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AT&T's microcell uses your broadband connection to extend their coverage and has a GPS to validate that you're using it in an 'approved area'. Also, calls don't transfer in, so you'll lose calls as you approach your house. No thanks.

From this page:

"AT&T 3G MicroCell acts like a mini cellular tower in your home or small business environment. It connects to AT&T's network via your existing broadband Internet service (such as U-verse, DSL or cable) and is designed to support up to four simultaneous users in a home or small business setting."

Also,

"Calls transfer out, but don't transfer in. Calls seamlessly transfer from the 3G MicroCell to the strongest available AT&T cell tower signal. However, calls connected on the cell tower do not transfer to the 3G MicroCell."

AT&T is selling something like this for $99. I'd like to have in my office, but haven't purchased yet; limited to 5 phones and you have to register the phones on the device.

Canada:
http://www.rogers.com/web/Rogers.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=WLRS_Plans&category=data
Australia:
http://broadbandguide.com.au/bigpond

America (wireless):
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/mobilebroadband/?page=plans
http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/plans/data-plans.jsp?rel=nofollow&wtSlotClick=1-003J13!CISM01-1-1

I knew these off the top of my head. You've never heard of these plans?

Australia:
http://broadbandguide.com.au/bigpond
Canada:
http://www.rogers.com/web/Rogers.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=WLRS_Plans&category=data

America (wireless):
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/mobilebroadband/?page=plans
http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/plans/data-plans.jsp?rel=nofollow&wtSlotClick=1-003J13!CISM01-1-1

I hear that old line a lot yet I don't seem to every having it be much of an issue on my iDevices.

Go buy an AT&T MicroCell, for example. The whole thing is written in Flash. Why, you might ask? Well, there are reasons - it's an interactive presentation. Probably it was easier to write it once in Flash than many times in JavaScript, for different HTML versions and different browsers.

I'm blocking Flash with AdBlock Plus and NoScript for everyday browsing, but I also have IE and Iron (Chrome) as alternative browsers, so that I don't need to temporarily enable 27 hosts to see a video or to make a purchase. Sites that I visit regularly are whitelisted if needed.

Here's AT&T's handset approval and certification process as an example, and here is Verizon's. Nearly all carriers around the globe have them - some are very rigorous and demanding, while others are not much more than checking your CTIA and [your country's version of the FCC] radio performance certifications.

Regarding your specific example of T-Mobile USA - their certification process is known to be really easy, which makes things less onerous for handset developers but also doesn't catch sometimes serious bugs and issues like the Nexus One 3G problems. AT&T and Verizon have much more rigorous device certification processes (more of a PITA but better QA), and Sprint is somewhere in between.

http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/articles-resources/early-term-fees.jsp

It's a lease-to-own. You just pay it off by the end of your contract, or you pay the early termination fee if you want out before you have.

No offense, but you've clearly never worked in the telecommunications industry. It's been heavily regulated since before I was even born. Even when AT&T had a monopoly it only did so because the US Government let it.

From: http://www.corp.att.com/history/history3.html

For much of its history, AT&T and its Bell System functioned as a legally sanctioned, regulated monopoly.

in other words, telecommunications has never been a free market.

You are full of shit.

http://shop.vodafone.co.uk/shop/sim-only-plans/all-sim-plans
http://shop.orange.co.uk/mobile-phones/sim-only/
http://www.telenor.no/bedrift/produkter/mobil/tjenester/datakort/
http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/Cell-Phone-Detail.aspx?cell-phone=T-Mobile-SIM-Card
https://www.wireless.att.com/GoPhoneWeb/goPhoneLanding.do?method=activatePayGo
http://www.thebeijingguide.com/communications/mobile_access_in_beijing.html

Great information in your post. I suspect the reason Microsoft doesn't go with an ODM is because it might be significantly more expensive, which would result in a more expensive phone that won't compete as well in the marketplace (see: Dell Streak @ $299).

The iPhone is an ODM product - it's made by Foxconn. An 8GB iPhone 3GS is $99 if you get it from AT&T. Of course it's not really $99, AT&T pay a kickback to Apple to cover the cost of the hardware. I've read "$20 per month" or $325. That's $325 or $480 over the cost of a 24 month contract.

Now it's hard to get an unlocked iPhone, but let's say

http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/18/atandt-to-offer-unsubsidized-iphone-3g-with-no-commitment-required/

$599 for 8GB

That makes me think the value of $480 is about right and they charge you $20 extra for unlocking. Now I could be wrong of course - other figures I've seen have been lower - the contract breaking fee is max $325, which would put the hardware cost at $424. But I've never seen an unlocked iPhone sell for as low as this.

