[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Jade Eyed Wolf:
F*** AT&T!!! Regardless of whether you ultimately get a Note or an SGS2, never, never,

never

,

(!!!)NEVER(!!!)

buy a carrier subsidized device for ANY reason whatsoever!

Here's why:

[ANGRY RANT]

Ok, yes, the unlocked device will cost more up front. HOWEVER, provided you take very good care of your device, chances are, you can probably sell that device for ~$200 less than what you paid for it in about a year anyway. Seems awfully close to what you might have spent on a carrier subsidized device right?

The other thing is that you will never have to deal with carrier limitations or bloat. The AT&T version of the SGS2 will be tightly locked down and monitored. The IMEI will be in their database. AT&T has admitted to putting Carrier IQ on their devices (if you don't know what that is, I suggest you find out!), so they can basically see everything you're doing on the device right down to key presses!

If you buy an unlocked device, it's yours; you can do whatever you want to with it, and whatever the device is capable of; nothing locked down on the device by the carrier. Also, you won't have to deal with pre-installed carrier apps that you'll never use because you don't want them, because they're crap anyway, and you can't (easily) remove. Yeah you won't be dealing with any of that with an unlocked device either.

Oh yeah, and what about software updates? Carrier subsidized devices run slightly different hardware, so basically they're in a niche market; they're in their own little bubble of the world, subject to the whims of the carrier. So, while everyone else around the world (or those that bought unlocked devices) are enjoying their lovely Ice Cream Sandwiches starting in Q1 2012 (according to Samsung), you'll be stuck with the same old stale moldy Gingerbread from 2011, until MAYBE sometime towards the end of the summer of 2012, you'll get some hateful, melted, neutered, bloated, hacked up custom build of ICS designed more to meet the requirements of AT&T than to be a pleasant user experience for you...

Do you really want that? I sure as hell don't...

Basically, we consumers in America need to change this paradigm of seeing the carrier as a retail outlet. By allowing ourselves to be herded like cattle and sheep into carrier "outlets," we are locking ourselves in, and relinquishing our consumer freedom of choice, and thus inhibiting competition and innovation. More and more we see adverts for carriers (and the devices associated with those carriers), and less and less do we see advertisements from the manufacturers themselves, with no carrier affiliation whatsoever. This is sad... This is sad because the fierce competition and innovation that would otherwise draw us to one brand or another, is being lost to indirect association of a carrier instead.

Let retailers focus on selling us the devices we want, and let the carriers focus on providing us with the service we demand. No more of this "mixing church and state" if you will; that **** has GOT TO GO!!

[/ANGRY RANT]

Buy unlocked. It's just better, period.

You'll thank yourself (and me! ;)) for it later.

You're welcome!