Um, okay. Perhaps you should do a little bit of research before tossing around the blame so freely. T-Mobile doesn't lock their devices down like this, subscribers just have to pay for the proper level of data access.

I have a Blackberry Peal with T-Mobile. I installed Opera Mini and it works great. I don't understand where you are getting this information.

Ron, I have gotten this confirmed by T-Mobile corporate. I have a tester SIM that has access to everything, and the applications are locked out in the new handsets I have been testing this week. You may have an older handset, before this insidious policy spread. I used to tout T-Mobile for their liberal policies on third party program installation, and I'm very disappointed in the change.

Tony, I maybe didn't make clear enough that this is a feature phone problem. No carrier, not even Verizon, dares forbid application installation on smartphones such as Blackberries, Windows Mobile phones, or Treos.

Sounds to me like Sahsa has issues with anger management.Perhaps she's upset because T-Mobile wouldn't give her all the freebie's she thinks she is entitled to as a magazine hack?
All I can say is "get over yourself and move on to real reporting.Better yet,get a real job that requires some semblence of actual physical exertion".

To Ron: I believe this is real reporting. We keep giving up a little more to these companies every day. My sprint service crippled the bluetooth on my Treo and don't allow you to use wifi (even cradles) My A900 doesn't allow Google maps because they want you to use $2 a month Handmark apps. There should be some sort of choice allowed in a free market. We own the product-we should be able to do anything that's legal

Ron: Sascha's a he.

Also, HE is spot on here. What level of "access" are you referring to that allows T-Mobile to violate their terms of service and corporate policies? Perhaps you're referring to buying a smartphone as a "level of access?" In that case, you might want to "exert the effort" to clarify your point. Sascha has laid his cards on the table here, if you think he just needs to "get over it" or hasn't "researched" enough, then let's see your cards. It's not Sascha's anger management that needs work here, looks like yours-you can hardly make a point without flinging insults.

In real commentary, this doesn't surprise me one bit. By locking down and crippling features, cellular providers can funnel you into their own preferred services, and leave plenty of room for them to offer "enhanced" services and applications down the road that you'll have no choice but to opt-in with them for, and you have no choice but to believe that your device CAN'T do x or y without their specialized app. We've seen this from the way Verizon cripples its bluetooth phones and media functionality, making you believe the only way you can get music and photos onto your phone is either through their services (for music and pictures and video) or through your camera. (for pictures and video) I sadly see this trend moving in the wrong direction, personally, as there's less competition in the marketplace for cellular services, and the message to customers is "if want these services that you seem to know every one of our phones is capable of, you'll have to buy special 'versions' of the phones, or upgrade to significantly more expensive devices," and that's a real shame.

What kind of phone are you trying to put this on? My guess is some sort of motorola or samsung that T-Mobile subsidizes. If that is true, then shame on you for complaining because your free or sub $100 kid device won't load opera or GMM. Being a device reviewer, I would expect you to have a smartphone/pda/bb regardless.

I have the T-Mobile SDA which I got in May 2006. For the most part it's an awesome MS Mobile 5.0 phone. BUT... I can not get it to sync with my Exchange Server. ActiveSync complains that the certificate on my server is not current and I know this to be false as I have setup ActiveSync on the Motorola Q and Samsung BlackJack phones without the same problem.

Working with Microsoft on the issue, they had me import my certificate into the phone (which appears to be there) and even had me do a hard reset on the phone (wiping out all my data).

Nada...

Microsoft only other suggestion was to talk with T-Mobile to see if the phone was "locked" down to where the certificate was not installing properly.

I called T-Mobile support which was 100% useless. They kept telling me to call Microsoft. Finally I sent an email to their support detailing everything tried and I even referenced the MS Tech Note about phones being "locked".

Have never heard back from T-Mobile and it's been nearly a month now.

Prior to that, I tried to install Opera and it basically said that it couldn't; installed the same copy of Opera on another non T-Mobile MS 5.0 phone and it installed without a problem.

Being a Slingbox user, I tried to install the Mobile 5.0 SlingPlayer. It too did not install and to contact the manufacturer. I didn't think much of it at the time because it was still a v1.0 product. Since then the product has matured and it runs on our other MS Mobile 5.0 phone.

I was thinking about moving up to the "Dash" with hopes that it will be compatible with the aforementioned applications. Or I just may go back to Verizon Wireless where apps for their MS 5.0 phones seems to install just fine without problem.

I have found over the last few years, is that all I want to do is talk on my phone. Less is more for me. I enjoyed reading all of your comments. I hope you can find a soultion. I know for a fact, a boycott is hopeless. Cell phones are addictive and they know it.

@Strong: I don't believe this was the case, that the attempt was conducted on a low-end device, but this brings up an excellent point: it shouldn't matter.

I hesitate at the point that cell manufacturers really do "subsidize" phones, because the current subscription model allows them to make their money back on even the most low-end devices in a very very short time period, and not nearly the entire period of the contract you have to sign to get one of those "cheap" phones. Also, I don't think this would be any different if you had purchased a phone from them at full price and used it on their network-they'd still insist on controlling the device in your pocket.

This brings up another point too - when did we as consumers become so willing to let go of the functionality of our technology based on what an entity providing us a service tells us? The functionality is IN THE PHONE, it's there to be used, it's just being BLOCKED. And so we shrug our shoulders and say "ah well?" If it's not for us or something we wouldn't use, that's one thing, but functions like this could be valuable for many people-the end result being that those people will either be shut out completely or be forced to artificially pay more for it.