Here's the Dell Streak

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/27/dell-streak-retailing-for-299-with-contract-549-without-dell/

I.e. and 8GB iPhone 3GS costs $424 to $599 without a subsidy and $99 with. A Dell streak costs $549 with no subsidy and $299 with. Dell have cheaper hardware but they failed to negotiate a good subsidy. They get $250 and Apple get $325 to $480!

Incidentally the BOM cost for an iPhone 3GS is $179.

http://www.isuppli.com/teardowns-manufacturing-and-pricing/news/pages/iphone-3g-s-carries-178-96-bom-and-manufacturing-cost-isuppli-teardown-reveals.aspx

So Apple are making a fortune regardless of the subsidy.

Now my argument is that one of the things that AT&T and the like tend to like is locked down devices. For example on my Windows Mobile device which is unlocked I get tethering for free.

On an iPhone I'd need to pay $20 per month. Given the sort of people who buy smartphones, I think they can argue that that added average revenue per month justifies more subsidy.

http://gizmodo.com/5553135/att-iphone-tethering-an-extra-20month

So my argument is that the Apple model is an ODM'd product which is locked down where things like tethering cost extra.

Actually if I got a subsidized Windows Mobile device, they'd probably disable tethering unless I paid them too.

I.e. unlocked devices have features that sell to customers. Locked devices have those features disabled to sell to operators if they want to get a high subsidy.

If the survey does not publish who paid for it then the results can not be trusted.

Why don't we try to compare user satisfaction ourselves. Lets go to the carrier's web sites and see how people actually using the products are rating them.

AT&T: We can view and rate all phones except the iphone. You will see the Captivate has a almost perfect score. phones

Sprint: The Evo has 4.7 out of 5 starts. phones

Verizon: Verison lets you sort by rating! You can see the blackberry is first with all Droid phones above 4.5. phones

Why can the iPhone not be rated by the actual users of AT&T? Is Apple and AT&T trying to hide somethings?

Note: No money was involved in this study :-) and it also makes the Yankee Group study look very cooked!

If you're an AT&T user, the Samsung Captivate looks amazing, but they haven't given a release date yet.

http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/devices/samsung-captivate.jsp

Shazams interface isn't all that great any way. Musicid is a better solution IMO anyway.

apple:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtist?id=320029868

blackberry,java, MS
http://mediamall.wireless.att.com/sf/storefront/endUserHTMLGetPhoneNumberAndCoupon.jsp?prodId=CF184099

http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/legal/return-policy.jsp

Then you're heard wrong and you're spreading misinformation. Apple (like most retailers) will accept a return within 30 days of a sale. As for a service contract from AT&T's website:

CANCELLATION PERIOD / TERMINATION
You may terminate this Agreement within thirty (30) days after activating service without paying an Early Termination Fee. . . .

The biggest problem I see is that the service providers are requiring a data plan on all capable phones whether you want it or not. Even with a prepaid GSM phone I hear the users receive a text message informing them that a plan is mandatory. See - http://forums.wireless.att.com/t5/MEdia-Net/Data-plans-on-smartphones-mandatory-as-of-Sept-6/m-p/1836215 for an example of att

If you are running zone alarm, and a calculator program asks for internet access that is mal-ware.

A more sophisticated "calculator program" might have legit reasons for connecting to the Internet:

• Because MSI packaging on Windows has no concept of a repository, apps have to have their own updaters. Is calc-updater.exe legit or malware?
• Microsoft Office Excel updates its help files every time you search for help while connected. Is excel-help.exe legit or malware?
• A symbolic calculator like Maple or Mathematica or Maxima might have a feature to query a web service such as Online Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences. Is maxima.exe legit or malware?

most phone users do not really "own" they phones during the initial 2 years

You do own the phone (physically), but in consideration for the discount you got on it, the phone company pwns joo for a $350 early termination fee if you stop sending them their monthly ransom on the service contract. The phone is still yours to do with as you please.

Mobile phone carriers have just tried to give you the impression that you don't own the phone, by making the phone you own useless for doing anything other than connecting to their network and buying ringtones on their web portal that cost more than the full song download.

