPhone. That way I could use it on any cellphone network I choose. Che peccato, non e possible...but brava Italia*, you get the unlocked iPhone, and this is quite a coup!

Enjoy the article! Feel free to comment...or not, I don't care.

Ciao!

*Brava, that is, unless the powers that be haven't already locked down Italian iPhones.
____________________________________


9 comments:

dario said...

Aaron.
Firstly a couple of my usual boring corrections.
- cara Dio -> Dio caro!
- bravo Italia -> brava Italia

I don't know if i well understood. You are saying that in America you can (legally) have an iPhone only with a particular cellphone connection provider? It looks to me that it is a clear violation to any free competition rule! It's like if you can buy a car but then you can make fuel only on one particular gas station! Nobody would ever buy that car!

Anyway, i am not that much into technology, especially for cellphones. I have an old Nokia that still works fine although it fell down several times. By the way i don't use it quite ever, most of times it is in my fanny bag, turned off because i forgot to turn it on or to plug it in to recharge the battery ;-)

I have, instead, a PDA Pocket PC with Windows Mobile 5, and i think it is (for its price) a good tool. The hardware is good. The reception of bluetooth, wifi and GPS is better than what i could think, the internal flash memory is big enough (2GB), and there is a comfortable slot for flash cards. Moreover i find it also nice looking.
But i hate Windows!
I think i would prefer better Apple.
But, if i could ever choose, i believe that i would support Linux better, because i love its philosophy.
Unfortunately the system is embedded. One cannot just change it!

Aaron Abitia said...

Dario, yes that is exactly what I'm saying...in America you can only get an iPhone if you sign a contract with AT&T, and only AT&T is allowed to provide cellphone service for the iPhone. I know that other carriers here have been trying to convince Apple to let them carry it, but so far that hasn't happened. Add to that, since the iPhone is so popular and features internet connectivity, AT&T's data network has been suffering from slowness. You might check out Google's Android OS, which is based upon the Linux kernel...I don't know if you have that in Italy yet, but basically Google has released the Android operating system and is allowing 3rd party cellphone developers to license that OS to use in their cellphones...so far, Motorola, HTC and a few other cellphone companies are selling phones with that OS on it and it has been successful. I would hope that you'll get it over in Italy.

Freddie Abitia, Jr. said...

Aaron:
Thank you for the clarification regarding the "mangy possum" picture. I was convinced that we were looking at a picture of Steven P. Jobs, founder of Apple Computer . . . when Steve is having a bad day, of course. Ciao, Fredo

dario said...

Yes, i think we have Android in Italy, and i also believe there are some other Linux distributions available. Moreover i have no doubt that, if Microsoft doesn't change its policy about PDA's and cellphones, there will be other Linux distributions available in the future (looks like Microsoft threw in the towel with PDA's?!?).

But the problem is that i already have a PDA. It has a WM5 OS and, as far as i know, that fact of life cannot be changed till i buy a second one.
Which is not a very wise idea, being that to buy something i have to take some money out of my wallet ;-)

Alfredo Padron said...

Mr. Abitia, it is very hard for me, as one who is able to spot handsome potential leaders to quibble with the adonis you called a “nocturnal corporate lobbyists, eyes bulging like mangy possum” Oh... if only you had not included this candid photo. His bearing and steely eyes undermines your position. More than anything else I want to agree with you...but the photo of this magnificent corporate leader speaks volumes and engenders trust. Although you made a good case to unlock iPhones....I am almost persuaded not to unlock iPhones because of this executives powerful and somewhat intimidating photo.

Further more, as an individual whose mother and father are of Italian blood
I can appreciate this executive’s noble bearing. I would hate to tangle with him or meet him on dark street...but then you said he was nocturnal.

With every good wish...

Alfredo Padron

Aaron Abitia said...

Sig. Padron, this is the paradox at hand...while our possum's smile, gait and swagger do indeed engender trust and confidence in us, at the same time there is a dark side which is incongruent with such an apparent noble standing. It is a sad reality. It is like looking at a picture of a young Pamela Anderson...you'd be convinced that she is the most wonderful, gentle, true and kind woman, able to change your life forever in the most wonderful of ways. But as musicians Tommy Lee and Kid Rock have so painfully learned, the reality is that your life would actually begin to END at the very moment you said "I do", and would get progressively worse. It pains me to say this about Pam, as she now lives in Pismo Beach, just 5 minutes from my front door. Hmmmm, I feel a sudden urge to walk the sands of Pismo daily...wait...

Alfredo Padron said...

My dear Mr. Abitia,

While I still believe you have made a good case to unlock iPhones...you are now “gilding the lily” in an effort to win your case, which you have already won hands down. You not only have maligned a corporate leader who epitomizes par excel-lance but now have maligned an innocent young lady which in the old country would fall into the category of a “bella regina.” Is it this lovely young lady’s fault that she was guided by her innocent (and once again I might add) lovely young heart...(I thought to included her photo but I knew you would be instantly repudiated, especially by our “pisanos.”)

Once again, walk away with your victory like the noble Roman leader that my heart tells me you are... remember it is not always necessary to crush your opponents (Unless they are grapes from the south of France).

Your humble servant and hopefully your friend...

Alfredo Padron

apple iphone said...

I guess its much better if you have your Apple iPhone worked on Linux since its now congested yet.

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