Say goodbye to AT&T-Mobile.

[ari-free]

Don't forget that the ATT and Verizon conglomerates also have broadband. They could both bundle everything in one package with a data discount. Sprint and TMO don't have that option. This would make them truly monopolies - 1 GSM and 1 CDMA
.

The problem is that everyone wants the bandwidth to do everything: streaming music and video on demand, videochat, etc without any dropped calls but the economics just doesn't add up. There's a lack of supply and it's not going to get any better once Sprint has the iphone.

 

[NowVoyager]

I don't 'like' the merger, it's not my 'cup of tea' but the last thing I want to see is govt getting in the way when there is no fraud or deception involved.

Read the fine print... Is ATT involved?

They were already putting out commercial insinuations that the deal was *done* - The promise of 5,000 measly jobs nation-wide is also a crock. They can do BETTER!

This is a bad deal for consumers and everyone knows it. Had the government not stepped in, they would have rolled over us like a Mac Truck.

 

[zuben el genub]

I saw one article where this merger was likened to the Bells getting back together.

TMO does have some very good practices. I can buy outright any damn phone I please - either from TMO itself, or used, and do not have to get a data plan. I can use wifi, but TMO will not let me access data on the network. I consider this fair. If I like a certain smartphone because of voice dialing, better screen and sound for talking, I can have it. Not so with ATT. They probably do have some ideas that would merge very well, but not being an ATT user, I can't say.

A study just came out that more people text than talk - so ATT drops most of the text plans. I don't think that in the interest of the consumer.

I did have big hopes for LTE. I want the method where I can select the phone and then the carrier. I was with Verizon once, and will never go back to a CDMA carrier.

The FCC (I think) finally came down on some of the undocumented overages. The unexplained 1.99 from Verizon, and no warning on roaming. Now maybe we need warnings on data overages mandated since no one seems to understand what constitute the most data use.
I read where there were a few that got caught with overages due to apps on the phone updating or searching for updates whenever the app wanted. No warning that an app might cause extra charges is not in the consumer's interest either. Downloading from market does give some warning, but what about the apps that the maker/carrier put on the phone before you buy it?

So far, the only way out of that is root which isn't for everyone.

There is a big discussion of this on TMO. A lot were just whining, but there were also many that did have legitimate gripes about ATT and business practices. And questions which neither TMO or ATT answered.

DT wants out, and there has been no positive solution. Sprint is talking LTE, TMO has nothing.

 

[Drhyde]

The question I seem to be coming back to a lot is, do we really need LTE on T-Mobile? Consider that T-Mobile only has 33 million subscribers compared to the other carriers. DT did a phenomenal job of keeping their frequencies tight, which is why dropped calls on T-Mobile are pretty few and far between. So with this limited consumer base, good frequency spread, the network is pretty sound in the cities that its in.

Right now, T-Mobile uses HSPA+ (at 42 Mbps max) which is a mature technology that has the potential to hit 680 Mbps max, is minimal on battery, and is largely rolled out across all of the major and minor cities. Compare this to the current LTE on Verizon that is only rolled out in select cities, is a major battery hog, and requires entirely new phones to take advantage of. Verizon already isn't cheap and adding high priced smart phones to the mix certainly doesn't help.

So I wonder, why doesn't T-Mobile just keep using HSPA+? Yes, I understand the need for Youtube and music streaming on my phone but a 6 Mbps connection is really quite consistent for that. Wouldn't it serve everyone better in cost effectiveness to keep a low end broadband version of a cell carrier for people who have limited credit or weak finances? Plus, with heavy handed data caps, what's the point of LTE? Unless the cell carriers are going to go back to unlimited (not happening) or very high caps, it seems pointless to me to have a 1 Gbps connection. Seriously, it's a cell phone how much data are corporations expecting us to use when they publish things saying the average person only uses 1GB of data a month? Maybe I'm a little stoic about this but I'm just not seeing the usefulness or overall purpose of the whole LTE thing, especially on T-Mobile which has been typically a value cell service.