They do this through technical hindrance such as unique protocols (cdma vs GSM), unique frequencies (3G on 1900MHz vs 2100MHz), carrier SIM lock (or no sim at all), or vendor-specific firmware (see CDMA phones), auto-jamming your phone with their service books and restriction software (i.e. put the carrier's SIM card into the unlocked Blackberry you bought outright [don't even need to connect to their network] and your phone's wi-fi & GPS mapping software is disabled so they can sell it back to you for $10-$30/mo), and by black-listing the device's IMEI if they didn't like how you left their service.

Try here then: AT&T Android.

Since a while? I found this in 2 seconds by googling "at&t android phones".

Not so fast, read the arbitration clause.

Companies like to make people think that once you agree to a contract with ah arbitration clause, that you've got no recourse. Same with companies that have you "sign a release" and other such things.

Fortunately, (and their legal department knows this), that's not necessarily the case.

Not so fast, read the arbitration clause.

The first phase of a class action suit would be to get a judge to throw out the arbitration clause. Judges do that sort of thing.

Not so fast, read the arbitration clause.

At first like the submitter I thought this was only for the iPhone and iPad, but after checking the press release from AT&T it turns out it's for all Smartphones

Where do you get that? The only mention of the old unlimited plan in that press release is this line:

For new iPad customers, the $25 per month 2 GB plan will replace the existing $29.99 unlimited plan.

Which seems to imply that it's just for new iPad customers.

At first like the submitter I thought this was only for the iPhone and iPad, but after checking the press release from AT&T it turns out it's for all Smartphones. So these are the new data plans for the iPhone, the iPad, the Nexus One (and all other Android phones), the N900 - everything.

AT&T claims that this will bring down bills for the average user, and I don't doubt this is true. However the better the Smartphone the easier it is to burn through data, so this seems to be a tactical strike against all high-end Smartphone users, and a blatant attempt to drive away iPad users (2GB for an entire month of browsing on a 10" device, really?). And this is timed to coincide with the launch of the next-gen iPhone, which is widely beleived to have a front-facing camera for video conferencing, which would burn through additional data. I also don't know how you're going to get away with significant video streaming on 2GB a month, but perhaps that's the idea?

Progress, it seems, is getting less for more. Ultimately the 5GB of data that actually came with an "unlimited" plan is now $25 + $30 in overages. It continues to amaze me just how far we've come since 2008...

This service is currently available in the following states:

• Alabama
• Florida
• Georgia
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Mississippi
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Tennessee

To paraphrase Einstein:

Make things as simple as possible, but not simpler.

IMHO, one should use as high level language as possible, but not higher. One should never choose a lower level language than necessary only because it is hard core, the choice has to be based on something more substantial.

I've met several C programmers having the knee-jerk reaction when they hear the word C++ that it's bloated and slow and hard. And tell me what, they haven't read Stroustrup's FAQ lately. C++ can be very lean and mean indeed. As can C# (which I'm mostly using right now).

"no, AT&T iphone plan is $70 / month. on t-mo, you save $10 a month with the no-contract plan. if you do the math, the nexus one in and out of contract options works out almost exactly the same over 2 years."

Okay, [citation needed].

I went and checked the the AT&T website after the last guy claimed something about a $70 a month plan. I don't know if the link will work properly, but when i checked this page for the iPhone plan options it says 450 minutes a month is $40, unlimited texting is $20, and the data plan is $30. That totals out to $90 a month. There are other plan combinations you could get which would cost more, and other plan combinations you could get which would cost less, but if you want to compare apples to apples it's $60 for t-mobile's 500 minutes/unlimited/unlimited to at&t's $90 for 450 minutes/unlimited/unlimited.

Your statement only applies to cable modems. DSL is a little cheaper to get without a phone line. It's right here. No land line, and $40/mo. for the middle tier service. Right now, I have the middle tier service and no cable: I can watch Hulu just fine. I have a land line, so the bundle is a little cheaper: I pay $33/mo. You should realize that the cable companies are using their monopoly on the lines going to the house to exorbitantly raise your prices on the internet service unless you buy the television service.

I've been a no cable person for about twelve years now and not had a TV for about eight. With all the money I saved not paying cable bills each month, I can afford a really big monitor to watch movies, internet shows on and PBS with my over the air HD antenna and card. It's great. When I first started, I enjoyed going over to other people's houses to watch cable but in the last few years, every time I have turned on a television to watch cable, I've found myself channel surfing constantly and being amazed that anyone actually wants cable. I can easily miss the odd good show that I do want to watch (e.g. I'd love to be watching The Pacific, but I'm not going to get cable and HBO just for one show).