We would never let Dell or HP "subsidize" a computer by giving it to us for a ridiculously low price (as they do with various sales and rebates) and then allow them to dictate to us what we can and can't do with it. We don't let Comcast and Verizon give us ultra-low introductory prices for high-speed internet access and then allow them to tell us where we can and can't go on the internet, do we? I don't understand why we're so willing to let cellular providers cripple our devices and strip down our features in that very same way.

hello. the above is not correct. T-mobile offer a data service called Web n Walk which allows consumers to access the internet from their phone or laptop depending on the price plan.
T-mobile do not lock your phone down from 3rd party devices. I myself have the use of opera mini and msn messenger on my mobile to which works fine... this phone was bought from a t-mobile uk ltd retail store and is not unlocked to any other network

Phoenix, the provider subsidizes the handset, not the manufacturer. The provider buys devices from the OEM at super inflated prices and then offers them for a lower price to the consumer because they (the provider) is willing to eat device costs and only make money on 6 out of 12 months worth of billing revenue. Last I checked, operators are in the business to make money. Personally, I think the fact that everyone expects phones for free now is total crap. If you want a device you can do anything you want to, then go buy an unlocked device or a some sort of PDA. Otherwise quit your bitching.

Wow, what a discussion.

The phone that drove me nuts was a Nokia 6133, and I think the point that it's subsidized is bizarre; letting people use Opera Mini would increase, not decrease, T-Mobile's revenues by encouraging people to sign up for data plans. T-Mobile is shooting themselves in the foot by crippling the development of the third party software industry, lowering demand for mobile data.

As several posters have said, they make money on the data plans, not on the phones - so why prohibit applications that would get people to demand data plans?

Subsidies also seem to be a smokescreen here. If you go to a T-Mobile store and buy a Nokia 6133 at full retail, mid-contract, Opera Mini is barred. If you go to a Nokia store and buy the same 6133, inserting the same T-Mobile SIM, you have no problem.

And I need to repeat - this isn't about smartphones. I'm not talking about the SDA, the Blackberry, or whatever. I'm talking about feature phones, which could be dandy computing platforms if the carriers weren't so hostile.

"undisclosed," who doesn't live in the US, points out another world where the carriers aren't, in fact, so hostile. T-Mobile UK does not bar applications the way T-Mobile US does. And - shocker! - it doesn't seem to have killed them.

I'm not contesting whether or not operators are in business to make money, but that's a completely irrelevant point. And your point about expecting a phone for free being crap is contradictory of your overall point: if you get a phone for free, stop whining that it was free?

Personally, I would love to see a market in the United States more like the market abroad - anyone can buy any cellphone and do what they choose with it, and we don't need the manufacturers to "subsidize" anything. Last I checked, prices buying handsets directly from manufacturers aren't significantly different than buying the "retail value" from the operator themselves. I don't think the operator is eating much of anything-it's far more likely that because they're in business to make money, like you said, they want us to believe that so when they piss on our heads we'll believe it's rain. So explain this disconnect to me again? Wait-I'm just bitching then, aren't I?

@Sascha: I'm curious what you think the US cellular market can learn from the market abroad. Do you think, since the carriers are obviously hostile to any consumer-friendly changes that might even remotely lessen their iron grip on access, device, and feature control, that there's room in the marketplace for new breeds of cellular companies that reflect a business model that's more consumer friendly, as in buy a phone from anywhere and we'll see what we can do with it and hook you up with a plan?

I suspect that such a carrier could even be able to negotiate with carriers to use their existing infrastructure, CDMA v. GSM device arguments willing. (or even with multiple carriers so the device type doesn't matter?)

The customer is paying full price for that phone one way or another. In whatever form, the cost of that phone is being included in the monthly phone bill in the form of higher costs. No operator is giving away free phones from the goodness of their heart.

When viewed through that lens, it seems less than fair that the features that the customer paid for (whether or not it was in one lump sum or in hidden costs over the next 2 or 3 years is irrelevant) are being removed from that phone.

Sadly, those intrepid users who pay full price for an unlocked phone in order to get all of the features that every customer should be getting in the first place ends up paying twice for their phone. Once for the full-boat cost, and second in the same fees that are used to recoup the costs of all of those free phones.

To Sascha's point - why not open these devices for customers? Along with increasing revenue from data usage, maybe these users then graduate to a real smartphone when they upgrade. Then everyone wins.

THIS IS TRUE REPORTING! I recently bought a Samsung Trace (T519) and installed google maps. It didn't work, and after about 12 nonstop hours of research I found out that their applications are all digitally signed (VeriSign) and will block out the permissions menu for the network access, thus resulting in the application not being able to connect itself to the internet. The ONLY SOULUTION to this problem is to buy the Firmware Flash cable, download the Flashing software from the phone manufactures website, (and the real tricky part) then find the ORIGINAL firmware to flash to the phone. Of course your going to have to manually set up your T-Zones (webaccess address and port) and a few others, but it will unlock ALL the features of the phone so you will be able to use the phone fully. It's a tricky process, and you need to make sure your not using a T-Mobile "Branded" firmware update. There are many independent phone gurus out there that edit firmware and release it themselves with all features unlocked. If you use a T-Mobile Branded firmware, you'll waste money and time to be exactly where you are right now.

IE... Cingular's D807 and T-Mobile's T809. They are the same phone, same display, memory card slot, ect... However, T-Mobile's phone has limited features compared to Cingular's. The D807 has voice activation and a few other bells and whistles. This isn't the phone's hardware, it's the firmware.

In short, get yourself the syncing software & cables and a fresh Firmware update and you will be able to run any app. Right now Cingular doesn't limit 3rd party software, so if you have to, use one of their Firmwares and then tweak your port settings and you'll be free and clear of the holdups of horrible T-Mobile.

I just got off the phone with TMobile's tier 2 tech support. My Opera browsing stopped working last week. They finally told me -- TMobile Tech Support -- that the configuration menu item I needed (web sessions) is purposely disabled on all TM handsets when they come from Motorola. They are doing it on purpose, and you have to hack the phone to fix it. The ridiculous thing is that they support the missing menu item ON THEIR OWN WEB SITE for users who come to TM from other carriers. They give you instructions on how to configure your phone for their network when you come from another carrier, but if you are a loyal TM customer with a TM handset, you are out of luck.

