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you have got to be freaking kidding me

tommy_ed

Android Expert
Feb 26, 2010
1,004
145
i work at verizon. Our corporate rep informed us today of weekly training that we were apparently supposed to start back in june :eek: So my first lesson is the droid incredible.. Here is an excerpt from it:

Android phones are just so fun to customize! One of the first apps you will definitely suggest to your customer is Advanced Task Killer. This app is a battery saver. Android phones, like laptops, can run multiple apps - all of which use battery! So remember - advanced task killer - every time!

WOW.. how embarrasing.
 
i work at verizon. Our corporate rep informed us today of weekly training that we were apparently supposed to start back in june :eek: So my first lesson is the droid incredible.. Here is an excerpt from it:

Android phones are just so fun to customize! One of the first apps you will definitely suggest to your customer is advanced task killer. this app is a battery saver. Android phones, like laptops, can run multiple apps - all of which use battery! So remember - advanced task killer - every time!

Wow.. How embarrasing.

lmao....
 
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*shrug* I was expecting far worse... meh.

Android still has a ways to go to make things as simple for its users...and miscommunications about a need for a task killer is one of those things...

What would be ideal is if Google itself posted a guideline about Android, from a user perspective, about key things, such as whether a task killer is needed, or even effective, etc... Instead it seems to be up to individual lone developers to try to educate the masses about these things, pretty pathetic state of things.
 
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I called Verizon to activate my Incredible because I was having issues. The woman recommended ATK and that was the first I had ever heard of it.

I think ATK sucks. It doesn't even kill all of the programs that are open in my experience which is based on what other task managers show is running after using ATK.

I don't care how "great" people think Linux and Droid are, I still don't buy being able to open every app on your phone and having it perform the same as when just a couple apps running.
 
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vzw, sprint, and t-mo reps have all been trained to recommend task killers. I have experiences with sales people at all 3 carriers and have taken the time to explain why they are not needed to them. Is it being pushed down to the low man on the totem pole to recommend this app? Yes. Does that mean they should shove it down every customers throat? No. Will a sales person bring it up to a customer but maybe hint to a frequent customer that it is not needed? I hope so. Doing little things that are within your realm while in sales will do nothing but help you in the long run. I have been in sales for over a decade and there are frequent customers of mine who will contact me for EVERY purchase of electronics they make, regardless if it is an item I sell or not. Those same customers are the ones who will drum up repeat business for you at the end of the day
And as for pros/cons, lets not all line up and whip em out. http://geekfor.me/faq/you-shouldnt-be-using-a-task-killer-with-android/
 
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@ Tommy and mcatdtDROID

There's no point in continuing this argument. Neither of you is going to agree with the other.

Seemed to me Tommy was just stating how he feels about what Verizon is asking him to do.
Whether he does it or not is really none of our business.
But in fact, he stated he was going to bring it up to his manager, so i dont agree with calling out his work ethic.
 
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Best Buy installed ATK and some anti-virus software on my fiances Epic before handing it over. Wtf do you need anti-virus for?

Viruses of course! LOL

"10:15 AM 10-Aug-10

Kaspersky Lab, one of the big names in computer security and antivirus technologies has reportedly identified the first virus targeted at the Android operating system.

This particular virus, Trojan-SMS.AndroidOS.FakePlayer.a, is a Trojan that is distributed through a message sent to users which asks them to to install a 13KB "harmless" media player app. Once you've installed it, the Trojan begins sending SMS messages to premium rate numbers -- all without further interaction from the end user.

The Trojan is, according to Kaspersky Lab, the first identified to specifically targeted Android-based smartphones.

But Android is in good company. Last year two malware attacks hit Apple's iPhone: the "Ikee" and "Duh" or "Ikee.B".

To protect youself, don't install anything from sources that you don't trust. This Trojan requires you to agree to install the player. If you don't, you're safe."
 
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Yea, same thing at cellular south, a regional carrier in Mississippi, and throughout the south, they do the same. first thing they did was to add atk to anyones phone who had any problem or glitch, especially lag.the reps can help anyone with android, as long as you only need to know how to post to facebook. over and above that, they know nothing about android. the carriers are going to destroy android for the mainstream peeps. between their crapware and stupid reps they will kill it. dead. gone. kaput. so much handest interface and carrier software will be added down the line, especially as the phones become more powerful, the bloat will hide android. it will cease to be what it started out and be an after thought.
 
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everyone on here seems to forget we (the people on forums like this), the 'smart' android owners are not the typical android user with policies like this....

My uncle is a good example. he's the kind of guy that goes to the droid classes, (also a way to lure people into the store) he buys the accessories directly from the store at extremely marked up values.

get those guys back in the store.... And yes, I'm sure you haven't had any come back for JUST ATK, but remember there are some that wait for 2 or 3 things to add up before they come in.

and no, I'm not a banker.... but at least that's not entry level.
 
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If you were a corporte employee you would know that it got comminicated out forever ago that ATK is not a fix all and should not be recomended to customers.

I dont know if Verizon employees have been trained to shove task killers down our throat, or if they do it because they think it's necessary.

When I had my Eris and i was in there for a trackball issue, the Verizon tech asked me which task killer i was using.... :rolleyes:. After telling me how I needed it, i told him i would install it later just to get him to get on with my real issue.

Today i upgraded to the Droid 2. This guy, without even asking me or informing me what he was doing, installs Automatic Task Killer.
I noticed it when i was walking out of the store and I look at my phone and across the notification bar i see : "95 MB freed", then a minute later "4 MB freed"... or something like that.
His job, IMO, is to activate my phone. That's it!. After that keep your dirty paws off my phone!!!
 
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