On Tue, Apr 1, 2008 at 7:59 PM, Micheal Espinola Jr
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Vulnerable to what though?  As if your gonna get your phone back anyhow?

  Well, I guess the theory is, if there is no way a phone can be used
once it is reported stolen, they are less likely to be stolen.  I
suspect that's unlikely to be much of a deterent.  Criminals are often
caught, yet crime continues.

  Thinking about it further, I see these scenarios:

  Scenario A1: Cingular GSM phone is stolen.  Owner reports it stolen.
 Cingular locks phone IMEI and SIM out of their system.  Thief tries
to use it in US, Cingular traces it, reports it to authorities, thief
is arrested.

  Scenario A2: Cingular customer is traveling overseas.  Phone is
stolen.  Owner reports it stolen.  Cingular locks phone IMEI and SIM
out of their system.  Thief uses phone with overseas carrier SIM, not
on Cingular's towers.  Thief is not caught.

  Scenario B1: Verizon phone which only works in the US on Verizon's
network is stolen.  Owner reports it stolen.  Verizon locks phone ESN
out of their system.  Thief tries to use it in US, Verizon traces it,
reports it to authorities, thief is arrested.

  Scenario B2: Verizon customer is traveling overseas.  Phone is
stolen.  Owner reports it stolen.  Verizon locks phone out of their
system.  Thief is confused when he can't find SIM to remove, realizes
it's a CDMA phone and won't work overseas anyway, throws it away.
Thief is not caught.

  I'm not sure this is really a win.  :)

-- Ben

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