Cingular cell phone service - Cingular to change name

Author

Cingular to change name

Jackzwick

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

AT&T (really the old SBC) has gotten approval to swallow up Bell South.

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/...238026.php/AT&T
_wins_OK_for_$85B_Be
llSouth_deal

as part of that they say the Cingular name will go away,
to be replaced by AT&T

Jud Hardcastle

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

In article <jackzwick-2ECFEC.17584329122006@news.dallas.sbcglobal.net>,
jackzwick@yahoo.com says...
> as part of that they say the Cingular name will go away,
> to be replaced by AT&T
>
Not that my humble opinion is worth anything but I think changing (back)
to AT&T is *stupid* (but then IMO so is not offering TDMA or GAIT with
so much of the country still not GSM but that's another story). Couldn't
they use "AT&T Cingular" or something?
--
Jud
Dallas TX USA

decaturtxcowboy

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

karlkrandall@sbcglobal.net

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 14:19:23 -0600, decaturtxcowboy
< nope_none_@nowayspam
.com> wrote:

>Industry trade journals say the global name recognition of AT&T is worth
>the change.

99% of Cingular's business is stateside.

Robert Coe

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 17:03:13 -0600, karlkrandall@sbcglob
al.net wrote:
: On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 14:19:23 -0600, decaturtxcowboy
: < nope_none_@nowayspam
.com> wrote:
:
: >Industry trade journals say the global name recognition of AT&T is worth
: >the change.
:
:
: 99% of Cingular's business is stateside.

"Cingular" was a sappy name from the beginning. But amongst those of a certain
age, the name "AT&T" conjures up dark memories of the hated "Ma Bell". It's as
though George W. Bush tried to refurbish his reputation by calling himself
"Richard Milhous Cheney".

Anyway, the natural progression from "Cingular", now that they've swallowed
another company, would be "Doubular".

Bob

rjdriver

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

"Robert Coe" <bob@1776.COM> wrote in message
news:ur6ep295m3ikjhg
s3cnfspv3pgtodfqolh@
4ax.com...
> On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 17:03:13 -0600, karlkrandall@sbcglob
al.net wrote:
> : On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 14:19:23 -0600, decaturtxcowboy
> : < nope_none_@nowayspam
.com> wrote:
> :
> : >Industry trade journals say the global name recognition of AT&T is
> worth
> : >the change.
> :
> :
> : 99% of Cingular's business is stateside.
>
> "Cingular" was a sappy name from the beginning. But amongst those of a
> certain
> age, the name "AT&T" conjures up dark memories of the hated "Ma Bell".
> It's as
> though George W. Bush tried to refurbish his reputation by calling himself
> "Richard Milhous Cheney".
>
> Anyway, the natural progression from "Cingular", now that they've
> swallowed
> another company, would be "Doubular".
>
> Bob

[color=darkred]

Hated "Ma Bell"? What would that certain age be that hated "Ma Bell"?

Bob

Todd H.

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

"rjdriver" <rjdriversNOSPAM@cox.net> writes:
>
> Hated "Ma Bell"? What would that certain age be that hated
> "Ma Bell"?

Can't say exactly, but I can say mid 30's qualifies. I recall when ma
Bell controlled things with an expensive iron fist right down to
renting all your phones to you. You know the ones with the actualy
bell ringers that Gen X and beyond probably only know from the Matrix
movies.

--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/

karlkrandall@sbcglobal.net

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 21:19:54 -0500, Robert Coe <bob@1776.COM> wrote:

>On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 17:03:13 -0600, karlkrandall@sbcglob
al.net wrote:
>: On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 14:19:23 -0600, decaturtxcowboy
>: < nope_none_@nowayspam
.com> wrote:
>:
>: >Industry trade journals say the global name recognition of AT&T is worth
>: >the change.
>:
>:
>: 99% of Cingular's business is stateside.
>
>"Cingular" was a sappy name from the beginning. But amongst those of a certain
>age, the name "AT&T" conjures up dark memories of the hated "Ma Bell". It's as
>though George W. Bush tried to refurbish his reputation by calling himself
>"Richard Milhous Cheney".
>
>Anyway, the natural progression from "Cingular", now that they've swallowed
>another company, would be "Doubular".
>
>Bob

How about DroppedCallular

Jer

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

Todd H. wrote:
> "rjdriver" <rjdriversNOSPAM@cox.net> writes:
>
> Can't say exactly, but I can say mid 30's qualifies. I recall when ma
> Bell controlled things with an expensive iron fist right down to
> renting all your phones to you. You know the ones with the actualy
> bell ringers that Gen X and beyond probably only know from the Matrix
> movies.
>

That would be anyone who has fond personal memories of the Good Old
Days, no? Who's Matrix?

--
jer
email reply - I am not a 'ten'

Robert Coe

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 23:36:15 -0500, "rjdriver" <rjdriversNOSPAM@cox.net>
wrote:
: "Robert Coe" <bob@1776.COM> wrote in message
: news:ur6ep295m3ikjhg
s3cnfspv3pgtodfqolh@
4ax.com...
: > On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 17:03:13 -0600, karlkrandall@sbcglob
al.net wrote:
: > : On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 14:19:23 -0600, decaturtxcowboy
: > : < nope_none_@nowayspam
.com> wrote:
: > :
: > : >Industry trade journals say the global name recognition of AT&T is
: > worth
: > : >the change.
: > :
: > :
: > : 99% of Cingular's business is stateside.
: >
: > "Cingular" was a sappy name from the beginning. But amongst those of a
: > certain
: > age, the name "AT&T" conjures up dark memories of the hated "Ma Bell".
: > It's as
: > though George W. Bush tried to refurbish his reputation by calling himself
: > "Richard Milhous Cheney".
: >
: > Anyway, the natural progression from "Cingular", now that they've
: > swallowed
: > another company, would be "Doubular".
: >
: > Bob
:
:
: >> But amongst those of a certain age, the name "AT&T" conjures up dark
: >> memories of the hated "Ma Bell". <<
:
: Hated "Ma Bell"? What would that certain age be that hated "Ma Bell"?

In my case, 69. But you could be a lot younger. It was sometime in the 1970s
before a customer in the U.S. was explicitly allowed to attach his own phone
to the public network. Lots of us did it, of course, but we could have lost
our phone service if The Phone Company found out.

