You would think that Apple would have the upper hand over AT&T and not the other way around. I mean, people line up around the block because of the iPhone, not because of the exciting graduated ETFs and discount fees.

When an app can provide a service the carrier chargers for at a lower price, the pricing model is inherently flawed.

It's not just AT&T. It's Apple as well who won't let competing apps into the marketplace that "replicate functionality" already on the phone. AT&T gets to bend you over a barrel if you want a voice communication app, but Apple calls seconds when you want a 3-rd party e-mail client, web browser, etc. I won't put up with a draconian network or phone manufacturer. Give me Android or even Windows Mobile anyday. At least I can install whatever the hell I want on MY goddamn phone.

Which is why Apple better be careful. As soon as Android, WinMo or Blackberry become as good as the iPhone or better you may see customers leaving in drones. Because when I had Windows Mobile I could do anything I wish with it, whatsoever. Which is why I'm also a proud jailbreaker.

On a side note, the reason Android fails for me is the complete control Google has over it, in requiring a Google Account and making gmail the primary provider of email on the devices. If anyone used all Google service than the company has a complete profile of that person with no guesses required. Think of Adsense, Google Analytics etc that are on so many websites. Take that with your search history, emails, contact, calendars... OUCH.

I will give my business to the best and most innovative device that is on the other hand open. Right now I find that Balance with the iPhone 3.0 + Jailbreak, but I'd be more than happy to choose as good a device with less controls.

I like control over my life, my hardware, and most importantly my data.

@G.O.B.: Come on!: jailbreak gives you back some functions..

though i'm sticking with my HTC Touch Pro on windows mobile

My vote is video. Video killed the iPhone App. AT&T and Apple just came to break my heart.

Not like any of these bandwidth-thirsty apps would work well on AT&T's barely functioning network anyway.

This is one reason why I purchased a Palm Pre for my yearly phone upgrade rather than an iPhone 3GS (and paid the AT&T ETF). I pay AT&T for data service. It shouldn't matter what I do with that data service; I pay for the ability to send 0s and 1s through their network. I say jailbreak and use up all of AT&T's bandwidth you can.

@nycaviation: Google Voice is not bandwidth-thirsty! It's not a VoIP app! It just routes your calls through Google's local-rate lines and sorts out forwarding the caller ID.

My main frustration: I'm an iPod Touch user.

I am not an AT&T customer, and I paid for my device in full (rather than a price subsidised by a service contract). I do not owe AT&T anything, they aren't missing out of any charges from me, nor will my telephony calls impact their network. So, why does AT&T get to decide what I can and can't put on my mp3 player?

In At&T's Defense... why would you let someone sell an app on a device exclusive to your phone network that essentially bypasses the need to use your plan minutes and the services intended to be used on that network.

Sometimes I don't see what the big hoopla is... people know what they get when they get the Iphone. I heart mine... I'd probably care more if Google let me have Google Voice for free.

@BWoodle: I'm also confused as to why AT&T wouldn't want to encourage data usage so that more people break the 5GB cap and have to pay for more expensive data plans. It would seem to support a better, robust 3G network build out.

@G.O.B.: Come on!: It may be your phone but you're paying to use THEIR network, which is where the problem lies.

@LJKelley:

I think you meant "droves" - but "drones" works, too, in a sort of odd way.

Verizon has been hobbling their phones for years. It's BS, but they've built into their business models, and people for the most part always swallowed it.

@LJKelley: I'm just biding my time until BB Onyx comes out in September hopefully. Then goodbye iPhone and helloooo BB! Plus BB already has a Google Voice app thats not suffered the wrath of the banhammer by Apple.

The fact that I have to jailbreak my phone (which i did) to get a stinkin video camera and background apps shows how backwards and how slow Apple is moving or how unwilling they are to release these simplistic features unless you want to buy a new piece of hardware with it.

The thing Apple and AT&T have to be very careful about is the fact that even although AT&T bought the bandwidth they provide service over it is still considered a public asset. The same rules that let the FCC fine broadcast TV networks for profanity could be used to bust cell networks for monopolistic behaviors.

@Dethzilla: GV doesn't replace your minutes. It's merely a wrapper for your existing phone line. It still uses your ATT minutes because the way it works, when you dial a # from GV, it dials your phone, and then dials your contact. So essentially, you are using ATT minutes to make calls.

