Posts Tagged AT&T
Time to Ditch the Landline?
Posted by Derek Walter in Popular culture, Technology, iPhone on July 22, 2009
I already have – and it means one less service from the beloved AT&T. But before you call up your service provider to cancel, there are a few things to consider. My post at the Mobile Maven explores this further. Read it here.
iPhone, Verizon, to finally join forces?
Posted by Derek Walter in Technology, iPhone on April 28, 2009
For some it would be the ultimate marriage: Verizon and the iPhone. The gossip raged today about the supposed talks between Apple and Verizon. It is an intriguing scenario – the best mobile device with what is arguably the best wireless network.
It is an intriguing scenario. While I love my iPhone, AT&T’s network is mediocre at best; downright unacceptable at worst. I was along the Embarcadero in San Francisco recently trying to have a conversation and spent 15 minutes wandering the streets to get a signal. At one point I simply shut the 3G radio off because my iPhone kept bouncing between 3G and EDGE, which furthered my connection woes. Read the rest of this entry »
The (still) unsuccessful pursuit of an iPhone
Posted by Derek Walter in Technology on July 20, 2008
Excuse the two-day delay since I have last posted, but it has taken this long to recover from a six-hour wait in the blasting sun outside an Apple store in Walnut Creek, Calif. It was my latest unsuccessful attempt for an iPhone. To be fair, my choosiness accounts for part of the reason I do not have one. I want the black 16GB model, and nothing else will do. I turned down an 8GB a week ago, and as you will see, turned down a white model Thursday. Below is the account of my latest (and last) misadventure as a victim of the Steve Jobs Media Hype Machine. Read the rest of this entry »
The waiting is the hardest part
Posted by Derek Walter in Technology on July 16, 2008
It appears I am not the only one impatiently awaiting the arrival of an iPhone 3G.
Fortune’s Apple 2.0 blog reports that the iPhone 3G is still hard to find – sold out in 21 states. Your local Apple store is likely to give you this message if you check it tonight. 
Then there is the ever effective AT&T site, which gives you this message when you put in your confirmation number:
So you can’t buy one at a store, and if you ordered one, you have no idea where it is at or if it’s still being built by Steve Jobs’ trolls. Tom Petty was on to something about that waiting thing.
The Pursuit…of an iPhone
Posted by Derek Walter in Popular culture, Technology on July 12, 2008
The iPhone 3G was the winner of my internal struggle between it and the Blackberry Curve. If only obtaining one was as easy. The previous day’s worldwide launch was filled with a network crash and angry customers. Now it is my turn to pursue the vetted device. My hope is the Day After will yield less hassle. Below is my account:
8:35 am – Awaken from the floor where I spent 6 hours the day before finalizing my debate: iPhone 3G or Blackberry Curve. I remember from checking the web last night that the nearest AT&T store opens at 9 a.m. Sadly, that does not leave enough time to hit Starbucks.
8:58 a.m. – Arrive at AT&T store number one (trust me, there will be more). There is something wrong. No customers. I am not naive enough to think it will be this easy. I am informed that they do not sell iPhones at this location. He recommends I check an Apple store, as they get more frequent shipments. He tells me roughly where the three are that are actually selling it. (Thanks again, AT&T and Apple, for making this such an easy process). I send a text to Google, and get the exact location and numbers of said AT&T stores and the Apple store. The Apple store doesn’t open until 10, according to its phone message, and the closest AT&T store is only about four miles away, but it opens in two minutes. Every minute is crucial. Read the rest of this entry »
iPhone vs. Blackberry, day three
Posted by Derek Walter in Technology on July 10, 2008
The iPhone 3g reviews are rolling in across the web, and are generally positive. Except for one in PC World, but it should be taken with a grain of salt considering this person held onto a Treo for four years. An iPhone would probably be sensory overload for him.
After my previously published pleasant experience in wireless phone stores, I spent a bulk of time playing with a Blackberry Curve. it is a phone I had toyed with before, and I remembered it gave me a sold, reliable experience. The first app I went straight for was the email. It had a simple user interface that allowed me to scroll and open emails with the trackball.
I spent quite a bit of time working with the QWERTY keyboard. I could see how with enough practice, BlackBerry aficionados are able to touch type. The keys are well-positioned and offer the right amount of resistance. I could see myself e-mailing sources, clients, maybe even a friend or two if there is time after the work I need to get done. It is no wonder that the Blackberry is the king of the business world.
It wasn’t all positive though. I was surprised that I actually felt cramped trying to hit all those plastic keys. While I understand for some the tactile feedback is important and even lets some people touch type on a Blackberry, I found it kind of annoying. And after 15 minutes of scrolling and typing, my thunbs were a little sore.
It could be that I just need to hit that Blackberry gym some more. Which leads me to the next post, the trackball. Stay tuned…
iPhone vs. Blackberry, day two
Posted by Derek Walter in Technology on July 9, 2008
Apparently it is not an official wireless store unless there are angry customers giving the salespeople hell. All three stores I visited today (two AT&T, one Verizon) had someone getting promised a rebate because they were too stupid to realize that going over their rate plan’s allotted minutes by 12 hours would result in additional fees.
Not that the customer service was all that stellar. I was told by an AT&T rep at a certain location that will remain nameless that the launch would only “be at Fashion Fair.” No other info, no offer to give me a brochure, credit check, you get the idea. However, she did have time to continue the texting session that my appearance had interrupted.
So clearly it was on to another store. It was one of the AT&T megastores, promoting their satellite television, cellular service, and other products. This way, when I was playing with the iPhone, the angry customer’s complaining wouldn’t drown out my thoughts. This particular one asked why the store was referred to as “the new AT&T.” While the woman manning the front desk tried to explain to her that AT&T merged with Cingular which was then purchased again by AT&T, the exchange began.
“Well I liked Cingular better,” the angry customer said.
“But it’s the same network, same cellphone towers,” said the clerk. “We just got different shirts.”
“But I’ve been coming here for six years, it’s not the same.”
“I’ve worked here for five.”
With such great people-watching material, it was hard to remember my original purpose: solve the ongoing iPhone-Blackberry debate in my mind. The next post will describe some quality time with the BlackBerry Curve.
iPhone or Blackberry? day one
Posted by Derek Walter in Technology on July 8, 2008
It’s time for some hands-on device toying today. I have tinkered around with both a Curve and iPhone before, but in order to make a solid product eval you can only read so much on cnet or endgadget. And with the 3G model only going to be on display in the store on an “as needed” basis, a current one will work just as well. Then it’s off to a Verizon store to mess around with a Curve. This should add up to being asked “can I help you with something?” only 749 times today. I’ll keep a tally.
No Bold is available yet, but it is definitely on the watch list. Today should also shed some light into what features I am looking for and will need for a cool, yet productive, device. I’m pretty much in the middle right now, so it could go either way.
Connect