This may be the end for me and T-Mobile. Well, I suppose that depends on how good the forthcoming Dream turns out to be, but that's besides the point ... I haven't had Web access on my iPhone for four days now, and I fear the worst: My days of unlimited Web access for $6/month via T-Zones may be over.
Don't get me wrong. I'm sad about this but I'm not complaining. I've been exploiting a known loophole in T-Mo's system for some time now, so it's not like they've gone and changed an official policy or breached contract on me. But I really liked that T-Mo basically hadn't bothered to close off access to the full Web to T-Zone's users willing to find and enable a relatively simple hack to their phones. I've used the hack on many a review handset and my own Sony Ericsson, Nokia, and Apple phones, and for the past year now have been enjoying full Web access on my unlocked iPhone for about $14 less each month than folks on AT&T were paying.
All along, though, I knew that my days were numbered. Reports on Howard Forums and elsewhere pointed to T-Mo slowly but surely closing off hacked Web access on a market by market basis. Once or twice I'd run into a problem and think my time had come, only to find that access had been restored several hours later. This could turn out to be the case once again, but I've got a bad feeling. Four days is a long time for a "temporary glitch" to persist.
So I may well be faced with a choice in the days to come: Pony up for a legit mobile Web plan at $20 or $30/month? Spend even more to get a data plan with laptop tethering and look into turning off cable modem service at my home and/or office? Or give up the mobile Web for awhile, keeping only my $5/mo. messaging plan?
Thoughts, anyone?