See if you can find the movie "The President's Analyst". It offers some
additional perspective. ;^)

Bob

Mij Adyaw

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

That is a good one.
>
>
> How about DroppedCallular

Jer

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

Robert Coe wrote:
> On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 23:36:15 -0500, "rjdriver" <rjdriversNOSPAM@cox.net>
> wrote:
> : "Robert Coe" <bob@1776.COM> wrote in message
> : news:ur6ep295m3ikjhg
s3cnfspv3pgtodfqolh@
4ax.com...
> : > On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 17:03:13 -0600, karlkrandall@sbcglob
al.net wrote:
> : > : On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 14:19:23 -0600, decaturtxcowboy
> : > : < nope_none_@nowayspam
.com> wrote:
> : > :
> : > : >Industry trade journals say the global name recognition of AT&T is
> : > worth
> : > : >the change.
> : > :
> : > :
> : > : 99% of Cingular's business is stateside.
> : >
> : > "Cingular" was a sappy name from the beginning. But amongst those of a
> : > certain
> : > age, the name "AT&T" conjures up dark memories of the hated "Ma Bell".
> : > It's as
> : > though George W. Bush tried to refurbish his reputation by calling himself
> : > "Richard Milhous Cheney".
> : >
> : > Anyway, the natural progression from "Cingular", now that they've
> : > swallowed
> : > another company, would be "Doubular".
> : >
> : > Bob
> :
> :
> : >> But amongst those of a certain age, the name "AT&T" conjures up dark
> : >> memories of the hated "Ma Bell". <<
> :
> : Hated "Ma Bell"? What would that certain age be that hated "Ma Bell"?
>
> In my case, 69. But you could be a lot younger. It was sometime in the 1970s
> before a customer in the U.S. was explicitly allowed to attach his own phone
> to the public network. Lots of us did it, of course, but we could have lost
> our phone service if The Phone Company found out.
>
> See if you can find the movie "The President's Analyst". It offers some
> additional perspective. ;^)
>
> Bob

Yup, art imitating life.

--
jer
email reply - I am not a 'ten'

Dennis Ferguson

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

On 2006-12-31, rjdriver <rjdriversNOSPAM@cox.net> wrote:
> "Robert Coe" <bob@1776.COM> wrote in message
>
> Hated "Ma Bell"? What would that certain age be that hated "Ma Bell"?

I got a job with (pre-Worldcom) MCI in 1994, and at the orientation
presentation on the first day of work they made us watch a movie about
how terrible Ma Bell was. They weren't fond of the Baby Bell RBOCs either.
All I remember about the movie was a group of little old ladies hitting
people with their umbrellas.

Between that and the dress code (even engineers had to wear ties??)
I always felt a bit out of place working there.

Dennis Ferguson

Jer

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

Dennis Ferguson wrote:
> On 2006-12-31, rjdriver <rjdriversNOSPAM@cox.net> wrote:
>
> I got a job with (pre-Worldcom) MCI in 1994, and at the orientation
> presentation on the first day of work they made us watch a movie about
> how terrible Ma Bell was. They weren't fond of the Baby Bell RBOCs either.
> All I remember about the movie was a group of little old ladies hitting
> people with their umbrellas.
>
> Between that and the dress code (even engineers had to wear ties??)
> I always felt a bit out of place working there.
>
> Dennis Ferguson

Somehow, being compelled to watch an corporate orientation film of
little old ladies beating other people with umbrellas *and* having to
wear typical office garb seems to fit into Ebbers' accounting models and
justifiable end. Questions can be referred to the penitentiary in
Mississippi c/o the Fabulous Five Finger Discount Team.

--
jer
email reply - I am not a 'ten'

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

mij, don't give up your day job of promoting your domain >
TheBitBucket.com

In article <qbUlh.38751$sp7.31386@newsfe14.phx>,
"Mij Adyaw" <mij@TheBitBucket.com> wrote:

> That is a good one.
>
>

SinghaLvr

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

On Sun, 31 Dec 2006 18:03:44 -0500, Dennis Ferguson wrote
(in article <slrnepggeg.85.dcferguson@dhcp-floor2-sw-133.juniper.net> ):

>
> Between that and the dress code (even engineers had to wear ties??)
> I always felt a bit out of place working there.

UPS and IBM remained like that for a long time as well.

SinghaLvr

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 23:39:37 -0500, Todd H. wrote
(in article <84wt48znjq.fsf@ripco.com> ):

> Can't say exactly, but I can say mid 30's qualifies. I recall when ma
> Bell controlled things with an expensive iron fist right down to
> renting all your phones to you. You know the ones with the actualy
> bell ringers that Gen X and beyond probably only know from the Matrix
> movies.

Mid 30's? I think you need to add a decade or so on that. :-)

In any event ... this isn't the old AT&T. This is SBC who swallowed up AT&T
and decided to keep the AT&T name and branding. (Smart move IMHO).

So ... depending on how long you've been an AT&T / Cingular customer your
bills looked something like this:

AT&T --> AT&T Mobility --> Cingular --> at&t

Now throw the old BellSouth mobility in the mix and you are certain to be
confused. :-)

Dave

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

rjdriver wrote:

>
>
> Hated "Ma Bell"? What would that certain age be that hated "Ma Bell"?
>
>
> Bob
>
>

What was hated was the pricing and lack of innovation. The pricing was
deemed necessary for universal service and lack of innovation because
they had a monopoly. Service and reliability were second to none. A
college room mate when to London on spring break in the 1970's.
Previously he hated Ma Bell because of the pricing but after visiting
London with they poor quality and reliability of calls and long waits
for new phone service (weeks to months) he said he would never complain
about Ma Bell again.

decaturtxcowboy

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

karlkrandall@sbcglob
al.net wrote:
> On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 14:19:23 -0600, decaturtxcowboy
> < nope_none_@nowayspam
.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> 99% of Cingular's business is stateside.

As obvious as that is, apparently that was irrelevant to their decision
when compared to brand recognition.

decaturtxcowboy

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

Dave wrote:
> Previously he hated Ma Bell because of the pricing but after visiting
> London with they poor quality and reliability of calls and long waits
> for new phone service (weeks to months) he said he would never complain
> about Ma Bell again.

It was like thirty years ago someone told me the wait for new phone service
in Italy was several years.

Todd H.

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

SinghaLvr <singhalvr@charter.net> writes:

> On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 23:39:37 -0500, Todd H. wrote
> (in article <84wt48znjq.fsf@ripco.com> ):
>
>
> Mid 30's? I think you need to add a decade or so on that. :-)

Perhaps I started hating utility monopolies a decade before you did. :-)

--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/

SinghaLvr

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

On Mon, 1 Jan 2007 12:38:55 -0500, Todd H. wrote
(in article <841wmeejf4.fsf@ripco.com> ):

> SinghaLvr <singhalvr@charter.net> writes:
>
>
> Perhaps I started hating utility monopolies a decade before you did. :-)
>
> --
> Todd H.
> http://www.toddh.net/

I'd say since the lawsuit to break them up was initiated in 1974.
(Of course it wasn't implemented until '84)

Drewdawg

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

Jud Hardcastle wrote:[color=darkred
]
> In article
> <jackzwick-2ECFEC.17584329122006@news.dallas.sbcglobal.net>,
> jackzwick@yahoo.com says...
<snip> Couldn't they use "AT&T Cingular" or something?