It is utter nonsense to force their customers to either hack their phones or buy hardware from other providers in order to accomplish what we could accomplish just fine on their network two weeks ago with their equipment.

Sad! I love TMo but will jump ship if they blockade data apps on their network.

Sascha is Correct. T-Mobile blocks or modifies the custom manufacture menus. I have a T-mobile Nokia 6010 which I unlocked using a DCT4 code generator. Now I can use it with any other carrier SIM Card, but it only allow me to make or receive phonecalls or send SMS but it wont allow me to configure and modify my GPRS and WAP settings. It will only attemp to load t-zones and wont let me modify the sturtup wap page.
By the way. Anyone knows how to resolve this issue? Anyone has any idea on how can I change the firmware or do something to restore the Manufacturer Complete Menus and so be able to setup my wap browser and GPRS connection to be used with other carriers services?
Thanks. my email es mattiass_cba@hotmail.com

Yes folks this is indeed true. I have a TMobile RAZR with VPN Internet Plan, Hot Spots, and unlimited data. I had been using Google Maps and OperaMini on my phone for the past two years without any trouble.

Starting last month OperaMini 3.0 started reporting an error on every page I tried to visit that said, "Connection closed by remote host". Google Maps no longer runs AT ALL, and after upgrading to OperaMini 3.1, the network-test portion of the install reports "You have no data plan."

I find this infuriating because I am PAYING for that connectivity!

Doesn't T-Mobile realize that stupid stunts like these are going to drive their customers right over to the iPhone?

this is very disappointing. i have always recommended t-mobile to people because they tended to avoid doing stuff like this. i'm not personally affected (apparently) because i bought my phone -- an unlocked Nokia 6230i -- from some Russian dudes on Lexington Avenue, but explaining to non-technical people that it's better to pay more for an unlocked phone is a tough sell. looks like i'll have to be making that (frustrating) argument more often now.

ps. I'm really surprised at the negative response to Sascha's posting of this story. If you follow the cellphone market at all, you should realize this is a big deal, and it's an extremely appropriate topic. Most of the negative comments seemed to come from people who didn't read the article carefully, or who don't really understand what Sascha is talking about.

BS - I am using an unlocked Nokia E61 on T-Mobile USA and have absolutely no problems using Opera 3.1, Google Maps, or any of my other apps (to include BlackBerry Connect).

Where in the terms of service do you see a restriction on data usage? I can't seem to find that in the documentation I've seen.l

Ron K:

Double Check your Certificate, I had issue's like that until I got a different root CA provider.

Uh, sorry Rob, I'm a bit tired. :-)

Ron - I've had an A900 since last may and I've had gmm on it the entire time. Maybe the "untrusted application" screen is scaring you off?

Also - the bluetooth on your treo is easily restored if you're willing to spend half an hour researching it. Wifi is a driver issue. feel free to write one if you like.

Sascha: And I need to repeat - this isn't about smartphones. I'm not talking about the SDA, the Blackberry, or whatever. I'm talking about feature phones, which could be dandy computing platforms if the carriers weren't so hostile.

I could paste it 20 more times but some people still won't read it.

All you need is UST Pro2 and you can send a big FUCK YOU to T-mobile. I'm using a Softbank 707sc that has more features that you can shake a stick at. It plays flash .swf's, opens almost every format, video conferencing, etc. U.S. phones are way behind the status quo.

Experience over the past couple days:

When roaming on Cingular, my Moto V3r with t-MobileWeb started to not be able to connect to anything via operamini or gmail, but the built-in browser worked fine. This started Friday. Roaming on Unicell was fine. When I was on a T-Mobile tower it was fine. This morning on Cingular (that's the tower I get at work) it was fine for a while, then only the built-in browser would connect for a couple hours. Eventually late in the afternoon the 3rd party apps started connecting again... At this moment neither gmail nor operamini are working (roaming on Unicell), but the built-in browser does.

So, does this constitute a "material change" (ie. a free way out) in our service contracts?

Weird that they'd just blanket disable them instead of billing us per-byte for traffic that wasn't via their approved application.

This article is *correct* for "normal" phones -- not pda's etc.

I bought an unlocked RAZR for my T-Mobile plan a couple of months ago and have been happily using Opera, GMail and Google Maps on a daily basis until a couple of days ago.

These apps stopped working recently. I thought T-Mobile had changed their network config or something, but after reading this page, I tried their fugly T-MobileWeb browser, which to my dismay works just fine as it always did!

T-Mobile is deliberately locking out paying customers from using non-T-Mobile-branded applications. They went out of their way to make their product worth *less* to their customers.

What would happen if your home ISP told you you could only use their crippled, branded, sleazy-marketing "browser" to access their "branded internet"??? You'd tell them to take a hike and good luck staying in business, right?

My wife and I spend well over $100/mo on our cell plans. We'll be take our money elsewhere on principle alone.

T-Mobile is doing this not to restrict access (although it does have that affect) but because they can't support third-party apps being installed on the devices. They have neither the manpower or the support to provide help for all of the tons of third-party apps out there.

Nowhere in the terms of service does it say anything about the particular types of data usage or locked/unlocked abilities of the devices, at least not that I've found. Although it does say: "Your Phone may not be compatible with the network and services provided by another wireless service provider and, therefore, may not work with that provider's wireless service."

On top of this, the majority of T-Mobile's 25 million customers (or any other carrier's customers, for that matter) do not and will not care about things like this, as most people just want a phone that works and is easy to use. The type of people who comment on things like this here and elsewhere are not the norm, and companies do not cater to power users. They figure, if you want the functionality, you'll get a PDA from them or an unlocked device elsewhere.