However, texts are free, inbound and outbound and I think thats what worries ATT. But, if it really were ATT's fault, they wouldve banned the BB version already thats been out for a bit now. So ultimately, I think its Apple's fault because they think the functionality is being copied.

And Google Voice is free. You just have to register for an invite.

@hhkim515:
EDIT: GV Mobile is available on Cydia if your iPhone is jailbroken!!

@Smashville: Apple lost the upper hand when they went to a subsidized pricing model. When the iPhone was $600 there weren't the lines we see now. AT&T paying a subsidy to Apple gives them a lot of power.

@Veeber: This app doesn't use data.

@blue_j: Because it doesn't use data, it uses the phone service.

You know, I'm an iphone owner. I like it a lot. I use it all the time. it's really changed the way I operate computers, and I am a 10+ year computer professional with a CS degree. I'm not a zealot about the phone or anything, but I like it a lot.

However, this is making me seriously consider switching at the end of my contract. This would mean a family plan to AT&T. One that is pretty much raw profit for them because I don't call a lot. I don't text a lot either. I'm pretty low overhead. But, wow, the level of control they want to exercise is excessive.

This would mean a new iphone to Apple. Bear in mind I have a couple of apple computers. I have the iphone as well, although it syncs to a windows box. My wife will be looking at a new phone when the contract expires too, and I will be looking more seriously at other carriers. Already Google Voice _without the app_ is changing how my phones are used. It's becoming a very good thing for me.

Honestly, if I'm looking at them controlling it and even worse potentially charging me for the service, I'll just up and leave. I've been with AT&T for at least 5 years now.

@Dethzilla: AT&T should never be part of the equation - the phone is made by Apple, AT&T just happens to be one of the many networks it is offered on. I know Apple and AT&T are sitting in a tree together, but AT&T should never have any say in the applications Apple approves.

The nice part is that if they keep this up, someone in Washington is going to take note, and start taking a very close look at it.

The other added bonus is that the more they do this, the more people they'll force towards jailbreaking.

@taking_this_easy: I know I'm loving mine.

@blue_j:

Same here! Fortunately I still have GV Mobile on my ipod since I got it before the ban (and least they aren't Kindling it!)

Indirectly it affects my cell provider for SMS messages since I flipped to using Google Voice for those, but if I use it to dial a number from my contacts it rings my cell so more money to them!

Note google voice does NOT allow you to bypass cell phone charges when making calls and you CAN'T make calls over wi-fi with Google Voice (that's voip functionality not included with GV)

Also note that GV web site provides an iphone web site you can still use. not as nice as GV Mobile, but decent all the same. Good enough to bypass AT&T SMS charges at least.

Or, if you are like me, you could be sitting here at home, unable to make ANY kind of phone call because (1) the ATT signal does not work in the nice new apartment i moved to and (2) my iphone inexplicably cannot connect to my OWN wireless network - but ONLY when I open the Skype app.

ARRGHGGH! That is the sound of me tearing out chunks of my hair, and counting down the months until this frickin contract is up.... I love my phone though, so I guess it will have to be jailbroken.

@flamincheney:

I agree, however I do have Google's Google Voice app for blackberry on my Verizon Blackberry so they at least haven't gone as far as Apple+AT&T have (supposedly the blackberry app is still available for blackberry AT&T phones as well, which is just weird.)

Apple: The New AOL...

@scoobydoo:

I couldn't agree more. AT&T should be providing dumb pipes. I pay for service, they provide it. If I buy a data plan with a 5gb cap, then that 5gb should be mine to use as I please.

@G.O.B.: Come on!: Yes. I have bought my last hobbled phone. Oh and someone giving me a better deal on an account I can use a windows mobile phone on bye bye Verizon.

Just one more year Just one more year Just one more year

one more year and then AT&T no longer has exclusive rights to the iPhone

Verizon here I come

@Apple Brown Betty White:
the Wi-Fi issues are because of 3.0, Apple has fixed the issues in 3.1 but it'll be in beta mode until AT&T starts allowing MMS (which won't be for another few months *sarcasm*)

Someone on Gizmodo suggested yesterday that, "Google should block iPhones from accessing Google Earth, G-Mail and Youtube and see how Apple likes it then."