As someone from southern California I'd have to say "NO!" only becuase I
lived thru "Robinsons May" (after "Robinsons" and "May Company" stores
merged.) Now they're Macy's though they should be May Co. because it's the
main company and it's a SoCal name.

Todd H.

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

SinghaLvr <singhalvr@charter.net> writes:

> On Mon, 1 Jan 2007 12:38:55 -0500, Todd H. wrote
> (in article <841wmeejf4.fsf@ripco.com> ):
>
>
> I'd say since the lawsuit to break them up was initiated in 1974.
> (Of course it wasn't implemented until '84)

Yeah.... I've been a consumer advocate sort since well before they
gave me a driver's license. Siblings tell me I moved a phone outlet
from one unused room to my own before I finished middle school. They
say it was an unhealthy byproduct of early exposure to electrical
engineers in the family. :-)

--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/

SinghaLvr

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

On Mon, 1 Jan 2007 23:02:39 -0500, Todd H. wrote
(in article <84r6ue849s.fsf@ripco.com> ):

> Yeah.... I've been a consumer advocate sort since well before they
> gave me a driver's license. Siblings tell me I moved a phone outlet
> from one unused room to my own before I finished middle school. They
> say it was an unhealthy byproduct of early exposure to electrical
> engineers in the family. :-)
>
> --
> Todd H.
> http://www.toddh.net/

ROFL! Love it!

SMS

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

Jud Hardcastle wrote:
> In article <jackzwick-2ECFEC.17584329122006@news.dallas.sbcglobal.net>,
> jackzwick@yahoo.com says...
> Not that my humble opinion is worth anything but I think changing (back)
> to AT&T is *stupid* (but then IMO so is not offering TDMA or GAIT with
> so much of the country still not GSM but that's another story). Couldn't
> they use "AT&T Cingular" or something?

Perhaps they see the name change as a way of a fresh start, given their
poor showing in surveys on quality and service.

AT&T Wireless once had an excellent reputation, it was the investment by
NTT Docomo, and the accompanying mandate to migrate to GSM (rather than
CDMA as they had originally planned), that caused their decline after
the horribly botched TDMA to GSM conversion.

"By the end of 1997, AT&T Wireless had become by far the nation's
largest cellular provider. It led the industry, creating the first
national coverage plan with no roaming or long-distance fees.

The company received numerous awards for excellent service, and by 2000
several publications, including Forbes and PC Magazine, had named it the
country's best wireless network."

Maybe Cingular is hoping to recreate the AT&T brand as a premium brand.

SMS

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

Jud Hardcastle wrote:
> In article <jackzwick-2ECFEC.17584329122006@news.dallas.sbcglobal.net>,
> jackzwick@yahoo.com says...
> Not that my humble opinion is worth anything but I think changing (back)
> to AT&T is *stupid* (but then IMO so is not offering TDMA or GAIT with
> so much of the country still not GSM but that's another story). Couldn't
> they use "AT&T Cingular" or something?

I think that the TDMA portion of GAIT has ceased to be necessary, but
there are still a lot of areas where AMPS capability is very useful.

Last week I was in the Florida Everglades, happily roaming onto
Cingular's AMPS network from my Verizon phone, while Cingular's own GSM
customers had no coverage at all.

Yesterday I was in Yosemite, and large areas of the park, and the
northern and central roads into the park (140 & 120), have AMPS coverage
from Golden State Cellular, while only a small portion (Yosemite Valley)
has digital coverage on GSM or CDMA.

You can be sure that Cingular will turn of their AMPS networks the
instant they are legally allowed to do so, since these networks are
helping their competitors provide superior coverage, especially in the
few areas where Cingular owns both the A & B side legacy networks (such
as in South Florida). However the smaller carriers, such as Golden State
Cellular, which cover large, sparsely populated, areas will not turn off
AMPS until they are able to replace the AMPS coverage with digital.

Drew

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

This really is a disappointment to me. I had AT&T back when I had a
TDMA phone, and I liked their service, and at the time I liked the
name. However, now that AT&T and Cingular merged, I was getting quite
used to the Cingular name. It just fits for some reason.

Maybe the statistics show that AT&T is a more "marketable" name, but
the Cingular name has come to stick. Now Cingular even has phones that
they call their own. Cingular 8525 for example. How are they going to
pull that off with the rebranding? It just doesn't sound good.

Looks like they're just being greedy and want to swallow out all of the
old names, and keep the AT&T the *only* brand. Really disappointing.

SMS

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

Drew wrote:
> This really is a disappointment to me. I had AT&T back when I had a
> TDMA phone, and I liked their service, and at the time I liked the
> name. However, now that AT&T and Cingular merged, I was getting quite
> used to the Cingular name. It just fits for some reason.
>
> Maybe the statistics show that AT&T is a more "marketable" name, but
> the Cingular name has come to stick. Now Cingular even has phones that
> they call their own. Cingular 8525 for example. How are they going to
> pull that off with the rebranding? It just doesn't sound good.
>
> Looks like they're just being greedy and want to swallow out all of the
> old names, and keep the AT&T the *only* brand. Really disappointing.

The Cingular name has some problems.

First, it sounds too much like the asthma medication Singulair.

Second, as a carrier, Cingular has a very poor reputation for quality
and customer service as evidenced by surveys by J.D. Power, Yankee
Group, and Consumer Reports. In the western region, where Cingular
started out as a 1900 MHz GSM-only carrier, and never had a TDMA
network, the reputation is absolutely horrible.

No doubt the AT&T executives believe that the Cingular name has too much
baggage associated with it, and that a name change will held shed that
baggage.

Personally I doubt the wisdom of the name change. They should fix the
problems that cause them to get the poor ratings, rather than spending
money on re-branding. But then I guess the AT&T execs know better than
any of us.

Porgy Tirebiter

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

Rest assured.....

The AT&T name is still considered a bag of shit.
AT&T has always been known as a back-stabbing, god-awful company to do
business with on ALL fronts.
The merger of AT&T and Cingular has been compared to "Dumb & Dumber"

nospam

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

On Tue, 2 Jan 2007 21:35:55 -0500, Porgy Tirebiter wrote
(in article <fEEmh.31499$Gr2.17398@newssvr21.news.prodigy.net> ):

>
> Rest assured.....
>
> The AT&T name is still considered a bag of shit.
> AT&T has always been known as a back-stabbing, god-awful company to do
> business with on ALL fronts.
> The merger of AT&T and Cingular has been compared to "Dumb & Dumber"
>
>

How eloquent.