"T-Mobile is doing this not to restrict access (although it does have that affect) but because they can't support third-party apps being installed on the devices. They have neither the manpower or the support to provide help for all of the tons of third-party apps out there."

"We don't support that configuration. Feel free to use the built in web browser."

Easy. Cheap. Doesn't piss people off like silently removing functionality does...

T-Mobile need not provide tech-support for my applications on my cell phone any more than my ISP need provide tech support for the applications on my desktop computer. I don't want their "tech support" monkeys having *anything* to do with my computer, ever, thank you.

Why do folks think it's okay for your cell phone provider to force you to run their trashy, branded, applications but if you ask the same people they think it's not okay for your ISP to do the same on your home computer? In fact the latter is completely outrageous, but the former is okay?

This is just historical -- unlike cell phones and cell networks, the computer predated ISPs.

If they hadn't, because so many people think like mr. peanut above, you'd be using a huge, crappy, bright red desktop computer shaped like a giant V for VERIZON or somesuch, and running a VERIZON Home Shopping Network Viewer, and paying $14.99/each for half-baked 2d games. That's where computing would be today.

C'mon now. Wireless services, mobile devices, and mobile software would be *so* much better if people didn't just lie down and take this horseshit from these monstrously retarded blow-dried cell phone marketing weenies.

First off, I presume you mean T-Mobile US? There is a whole world of T-Mobile out there, you know...

Say what you want about T-Mobile Germany, but I can install and run anything I want on my BB 8700g - thus far.

Could you please quote some sources instead of just providing hearsay evidence?

The claim of T-Mobile US is "stick together", not "get more", by the way.

its even more stupid in europe: in germany/austria T-Mobile offers Blackberry with the usual email-service, but the new blackberries cannot browse the internet !!! its true. Not with the intern Tmobile-browser, not with Opera nor with anything else. According to 2nd-level-support in austria this is due to "technical problems". ARGHH !!!

this is what happens in an operator controlled market. If you look into any retail markets you won't see any of this crap.

As a mobile manufacturer insider, I can tell that there is a WAR going on between operators who control the end users and manufacturers who just make a commodity product. And operators are winning so far. Operators fully control not only what they want on a phone but also what they don't. So users only get applications and features that generate money for operators. You don't get much GPS support unless there is an operator's mapping service to generate money from. You don't get blogging unless it's tuned for an operator's servers - anybody keeping a blog on T-Mobile servers? Fat chance. So you don't get blogging.

Up until recently users had a choice on the free market for J2ME apps, but that's starting to be controlled by forcing manufacturers into supporting custom security settings for each operator.

Solution? Simple - go to a retail store. Yes, the phones are more expensive, but you get what you pay for plus retail models allow more customization for users - no buttons locked into Vodafone Live, etc.

Can you confirm which country you're talking about here? I'm using an Eric K800 (not a smart phone, but a pretty fancy phone) in the UK with T-Mobile and no specific data package at all, and I've just installed google maps - it works fine.

This is true. I have a Nokia 6030, and have tried to use Google's Gmail application with it. Not only does the phone not give the application permission to access the network, but it blocks the settings menu where I could grant the application such permission.

I was slightly skeptical about this article since I have a T-Mobile locked RAZR with T-Mobile Web and Opera Mini, which seemed to work well enough. But come to think of it, I have been getting "Connection closed by remote host" messages on almost every page I try to view recently -- I thought it was a network problem, but now I see the light.

Luckily I'm no longer under contract. I suppose this means that T-Mobile has lost another customer. Too bad; I kind of liked them.

I have 2 unlocked and unbranded V3i (South Africa - generic) phones and had been using Opera Mini, Gmail, and Google Maps on my phones since last September.

T-Zone Settings were sent and selected from "T-Mobile Wireless Data Configurator" web site, to phone. No updates since September. T-Mobile Web on one and Unlimited T-Zones on other.

These 3 apps stopped working 02/27/2007 here in NYC, just after OperaMini 3.1 was installed (and passed the network setup, which now fails). Moto Browser still works fine.

So unlocked phones may now have the same restriction.

As a long time (VoiceStream) customer, I may switch to Cingular if T-Mobile does not change this policy.

To say the new policies are for security reasons is just bogus. Corporations have proprietary apps for various reasons such as Seven or Goodlink for push email. Granted most businesses in the US go Verizon or the new AT&T rather than T-Mo or Sprint. I've noticed that 7am-7pm my IMAP mail application is constantly losing its connection sitting on my desk in the same place. Just like your DSL or cable provider isn't ready for P2P apps like Bittorrent or rich media like YouTube (Google Comcast and their bandwidth limit on unlimited accounts) I doubt the cellular carriers are ready for always on push email, myspace mobile, and streaming audio.

I have the RAZR and Opera Mini ran fine until recently. Now, all of a sudden, it can't get data. Same with GMail's utility. T-Mobile's own WAP browser is a joke. It's archaic. It reminds me of something between a BBS browser and Netscape 1.0 circa 1994. T-Mobile has ALWAYS lagged years behind the industry - even when Jamie Lee Curtis was hawking it as VoiceStream. I guess it's time to look to a new carrier. Sometimes you're willing to deal with a company that is behind the curve because other aspects make up for it. those aspects are disappearing faster and faster. A company like Verizon can exercise more controls because they have a better network/coverage, better phone choice, more spectrum allowing for G3 applications, etc. T-Mobile jsut purchased some spectrum this summer. They do not offer the perks to be control freaks. I hope this "plan" of theirs is worth it because I think a lot of people, like myself, are going to be leaving the company.

Well, my unlocked V3i with a T-Mobile SIM is still running Google Maps and Gmail just fine in the DC area, though I haven't tried opera mini. That said, I just kicked my EVDO service over from Verizon to Sprint over terms of service stupidity--I guess I can move my voice service over if TMo gets too annoying. If nothing else, 3rd party apps run a lot nicer over an EVDO connection than a GPRS connection anyway...

