BlackBerry pushed out at AT&T for iPhone?

anonymousNetUser <[email protected]> wrote in news:9q5ok.12703$3l5.11767
@newsfe06.iad:

> Larry wrote:
>>
>> This sucks......iPhone is FIRST and FOREMOST another SELLphone!
>
> Yeah yeah, we get it already. My God, Larry, you're starting to be like
> a broken record.
>
> Last time I looked, not too many people are smart enough or have enough
> resources and time to design and build their own phones. So that means
> if you want one, you have to BUY it. Which means some company has to
> SELL it.
>
> All phones (cellular or landline) and Internet access device (including
> your beloved Nokia N80) are *sold* by some company or another. So please
> stop with the sophomoric "SELLphone" crap. By definition every phone is
> a "SELL" phone.
>

Why do the company shills get so excited by my little definition?

Noone really cares. I think it's very appropriate, for instance having to
RENT the use of a ****ty little BREW browser by the month, SEPARATELY from
the data charge.

Pure bull****.....SELLphone bull****.

---

› See More: BlackBerry pushed out at AT&T for iPhone?

At 11 Aug 2008 18:12:47 -0700 anonymousNetUser wrote:

> You're right, but Bill must have really meant "breaks my illegally hacked
> and jailbroken phone." He's as much as admitting he's a criminal.


"Illegal?" "Criminal?" For SIM-unlocking and installing "unauthorized"
software on a phone HE purchased? Exactly what law does unlocking a phone
break?

Geez, those crimes must rank him right up there with Baby-Face Nelson and
Al Capone!

At 12 Aug 2008 02:23:45 +0000 Larry wrote:

> Why do the company shills get so excited by my little definition?


Not excited, tired.


> Noone really cares. I think it's very appropriate, for instance having
to
> RENT the use of a ****ty little BREW browser by the month, SEPARATELY
from
> the data charge.
>
> Pure bull****.....SELLphone bull****.

No, Alltel bull****. I've never owned a phone that required me to pay a
monthly charge to use it's built-in software. I've owned at least a dozen
phones with web browsers, all of which simply worked as long as you had a
data plan (and several that work even if you don't, either over WiFi or by
using dial-up ISPs that just count against your cellular voice minutes.)

All of your complaints and rants about the unfair policies of "SELLphone
companies" are typically specific to certain companies, yet you always
paint them all with the same brush...

I know this might shock you, but I'm pretty happy overall with my two
cellular providers, T-Mobile and PagePlus, and the service they provide.

> This is an old story, and Apple has already backed off of delivering
> Safari that way.

Mmmmm, there's also the junk added with the new iTunes.

"Larry" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

>> All of your complaints and rants about the unfair policies of
> "SELLphone
>> companies" are typically specific to certain companies, yet you always
>> paint them all with the same brush...
>
> They are all running under the same business plan.
>
> ATT
> Features
>
> AT&T Mobile Backup $1.99 a month
> AT&T Mobile Backup is the smart way to protect and back up your phone
> numbers. If you ever lose, damage, upgrade or change your phone, all is
> not lost. For only $1.99/month, your contact information will stay
> backed up and safe-just transfer your contact list to your new phone and
> go!

That's a SERVICE- not selling you access to the features and software
included on your own phone. It's an alternative to backing up your contacts
to a PC (available on all smartphones and most dumbones with the appropriate
cables and PC software- Nokia offers "PC Suite" for free for all of their
phones.) Some providers, like T-Mo offer this service for free (but the
T-Mo service is too limited for me- I use Funambol and Exchange.)

Users are free to use desktop or server-based alternatives (SyncML, etc.)
instead of AT&T's backup service, which is essentially selling you storage
space on THEIR servers, hence the fee. Find your own alternative (zyb.com.
Scheduleworld.com, etc.) and tell them to stick it.

> Smart Limits for Wireless Parental Controls $4.99 a month
> AT&T Smart Limits for Wireless(TM) provides parents with access to an
> easy, online parental control tool, which will allow them to manage
> their children's wireless phone usage. For $4.99/subscriber/month, it
> enables parents to manage their children's calling, text/instant
> messaging, downloading and Web browsing habits, as well as when their
> children use their wireless phone and with whom they communicate. AT&T
> Smart Limits for Wireless gives parents peace of mind that they can stay
> in touch with their children and avoid surprises on their bill.