Dave

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

AT&T Wireless reputation was pretty much in the dumper when they were
bought out by Cingular. AT&& Wireless knew they were being sold and
quality went way down and they sustained their customer base by giving
away the store as far as additional minutes to keep customers from leaving.

SMS wrote:
> Drew wrote:
>
> The Cingular name has some problems.
>
> First, it sounds too much like the asthma medication Singulair.
>
> Second, as a carrier, Cingular has a very poor reputation for quality
> and customer service as evidenced by surveys by J.D. Power, Yankee
> Group, and Consumer Reports. In the western region, where Cingular
> started out as a 1900 MHz GSM-only carrier, and never had a TDMA
> network, the reputation is absolutely horrible.
>
> No doubt the AT&T executives believe that the Cingular name has too much
> baggage associated with it, and that a name change will held shed that
> baggage.
>
> Personally I doubt the wisdom of the name change. They should fix the
> problems that cause them to get the poor ratings, rather than spending
> money on re-branding. But then I guess the AT&T execs know better than
> any of us.

SMS

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

Dave wrote:
> AT&T Wireless reputation was pretty much in the dumper when they were
> bought out by Cingular. AT&& Wireless knew they were being sold and
> quality went way down and they sustained their customer base by giving
> away the store as far as additional minutes to keep customers from leaving.

True, but non-AT&T Wireless customers, about 75% of total subscribers,
don't have that experience to remember. AT&T Wireless customers that
left prior to the plunge in quality and service still have good memories
of AT&T. I recall when my wife's purse was stolen with her AT&T Wireless
phone. They sent out a new handset, and didn't even charge us for it,
though we had no insurance on the phone, and though her rate plan was a
very inexpensive plan ($10 per month and 25¢ per minute).

AT&T had excellent customer service and the best rate plans for quite a
few years. Since I was long gone from AT&T by the time they went into
the dumper, I only know of the issues from disgruntled customers.

In my area, the corporate customers mostly moved to Verizon when AT&T
began to deteriorate. At the time there was really no other option as
Cingular was just starting operations in my area and their network was
very poor (a 1900 MHz only GSM network), and Sprint has always had poor
coverage in my area.

SinghaLvr

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

On Wed, 3 Jan 2007 12:16:30 -0500, SMS wrote
(in article < 459be4e9$0$68990$742
ec2ed@news.sonic.net> ):

> Dave wrote:
>
> True, but non-AT&T Wireless customers, about 75% of total subscribers,
> don't have that experience to remember. AT&T Wireless customers that
> left prior to the plunge in quality and service still have good memories
> of AT&T. I recall when my wife's purse was stolen with her AT&T Wireless
> phone. They sent out a new handset, and didn't even charge us for it,
> though we had no insurance on the phone, and though her rate plan was a
> very inexpensive plan ($10 per month and 25¢ per minute).
>
> AT&T had excellent customer service and the best rate plans for quite a
> few years. Since I was long gone from AT&T by the time they went into
> the dumper, I only know of the issues from disgruntled customers.
>
> In my area, the corporate customers mostly moved to Verizon when AT&T
> began to deteriorate. At the time there was really no other option as
> Cingular was just starting operations in my area and their network was
> very poor (a 1900 MHz only GSM network), and Sprint has always had poor
> coverage in my area.

I think many customers have nostalgic feelings toward AT&T. Even when
thinking about the big ol' monopoly. The problem of course is that after the
phone company was broken into the Regional Bells many of the bells had
horrible service in comparison with what AT&T used to provide. Even worse
most persons didn't have a choice for local service but to use their now
castrated local Bell company. (I personally remember horrible experiences
with Bell Atlantic when we used to have decent service with AT&T.) I don't
remember the bill going down after the break-up either. (Other than for Long
Distance and phone rental fees).

SMS

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

SinghaLvr wrote:

> I think many customers have nostalgic feelings toward AT&T.

Or at least that's what the AT&T execs hope.

Consumers have very negative feelings toward AT&T's long distance
services, which engaged in very deceptive marketing for many years.
Remember all those promises of multiple monthly credits to your phone
bill if you agreed to switch to AT&T LD. The credits usually ended up to
be far less than the telemarketer promised, but of course since you had
no written agreement you were screwed.

Personally, I had only good experiences with AT&T Wireless, but I left
prior to their decline. If someone has been living in a cave, and
doesn't realize that the new AT&T Wireless is simply Cingular, then they
may mistakenly switch to it, expecting more than they're going to get.

SinghaLvr

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

On Fri, 5 Jan 2007 06:04:04 -0500, SMS wrote
(in article < 459e30a5$0$68960$742
ec2ed@news.sonic.net> ):

>
> Or at least that's what the AT&T execs hope.
>
> Consumers have very negative feelings toward AT&T's long distance
> services, which engaged in very deceptive marketing for many years.
> Remember all those promises of multiple monthly credits to your phone
> bill if you agreed to switch to AT&T LD. The credits usually ended up to
> be far less than the telemarketer promised, but of course since you had
> no written agreement you were screwed.
>
> Personally, I had only good experiences with AT&T Wireless, but I left
> prior to their decline. If someone has been living in a cave, and
> doesn't realize that the new AT&T Wireless is simply Cingular, then they
> may mistakenly switch to it, expecting more than they're going to get.

I was mostly referring to "the last mile" service. AT&T knows that there is
no more money in LD any more (or even in local telephone service anymore
either). It's in data, mobile and media communications now.If they can be
the high-value provider in THAT market then perhaps they had something.

On the broadband front they are going to have to do better than BellSouth was
doing. They were getting their butts kicked by cable ten ways to Sunday. (I
have to chuckle a bit ... how bad do you have to be before the cable company
becomes the high-value provider!?!)

Sherry

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote in
news:459e30a5$0$6896
0$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net:

<snip>
>
> Personally, I had only good experiences with AT&T Wireless, but I
> left prior to their decline. If someone has been living in a cave,
> and doesn't realize that the new AT&T Wireless is simply Cingular,
> then they may mistakenly switch to it, expecting more than they're
> going to get.

We stuck with AT&T to the end - we never had any problems.. When we
renewed our service, we stuck with Cingular, thinking that since they
had taken over AT&T we wouldn't be considered a new customer. WRONG!
We had to pay an activation fee and didn't have an option for a free
upgrade as we had in the past with AT&T. Left a bitter taste in our
mouth.

Cingluar is rated 3rd in our area by Consumer Reports. We thought
about going with T-Mobile (#1 in our area) however their packages don't
save us any $$ compared to Cingular, the activation fee is greater than
what Cingular charged and none of the phones got me excited enough to
switch. Haven't looked at Verizon and probably will just stay with
Cingular. Their customer service has been decent, which is good. I
reported a dropped call area and that was quickly fixed.