Let's see how iPhone sales would do once those features are dropped.

@raleel:
AT&T has taken the way of Communism

@kyle4: Ooo, evil. I like it.

Even though that would be murderous to me, personally, since my primary email is on GMail and half my iPhone time is spent emailing.

@Veeber: Also, AT&T actively encourages the use of Wi-Fi to offload data use from the mobile network. That's why all AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots everywhere in the US are free to iPhone customers.

More data usage is bad when your network can't handle the load, or if it leads to a poor customer experience. I'd say that's a pretty responsible call on AT&T's part.

@Paladin_11: ...but irrelevant to Google Voice, which may offload text messages to data, but still manages voice calls over the traditional network -- but making them incoming rather than outgoing (if one uses this way), and thus perhaps more likely to be free.

Moreover, even without the outgoing-calls-as-incoming-ones issue, Google Voice gives folks a phone number which is not in any way tied to a carrier; while cell numbers may be portable in theory right now, Google Voice makes rerouting your incoming calls to a new number (be it cell, land line or VoIP) downright trivial.

@LJKelley: Actually, that's only true of "Google Experience" Android hardware, not any and all of it -- and with the massive number of Android-enabled devices coming out later this year, you'll have plenty of options without the "Google Experience" to choose from.

@AppleAlex: ugh, typical! I am sick to death of updates that fix one problem and cause another.

I am fully expecting that my contract will be up before MMS is enabled, though.

Thanks for the info, though.

@LJKelley: Android links to a gmail account but you don't have to use it or Gtalk or any of the other apps. There's a POP/IMAP email client as well and it looks like some early contenders to get on Microsoft Exchange servers (the one I found so far doesn't sync sub-folders and since I do a lot of auto-filtering, I need to access more than my main inbox for work)

The only thing you have to use a branded google product for is their shopping cart which allows them to charge you for various apps you may purchase from your phone.

@AppleAlex: @kyle4: google would first have to stop paying apple to lock their users into using their search and stuff via safari, etc. as for me? no google products, thx.

@m0unds: ugh, stupid comment system. was only replying to kyle4.

It'll be interesting to see what Palm does regarding this issue. On the one hand, it's not a perpetual exclusive to one company like the iPhone, so I could see Palm not caring. It also seems to me that Sprint should be happy to get ANY customers at all, regardless of whether they have the cheaper $80 plan that they then use to get around the limitation on minutes by using Skype or Google Voice.

File a complaint with the FCC, this is a clear violation in their policies with regards to Call Forwarding.

Call the Apple Corporate offices multiple times a day.
Call the AT&T Corporate offices multiple times a day.

This crosses the line and users need to take action.

AT&T is pure evil!

DOWn,baby,DOWn!

@Charles Duffy: @chiieddy: I'm aware that you can use email from 3rd party sources (though not Push with Exchange or other push yet in the US). However, this is the secondary email application on the phone, not the primary. In addition there is no contact/calendar sync currently without going thru Google. Even the iPhone atleast allows you to keep a local contact list and let iTunes sync it when you plug in. Though for me its mute since I use Exchange.

In addition, there are no Android phones in the US that are without Google. Thats why I did mention Android as a possibly migration for me in the future, but not currently. Also I have no qualms with a Google Account, but i'm not allowing them to view all my data. I would allow no company such access be it Google, Apple, Microsoft, or Palm.

I think the closest competitor is Palm currently, but I don't like the design and probably want more than just local web apps. In addition to the fact that I used Sprint once, and I won't again.

@Smashville:

AT&T (et al) will always have the upper hand regardless of how slim and shiny Apple's products are and they know it. When Apple builds a nationwide communications infrastructure as massive as AT&T's, THEN we'll talk. Until then, they're going to have to bend over to AT&T's every whim.

The mobile phone market in this country is in a very sad, sad state. I'd like to have mobile Internet access on my laptop but the only thing they all offer is $69-$100 per month for 4GB of data. The T-Mobile and AT&T store clerks are trained to spew out "4 'giga-bytes' is like 400,000 pictures or 10,000,000 emails!" as if Internet video, flash, games and other large websites didn't exist.

@AppleAlex: Unless Apple signs another exclusive contract with AT&T.