Again, this is an optional service- how is that a "rental" of included phone
features? For free you can still use the limited call restriction features
on your kids' phones, or simply be a parent and take the damn phone away
from them if they overuse it. (T-Mo offers this feature for $2, BTW.)

I'm still waiting for an example of other providers charging a fee for the
use of the software or feature built into the phone...

> VoiceDial $4.99 a month

My local landline telco offers this as well. Cellular customers are free to
use the voicedial capabilities built into most phones for free instead.
(Even a few landline phones offer this feature.)

> VoiceDial with VoiceClip is the fastest way to call and message on the
> go. Just dial *8 and get your first 30-days free.
>
> What is VoiceDial?
> Call anyone in your address book just by saying their name. Simply dial
> *8 to activate then say the name or number of your contact. The
> VoiceDial address book securely stores your contacts so you don't have
> to worry about losing important numbers.
>
> What is VoiceClip?
> Don't have time to talk? No problem? Record a voice message and send it
> to one or more people without ringing their wireless phone. Details of
> how to retrieve the message is sent as a text message to your contacts.
> VoiceClip, for messaging faster than you can get to voicemail.

Again, optional services, not "rental" of included capabilities.

> Xpress Mail $4.99 a month
> Xpress Mail allows users to access their corporate email and calendar.
> It also provides the ability to view attachments, lookup employees in a
> global address directory, and view email from a PC browser on a variety
> of handsets.

Again, optional services, not rental of included features. This is
primarily designed for dumbphones that can access corporate VPNs or e-mail;
AT&T's servers access your corporate server for you and allow your phone to
access the data via WAP. Don't want to pay $5/month for this? Either buy a
smartphone that doesn't need it, or get your IT department to allow OMA
(Outlook Mobile Access) on the corporate Exchange server.

> AT&T Navigator $9.99 a month
> AT&T Navigator provides spoken turn by turn GPS driving directions with
> automatic reroute, full color maps, and real time traffic alerts all on
> your device. Take advantage of the FREE 30-day trial. Select AT&T
> Navigator GPS from the main menu on your phone.

Again, a service. If you have a GPS-enabled smartphone, you can use a
"real" on-device nav program or a free server based alternative like Google
Maps for Mobile or Windows Live Search.

> You must cancel within 30 days or be automatically subscribed at a cost
> of $9.99 per month plus data charges for unlimited routes. Standard data
> charges apply during the trial. You can cancel from the "My Accounts"
> portal on your handset. Visit att.com/navigator for complete terms and
> conditions.
>
> Then you have to buy data service from $15-30/month.
>
> They are RENTING YOU THE SOFTWARE STUPID!

No, they're SELLING YOU A SERVICE, STUPID!

Service fee based software like Telenav is "renting" you their data, like
up-to-date maps or POI databases. The fact that free alternatives exist,
doesn't invalidate their business model. Telenav includes spoken voice
prompts, which GMM and WLS don't. That might be worth $10/month to some
(though not to me.) That $10 fee on CDMA providers also includes access to
the carriers' proprietary GPS positioning data on AGPS phones, like your
Motorola, that don't have a "real" satellite GPS on board. Some people
might see that as a reasonable alternative to buying a $200 car nav unit,
particularly since many folks only need nav services a few times a year,
like when on vacation in a strange city.

> Verizon, the worst, just adds $40/month and calls it a "bundle" even for
> stuff you don't want. You're still RENTING software BY THE MONTH.

Again, they're selling bundled SERVICES. If you can't tell the difference
between a phone's native capabilities and a carrier-provided service, I
can't really help you.

> You already have a web browser installed on your phone. Pay us
> $X.XX/month and we'll turn it on.....AFTER you buy data service, of
> course. What bull****.

Other than your Moto on Alltel, why not give me an example of other
carriers/phones that RENT the browser instead of a laundry list of perfectly
legitimate (if overpriced) services that carriers offer?

I can do the opposite. Read my virtual lips: I've NEVER, NEVER, EVER owned
a phone with a WAP or web browser that had any monthly fees (other than
data/cellular access) associated with the use of it. You need the list?
Nokia's 7160, 3360, 6610, 3650, 3620, 6010, 3220, 6030, 2610, Panasonic E51,
Samsung's A417 and i600, and HTCs Excalibur, Wizard and Kaiser. Not a
software or browser "rental" fee among them.

....then again, of course, I've never used Alltel or a BREW phone...

So, rather than blaming the "SELLphone industry," why not blame the
close-minded curmudgeon that chose to use such a ridiculous service
provider?...