As for the Cingular stores, I've found the quality of employees to be
variable between stores. One of the stores is manned by a bunch of
disinterested "kids" (one day when I walked in the store, they were
pushing each other around the store in the office chairs!), another
store is manned by some very knowledegable adults.

I think the break-up of AT&T was such a disaster and big mistake!!

Sherry

Elmo P. Shagnasty

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

In article < 459e30a5$0$68960$742
ec2ed@news.sonic.net>,
SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

> Remember all those promises of multiple monthly credits to your phone
> bill if you agreed to switch to AT&T LD. The credits usually ended up to
> be far less than the telemarketer promised, but of course since you had
> no written agreement you were screwed.

hehehehehe Many years ago I got two simultaneous offers--one per phone
line--from AT&T. These were checks for $100; according to the very fine
print on the back, my cashing the check was authorization for AT&T to
switch me to their long distance service.

I happily did so, knowing full well I had a long-standing PIC freeze on
each line.

Sure enough, my LD provider never changed.

A couple months later I got an angry call from some manager at AT&T. He
knew what the story was, but he was doing his damnedest to make me
change over. I toyed with him a few minutes, laughed, and hung up.
Boy, was he mad.

And I had $200 in my pocket.

Hey, it's a rough world out there...and AT&T knows ALL ABOUT things like
PIC freezes. They want to play the old "oh, we'll do it for you" game
when it benefits them, but they don't want to bother to check for such a
freeze FIRST before sending me the offer.

Too bad, so sad.

SMS

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:
> In article < 459e30a5$0$68960$742
ec2ed@news.sonic.net>,
> SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:
>
>
> hehehehehe Many years ago I got two simultaneous offers--one per phone
> line--from AT&T. These were checks for $100; according to the very fine
> print on the back, my cashing the check was authorization for AT&T to
> switch me to their long distance service.
>
> I happily did so, knowing full well I had a long-standing PIC freeze on
> each line.

Well I did the same thing (with a $50 check), but I never got enough
back that way to compensate for what an earlier telephone offer
promised. They had offered six months of $30 per month credits, which
turned into, IIRC, six $15 credits. A coworker got the same offer and
was similarly screwed by AT&T.

No one ever called me to demand that I actually switch by releasing the
freeze, after I cashed the check, but IIRC, I got a letter explaining
that I needed to release the freeze in order to change to AT&T.

It's amazing to me the prices some people are still paying for long
distance, including intra-LATA. With something like TalkLoop, you pay
only 2¢ per minute, and it's very convenient with their no-PIN dialing,
and the ability to store frequently called numbers in their system. It's
a lot cheaper even for calls within the Bay Area, since AT&T charges 6¢
per minute for a call that's only going about 35 miles away. The only
time I really went crazy was when I needed to send a FAX to a number
that was not local. I ended up signing up for Faxaway, which charges $1
per month and about 10¢ for every five pages sent (free incoming).

Elmo P. Shagnasty

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

In article < 459e812e$0$68949$742
ec2ed@news.sonic.net>,
SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

> It's amazing to me the prices some people are still paying for long
> distance, including intra-LATA. With something like TalkLoop, you pay
> only 2¢ per minute, and it's very convenient with their no-PIN dialing,
> and the ability to store frequently called numbers in their system.

Or pick any VOIP provider, and do it all for a single, simple price.

I chose Sunrocket at $200 for two years, all up all in.

SMS

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:
> In article < 459e812e$0$68949$742
ec2ed@news.sonic.net>,
> SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:
>
>
> Or pick any VOIP provider, and do it all for a single, simple price.
>
> I chose Sunrocket at $200 for two years, all up all in.

The problem is that the single, simple price, is rarely a bargain,
unless you are dropping your landline anyway.

The Sunrocket web site shows $199 per year. The $199 for two years was a
promotion for 1000 customers, that's long gone.

I could never use $200 worth of long distance, at 2¢ per minute, in one
year, and I have to keep my landline anyway since cable would be far
more expensive than DSL.

I think that most of the people I know are in the same boat, since they
use their cell phone for most long distance calls either, off-peak, or
with free mobile to mobile. Even using the $10 per six month minimum
(500 minutes) on Talkloop or Onesuite is tough. The big use of Talkloop
for some people I know is internationally, and their rates are a lot
lower than Sunrocket. The big use of Talkloop for me is intra-LATA calls
in the Bay Area during peak hours when I don't want to use up my peak
cell minutes.

Kurt

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

In article < 459e30a5$0$68960$742
ec2ed@news.sonic.net>,
SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

> SinghaLvr wrote:
>
>
> Or at least that's what the AT&T execs hope.
>
> Consumers have very negative feelings toward AT&T's long distance
> services, which engaged in very deceptive marketing for many years.
> Remember all those promises of multiple monthly credits to your phone
> bill if you agreed to switch to AT&T LD. The credits usually ended up to
> be far less than the telemarketer promised, but of course since you had
> no written agreement you were screwed.
>
> Personally, I had only good experiences with AT&T Wireless, but I left
> prior to their decline. If someone has been living in a cave, and
> doesn't realize that the new AT&T Wireless is simply Cingular, then they
> may mistakenly switch to it, expecting more than they're going to get.

ATT wireless was decent. The Cingular takeover forced me to give up the
best phone I ever had - a Startac for a newer crappier phone. Held on to
my ATT account as long as I could, but I started getting treated like
the bastard stepchild by billing and customer service.

Happy with my Treo, but the Cingualr service has been less than stellar.

Even worse for Treo buyers was all the firmware they built in like
Express mail and MediaNet that doesn't work on a Treo. Spent a lot of
time with customer support trying to get that worked out. Only the Treo
support knew of the incompatibility.
Great minds at work here.

--
To reply by email, remove the word "space"

Jeffrey Kaplan

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

It is alleged that Kurt claimed:

> Even worse for Treo buyers was all the firmware they built in like
> Express mail and MediaNet that doesn't work on a Treo. Spent a lot of

MediaNet is just the name of the data service, it's not anything extra
loaded into the Treo. Besides, stuff like XPress Mail is in ROM, where
it doesn't take up any extra space. The Treo 650 also has Versamail,
the Palm-standard email client.

--
Jeffrey Kaplan www.gordol.org
The from userid is killfiled Send personal mail to gordol

Peter's Top 100 Things I'd Do If I Ever Became An Evil Overlord, #201.
All giant serpents acting as guardians in underground lakes will be
fitted with sports goggles to prevent eye injuries.