Can this lockdown virus (it really _is_ a virus) affect unlocked retail phones, or just T-Mobile subsidized phones?

Opera stopped working for me yesterday. I liked T-mobile for the most part... up until now :(

Never seen so much ignorance in one place. It's sad people turn to places like this and think they are getting real information. Learn some things about the wireless industry both here and overseas, compare them and stop whining. If you don't want things to be locked down, go buy the unbranded handset yourself and pay full price.

I have a Sony Ericsson K790a that I did not buy through T-Mobile. T-Mobile does not offer this phone at all, but it's been working fine on the network up until recently.

As of yesterday night, Opera Mini and jmirc were not working, although Gmail still is for some reason. Go fig.

sigh.

I am sorry, but I have to agree with many of the other comments here - your information is severely faulty. I work for Tmo in IT and I can tell you without a doubt that 3rd party apps ARE allowed on (almost) all of our devices. (I have seen the settings and config screens that allow it with my own eyes. (The major exception here is the Sidekick because of its development model, but thats different.) You have to have a data plan that allows it, but otherwise, there are no (T-Mobile-based) restrictions on what apps you can put on your device. The security concerns that everyone seems to want to dismiss *are* real, but mostly only if you are using a corporate activated Blackberry device, and then the security issues and risk fall onto the company running the Blackberry Enterprise Server (the BB device that sits in your corporate network that serves mail from your corp mail server to your Blackberry users), not generally with T-Mo.

Beyond that, I think this sort of "news article" does a tremendous disservice to the industry as a whole and to T-Mo specifically because you get people all spun up in a tizzy and besmirch our brand name, all in the name of getting a few webhits to view your Circuit City ads. For shame. I think you should consider yourself lucky that T-Mo legal doesnt take you to court over this sort of mis-information using our brand name.

Just out of curiosity, what service are you paying for? Are you paying for t-Zones, or for unlimited internet service?

The reason I ask is that historically t-Zones' ToS said you could only use the T-zones software on your phone to access the Internet, and it was $5/month. But then there's the actual data plan, which is $20/month for GPRS/EDGE only, or $30/month for GPRS/EDGE + t-mobile hotspot. And with this latter service, you're not supposed to be experiencing restrictions.

So this leads me to wonder if t-mobile finally started enforcing the ToS on t-Zones, and that's why you're seeing a chance, or if in fact you have the unlimited data plan. Can you tell us which it is?

Anonymous T-Mobile employee - do me a favor and fire up a T-Mobile branded Samsung T509 or T519, or a Nokia 5300 or Nokia 6133. Then try to access the Internet through, say, Melodeo Mobilcast or Opera Mini. See what happens. T-Mobile corporate has told me that they are editing the firmware of an increasing number of feature phones to block Internet access from all unsigned applications.

Ted Lemon, I have a loaner SIM with literally every possible option activated. I've used the same SIM in dozens of phones. On a T-Mobile branded, locked Nokia 5300, you can't use Opera Mini. On an unlocked, unbranded Nokia 5300 with the same SIM, you can. It isn't the network. It's a firmware edit to the phones themselves.

That said, there's a separate network issue involving the T-Zones plan that you're alluding to that is real, and that I think some people are running into. But that's not what I'm complaining about - I'm complaining about handset side firmware crippling.

With the growing number of web-based mobile apps out there, like Tappity (www.tappity.com) and Netvibes2Go (m.netvibes.com), it's not going to matter that T-Mobile won't let you install these 3rd party apps. You'll be able to access them via any phone, even when you switch providers.

I'm equally bothered by the crippling - I have a t-809, which I thought I was going to be using as an MP3 player, but which turns out to be crippled so that it only works with a wired headset, not bluetooth.

But the original posting was not about that - it was about services being disabled. So that's why I'm wondering if the original article is from someone who doesn't actually have an unlimited data plan, but rather a t-zones plan. This is a rather important distinction to me, since I'm currently paying for the data plan.

you have to pay for full internet to use opera mini now tmobile just got more dum.im getting an iphone

Congrats to T-Mobile, Now I have good reason for leaving, Thought the customer serivce was bad, but seems like its that way// all the way to the top. Wonder if they taking notes from Sony. cough cough..

Okay, kids, here's the deal: they do this to save money on tech support.

T-Mobile customers (as with those of other carriers) fall into certain categories:

1. Just want a phone that works;
2. Want a flashy phone that does stuff, but don't want to DIY;
3. Want high-end features and are willing to DIY.

Groups 1 and 2 don't care about this issue -- group one is just happy their phone works, and that's the end of the story, and group two is happy they can access the Internet through T-Mobile's services.

It's group 3 -- and only group 3 -- that will be annoyed by this. Only group 3 installs Opera's mini browser, for example, because that's DIY; at the same time, group 3 is also the only one that is willing to go out and purchase a full-boat phone directly from the manufacturer in order to be able to install Opera et al.

So that only leaves group 2.5 -- that's the fringe group that doesn't understand the technology, and generally doesn't DIY, but might be tempted to install a third-party app because a friend told them about it. That group is trouble for tech support, because they don't understand what to do when they have problems, and so tech support staff would need to be trained to handle those problems.

Meanwhile, groups one and two are happy doing the limited subset of things that tech support has been trained for, and group three can be told either "we don't support third-party apps" when they can't be installed, or "we don't support non-T-Mobile phones" when they have trouble with the manufacturer-purchased phone they're using.

Simple, really. Still sucks, though.

Ted, I wrote the original article, and I have an unlimited data SIM. The problem I'm writing about is in the firmware of certain phone models. It does not have to do with network service plans - though there is a different problem that some people have been running into involving service plans.

