Wednesday, March 31, 2010

AT&T is running scared

El Jobso is yanking Stephenson’s chain real hard now, and Stephenson is feeling it. AT&T tech people are moving heaven and earth to improve iPhone coverage in crucial areas and special events and high usage areas but people are still highly unsatisfied with AT&T’s 3G  coverage up to this day. AT&T  has  “educated” Apple handset engineers on how their wireless networking operates so now the iPhones have been re-configured through updates in how they communicate with the cell towers and reduced the load and the drop offs and the jams. Yet, still … people complain. So, Apple is readying an iPhone that works with Verizon’s network. And they haven’t been secretive about that at all, unofficially. So, now we have a bunch of people who can’t wait to jump ship, a bunch of people ready to toss their current Verizon mobile device for an iPhone and some other fence sitters as well. And Stephenson is finally sweating bullets, going nuts, and making some very interesting decisions – like making deals with Palm and Dell and taking tea with Google. How long before Squirrel Boy double crosses you, Stephenson? And how long before Android developers and users give you the finger and go over to the other side?


Friday, March 12, 2010

The Gatekeepers strike, again

Well we can thank AT&T for fucking up another useful technological innovation for consumers. Call me a pinko-socialist armpit sniffing drug addict commie, but everyday I’m getting more convinced the government should be running the communications business, not the marketplace. Why am I so pissed?

You want more video? Pay up or shut up!

AT&T is introducing pricing tiers for mobile customers based on how much data they stream for their 3G network. Verizon, with it’s soon to be implemented 4G network has got wind of this and is going to drop its all you can eat plan in favor of tiers as well. Sprint is sure to follow as are other 4G network companies. It stymies the reason why people want faster networks in the first place. They want to stream Pandora while watching YouTube while downloading the latest video game, and on and on.

Please sir, can I have some more?

These companies should be competing on how good they provide their service for the price, instead of trying to limit customers usage of data by picking their wallets. If you can’t keep up with customer demand, make the service better don’t limit customer usage. Back in the days of dial up, this policy almost killed Juno, forcing them to merge with their rival NetZero, they’re now plodding along as United Online. Heavy users (most of their customers, including moi) abandoned them for better services, especially when DSL, cable, etc became far more affordable and competitive  than dial-up. Now we have a similar situation with the burgeoning mobile networks. It’s only a matter of time before Verizon and AT&T finally do the final hookup and the monster known as Ma Bell will rear its ugly head once more. Don’t believe me? Watch.


Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Don’t Be Evil Alert: Bing + Verizon

So Nick Saint over at the Silicon Alley Insider has a problem.  It seems that all of a sudden, The Nickster’s BlackBerry has a “Bing” icon on it.  And he didn’t put it there, either.  Nick thinks it might it have something to do with the big bucks Microsoft-Verizon deal.  You think?


Friday, December 4, 2009

Verizon caught shaking down customers

Taxpayers dollars at work, yay. All I wanna know is:  are they gonna get spanked or are they getting their wrists slapped? I’m going with wrists.


Wednesday, December 2, 2009

AT&T is Verizon’s bitch

Read all about it.

I’m sure Jobs had the talk with Stephenson.


Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Can Your Network Do That?

Last night Apple strikes back subtly at Verizon and Droid, here and here. Which is way better than those AT&T postcard ads featuring Luke Wilson (I still love you, man!).


Sunday, October 18, 2009

From Motorola and Verizon, a lame new attack ad

I’ve said it before, when Sprint and Palm did this with the Pre — if the only way you can market your product is to compare it to some other product, you’ve already lost. Well, thanks for the free publicity, bitches.