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Comments on news posted 2012-11-15 19:00:04: • AT&T: Your data usage calculations will be correct if you use our data calculator [bgr.com] • Dish Network pins down standards for mobile broadband [bizjournals.com] • Leap Launches New LTE Markets, Adds Devices [wirelessweek. ..


SimbaSeven
I Void Warranties
join:2003-03-24
Billings, MT

SimbaSeven

Member

Larger carriers losing prepaid phone sales to smallr players

Doesn't surprise me that much, especially when:

Verizon charges $80/mo for Unlimited with 1GB of Data.
at&t charges $65/mo for Unlimited with 1GB of Data.

DataRiker
Premium Member
join:2002-05-19
00000

DataRiker

Premium Member

ATT CAPS

ATT says it does not discuss its proprietary data counting system but will deal with users who report problems on a case by case basis.

In other words, they will have to explain to a clueless rep who suggests they reboot their device.

Pathetic.
rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO

rradina to SimbaSeven

Member

to SimbaSeven

Re: Larger carriers losing prepaid phone sales to smallr players

I saw a commercial for Net 10 begging for folks to bring them their unlocked phones. $50/month for unlimited everything but I haven't read the fine print. It certainly got my attention since I'm currently paying $158/month for two iPhones sharing 1400 voice minutes and each with 4GB data (tethering plan). One phone has 200 text messages and the other has none.

$50/month would save a nice chunk of change as long as it includes tethering. If tethering is extra, perhaps it's not such a good deal because unlimited voice and text aren't that important to me. I never use the 1400 voice minutes I have and more of my rollover minutes have expired than I use every month. I have over 12,000 rollover minutes and the only reason it isn't double that is because they expire.

Will AT&T unlock your iPhone as long as I'm fully vested in my original plan? I'm about six months past the two year deal with two iPhone 4 devices. The 4S and 5 made me yawn and I've been dragging my feet regarding what to do next.
rradina

rradina

Member

Microsoft Surface Free Space

When I first learned that the 32GB model only had ~16GB free, I was surprised. I know they have verbiage that warns the user but when I read an article that discussed this, I knew it wouldn't be long before it turned into a black eye for them.

They should have only claimed 16GB, they should have included 48GB and claimed 32GB or they should have put the recovery stuff on an SD card (included with the unit) so more of the 32GB is free for customer use.

It's OK to reserve some space for a recovery partition when you have a 500GB or 1TB hard drive but not when you only have 32GB.

Boricua
Premium Member
join:2002-01-26
Sacramuerto

Boricua to DataRiker

Premium Member

to DataRiker

Re: ATT CAPS

What I find interesting, in reading the article, the customer used a more accurate meter to show there is discrepancy between his and AT&T's and but still AT&T insisted they were right .

SimbaSeven
I Void Warranties
join:2003-03-24
Billings, MT
·StarLink

SimbaSeven to rradina

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to rradina

Re: Larger carriers losing prepaid phone sales to smallr players

I have the Straight Talk SIM plan on my at&t Captivate (upgraded recently to CM10.0) for almost a year now. It works great and no complaints from anyone.

..and I stream Pandora and Slacker like there's no tomorrow.
rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO

rradina

Member

At $45/month, that looks pretty sweet. What about tethering? Can I still use my phone as a hot spot? I rarely get close to using my 4GB cap on AT&T but tethering (hot spot) is an incredibly handy option when I need my laptop and there are no other alternatives. It's also a life saver if I'm working from home and the power goes out (lose my home network).

Will AT&T unlock my phone?
rradina

rradina to SimbaSeven

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to SimbaSeven
Nevermind -- I just read the fine print. The phone cannot be used as a "modem", which I assume means tethering/hotspot, and MMS doesn't work for the iPhone unless you jail break it. I don't use MMS frequently but as usual, if the price is too good to be true, it probably is. This plan seems like a PITA. I'll have to check Net10 but they probably have the same limitations.

RARPSL
join:1999-12-08
Suffern, NY

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to rradina
said by rradina:

I never use the 1400 voice minutes I have and more of my rollover minutes have expired than I use every month. I have over 12,000 rollover minutes and the only reason it isn't double that is because they expire.

IMO: The way rollover minutes are handled is a rip-off. Since they are issued based on the fact that you paid for x minutes but did not use all of them (my voice minutes are "use them that month or lose them" - ie: No Rollover), there should be an option to exchange them for a free month of voice. There might be a pro-rata exchange rate (such as exchanging 2800 minutes for one month where you do not pay for your 1400 minutes and do not get rollover credit for unused time that month). This is basically how Airline Frequent Flier credits work. I can use the credits to pay for my flight but that flight does not get FF credits.
rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO

rradina

Member

Those are interesting suggestions. However, since they benefit consumers, it would cost AT&T. There's also the situation with metered voice disappearing. Carriers seem happy to offer unlimited voice thereby rendering rollover voice minutes useless. I can remember when wireless unlimited anything was heresy because cell providers could never be expected to let everyone talk all they want. They didn't have the capacity. I suppose it's possible that technology now offers that capability but my nose thinks the air doesn't quite smell right. Data is the new voice.