I wouldn't call the T809's Bluetooth "crippled." A2DP (stereo audio) is an optional profile that's unusually difficult to code. A lot of handset manufacturers for quite a while left it out because they didn't have a good implementation yet. The T809, I think, falls in that category. Things are only crippled if existing functionality has been yanked out of them - the T809 never had stereo Bluetooth to begin with.

to the anon tmob employee...

To quote Sascha: "And I need to repeat - this isn't about smartphones. I'm not talking about the SDA, the Blackberry, or whatever. I'm talking about feature phones, which could be dandy computing platforms if the carriers weren't so hostile."

The article does *not* apply to smartphones or blackberries. People with unbranded, unlocked phones are losing connections to specific apps. Please read carefully. It's not an issue of branded vs unbranded phones, it's an issue of blocked service.

I've got a T-Mobile pay-as-you-go plan and bought the non-locked version of the Siemens that came in the retail box. Everything was great and the unlocked phone had features that T-Mobile hadn't paid for and wouldn't work on their branded phone, namely voice dialing and the ability to use a camera add-on (which I picked up on eBay for a dollar plus shipping.) A couple of months ago, however, T-Mobile pinged my phone. I know this because I simulataneiously lost the ability to connect to their limited T-Zones internet offerings at the same time as I lost all my contact information from the phone's address book. It left my stored ringtones and pictures intact, however. I had tried to "get more" out of my internet access at one point over a year ago but had resigned myself to the limitations T-Mobile imposed. However, I'm really upset that they took away my ability to use the unlocked phone for the limited internet access they provide. I switched back to the branded phone like a good boy should but I'll be considering making a move when my purchased minutes run out...

I can still download. I have have a $20 data plan and my phone motorola v635 unlocked is downloading everything fine. As long as you have a data plan it should work.

Same problem here. Just got a 6030 RM225, got the unlock code from Tmobile, unlocked fine. Using a cingular sim with unlimited data, installed opera mini -- they won't let me change the permissions on the app to allow opera to access data. Says "NOT ALLOWED!"

Very german of them. Assh8les.

The number four carrier? JD powers has said the past four years that T-mobile is ranked first overall. Check your facts man... http://www.jdpower.com/press-releases/default.aspx

and reading over your problem I can tell you one thing... you probobly dont have your VPN access set up right...

Based upon conversations with T-mobile folks, third party vendors, etc., the problem T-mobile (US) users are seeing is pretty much exactly what Sascha has described. His analysis is spot on and, despite what T-mobile says, this is not a security issue per se, although it can be spun as such. Here is the missing piece that may explain the situation: T-mobile recently decided to dis-allow all 3rd party software vendors the right to bill their customers directly through their games, apps, etc.

The rollout of this new policy has been gradual but they have recently scaled up the practice. The result affects all customers, casual users as well as power users since many casual games are based upon subscription models. One unfortunate consequence is that applications that do use the network for data transfer but other than for billing purposes suffer unnecessarily. Whether this is a result of a lack of consideration by T-mobile or a scorched-earth policy will likely be determined by how successful the results are to T-mobile's bottom line, which is, of course tricky to determine in the short run.

This is purely a business decision and much technology work was undertaken to realize it. Its goal is to limit applications so that only T-mobile approved ones have the ability to make money through usage. Applications that do not access the networks are still allowed.

It can be perceived as a "cut off your nose to spite your face" move and, like text messaging was in the States several years ago - when carriers did not allow consumers to text to subscibers of competing carriers - it may be that a painful repercussion to T-mobile is needed to convince the business group of the downside of such a draconian move.

Recall the conclusion of the text messaging policy in the U.S. : text messaging soared overseas while staying stagnant in the U.S. It was only after the barriers were removed between carriers that growth potentials were realized. That T-mobile would actively hinder growth again is a short-sighted policy that hurts developers almost immediately and probably everybody, including T-mobile, in long-term revenues. Consumers are the big losers and if leaving T-mobile is possible, it may prove to be the most effective recourse. But doing so is a hassle for consumers and because T-mobile knows that, it can impose such policies.

As for level of data access, which was suggested in some posting as the problem, it is not. It is an entirely separate issue. However, T-mobile has also been tinkering with their network to accommodate all their devices in a way to allow them to maximize their margins.

For example, even though newer smartphones can use the T-zone plans ($5.99/mo), T-mobile is shutting off access to those networks in order to charge as much as $29.99/mo for those devices. It may seem like a nasty and greedy thing to do - and it is - but it is also capitalism in the purest sense. Once you're locked into a subscription, you're stuck: if you leave because the data plans are obscene, you'll have to pay a hefty penalty, which is even more obscene.

Anti-trust legislation has yet to catch up with such a form of practice in part because it is still unclear whether the market demand is a driving force (since there is clearly demand) or if consumers are denied the ability to switch services as a result of such lock-in's so that demand becomes an irrelevant factor (and therefore a form of monopolistic practice).

One thing is for certain: the US carriers, by nature of the unregulated free economy, will push as far as they can for short term gains over longer term strategic plays - which will likely hurt the carriers and the consumers. The legality of their tactics is questionable but the legal system is slow and, to a great extent, too corporate-friendly to do anything.

(Sidenote - may be a good candidate to post to put on the whatsReallyAnnoying.com site.)

I think the problem is that these apps allowed you to gain access without having to buy a data plan... At least that is my experience. Indeed, I have even been able to get gmail, gmaps and opera to work on prepaid phones.

That they block these programs for everyone, even those who purchase a dataplan, is pathetic.

hello I am from Nepal and needs help. I do have motorola T-Mobile send by my freind from USA. I Get unlocked it here and use it but i can't upload any other applications and ringtones. So i want to Chang T-Mobile to other so if any solution please mail me ina my add melawon@vianet.com.np
Thank you in advance

you are completely wrong! T-mobile does not lock out third party applications. i just brought a moto razr v3t from them and i hav opera mini installed and it works just fine. so before you go make wild claims about t-mobile check your facts first.

