Consumerist
deals
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storm8
iPhone App Developer Sued For Stealing Users' Phone Numbers
For secretly stealing users' phone number by exploiting a backdoor iPhone vulnerability, app developer Storm8 got slapped with a class action lawsuit. More » -
lawsuits
AT&T Sues Verizon Over "There's A Map For That" Ads
AT&T has had it with Verizon's "there's a map for that ads" and have filed a lawsuit. The big blue death star says that the ad is misleading because while the blank spaces in Verizon's map actually show places where there is no Verizon service at all — the blank spaces in the AT&T map may still have voice and data coverage — just not "3G" coverage. More » -
smartphones
Chart Compares Total Cost Of Ownership For Popular Smartphones
You may think that buying an iPhone with AT&T service is an expensive commitment, and you'd be right. But as this chart from BillShrink shows, your total cost of ownership (TCO) for any of the latest smartphones is going to exceed 2 grand over a 24-month period. In fact, the highly-praised new Motorola Droid on Verizon works out to exactly the same TCO as the latest iPhone. More » -
greedy
Judge Tells ASCAP No Royalties For Ringtones
One of the weirder strategies by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) recently has been to claim that every time a ringtone played, a royalty should be paid. ASCAP sued AT&T earlier this year over the claim, but a federal judge has ruled that your phone ringing does not constitute a public performance. More » -
at&t
Will You Try To Drop Your Voice Plan Now That There's VoIP On The iPhone?
Justin says he has done something that many iPhone users have discussed, but haven't been able to accomplish. He claims that AT&T let him drop the voice plan from his account, and plans to use VoIP in order to make any voice calls he needs. Is this even possible? Is it a good idea? More » -
phone different
Skype On iPhone Gets Thumbs Up From AT&T
If you've been waiting for a chance to use Skype on your iPhone over AT&T's network to save on international calls or supplement your calling plan's minutes, your day has come. After a little nudge from the FCC, the company has reversed its ban on VOIP apps on its data network, and will now let you Skype away until you run out of people to call or things to say. More » -
no service
AT&T Refuses To Give $3 Credit For Lack Of Service
AT&T loves your money and will not give up that money no matter what, even if it means making you waste nearly an hour of an AT&T employee's time, which surely must be worth more than three dollars. We guess it's the principal; as long as AT&T refuses to admit they've got problems, the problems don't exist. More » -
there is no app for this
Call Drop Rate For iPhones In NYC Is 30%, Says Apple Genius
Hey AT&T, maybe you should offer some sort of congestion pricing on your iPhone plans in places like New York City. We've heard/read all sorts of anecdotal reports on dropped calls before, but today Engadget reported that an Apple Genius said a 30% drop call rate is average for the area. If that's true, it seems like false advertising to charge for a full-time calling plan that you can only use about two-thirds of the time. More » -
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zipcar
Zipcar Launches iPhone App With Magical Car Unlocking Powers
The San Fran/NY-servicing Zipcar car sharing service has finally launched their iPhone app. Besides the expected seamless reservation system, it has a pretty sweet extra feature: It turns your iPhone into a keyfob capable of locking and unlocking your car, and honking its horn. Not owning a car just got awesomer.
ZipCar turns your iPhone into a virtual keyfob! [IntoMobile]
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how-to
How To Prepare Your iPhone For International Travel
If you think your standard monthly iPhone bill is rough, just get a load of it after you've been traveling abroad. A la carte data charges could run your bill up into six figures, according to an AP story. More » -
att
AT&T Robocalls Me Again For No Apparent Reason
Wow - just got another robocall from AT&T telling me that it was an important message and that I should call them. Either something is wrong with my account that yesterday's CSR couldn't figure out, or something is wrong with AT&T. Either way, annoying.
UPDATE: It seems there may have been lag in billing systems. Though it said zero balance when I checked online a few days ago, it has now updated to show this month and duhn duhn last month's unpaid bill. I didn't pay the bill last month because it also said then that I had a zero balance. There must be a definite lag problem that's not just me because otherwise the CSR yesterday would have told me that I had to pay up, instead of suggesting I take advantage of a free upgrade for my iPhone 3GS... Brad the friendly AT&T PR rep says he'll look into it. I declined his help and suggested that he solve the underlying issue for all consumers but not to give my account any special treatment.
PREVIOUSLY: AT&T Keeps Calling To Say I Qualify For Free Upgrade From My iPhone 3GS? (Image: Dyna Moe)
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att
AT&T Keeps Calling To Say I Qualify For Free Upgrade From My iPhone 3GS?
AT&T has called me repeatedly over the past few weeks and months for some mysterious reason. More » -
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apple
Is The iPhone 3G Liquid Sensor A Filthy Liar?
Here's the $199 question. What does it take to set off the moisture sensor on an iPhone 3G? Immersion in water? Sweat from a vigorous workout? Using the phone on a humid day? The truth is somewhere on that continuum, and many iPhone users claim that their warranties have been unfairly voided when normal use set off the sensors. More » -
this exists
99-Cent Cardboard iPhone Case Won't Make You Awesome
If you think 99 cents is a fair price to pay for the latest fart-simulator or "Are You a Moron?" quiz in Apple's App Store, Case-Mate has a deal for you. The company's Recession iPhone case is made from 100% cardboard, and sells for 99 cents — with free shipping included. Case-Mate doesn't claim that the case is actually useful in any traditional sense of that word; the FAQ for the product makes it clear that there's no warranty, it doesn't include any kind of screen protector, and that it's flammable "if you light it on fire." More » -
video games
DS, PSP, iPhone, Meet Your New Portable Gaming Competitor: The Zune HD!
WIRED reports the newly released Zune HD can play video games. They found this promo video, posted inside, which reveals the device would play games, something Microsoft hadn't confirmed. More » -
iphone
MMS For iPhone Rollout Begins, 2 Weeks Early
Reports are showing up online that AT&T is beginning a slow rollout of official MMS functionality to seemingly random iPhone users, from Manhattan to Idaho. The official start date is September 25, but it makes sense that the company would implement the change gradually to make sure the network can handle it. More » -
upgrade downgrade
iPhone 3G Owners, Beware The New 3.1 OS Upgrade
If you're a gadgetophile like me, you love firmware updates because it's like giving your smartphone, camera, or other mp3 player a mini-makeover. If you're normal, however, don't rush into it—the best thing to do is wait a bit and see what problems are reported from the front line. Take for instance this issue between 3G iPhones and Exchange servers, which no longer play well with each other after yesterday's 3.1 iPhone OS upgrade. More »
