AT&T announced today that they are exiting the pay phone business, and will be phasing out 65,000 pay phones in 13 states, according to Bloomberg.
phones
Verizon To Go GSM
By 12.2.07
Verizon’s next generation of devices will run on the GSM network that will be used by AT&T and T-Mobile, meaning that in a few years, customers with unlocked phones will be able to move between the three providers without purchasing new equipment. Verizon currently uses a CDMA network along with Sprint, but last week announced that it would use the GSM-protocol LTE (Long Term Evolution) for their fourth-generation data services. Note, Verizon’s LTE phones will not be backwards-compatible with the current GSM networks run by AT&T and T-Mobile. Both are expected to support LTE. And don’t expect to see the new phones anytime soon…
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.
Dialing 911 Could Be Dangerous
By 11.25.07
Dialing 911 sets off a loud alarm on newer Verizon phones, potentially putting customers in danger. Imagine dashing under your bed at the sound of an intruder breaking through the front door, only to wonder if you should call 911 from your cellphone because it would reveal your location. A Texas woman was forced to make a similar decision when she discovered that the security chain guarding her vacant property was missing.
She grabbed her new Casio G’zOne phone from Verizon Wireless, which to her horror made an audible alarm when she called 911.
Attention AT&T: Don't Lie About "Massive Outages," Reporters Have Phones Too
By 11.12.07
When Stephanie the AT&T “escalation affairs administrator” lied to Jan about why her phone couldn’t be repaired for several days, she probably didn’t know what Jan did for a living.
Google In Talks With Verizon About Putting Its Software On Their Phones?
By 10.31.07
Google’s not answering any questions, and Verizon is being all coy about it, but anonymous sources have told the press that the two companies are in talks right now over installing Google apps on Verizon phones—an interesting idea, though not quite as dramatic as installing the full-fledged phone operating system that Google has supposedly been working on for a while now. The big questions (for consumers) are: will Google apps help subsidize the cost of phones or plans, or will Verizon just invent new inefficiencies to justify swallowing any new revenue? And will Google applications mean ads before making calls or sending an email? Also, Google already has some great (and totally free) applications out there for mobile devices—so what could they be offering through Verizon that’s so special?
Sprint Will Allow Departing Customers To Unlock Their Phones
By 10.28.07
Sprint will relinquish unlock codes to departing customers in good standing as part of proposed class action settlement.The class was formed last year by California consumers who argued that the locked phones bound them to Sprint by making it more expensive to switch carriers. Sprint claimed that releasing the codes was unnecessary since the service contract clearly informed consumers that phones would only work on Sprint’s network.
AT&T CEO Whines About 700Mhz Open Access Rules
By 10.22.07
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson is whining about the “open access” rules the FCC put in place governing the coveted 700mhz spectrum that is to be auctioned off in the near future, hinting that AT&T might not take part because the rules make buying the spectrum unprofitable.
Verizon Fighting To Offer Less Timely Customer Service To The Citizens Of Virginia
By 9.29.07
The SCC’s communications division has recommended that Verizon Virginia and Verizon South pay a related fine of $17.5 million — an estimate of the sum Verizon saved by not responding quickly to customer complaints of “land line” phone outages.
Walmart Launches "Customer Contact Reduction" Program, Disconnects Phone
By 9.24.07
Walmart.com doesn’t want to talk to you, so they’re disconnecting their phone as part of their new “Customer Contact Reduction Program.”
AT&T: If The Stylus On Your Phone Breaks, Your Warranty Is Void
By 9.4.07
Reader Rob has an AT&T 8525.
Is AT&T Crippling The Blackberry So It Doesn't Make The iPhone Look Bad?
By 8.16.07
Over at Blackberry Cool they’re claiming that an AT&T insider told them AT&T had bullied RIM into crippling the Blackberry’s GPS features so it wouldn’t make the iPhone look bad in comparison.
No Replacements For Prepaid iPhone Users
By 8.9.07
iPhone owners using prepaid SIM cards better take extra special care of their pocket trophies. According to Apple and AT&T, prepaid SIM cards are eternally wed without consent to one lucky iPhone, an important caveat reader JD discovered after spending 32 hours trying to activate his replacement iPhone. JD warns:
If you activated an iPhone with a new AT&T prepaid plan, you *must* keep using that iPhone. You *cannot* replace that iPhone with another iPhone. The only way to use a new iPhone with your prepaid account, is to *create a new account with a new phone number,* and have them move your balance over. Period. Apparently this is a “security feature” and the system was “designed that way,” specifically for prepaid iPhone plans.
The discouraging verdict from both Apple and AT&T should make potential iPhone users think twice before using a prepaid SIM card to skirt the confines of a two year contract. JD’s full story, after the jump.
580,000 Americans Still Rent Their Phone From The Phone Company
By 8.2.07
Phones can be purchased for around $20, but over half a million mostly older Americans still send the phone companies between $4.45 and $19.95 each month for a rented phone. Many senior citizens mistakenly believe that their rented phones are a great deal. From Bankrate:
Emusic Makes Deal With AT&T
By 8.1.07
According to an AT&T press release, DRM-free online music giant eMusic has cut a deal with AT&T to offer music that can be downloaded to certain AT&T handsets, with a duplicate DRM-free track also delivered to the user’s computer.
Phone Problems? Contact Motorola Executive Customer Service
By 7.6.07
I went looking on Motorola’s website for a corporate office phone number without any luck, until Meghann pointed me to the company’s Google Finance profile, which listed the phone number. I called and requested to be transferred to Ed Zander’s office. After being queried as to the nature of my call, I was instead transferred to their Customer Advocacy group.
Sprint Holds Money Hostage: "It's Only 32 Dollars"
By 3.10.07
Sprint has held $31.49 of Bronwen’s money hostage since January, after taking two weeks to ship a phone that never received service. Though we haven’t run a telecom, perhaps Sprint should provide a working phone before messing up the bill. Pillage before you burn, right? Bronwen signed up for service on January 5th and received a bill, but no phone, on January 13th. The bill included a service charge through February.
I called, spoke to “Neil”, and complained that I hadn’t received the phone yet, so requested that the monthly service charge be suspended until I actually receive and activate the phone; and requested that the activation fee be removed because it should have been waived because I signed up online. Neil assured me that the phone would be sent out immediately, overnight, and the bill would be adjusted.
Four nights later, the phone arrived, and the fun began.
Use Your Phone As A Remote?
By 3.9.07
Usually when people talk about AT&T and Verizon becoming cable operators they spin a bunch of bull about how competition will lower your bill. So far, that isn’t happening. But what happens when the technology comes together? Will you be able to use your cell phone to control your DVR? From the Chicago Tribune:
[AT&T] this week began offering its “Homezone” customers the ability to control their digital video recorders through Web-enabled phones. The interface lets cell phone users schedule or delete recordings on their set-top boxes from anywhere.