I am a Java App developer and found this article to be very concerning. We offer a GPS navigation system ("Veripath Navigator", http://veripath.us) that is a network-aware application and requires access to our URL for client/server communcations. From our experience, the carriers limit access to apps like ours for reasons that have little to do with security. They do it because all applications that make it in their catalog have to share 50-60% revenue from the sales with the carrier or the catalog provider that has a distribution contract with the carrier. Most applications for mobile handsets are written in Java, for example, and there is a built-in security model in the Java virtual machine installed on handsets that clearly warns users when an app tries to access an outside URL. The user has all the power to stop the app from accessing temporarily or ban it forever.This model is even stronger than a typical PC user has - the PC user often has no idea that some background application is connecting to an outside web site, while each Java-enabled phone MUST warn the user of such connection if the Java app is UN-signed.

In a free society, a consumer should decide for herself whether she trusts the app maker or not, not the carrier (the big brother). Limiting access for security reasons by carriers is redundant and insulting to the users intelligence and is conducted only for the purpose of taking a cut from the "certified" software.

I found these instructions for flashing your phone to allow 3rd party apps on a nokia 6133 from t-mobile.

http://www.perpetualkid.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1942

While it's good to know that it's possible to hack the phone, this procedure sounds tedious to say the least, you have to live without your phone for a week, and then you might worry that your myfaves services won't work, or t-mobile will void your warranty.

So, 2 questions:

1. Is there an easier way to crack the phone's block on 3rd party apps - like a program that allows you to unblock hidden settings?

2. What's the most effective way to communicate your dissatisfaction to t-mobile about their blocking of services on your phone? Obviously, a lot of customers are unhappy about their decision to do this.

I feel like you in essence are buying a computer when you buy a new phone these days, and your phone plan is like your internet provider, and who are they to restrict how you use your computer? Especially when there are legitimate businesses out there like Google or Opera who are creating useful, free software to run on these computers?

Is there a petition out there? A place to send complaints? More effective solutions than ranting on discussion boards and googling for hacks and cracks?

rod: You're an idiot. One phone does not equal all of them, and if you got an old enough RAZR, you won't run into this problem.

I've personally seen this issue with a Samsung T509, T809, and a Nokia 6133 from Nokia. I took all three back to them, and continue to use my old non-Tmo Nokia 6682. I'm not going to give them a few hundred dollars for an artificially crippled technology. I have the $30/mo internet plan, I give them over a hundred a month. I don't understand why they want to screw people.

As for the T-mo employee, you're full of it. I can call any service rep at Tmo, and they will confirm that they are shutting off non-tmo sourced applications to their network.

You're all crazy. I've got an old RAZR V3, unbranded with a T-Mobile SIM and I've got a branded T-Mobile RAZR just for testing situations like this. I've got Opera Mini, GMM, GMail and all sorts of goodies on both of my phones and they all work fine. Maybe everyone just needs to really do their homework and figure out what they need to do to make this stuff work. It's an always new and always changing industry and you must keep up or just be another end user.

OK this realy Bites I have TMO MDA works awesome im paying for the internet 29.99 plan which in my opinion is too FN overpriced. works fine with gmail settings of course its a smart phone. I just go the 5300 from TMO installed Gmail app did not work. reason TMO blocks it out kinda like a firewall. I sim unlocked it so i can use it when i travel abroad. works fine with other networks. but still no gmail I need firmware update. but just got the phone 2 weeks ago i dont want a brick phone. so im still researching for the correct way to upload Nokia's unbranded firmware. I already have an un branded razor. b/c its not TMO branded the phone lets me access gmail. too bd the actual phone is a POS not a motorla fan. SO to those reading this PDA phone allow gmail. opera, google maps access. its the new version phones coming out form tmobile that are firewalled if u want to call it and do not let U access use those applications. My suggestion reflash ur TMO phone with Manfucturer firware not carriers. Helps you clean out the memory of the phone and able to delete that damn annoying TMO ringtone as well.

Sim unlocked
OEM flash
read before doing backup ur firmware. i have practiced and ended up with brick phones. ofcourse doing so will void TMO warranty.

Cables u can get from ebay ormost major cities have places where they can do this for you for about $40US like here in Houston. But if your like me im a DIY guy im in college i font have money LOL

Any questions?

Another point i would like to make to that anon-tmo guy. how come i have to pay to have poau 29.99 for inter net i hav eo pay for a voice plan 49.99, unlimited text messages 14.99, mobile to mobile 6.99 insurandce 5.99. but if i were to get the sidekick i would only pay 19.99 wich includes internet, unlimeted messages sms & mms, WTF i hate the sidekick too fkn bulky doesnt really attract woman when it looks like u have a fannypack on the side of ur belt. I just think its right. reason i know this my freinds have sidkicks but my MDA still kicks sidekicks ass. ecen though its wondows and not Linux based. LOL

so why do i have to pay extra and sidekick plan has all for 19.99?

This information in the article is correct. I purchased a T-Mobile 6133 today and, while I can install new programs, I cannot access the network with those programs unless they are java-signed by T-Mobile. I VERIFIED THIS THROUGH CALLS TO NOKIA. T-Mobile did their best to say it was not their fault. They suggested that I buy one of their Blackberry if I needed more features. I wanted to be able to do IRC and use Jabber chat, but I guess that's not an option any more. Do they even SELL java-signed applications that I can use?

I am myself a T-Mobile employee. After reading everything I decided to see if the accusations where correct, so I downloaded Opera Mini to my myfaves razr. Not only did it download fine, but to my surprise it had no problems connecting to myspace. I only have T-Zones on this particular phone and it works with no problem.

