Free iPhone

AT&T has announced it will begin unlocking customers’ iPhones once their 2-year contracts have expired. The move will free up the currently-locked devices to use a micro-SIM from any carrier offering a network compatible with the device.

AT&T issued this statement to MacRumors:


Beginning Sunday, April 8, we will offer qualifying customers the ability to unlock their AT&T iPhones. The only requirements are that a customer’s account must be in good standing, their device cannot be associated with a current and active term commitment on an AT&T customer account, and they need to have fulfilled their contract term, upgraded under one of our upgrade policies or paid an early termination fee.Last month, 9to5Mac reported that AT&T had agreed to unlock a user’s off-contract iPhone 3GS under a “special one-time exception” after the user sent an email to Apple CEO Tim Cook about the issue. AT&T had previously refused to unlock the device, which the customer wanted to continue to use after moving to Canada, but relented after being contacted via Cook’s office.

There have been many different hacks to unlock iPhones over the years, but this policy change will make it extremely easy for AT&T customers to legitimately and permanently unlock their iPhones for use on any network.

Nokia Lumia 900 camera shoot-out vs. iPhone 4 a few days ago we showed you news about Nokia Lumia 900 AT&T has announced the launch of the Nokia Lumia 900 on April 8th for $99.99 with a two year contract , also we showed you Coparison between iPhone 4S/4/Lumia 800 Browser, the iPhone 4S and the iPhone 4 both beat out the Nokia Lumia 800.

Today CNET has published a series of comparison photos taken with the iPhone 4S and the new Nokia Lumia 900.

Check out a few of them below or hit the link for the entire gallery….

CNET

Related Posts:Nokia Lumia 900 Launches April 8th on AT&T for $99.99Boom: The New Nokia Lumia 710 – video‘Video’ – Nokia Lumia 800 vs iPhone 4S browser load speed testLumia 800 vs iPhone 4 Design – videoCoparison between iPhone 4S/4/Lumia 800 Browser [Video]

Purported leaked images of Best Buy’s internal inventory system contain mysterious references to a Sprint iPad with what seem to be two-year contract options.

As part of its ongoing patent battle with Samsung, Apple has reportedly hired 73 contract attorneys and 20 reviewers of Korean-American descent to sift through the growing mountain of Korean-language documents provided by the Galaxy Tab maker.

In line with its previous announcement, China Telecom today launched the iPhone 4S, becoming the second carrier in the country to officially offer the iPhone for sale. With its 129 million mobile subscribers, China Telecom is a major new addition for Apple and the largest carrier to offer the iPhone on a CDMA network.

M.I.C. gadget has a roundup of the launch events, with China Telecom having announced a greater-than-expected 200,000 pre-orders for the device.China Telecom is actually playing Verizon’s iPhone role in China. As far as we know, China Telecom now has close to 130 million subscribers, and the carrier also boasts about having the largest CDMA network in the world by installed base. With over 200,000 pre-orders placed for the iPhone 4S, China Telecom is likely to emerge the victor in a looming iPhone war with China Unicom by offering both better prices and service.As a CDMA device, the iPhone 4S on China Telecom possesses some of the same limitations seen with the device running on Verizon, including somewhat slower maximum data rates on 3G compared to GSM networks and a lack of support for simultaneous voice and data. China Telecom’s iPhone 4S, which ships with iOS 5.1 pre-installed, also requires the use of a micro UIM card. The card is analogous to the micro-SIM card used on GSM devices, although many other CDMA carriers such as Verizon do not use such removable cards and instead rely on subscriber information being stored directly on the device.

China Telecom offers a variety of monthly plans for the iPhone 4S, with the 16 GB model being offered for free on plans as low as 389 yuan ($62) per month for a two-year contract or 289 yuan ($46) per month for a three-year contract.

The U.S. Air Force has ordered over $9 million dollars worth of 32GB iPads to use as digital manuals and navigation charts for aircraft pilots and crews in the Air Mobility Command. Bloomberg quotes:

“Aircrews fly nonstop worldwide missions and require access to flight publications both on and off the aircraft, throughout all phases of flight,” [Captain Kathleen Ferrero] said in an e-mail. The so-called electronic flight bags will help crews operate more effectively and safely, and support the Pentagon’s efficiency goals, she said.

Although that contract would let the Air Force buy up to 18,000 iPads, how many they actually get funded and approved for remains to be seen. They currently have 63 iPads on order for testing.

The Air Force didn’t specifically go after Apple’s iPad either. It was an open evaluation and price sounds like it was a significant factor. The Air Force will be getting a discount of about $70 per iPad off the 32 GB model.

The FAA recently approved iPads for use in U.S civil aviation as well, and Alaska Airlines and American Airlines are already putting them to use. So it looks like the future of digital manuals and navigation is well under way.

Now we just need the Firefox/Stealth-like super fighters to hurry up and get here so we can all enjoy a little thought-controlled iPad fun…

Source: Bloomberg; image via Wikipedia

It was announced on Friday that the US Air Force Air Mobility Command had awarded a $9.36 million contract to purchase up to 18,000 iPad 2s slated for use in the military arm’s cargo aircraft.

Under a new, multimillion dollar contract, the U.S. Air Force plans to replace a chunk of its printed in-flight materials with iPads.

Originally posted at Apple Talk

The U.S. Air Force has awarded a $9.36 million contract to a Phoenix-based computer services company which will use the money to purchase as many as 18,000 iPad 2 units. Bloomberg reports that the Air Force is purchasing 32GB Wi-Fi models, which will be used as replacements for paper manuals and navigation charts used by pilots and navigators. “Aircrews fly nonstop worldwide missions and require access to flight publications both on and off the…

Despite expecting a decline in wireless profits due to the high subsidy cost associated with carrying the iPhone, Sprint plans to exceed its $15.5 billion minimum purchase agreement with Apple and looks to make up for the profit loss with subscriber revenue.