Kurt

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

In article < rbvtp2hi9u75mfa6jmuc
dmjsujpr4fqisc@gordo
l.org>,
Jeffrey Kaplan <nomail@gordol.org> wrote:

> It is alleged that Kurt claimed:
>
>
> MediaNet is just the name of the data service, it's not anything extra
> loaded into the Treo. Besides, stuff like XPress Mail is in ROM, where
> it doesn't take up any extra space. The Treo 650 also has Versamail,
> the Palm-standard email client.

Yes, but the fact that that they hard coded it into the Treo menu is
unexcusible.
VersaMail is the correct default mail program, but who would know trying
to use their Cingular Treo out of the box when VersaMail is the top icon?

--
To reply by email, remove the word "space"

SinghaLvr

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

On Fri, 5 Jan 2007 11:16:43 -0500, Sherry wrote
(in article < Xns98AF543962047Tans
yRagwortNetscape@216
.196.97.142> ):

> Cingluar is rated 3rd in our area by Consumer Reports. We thought
> about going with T-Mobile (#1 in our area)

My wife uses t-mobile. They are absolutely fantastic in the customer service
area. We've never had a problem on any front with them.

The only drawback is that they aren't exactly on the bleeding edge of
technology.

SinghaLvr

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

On Fri, 5 Jan 2007 11:47:41 -0500, SMS wrote
(in article < 459e812e$0$68949$742
ec2ed@news.sonic.net> ):

> It's amazing to me the prices some people are still paying for long
> distance, including intra-LATA. With something like TalkLoop, you pay
> only 2¢ per minute, and it's very convenient with their no-PIN dialing,
> and the ability to store frequently called numbers in their system. It's
> a lot cheaper even for calls within the Bay Area, since AT&T charges 6¢
> per minute for a call that's only going about 35 miles away. The only
> time I really went crazy was when I needed to send a FAX to a number
> that was not local. I ended up signing up for Faxaway, which charges $1
> per month and about 10¢ for every five pages sent (free incoming).

.... or just use your cell phone and not pay long distance.

Kurt

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

In article <labolide-03CB87.18094605012007@news.giganews.com>,
Kurt <labolide@spacegmail.com> wrote:

> In article < rbvtp2hi9u75mfa6jmuc
dmjsujpr4fqisc@gordo
l.org>,
> Jeffrey Kaplan <nomail@gordol.org> wrote:
>
>
> Yes, but the fact that that they hard coded it into the Treo menu is
> unexcusible.
> VersaMail is the correct default mail program, but who would know trying
> to use their Cingular Treo out of the box when VersaMail is the top icon?

I meant:
VersaMail is the correct default mail program, but who would know trying
to use their Cingular Treo out of the box when XpressMail is the top
icon?

--
To reply by email, remove the word "space"

Kurt

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

In article <0001HW. C1C4E38401BFDED7F020
3648@news.giganews.com>,
SinghaLvr <singhalvr@charter.net> wrote:

> On Fri, 5 Jan 2007 11:16:43 -0500, Sherry wrote
> (in article < Xns98AF543962047Tans
yRagwortNetscape@216
.196.97.142> ):
>
>
> My wife uses t-mobile. They are absolutely fantastic in the customer service
> area. We've never had a problem on any front with them.
>
> The only drawback is that they aren't exactly on the bleeding edge of
> technology.

Yes, but looking around these days, who is?

--
To reply by email, remove the word "space"

SMS

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

SinghaLvr wrote:
> On Fri, 5 Jan 2007 11:47:41 -0500, SMS wrote
> (in article < 459e812e$0$68949$742
ec2ed@news.sonic.net> ):
>
>
> ... or just use your cell phone and not pay long distance.

It's fine if you have a plan with a lot of minutes, but it's often
cheaper to go with a lower minute plan and not use your peak minutes up
for non-mobile calls. I.e., I have a Verizon plan where I pay $28 per
month for 300 minutes.

Thurman

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

"Kurt" <labolide@spacegmail.com> wrote in message
news:labolide-2CF9A8.08565006012007@news.giganews.com...
> In article <0001HW. C1C4E38401BFDED7F020
3648@news.giganews.com>,
> SinghaLvr <singhalvr@charter.net> wrote:
>
>
> Yes, but looking around these days, who is?

I consider my 8525 to raise the bar for technology.

My only complaints are:
Pocket Media Player, will not play cda files that play on WinXP Media
Player.
The included earbuds were apparently assembled by a 6 year old on his first
day at work in China; one strand is 6" long, the other is 20" long. It's
like being a Labrador Retriever in a perpetual hard turn with the connecting
wires hanging to one side.
There is some flexibility in re-assigning keys, but I don't think PTT is one
of them. PTT is located under the scroll bar and the 'Windows' button, so it
constantly pops up due to my clumsiness.

Jeffrey Kaplan

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

It is alleged that Thurman claimed:

> My only complaints are:
> Pocket Media Player, will not play cda files that play on WinXP Media
> Player.

cda files are "CD Audio", they exist on CDs only. Rip/convert to mp3
or wma.

> The included earbuds were apparently assembled by a 6 year old on his first
> day at work in China; one strand is 6" long, the other is 20" long. It's

That would be because they're designed to hang down on one side only.
Put the shorter one in your ear, then loop the other one around the
back of your neck to your other ear.

--
Jeffrey Kaplan www.gordol.org
The from userid is killfiled Send personal mail to gordol

"Then, as you so concisely say, 'Boom.'" (G'kar, B5 "Z'Ha'Dum")

Jeffrey Kaplan

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

It is alleged that Kurt claimed:

>
> Yes, but the fact that that they hard coded it into the Treo menu is
> unexcusible.

That's like complaining that your broadband provider "hard coded" their
network data into your computer's networking settings.

MediaNet is the name of the data service. The settings under
"MediaNet" are the settings needed to access the service. I fail to
see the problem.

> VersaMail is the correct default mail program, but who would know trying
> to use their Cingular Treo out of the box when VersaMail is the top icon?

Um, because it's "the top icon"?

--
Jeffrey Kaplan www.gordol.org
The from userid is killfiled Send personal mail to gordol

Tips for the Innocent Bystander: 30. Learn to control sneezing,
coughing, and other bodily noises so that you won't give yourself away
when you're trying to hide from tyrannosaurs, henchmen, etc.

Kurt

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

In article < 2t10q25ug54f7jm7vdd9
nn1vg1blseomc5@gordo
l.org>,
Jeffrey Kaplan <nomail@gordol.org> wrote:

> It is alleged that Kurt claimed:
>
>
> That's like complaining that your broadband provider "hard coded" their
> network data into your computer's networking settings.

