"BruceR" <razrbruce@NOgmailSPAM.com> wrote in news:4699fdb7$0$32574
$4c368faf@roadrunner.com:

>
>
> Tinman wrote:
>> "BruceR" wrote:
>>> Todd Allcock wrote:
>>>> Tinman wrote:
>>>>> If I bought a combo receiver that did both OTA and sat I sure the
>>>>> heck wouldn't expect the OTA functions to cease in the absence of a
>>>>> sat subscription.
>>>>
>>>> But if it did, and you were warned ahead of time that that was the
>>>> case, you'd have no recourse.
>>>
>>> There is certainly precedent for this type of sale. Look at TIVO and
>>> ReplayTV. Both have a monthly (or optional lifetime) activation fee
>>> which, if not paid, turns the unit into a hefty doorstop.
>>
>> They are subsidized too (and subject to ETFs). IIRC earlier
>> non-subsidized series 1 Tivos did not turn into doorstops (no guide
>> or anything, but the device can/could still be used to record like a
>> VCR, and of course pause live TV).
>>
>>
>>> One might think that only the channel guide info would go away but
>>> actually the whole unit just goes to sleep till you pay up. However,
>>> unlike the iPhone, these units were sold at subsidized prices.
>>
>> Yes, non-telephonic functions being locked out on a non-subsidized
>> device is what irked me. But now it appears that you can not only use
>> an inactivated/cancelled iPhone without at&t for this (not that I
>> would) but you can also apparently use it with at&t without a
>> contract (GoPlan). Without the at&t ball-and-chain (prepay though) I
>> am much more interested in the iPhone. If I do I'll check with the NY
>> consumer advocate first <g>.
>
> I'd be interested to see if it's SIM locked or whether a TMo SIM would
> work.
>
>
>

It's "Apple" locked- the usecess to the SIM, much like the battery.