 

[9to5cynic]

you guys will probably dig this:
T-Mobile users rejoice at Justice Dept. blocking AT&T merger - CNN.com

---
Turns out this link is a dud.

 

[zuben el genub]

FYI - Verizon now has Netflix and a new data cap.

I would really like to see a system with a SIM card make it. I remember having to hack a Verizon phone with Bitpim just to get my own ringtones on it. I can also use a GSM phone with no SIM as a wifi only device. Which means I can use Skype, Fring, whoever at no charge and no carrier snooping. Since I bought the phone unlocked and am not using the carrier's services - I am not cheating them.

 

[NowVoyager]

FYI - Verizon now has Netflix and a new data cap.

I would really like to see a system with a SIM card make it. I remember having to hack a Verizon phone with Bitpim just to get my own ringtones on it. I can also use a GSM phone with no SIM as a wifi only device. Which means I can use Skype, Fring, whoever at no charge and no carrier snooping. Since I bought the phone unlocked and am not using the carrier's services - I am not cheating them.

The future seems to be about *control* of the user experience. Notice how even the downloadable apps are asking for more and more intrusive access - most of which is not necessary for the running of the app, but for snooping upon or gaining access to our privacy.

I've come to the point of only upgrading an app if its functionality will markedly improve. I've learned the hard way. I now have apps that bombard me with ads which I will *never* have an interest in. I have one that I don't know the origin of, which holds my completed phone calls in limbo while it runs ads...when I find which app launches that sucker -its outta here!

And, this "cloud" business is from hell, LOL. I have a CRM app that asked me for permission to access my contact data. No problem. I can see the applicability for that. Once I gave the permission, the app took all of my contacts and put them on their own server "in the cloud"...ostensibly for an enriched user experience and so that my data would be "safe." The only problem is, Google already does that. I gain nothing by this app siphoning my data. *They* gain a truckload!!! Once that data goes on their server, they *own* it. I gave permission to *access* my data, not to take it and put it on the web! Contacts. Fleshed out Leads etc are mother's milk to the industry. Getting them "for free" is insanely glorious.

We are the gold in the pot at the end of the rainbow and our information is king.

Curse you, location-based services...you started all of this, LOL

 

[zuben el genub]

If they grabbed all mine - I'd love to see what they make of "Asshole Spammer" and other choice names. I had a mess of spam calls when I had the RIZR. I'm the main account holder.

I watch what the apps want also. I'm hoping that soon some little "programs/extensions" like NoScript and Adblock for the browsers will hit android. They probably don't have too much luck with my shopping. There aren't too many telescope vendors that advertise that way, and 2 of them also deal with cameras, so I get their newsletters anyway. And I usually turn off all images when just looking. If I can't see it, I don't buy it.

Maybe that's way 90% of any spam I have is in Portuguese.

I rooted my phone just to get rid of the crap. I allow nothing to sync, not even Gmail since it messes up the computers. I open it in Thunderbird and not everything gets synced.

I've also canned all social media. The first things that went when I rooted the phone were all social apps. And most of the media like Doubletwist. So there's really nothing to give me a "better social experience" Plus the phone is now unlocked. I bought it outright.

I simply don't bother adding anything. I have an Audubon Bird guide which will keep my "life list" if I sign up. I won't sign up. Anything like that gets passed on. I can keep my "life list" in a text format if I so desire.

Some have posted on here with apps for a rooted phone that will stop some of the ads.

 

[zuben el genub]

Like I said before - I will use ATT, but will buy a dumbphone and maybe add text. I will buy a decent tablet that will run wifi only, and ATT can kiss it for a data plan. I worked with a phone and a Palm PDA before, and can use 2 devices again.

 

[chrlswltrs]

If the merger were to happen I would just switch to sprint