Do you actually know anything about the Treo?
>
> MediaNet is the name of the data service. The settings under
> "MediaNet" are the settings needed to access the service. I fail to
> see the problem.
>
Medianet is incompatible with the Treo.

>
> Um, because it's "the top icon"?

Because you have two mail programs installed by Cingular, XpressMail is
incompatible with Treo.

--
To reply by email, remove the word "space"

Jeffrey Kaplan

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

It is alleged that Kurt claimed:

>
> Do you actually know anything about the Treo?

Does the fact that I used a Treo 650 for over a year and a half and
upgraded to a 680 about three weeks ago count? I'm currently active on
the Treo list at Yahoo, as well as several program-specific lists. And
I've been using Palms since the IIIx was current. I may not be an
ubergeek with it, but I think I know what I'm talking about.

> Medianet is incompatible with the Treo.

Just because Cingular wants to sell you their unlimited PDA Connect for
another $40/month doesn't mean that MediaNet doesn't work. It works
just fine for me. It's just the name of a data service.

> Because you have two mail programs installed by Cingular, XpressMail is
> incompatible with Treo.

I think I used XPressMail once, way back in June of '05 when I got my
first Treo. I thought it sucked. It worked, but it sucked. Versamail,
as maligned as it is by a lot of people, is a lot better than
XpressMail. If it were incompatible with the Treo, it wouldn't even
load and run.

--
Jeffrey Kaplan www.gordol.org
The from userid is killfiled Send personal mail to gordol

"The illiteracy level of our children are appalling." - George W. Bush,
Jan 23, 2004

Thurman

2007-01-06, 10:34 pm

"Jeffrey Kaplan" <nomail@gordol.org> wrote in message
news:3o10q21va5vgeu8
cdc0ti20jmmn4ee0vqb@
gordol.org...
> It is alleged that Thurman claimed:
>
>
> cda files are "CD Audio", they exist on CDs only. Rip/convert to mp3
> or wma.
>
>
> That would be because they're designed to hang down on one side only.
> Put the shorter one in your ear, then loop the other one around the
> back of your neck to your other ear.

LOL!

I thought you were going to tell me to wrap the 20" cord around my neck and
jump!

Thanks for the tips.

Kurt

2007-01-07, 10:33 pm

In article < sh90q29j0iq5s71rppde
cg4plt7fs5hl2r@gordo
l.org>,
Jeffrey Kaplan <nomail@gordol.org> wrote:

> It is alleged that Kurt claimed:
>
>
> Does the fact that I used a Treo 650 for over a year and a half and
> upgraded to a 680 about three weeks ago count? I'm currently active on
> the Treo list at Yahoo, as well as several program-specific lists. And
> I've been using Palms since the IIIx was current. I may not be an
> ubergeek with it, but I think I know what I'm talking about.

Good, read my comments further.
BTW- why the upgrade? 680, from all the reviews, has shortcomings like
diminished battery life. Blazer's apparently a little quicker, but I
don't see the big deal - especially since you aren't on a data plan.
>
>
> Just because Cingular wants to sell you their unlimited PDA Connect for
> another $40/month doesn't mean that MediaNet doesn't work. It works
> just fine for me. It's just the name of a data service.

Had my Treo for almost 2 years. Intially tried to set up MediaNet. This
was before I had any data plan. Wouldn't work. Was told from the get-go
that MediaNet would not work with Treo. They, on many occasions, have
told me that this is for cell phones only, not Treo. Spent a lot of time
with Cingular with this.
If you actually use it on your 650/680 - proof how screwed up Cingular
is with Treo support.
>
>
> I think I used XPressMail once, way back in June of '05 when I got my
> first Treo. I thought it sucked. It worked, but it sucked. Versamail,
> as maligned as it is by a lot of people, is a lot better than
> XpressMail. If it were incompatible with the Treo, it wouldn't even
> load and run.

Xpressmail would not work, and Cingular support said it was
compatibility issues with Treo.

--
To reply by email, remove the word "space"

Jeffrey Kaplan

2007-01-08, 12:33 pm

It is alleged that Kurt claimed:

> Good, read my comments further.

Ok...

> BTW- why the upgrade? 680, from all the reviews, has shortcomings like
> diminished battery life. Blazer's apparently a little quicker, but I
> don't see the big deal - especially since you aren't on a data plan.

The 650 has ~24MB of on-board storage and the 680 has 69MB. The 650
has 8MB of dbcache and the 680 has 24M. I actually mostly like the new
phone app on the 680. The 680 not only has better audio quality in the
phone, it also gets better reception despite the lack of an external
antenna (real-world testing, not just product blurbs). And a few other
tweaks here and there, like the card slots no longer being exposed.

Yes, the battery life is shorter, it is a smaller battery. But the
"battery drain" issue mostly goes away within a week if you do some
battery conditioning and leave BT and the data radios off except when
needed. I'm now able to go at least a day and a half without draining
the battery, and since I'm rarely more than an hour from a charger (one
bedside, one deskside, and one in my car), I'm OK.

>
> Had my Treo for almost 2 years. Intially tried to set up MediaNet. This
> was before I had any data plan. Wouldn't work. Was told from the get-go
> that MediaNet would not work with Treo. They, on many occasions, have
> told me that this is for cell phones only, not Treo. Spent a lot of time
> with Cingular with this.
> If you actually use it on your 650/680 - proof how screwed up Cingular
> is with Treo support.

When I got the 650 (June, '05) they tried to sell me a data plan. I
think my top usage of data at that time was 50kB over a nine month
period, so I declined the data plan. They +said+ that unless I got a
data plan, I would not be able to use a data connection.

A week later, I went to a different Cingular outlet and asked about it,
without specifying what device I was using, and I was told "no
problem", it would just be at the a la carte pricing of $0.01/kB, on
the default MediaNet connection, if I wanted a higher-speed connection,
I'd have to get a data plan for the higher speed.

And... it works. The connection details were already programmed in,
all I had to do was tell a data app to go online. Be it Blazer/Treo
Web, Opera Mini, DirectoryAssistant, or whatever.

When I upgraded to the 680 (unlocked, I figured I'd have to enter my
call and network settings manually), I went to Call Preferences to
enter the voicemail number and the Treo said it would query for this
information for me, and it did. It also apparently got the data
network settings either OTA at the same time or off of my SIM because
those settings were there too, when I next went to the Network prefs
panel.

Now, my data usage is higher, but it's still less than the "cheaper to
get a plan" threshold so I still use it a la carte.

> Xpressmail would not work, and Cingular support said it was
> compatibility issues with Treo.

As I said before, I used it once, nearly two years ago now, and didn't
like it. Maybe I just didn't like it, maybe it didn't work right.
Upshot is that XPressMail should work since it's an app for the Palm,
but has a crappy design. Since my 680 is an unlocked model, I don't
even have it anymore, and my 650 has been mailed to Trade Ups for a
rebate so I can't check back on the old device either.

