Until now, we’ve been telling people trying to escape their cellphone contract without early termination fees based on a raise in text message prices that it’s necessary that they don’t have a text message plan. However, reader Mtman says he used a novel argument to get out of his Verizon plan, even though he did have a text message plan!
iphone
Just Where The Hell Did All The iPhones Go?
By 1.25.08
Here’s a problem: Apple says they’ve sold 3.7 million iPhones. AT&T says they’ve activated 2 million iPhones. Just where the hell are the rest of the iPhones?
AT&T Acquires A Record 2.7 Million Customers
By 1.24.08
Team AT&T is absolutely kicking everyone’s ass all over town, adding a record 2.7 million new wireless customers in the 4Q, says MarketWatch. They also added 396,000 high speed internet customers and 105,000 U-Verse TV customers.
Apple Files Patent App To Allow Wireless Ordering At Stores
By 12.31.07
Apple has applied to patent a wireless ordering system that would allow shoppers to place orders from, for example, their iPhones as they approached, oh, let’s say a Starbucks, bypassing an ordering line altogether and going straight to the pick-up counter. The system would also allow stores to keep data on repeat customers to speed up future transactions.
Confessions Of A Wii, PS3, iPhone Reseller
By 12.10.07
I saw your article on the Wii shortage and in the spirit of the holiday I want to come clean and confess my consumer sins. I am a reseller.
AT&T To GoPhone User: "You Don't Have A Contract With Us And We Don't Have To Provide Service"
By 12.7.07
Reader Christian has an iPhone that is activated on a pre-paid GoPhone plan with AT&T. The EDGE service has stopped working properly for quite a few GoPhone-style iPhone users in California and Christian isn’t having much luck with AT&T’s customer service:
By 12.4.07
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It was fun (though not cheap) while it lasted—a German court has reversed last month’s lower court ruling against T-Mobile, meaning it can once again sell iPhones exclusively locked to its network. [Associated Press]
Apple, AT&T, Sued Over Visual Voicemail
By 12.3.07
A firm called Klausner Technologies has just announced that they are suing both Apple and AT&T for patent infringement over the iPhone’s “visual voicemail” feature. Klausner Technologies has already sued VOIP provider Vonage and AOL/Time Warner for the same darn thing, and both companies chose to settle and license the technology from Klausner.
AT&T: There's A $39 Charge To Exchange Your Defective iPhone
By 11.26.07
Apple has a 10% restocking fee on opened non-defective products, but AT&T seems to think that this applies to iPhones that are defective right out of the box.
T-Mobile Selling Unlocked iPhones in Germany
By 11.21.07
Ars Technica says that T-Mobile has been forced to sell unlocked iPhones in Germany for just under US $1,500. The (temporary?) unlocked iPhone sale is a result of a lawsuit brought by Vodaphone (which is part of Verizon here in the U.S.) that claimed locking a phone to one carrier violated German law.
Apple Now Refusing To Accept Their Own Gift Cards For iPhone
By 10.30.07
Apple’s latest tactic for stopping consumers from unlocking their iPhones is to refuse their own gift cards as payment for them.
Your Cash Isn't Good Enough For Apple's Precious iPhone
By 10.28.07
Four benjamins will no longer get you an iPhone, now that Apple is requiring credit cards for all iPhone purchases. The new policy, which is billed as an anti-piracy initiative, also prevents customers from buying more than two iPhones per visit. Apple claims the policy went into effect this Thursday, however we received the following tip more than a week ago:
iPhone Security Is On Par With Windows 95
By 10.24.07
We owe Apple an apology, because it turns out they weren’t kidding when they said that opening the iPhone up to 3rd party software was just asking for trouble. That’s because the iPhone runs every single app as “root,” which is computerese for “more power than Steve Jobs.” It was this root access that made the Safari exploit possible back in July, and it can’t be fixed without a complete redesign of the firmware.
Apple Will Most Likely Sell Unlocked iPhones In France
By 10.18.07
Various sources are saying Apple has agreed to sell unlocked phones in France—because, well, French law says they have to—but our own Gizmodo says it’s only rumor at this point: “Apple told us that the piece was based solely off of reading French Law, not from statements by Orange or Apple.”
California's Ban On Phthalates May Spread To Other States
By 10.16.07
Yesterday’s legal action in California against Apple over its use of phthalates may be the opening shot in a nation-wide battle between consumer advocates, health agencies, state and federal entities, and manufacturers of everything from teething rings to consumer electronics to sex toys. Although the ban (which will go into effect Jan. 1, 2009) is limited to California, “lawmakers in Texas, Illinois, Florida, Massachusetts, Maryland, Washington, Maine, Connecticut and New York are expected to introduce similar legislation in the coming months, according to environmental and breast cancer groups that sponsored the California measure.”
By 10.16.07
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The Center for Environmental Health is taking legal action against Apple, because “the levels of phthalates (a group of chemical compounds… that increase flexibility) in the iPhone are in violation of California law.” They say if the company doesn’t agree to recall current iPhones, they will file suit. [Wired]
Class-Action Lawsuits Filed Against Apple, AT&T Over iPhone
By 10.10.07
A class-action lawsuit was filed on October 5th against the unholy duo of Apple and AT&T, charging that they intentionally broke unlocked headsets via the last firmware update, and conspired illegally to monopolize parts of the mobile phone market by preventing consumers from using any services other than those provided by the two companies. The suit charges the two companies, either jointly or separately, with six formal counts, including “alleged violations of the California Business and Profession’s Code, The Cartwright Act, The Sherman Act, The Federal Trade Commission Act, The Communications Act of 1934, and The Telecommunications Act of 1996, as well as rules and policies established by the FCC.”
ATA Tries To Have You Arrested For Using Your iPhone In "Airplane Mode"
By 10.10.07
The iPhone has a setting that makes it safe to use on an airplane. So-called “airplane mode” disables cell phone, radio, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth signals, thus allowing you to watch movies staring Jennifer Love Hewitt while flying through the air.