RARPSL
join:1999-12-08
Suffern, NY

RARPSL to Boricua

Member

to Boricua

Re: ATT CAPS

said by Boricua:

What I find interesting, in reading the article, the customer used a more accurate meter to show there is discrepancy between his and AT&T's and but still AT&T insisted they were right .

Not only that but he powered off his modem for a day and AT&T still showed usage for that day. IMO: A better test would have been to turn it off for 2 full days since the single day usage COULD have been rollover usage (ie: Reported the day after it actually occurred) but this still shows that the reported numbers are not accurate (even if they are just being reported as occurring on the wrong day). There have been reports of AT&T claiming usage when the modem was powered off for days (such as when the customer was on a trip).

SimbaSeven
I Void Warranties
join:2003-03-24
Billings, MT
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Re: Larger carriers losing prepaid phone sales to smallr players

said by rradina:

Nevermind -- I just read the fine print. The phone cannot be used as a "modem"

Well, you can.. but make sure it's for light use. They will throttle you if you abuse it.
rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO

rradina

Member

What's "light" use? I have never exceeded my 4GB AT&T cap. Once during vacation, all three kids had their iPods/laptops connected to game during the 21 hour drive to Yellowstone National Park. I also used my phone relentlessly for finding restaurants and driving directions. However, even with all that intense use for two weeks, I still only got to about 3.5GB during the month.

Is the "hotspot" feature available on the iPhone with this service? On AT&T they have to "enable it" which means it can be turned off. My question is whether or not they turn it off requiring me to jail break the phone to enable it again.

I'm not interested in jail breaking the phone to make stuff work such as MMS and hotspot/tethering. That's why I called it a PITA (for me). I know I could switch to Android and perhaps have an easier time of it or jailbreak my iPhone but I'm at an age where "rebel" behavior just doesn't interest me. Perhaps 20 years ago I wouldn't care but today, I have too many responsibilities to risk legal issues to save a buck. I've also been on the receiving end of unethical behavior. As such, I have a strong sense of right and wrong regardless of how strong the justification for wrong behavior might be. Although I don't always succeed, I try hard to recognize when I might be treating others in ways that I would not approve if I was on the receiving end.

SimbaSeven
I Void Warranties
join:2003-03-24
Billings, MT
·StarLink

SimbaSeven

Member

said by rradina:

Is the "hotspot" feature available on the iPhone with this service? On AT&T they have to "enable it" which means it can be turned off. My question is whether or not they turn it off requiring me to jail break the phone to enable it again.

Ya, you will probably have to jailbreak it. I hate it when at&t has all the control over your phone, yet you are the one who bought it. One reason I flashed Cyanogenmod on my Captivate. Got rid of all the crapware and restrictions, along with gaining JellyBean (CM10).
said by rradina:

I have too many responsibilities to risk legal issues to save a buck. I've also been on the receiving end of unethical behavior. As such, I have a strong sense of right and wrong regardless of how strong the justification for wrong behavior might be. Although I don't always succeed, I try hard to recognize when I might be treating others in ways that I would not approve if I was on the receiving end.

It's not illegal or unethical to unlock or jailbreak your device. I have no idea who stuck that in your head, but they're full of crap.

»www.slate.com/blogs/tren ··· pad.html
rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO

rradina

Member

Jail breaking: It would most certainly be illegal to operate it on any carrier's network. Especially if I use it as a "modem" on Smart Talk which they expressly forbid.

While I know it's popular, don't kid yourself thinking you are safe. I know the law says you can jailbreak but the DMCA is always changing and I don't have a few million to fight a case should my phone start freaking out and interfering with a carrier's ability to serve other customers. Is this likely? Probably not but because I would be doing it for no other reason than to get MMS or use it as a hotspot, it's just not worth it. I'll just pay what it takes to play. As I said, I'd prefer an honest better value. Not some I-have-to-hack-it to get a better value.

I have three impressionable boys, two in their teens. The last thing I need to do is show them how dad cheats, steals, lies and whatever else they might interpret from my actions. So far they are very good about respecting copyright laws by not stealing music and they are careful about what they download, upload, say and do on-line.

SimbaSeven
I Void Warranties
join:2003-03-24
Billings, MT
·StarLink

1 edit

SimbaSeven

Member

said by rradina:

Jail breaking: It would most certainly be illegal to operate it on any carrier's network.

IT IS NOT ILLEGAL. *sigh*
said by rradina:

While I know it's popular, don't kid yourself thinking you are safe.