Indeed! So, Let's take a TomTom Go Live 740 (The most expensive one listed under car navigation) at $349.95. That's SatNav and one year of map updates free. One year of map updates is $39.80. That's a total of 389.75 for two years of SatNav and updated maps.

Take an average Sat-Nav capable phone (purposefully not choosing iPhone): HTC Pure on AT&T is $49.99 before you even start choosing your tariff, and requires a two year $30 per month data contract. That's already $769.99, and we haven't paid the $100 for your navigation app yet. Oh, and we also don't have the extra year of map updates.

I can't see the plans for this phone, as I'm not a US citizen, but already I can see that getting a smartphone for satnav capabilities is just idiotic. If you have other uses for the smartphone, then yes you're saving money.

Don't ever think that using your mobile phone as satellite navigation is the cheap option, though.

AT&T just announced their 3G microcell. According to Electronista it is $150.

No, there is no such thing as an USB gprs/3g modem with GPS. It makes no business sense whatsoever for manufacturers of devices to include GPS.

Tell that to AT&T.

http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/cell-phone-details/?device=AT%26T+USBConnect+Velocity&q_sku=sku4380265

If you have a laptop without GPS, you can turn it in to a large screen nav unit. So, why WOULDN'T you want it. Imagine running Google Maps on a nice 17" touch screen laptop.

What are you talking about?

wow, that's so many facts. you know, that battery life part doesn't matter considering that someone who is listening to music while doing something else might have it....oh, whats the phrase? plugged in? Able to plug it in later? irrelevant? Nice try.

try any of those.

tethering and carriers is bullshit. Why would they offer tethering plans if they can't handle it? Please remind me what

Smartphone Enterprise plus Tethering Add-on for BlackBerry Connect, Good, Microsoft Direct Push, or BlackBerry Enterprise Service8

are again, exactly? Remind me why the tethering plan is twice the cost of a data plan with exactly the same 5GB maximum allotment?

Flash: 1fps flash has nothing to do with it. I don't want flash on my device, but that was a big apple selling point was "we'll get flash one day" and one apple fans use frequently. I'd rather see HTML5 with ogg vorbis and yahoo using ogg vorbis. Decent flash support could be done if the companies (including adobe) take up the task. Again, I don't want it, but others do.

I promise you I'm not violating any agreement, and it's not in the contract. If you have a business account then the data plan costs $45, if you have a normal account, it's $30. You have no reason to get a business account, since it doesn't provide you any benefit.

I know everyone pretty much has that 5GB limit on the wireless broadband plan (which IS ridiculous if you want to download even 2 large files in a month), but here were my sources on the broadband caps:

Everything but personal has a 5GB cap: http://www.wireless.att.com/businesscenter/popup/dataconnect-comp-table.jsp
5GB soft limit: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9CFS57G0&show_article=1

If you tether, you definitely have a cap. Otherwise, it's up in the air. Looks like mostly rumors and bull on the internet, so I could be completely wrong. I have anecdotal evidence from friends about them getting a note about using too much bandwidth and to "consider another plan", but there's nothing other than those 2 links that I could find.

Some of my family members in Dallas have AT&T, and friends here outside of Philly/Delaware have AT&T. In both areas they go back and forth between 3G and EDGE all day, whereas the Verizon lads and lasses stay on 3G except in rare circumstances.

I just set a customer up with a USB 3G adapter from AT&T, and I don't remember the Connection Manager install being as bad as I expected, although it did take awhile. Since the connection was for a small office in a rural area (no cable or DSL, so 3G, satellite, and dialup were the only options), I set them up with a Netgear 3G router. No more AT&T software needed, and the owner can use his laptop on the wireless network, in addition to the desktop computer it was originally intended for.

So, you don't always need the dumb software.

To get the iPhone, I would need to sign up for a VERY expensive and long term contract. There is no way I'm spending a thousand dollars a year for a friggin phone.

Who modded this flaimbait? From ATT's own website, only the very cheapest plan (maximum 15-minutes-per-day average) is under $1000 / year, not counting the upfront price and miscellaneous ripoff fees I'm sure they add to the monthly bill. Overtime on that plan is 45 cents per minute (vs tracfone minutes at 20 cents per minute with no plan after the one-time $20 "double minutes" add-on).