Now, maybe I'm just lucky and my phones aren't blocked or something (I did buy my RAZR out of regular inventory from a corporate store). Reading some of your comments I see that the problems seem to be with the same phones. I haven't seen anyway question whether or not if Opera's browser is compatible with all phones. I know its a java app, but its still a question worthy of asking.

Now, to my other T-Mobile epmployees on here...we do a huge disservice to our customers when you attack them on forums such as this one when they have legitimate concerns. Lets keep a cool head, ok?

There was a question as to why our regualr internet is $29.99 and the sidekick and blackberry is 19.99. Simple, the regular internet includes T-Mobile Hotspot access and is intended for data cards and PDA devices. Since Sidekick and Blackberry devices dont have wi-fi its pointless to charge for services you cant use.

Now, there is one thing I cant figure out. Are some of you really willing to drop your service for another because you can't browse internet on your cell phone with Opera? No one beats T-Mobiles's plans on price and we will be rolling out 3G in the coming months? I'm not only a employee but a customer myself and that just doesn't make much sense. By the time you pay much more for you service and data you would have been better off just getting a smartphone with T-Mobile and having all of your browsing options. Just my opinion.

I'd like to confirm that Nokia 5300 from T-Mobile also doesn't work with third-party Java applications that need Internet access. I'm rather baffled why would T-Mobile cut this access - all I wanted is to use $5.99 T-MobileWeb add-on for some very light-weight browsing and email access itself, and built-in browser just doesn't cut it. I can't justify paying $30 for the full Internet Access, so as a result T-Mobile is not able to sell me any non-voice products. Oh well...

Bigsmouth - thanks for a balanced and level-headed answer. If you can, do check newer T-Mobile phones with regards to Opera Mini or any other Java (J2ME) apps that need Internet access.

I don't understand why this thread is so hostile. Even if you disagree with Sascha, why berate him? I actually do know that what he is saying is fact because of my own history with T-Mobile. I began my service with them when they were Voicestream, and I had a Handspring PDA with a cell phone attachment. Back then, WAP access was free, and my "Blazer" browser worked fine, even through their transition to T-Mobile... until roughly 2003. At that point, I could no longer access the web and learned that it was because T-Mobile was trying to force me into using T-Zones to access what had previously been free. I acquiesced, switched to a regular cell phone and enjoyed my T-Zones service, even using Opera Mini on a Samsung (don't remember which) until I "upgraded" to a Nokia 6101 in February 06. That was when I first learned of their new restrictions on third-party software. I got it verified by T-Mobile after several angry phone calls. Their claim was that nowhere on their site or in their advertisements do they claim that you'll be able to run third-party applications, and they're right. They don't. Out of laziness, I've remained with T-Mobile since then, but I no longer recommend T-Mobile to my friends and family as I once did. As a side note to anonymous T-Mobile employee, in my experience only about half of the 2nd Tier Tech Support employees have been aware of the situation. The rest have to tried to look it up in the knowledge base and still often have been unable to find or understand the issue.

I gave my old HP IPaq TMO Pda phone to buddy of mine. he has the PrePaid plan with Tmo. A couple of months ago he mentioned to me that he couldn't surf anymore. the firmware was updated to lvolvo's hacked firmware to remove all the tmo branding. Of course like I said, it is the prepaid plan. Shouldn't have been getting it in the first place. I myself have an MDA running Orwells Windows Mobile 6. True Windows Mobile 6, not just a skinning app. I did have a T809, didn't like it. I did have an SDA. Gave it to the wife. I wanted the full keyboard, instead of the T9 interface. If searching the web is important to you, you a device that feels more like what your used to. For me, it was an MDA. It has completely replaced my laptop. I still use my desktop for games and web designing of course.
My 2 Cents... Steve

Hey BRAD... The link of yours doesn't work anymore... can you please give me the instruction on how to flash the nokia 6133? thanks a lot ^^

I'm sorry to hear about some of your negative experiences. But it has to be seen from the company's point of view. Unfortunately there are some 3rd party apps out there that can cause an uninformed customer to accrue charges on their bill that were not intended. I know because I deal with them a lot. T-Mobile has been working hard to find a way so that some of these companies can't find ways to prey off of customers.

Also some of you will notice that Opera releases software without working with the carriers to ensure security. I'm not saying that Opera would intentionally develop software to hurt the consumer, but then again, Opera needs the carriers more than the carriers need them, so it would make sense to make sure you have the carrier's blessing. There is a reason why Yahoo Go software works with no problem on several phones and carriers and Opera doesn't. T-Mobile has direct links to Handango for consumers to use third party apps, so why would T-Mobile be against it?

Maybe I am missing something here, but like I said, there is a reason why most of you are disgruntled about not being able to use Opera software, but yet no complaints about any other web broswers (like Yahoo Go).

Anyone know how to hard reset a nokia 6133? its from TMobile. The code was entered several times, so the unlock code wont work anymore. Can anyone help me on this?
Thank you ^^

I've been happily letting this thread go forward, but I just wanted to face down Bigsmooth's assertions with some of my own.

First of all, I've never been happy with T-Mobile's justification for eliminating the $19.99 data plan. Offering Hotspot access for $10 more is great. I'm glad they're doing it. But a lot of people don't use Hotspot access and have no interest in it. So the mandatory Hotspot supplement becomes a $10 price rise on what people were previously getting for $19.99. Why not offer EDGE for $19.99, and an optional $10 Hotspot add on? Why not give consumers more choice?

I'm also tired of T-Mobile's party line on "predatory," unsigned third party applications. I don't see home Internet providers barring you from using various Internet programs on your PC (as long as you don't go berserk on the bandwidth.) Why should wireless providers be any different? If you install an unsigned app on your phone, it's buyer beware - just like installing any third party application on your PC. It's that simple. But carriers' obsession with control leads them to outright ban any applications they can't control.

(And don't think I'