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AT&T Wireless Phone "Upgrades" Aren't
An anonymous reader writes "AT&T Wireless is requiring customers in parts of California and New York and elsewhere to "upgrade" their phones and offering free replacements. The catch? In most cases the upgrades have worse features than the phones they're replacing."
Downgrades are upgrades.
(On a more serious note-- hey, if Microsoft can define 'repackaging old Apple, Xerox and Unix tech for the masses' as 'innovation', then sure, a downgrade can be an 'upgrade'. Businesses lying is nothing new.)
Honey, I shrunk the Cygwin
I may be ignorant, but don't you own the phone your provider gives you? If you take out a contract and get Phone A free, then a year later they give you Phone B as an 'upgrade' aren't Phones A and B both your property meaning that you can use the SIM card in Phone A and just eBay Phone B?
On topic, DUH. They aren't saying you HAVE to switch, they are just strongly suggesting it because it will improve your reception. And you forked out all that extra cash for a smart phone, you should be prepared to do it again. If AT&T was going to disable your phone, then it would be reasonable to make them replace it with the same thing. But as it is they are just offering you one of their standard phones free. If you still want all those extra features, you can pay again.
It's not extra nice, but it makes perfect sense to me. I don't think you can really falt AT&T for this. Sorry.
The OT part: I am seroiusly thinking about switching carries for my phone (I don't care about my current number, so that hassle doesn't factor in), and I'm seriously looking at AT&T. I was thinking of getting a Sony-Ericsson T610 (or T616, whatever they want to sell me) for it's bluetooth and java (and looks).
Is AT&T a very nice provider? How hard is it to use a bluetooth phone as a modem (you know, connect to the internet through it)? Where can I find directions on that?
But overall, how are people's expiriances with it?
PS: I'm in eastern Kansas if you know what the reception is like there
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
I'll keep using my T68i, and when they cut my service off, I'll demand a refund for my original phone. Then I'll take my business elsewhere.
AT&T shouldn't be forcing their customers to "upgrade" to anything. I smell a class-action lawsuit coming.
I like big butts and I cannot lie.
Place the blame on the correct group. You mean the FCC, right? After all it could have thought of a transition path that will move US to use the same frequencies as the rest of the world, but did not. I would not be amused if there was some Qualcom money behind this as well.
Baker's Law: Misery no longer loves company. Nowadays it insists on it
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So you're the guy who almost hit me today!