The iPhone Unlimited Plan plus Unlimited Texts is $150 / month = $1800 / year (plus initial costs and miscellaneous monthly ripoff costs.) Wow!

Are you just trolling? It's right on their front page as the 5th flash advertisement. If you click on it it goes to:
http://www.att.com/wireless/iphone/

They also have a "quick link" in their menu right to the iPhone 3Gs page.

In the future, AT&T's 700 MHz spectrum holdings will provide the foundation for deployment of next-generation wireless broadband platforms such as HSPA+ and LTE.

The lack of AT&T in Europe, Asia, and the Pacific Rim would disprove that.

Oh really?

Spectrum licensing. Mobile carriers pay big bucks to license their spectrum.

AT&T's MicroCell (which is a UMTS base station) includes a GPS receiver and requires a GPS signal in order to operate, because it transmits only on frequencies licensed to AT&T in the area the device is being used. (Mobile carriers in the USA do not have nationwide spectrum licenses, and the frequencies they are permitted to use vary throughout the country.)

UMA is a great idea: basically, any WiFi hotspot that you can connect to become a "cell tower" (well, it routes cell phone traffic over a tunnel on the Internet, to T-Mo's network, so it basically becomes VoIP)

This isn't ideal: wifi uses more power than GSM or 3G.

This Femtocell idea is something that some of the other carriers are sort of testing (I have some relatives on Sprint who got one because there is very poor reception at their house).

It is being marketed by carriers: AT&T markets it as 3G MicroCell

whereas UMA would work with any Internet connection and most Wifi hotspots, which means that I could take advantage of it at other locations if they have WiFi (relatives or friends houses, school, work, shopping, etc) too.

The Internet connection must have sufficient bandwidth and performance characteristics. Seems like something you'd need to test at each location?

Even if the phones are jammed up it's possible that SMS texts (to Twitter) can go out because, according to AT&T[PDF] "Text messages often go through faster than wireless voice calls because they require fewer network resources. Most of AT&T's wireless devices are text- messaging capable."

I was under the impression that Verizon and Sprint happen not to.

Verizon.

Sprint (select "Mobile Broadband" toggle).

AT&T.

T-Mobile.

As to the notion that it's time to cut the POTS cord, I offer up Exhibit A, AT&T's own coverage map: http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer

Much of that area will NEVER have cell service, because mountains get in the way -- and this affects even some fair-sized cities, not just types like you and me who believe "if you can SEE the neighbours, they're too close!"

As to privatizing infrastructure... Police? Mafia. Education? Illiteracy, unless you're a monk. Roads? Mudholes from end to end. But otherwise... gov't, butt out!! Methinks we're in total agreement there :)

BTW love the restored truck website :D

"It sounds to me like Google lost alot of good will with such a high unsubsidized price."

They lost me. After many, many stories about free google cell phones supported by ads how can anyone not be disappointed by the $500 price?

I really don't see how Google thinks they'll sell any. $500+ is a huge bite, and $180 puts it in competition with $199 iPhone 3GS, so if you're deciding between the iPhone and Nexus price really isn't a factor. Couple that with 126,000+ iPhone apps vs 20,000 Android apps and the fact many Android apps don't run on lower-end Android phones doesn't inspire someone to purchase a Android phone.

Google seems to be shooting themselves in the foot, it would take a phone with lots of developer support to topple the iPhone. Only way to get developers is to show them the $$$$ like the iPhone does. Google needs to get the developers paid and make them millionaires like the iPhone does

You might be able to buy an iPhone in NYC, but you can't from AT&T's web site.

Try for yourself!

1. Go to http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/cell-phones/cell-phones.jsp
2. If you're outside of NYC, you'll see "Showing 69 standard phones or devices" and the iPhones listed immediately below.
3. Change your zip code to 10101 by clicking Update next to your location in the upper-right corner.
4. Now notice that it says "Showing 65 standard phones or devices." The iPhones are nowhere to be found.

Now, the reason that the CSR gave for iPhone being unavailable might not be correct, but you certainly can't buy an iPhone from the AT&T website in NYC.

http://www.att.com/ --> Wireless --> Shop/Cell Phones --> PDAs and Smartphones --> iPhone 3G. Opening the (last) iPhone link in another tab prompts me for my zip, followed by "not available in your area", *then* refreshing the list of phones in the previous tab *removes* iPhone from the listing.

"a GSM area" covers most of the United States.
http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/
http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/pcc.aspx

Java isn't platform independent; it is a platform.

Bjarne Stroustrup