--
Jeffrey Kaplan www.gordol.org
The from userid is killfiled Send personal mail to gordol

If I Am Ever the Sidekick... 1. If the hero tells me to stay put while
he goes on ahead, I will do so instead of sneaking around and getting
captured.

Ms. Treo

2007-01-08, 3:33 pm

Does anyone know when Cingular will change to at & t? Will the logo on
our Cingular phones actually change to the at & t logo? I read that at
& t will change to all lower case letters.

NB

On Dec 29 2006, 6:58 pm, Jackzwick <jackzw...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> AT&T (really the old SBC) has gotten approval to swallow up Bell South.
>
> http://news.monstersandcritics.com/...1238026.php/...
> _wins_OK_for_$85B_Be
llSouth_deal
>
> as part of that they say the Cingular name will go away,
> to be replaced by AT&T

Mij Adyaw

2007-01-08, 3:33 pm

It will change to att-stinkular. :-)

"Ms. Treo" <nitabandy@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1168283337.837599.183700@i15g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Does anyone know when Cingular will change to at & t? Will the logo on
> our Cingular phones actually change to the at & t logo? I read that at
> & t will change to all lower case letters.
>
> NB

Kurt

2007-01-08, 3:33 pm

In article < mqr4q29e1nerfr026u0u
q9su1abq7lk8d0@gordo
l.org>,
Jeffrey Kaplan <nomail@gordol.org> wrote:

> It is alleged that Kurt claimed:
>
>
> Ok...
>
>
> The 650 has ~24MB of on-board storage and the 680 has 69MB. The 650
> has 8MB of dbcache and the 680 has 24M. I actually mostly like the new
> phone app on the 680. The 680 not only has better audio quality in the
> phone, it also gets better reception despite the lack of an external
> antenna (real-world testing, not just product blurbs). And a few other
> tweaks here and there, like the card slots no longer being exposed.
>
> Yes, the battery life is shorter, it is a smaller battery. But the
> "battery drain" issue mostly goes away within a week if you do some
> battery conditioning and leave BT and the data radios off except when
> needed. I'm now able to go at least a day and a half without draining
> the battery, and since I'm rarely more than an hour from a charger (one
> bedside, one deskside, and one in my car), I'm OK.
>
>
> When I got the 650 (June, '05) they tried to sell me a data plan. I
> think my top usage of data at that time was 50kB over a nine month
> period, so I declined the data plan. They +said+ that unless I got a
> data plan, I would not be able to use a data connection.
>
> A week later, I went to a different Cingular outlet and asked about it,
> without specifying what device I was using, and I was told "no
> problem", it would just be at the a la carte pricing of $0.01/kB, on
> the default MediaNet connection, if I wanted a higher-speed connection,
> I'd have to get a data plan for the higher speed.
>
> And... it works. The connection details were already programmed in,
> all I had to do was tell a data app to go online. Be it Blazer/Treo
> Web, Opera Mini, DirectoryAssistant, or whatever.
>
> When I upgraded to the 680 (unlocked, I figured I'd have to enter my
> call and network settings manually), I went to Call Preferences to
> enter the voicemail number and the Treo said it would query for this
> information for me, and it did. It also apparently got the data
> network settings either OTA at the same time or off of my SIM because
> those settings were there too, when I next went to the Network prefs
> panel.
>
> Now, my data usage is higher, but it's still less than the "cheaper to
> get a plan" threshold so I still use it a la carte.
>
>
> As I said before, I used it once, nearly two years ago now, and didn't
> like it. Maybe I just didn't like it, maybe it didn't work right.
> Upshot is that XPressMail should work since it's an app for the Palm,
> but has a crappy design. Since my 680 is an unlocked model, I don't
> even have it anymore, and my 650 has been mailed to Trade Ups for a
> rebate so I can't check back on the old device either.

Thanks for your experience. I have been doing the $20 5 MB data plan.
How much do you end up spending with Medianet. May get mine switched
over. Aren't they doing unlimited Medianet for $16?

--
To reply by email, remove the word "space"

SinghaLvr

2007-01-09, 4:33 am

On Mon, 8 Jan 2007 14:08:58 -0500, Ms. Treo wrote
(in article <1168283337.837599.183700@i15g2000cwa.googlegroups.com> ):

> Does anyone know when Cingular will change to at & t? Will the logo on
> our Cingular phones actually change to the at & t logo? I read that at
> & t will change to all lower case letters.

Yes. There are a few visual changes.

AT&T will have the following changes in the logo (They have already completed
this actually)

- AT&T will be displayed as at&t (lower case)
- The death star will take on a new 3-D appearance

The corporate name will still remain AT&T (upper case)

P.Schuman

2007-01-10, 4:33 am

gee -
do we now go back to the other newsgroup - attws -

jeremy

2007-01-15, 12:33 pm

"Todd H." <t@toddh.net> wrote in message news:84wt48znjq.fsf@ripco.com...
> "rjdriver" <rjdriversNOSPAM@cox.net> writes:
>
> Can't say exactly, but I can say mid 30's qualifies. I recall when ma
> Bell controlled things with an expensive iron fist right down to
> renting all your phones to you. You know the ones with the actualy
> bell ringers that Gen X and beyond probably only know from the Matrix
> movies.
>
> --
> Todd H.
> http://www.toddh.net/

I own a bunch of those old Western Electric phones, and they all work
flawlessly.

jeremy

2007-01-15, 12:33 pm

"Ms. Treo" <nitabandy@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1168283337.837599.183700@i15g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Does anyone know when Cingular will change to at & t? Will the logo on
> our Cingular phones actually change to the at & t logo? I read that at
> & t will change to all lower case letters.
>
> NB
>
>
> On Dec 29 2006, 6:58 pm, Jackzwick <jackzw...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>

The name change takes effect today. And "Jack" (the Cingular logo) will be
going away, to be replaced with the att logo. The company is going to be
called "Wireless service from AT&T."

Mij Adyaw

2007-01-15, 3:33 pm

It seems that Mr Navas was correct in posting his FAQ and Posting Guidelines
to both the Cingular and the ATTWS group. He probably knew that the namve
changes was going to happen long before we did.

Elmo P. Shagnasty

2007-01-15, 3:33 pm

In article <JZPqh.19876$Hj.618@newsfe11.phx>,
"Mij Adyaw" <mij@SpamBucket.com> wrote:

> It seems that Mr Navas was correct in posting his FAQ and Posting Guidelines
> to both the Cingular and the ATTWS group. He probably knew that the namve
> changes was going to happen long before we did.

But he acted before the name change.

LinkBot