 NetFixerFreedom is NOT freePremium
join:2004-06-24
The 'Boro
 ·Vonage
 ·Cingular Wireless
 ·Comcast
 ·AT&T Southeast
1 edit | AT&T does this too The "DeathStar" button on AT&T phones also immediately activates internet access, and it is so near the navigation/shortcut keys that not occasionally bumping it is almost impossible.
The AT&T official solution is to sign up for a data plan for each phone so that the bill will be "predictable". I was told that there was no way to administratively disable internet access to their phones.
I found a work around by changing the internet access settings to bogus values (at least in the phones currently on my account that I don't want to have internet access). Those phones now produce a popup message indicating that there was a problem connecting to the internet, and I no longer get the random $2 - $10 charges for the phone user accidentally bumping the "DeathStar" key.
Possibly Verizon phones can be similarly mis-configured to disable internet access?
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History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.
-- Dwight D. Eisenhower
The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
-- Thomas Jefferson |
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| said by NetFixer:I found a work around by changing the internet access settings to bogus values (at least in the phones currently on my account that I don't want to have internet access). Possibly Verizon phones can be similarly mis-configured to disable internet access? The APN (access point name) setting. I have never had a CDMA2K phone (VZW, Sprint, Bell Mobility, etc) so I don't know for sure, but AFAIK only GSM/UMTS/etc phones and networks (TMO, ATT, Rogers, etc) use that setting.
My carrier (TMO) does not have billed-by-usage data. You either have a monthly data plan or have zero Net access. The only exception is when someone does have a data plan and roams outside of the country (which the majority of the population don't anyway  ), in which case mangling the APN is a quick-and-dirty hack to prevent unexpected data charges. |
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| reply to NetFixer
My sister's phone had mysterious charges popping up. I asked her if they were right. I'd have paid them if they were, but..
Turns out, it was due to her kid grabbing the phone at times, and would hit the prominent 'death star' key.
They put a block on internet access for the phone, but, that disables MMS. |
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NetFixerFreedom is NOT freePremium
join:2004-06-24
The 'Boro Reviews:
·Vonage
·Cingular Wireless
·Comcast
·AT&T Southeast
| reply to broccoli
said by broccoli:The APN (access point name) setting. I have never had a CDMA2K phone (VZW, Sprint, Bell Mobility, etc) so I don't know for sure, but AFAIK only GSM/UMTS/etc phones and networks (TMO, ATT, Rogers, etc) use that setting. Actually, I tried to change that on the two phones I needed to block internet access, but those settings were read only and could not be changed. What I did was set the browser to use AT&T IMS instead of MEdia Net WAP. I then disabled the AT&T IMS service (which the phone did allow me to do). AT&T did not want to make it easy to avoid the bogus internet access charges.
--
History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.
-- Dwight D. Eisenhower
The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
-- Thomas Jefferson |
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