Popular? I don't do crap because "it's popular". I am an IT professional and enjoy the latest software releases on my Captivate. Having a rooted phone also allows me to run specific software that I need for my job.
said by rradina:

I know the law says you can jailbreak but the DMCA is always changing and I don't have a few million to fight a case should my phone start freaking out and interfering with a carrier's ability to serve other customers.

Um.. Well, in that case, you might not want to do anything with any electronic device then since they could easily render anything illegal because it *could* cripple their network.
Plus, this isn't the RIAA/MPAA. I'm thinking you are confusing jailbreaking with DRM removal, two remotely different areas. This isn't "sharing a movie or an MP3". You also aren't stealing stuff off of iTunes.
said by rradina:

Is this likely? Probably not but because I would be doing it for no other reason than to get MMS or use it as a hotspot, it's just not worth it. I'll just pay what it takes to play. As I said, I'd prefer an honest better value. Not some I-have-to-hack-it to get a better value.

Then why are you even considering going to a plan that will save you money and is used my millions of people if you are happy with what you have now?
said by rradina:

I have three impressionable boys, two in their teens. The last thing I need to do is show them how dad cheats, steals, lies and whatever else they might interpret from my actions. So far they are very good about respecting copyright laws by not stealing music and they are careful about what they download, upload, say and do on-line.

I have 2 sons and a daughter. They know the ethical side of "hacking". It's not cheating, stealing, or lying. It's learning the technology and utilizing it to the fullest. You are using 2GB of data (which they fully allow). Me, I prefer music streaming. If I need to tether for a few minutes, I can without issues. I haven't lately because I don't need to.

The issue they have is people tethering 24/7 eating a ridiculous amount of data.
rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO

rradina

Member

If you are jail breaking it to get tethering or use FaceTime or whatever else you cannot do that the carrier requires some extra fee to use or forbids, you are operating it illegally.

Just because it seems "fair" to do it, doesn't mean it's legal or ethical or moral. We're all the same. We all attempt to justify our actions because sometimes we think it's right to choose the lesser of two evils from our vantage. However, it's still wrong because you signed a contract and agreed to pay for those services, if offered. If forbidden, you signed a contract acknowledging they are forbidden. It doesn't matter if you use 1 byte or 1 gigabyte. It doesn't matter how you spin this. It's against the contract you acknowledged when you started the service. It doesn't matter if you think its fair. It doesn't matter if you don't like it.

In 2005 I got a speeding ticket for going 50 in a 35. It was a two-lane road in the flat Missouri river bottoms near where I live. The road is straight for miles. There was no traffic besides the officer that passed me. When he pulled me over I agreed with him that I was going 50. He told me he watches the speed on the road because there are a lot of bicycles and runners. Then he smiled and said, "Of course it's not likely many are out today since it's 20 degrees but 35 is for their safety." He even agreed that the speed limit was pretty low. Regardless, it didn't change the outcome. He still gave me a ticket. This despite the road was the result of realignment after building a new 10 lane highway. Part of the new highway went through the south end of a park and in order to appease environmentalists, the highway department put millions of dollars into miles of paved trails suitable for bikers, runners, walkers and skaters. The trails even cross the Missouri River on a special path built on the side of one of the new twin bridges. This allows the trails in the park to join the Katie trail which goes from St. Charles, MO to Sedalia MO (237 miles of trails). The road I was driving is not part of those trails. (Transportation engineers know it's always dangerous to mix traffic of unequal speeds.)

I do understand the difference between jail breaking, unlocking and DRM removal. I too am employed in IT. I know jail breaking and unlocking are expressly permitted by the

Why am I trying to save money? A fool and his money are soon parted. Hence, only a fool would pay more for a service if the SAME service is available elsewhere for less money.

I agree with you that jail breaking and using tethering on Smart Talk or Net 10 seems fair provided you don't abuse it. Since the duopoly now has cap-and-charge plans, it also seems fair to be able to use the bytes for which you pay, any way you want to use them. It's very logical but it's not ethical. It's not legal. It's not moral.

I'm not taking a moral high ground here. I'm certainly not perfect and I cannot say I have never broken the law or never cheated. We all have and only a fool thinks otherwise. I'm not a saint because I choose not to do this and I am not better than you because I don't do it. You are also not worse than me because you choose to this.

In closing, read the exemptions. They seem pretty grey to me regardless of how others interpret jail breaking and shoe-horn it into one of these exemptions. As I wrote earlier, I don't have spare money to fight someone if they decide I've done something to harm them. I've had to use lawyers and at $480/hour, it doesn't take long to wipe out your liquid assets and max your credit lines. If it goes on long enough, it can even eat into your retirement plan.

»arstechnica.com/tech-pol ··· air-use/