OS 4 will give us tethering ability with AT&T. Of course, that comes with an additional cost now. If you want to "officially" tether with AT&T, you'll have to switch to one of their two data plans, and THEN buy tethering on top of that. Instead of your $30 for unlimited, you'll be paying $45 for only two gigs of bandwidth, vs. $30 currently for unlimited. Or $35 for a measily 250 megs.

They claim that 98% of its users fall within those tiers. Sounds like they're giving 98% of us a way to save a few bucks, right? Wrong. What people are overlooking is the fact that those statistics don't include the fact that you will be TETHERING. As in, your computer will be transferring data, and you're already accustomed to a much heavier data consumption through that medium. Think of how those little widgets on your laptop grab information off the net every so often, or a single Youtube video could easily be 20+ megs. It does add up, and ultimately anyone who wants to tether with AT&T should use it sparsely - otherwise, they'll be paying $10/gig for your overages.

I'll give AT&T some credit - their marketing geniuses and social engineers are gaming this system well - using the upcoming iPhone and OS for service type changes, some of which require contracts, some don't - helping them limit the impact on their network in creative ways while making you think you're getting a better deal. I especially like the fact once you drop out of an unlimited contract you can't go back, and they're trying to sway you out of it by not changing your expiration date if you drop down, and "allowing" you to switch back and forth between the two plans. Oh, and new iPad users? If you don't have a plan by the time OS 4 launches, you'll be subject to these new limits.

Let's face it - AT&T's network can't handle the iPhone. It's a blame game that ultimately both could be doing better at. I'm sure the iPhone could change it's tower-hogging style behavior, and I'm sure AT&T could be deploying all these upgrades they keep telling us about faster.

For me, if I do decide to go with the next iPhone, I won't be buying it with a contract. I'm going to stay a free agent, and not get locked in to a new agreement, and not buy their joke for insurance (monthly fee and still the cost of buying a refurbished unit for the deductable?!) - and I am getting closer every day to switching over to maybe the Evo 4G on Sprint - a hybrid solution with a limited 4g network around the area. Sprint and Verizon seem to have a much more reliable network, and since this device is still primarily a phone, voice calls do count for something. Sprint's at least would afford me faster WiMAX when I could get it, and openly promote the device's ability to share the connection with up to 8? devices.

I haven't investigated the fees, but when I can't go a single day without a dropped call, and I try to find landlines to fall back on where I can instead of my phone, something has got to change.

We're Sorry Your DVD Shipment Was Delayed

Dear Michael,

Due to a technical problem, your DVD shipment was delayed and will ship on Wednesday, May 26th.

We pride ourselves in delighting you, and we've let you down. We apologize, and we will issue a 10% credit to your account in the next few days. You don't need to do anything. Your credit will automatically be applied to your next billing statement.

They're increasing ETF fees on all devices that actually matter and put any strain on their network. They've reduced fees on "basic and quick messaging phones" - which aren't anything that anyone cares about anymore.

"... the ETF will increase to $325, and be reduced by $10 for each month that you remain with us as a customer during the balance of your two-year service agreement."

Do the math: if you ride out your contract until month #23, you still owe them $95. You can never break even until you've gone out of your contract. I bet this will stay in effect for next year's iPhone refresh (assuming the pattern continues) - which means larger ETFs/upgrade costs for people who want to upgrade to the next iPhone after the 4G. All of us folks who plan on getting an iPhone 4G will be agreeing to these new terms (assuming we buy into a contract.) AT&T's got virtual crack with the iPhone (and iPad, I suppose) - they rope you in with two year agreements but release a new device each year... it would be so great if Apple got out of their damn agreement with AT&T.

Will have to weigh the options - I might be out of my contract soon anyway and it might be cheaper to buy the phone without a contract. Assuming I even stay with AT&T.

Ref: http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=17951

Remember when AT&T didn't have MMS support, and kept delaying it? "Later this summer" - finally delivered September 25th. Over two years since the original iPhone launched on AT&T's network and MMS support was on just about every phone imaginable.

Or when they would have upgraded capacity? I can't tell anything. Lately it seems I get dropped calls almost 100% of the time.

What about tethering support? Still haven't seen that... the Engadget announcement says "soon" back in November 2008. Tethering support was official in iPhone OS 3.0 in June 2009. "Official" carrier support in the US? Still not an option (unless you jailbreak, etc.)

Now, in the midst of a new iPhone launch this summer they've got another announcement that will make everyone think "our problems will be solved!" - but if history is any guide, it's just a properly timed announcement to gain confidence in a competitive market. The iPhone is an extremely extensible product, but the service lately has literally had me thinking about jumping ship. Sprint and Verizon both have a decent array of phones, and their coverage out here is quite good in comparison; Sprint also offers their hybrid 4g/3g options too.

Anyway, time will tell. It's a shame that Apple is so crippled by AT&T.

The target is to kickstart a new wave of services that find novel ways to make use of the information."

Awesome. I had an idea like this for infoporn.org a while back - generic data being available for consumption, but I really don't have any origin feeds that aren't already exposed. I'd just be re-syndicating them. But this would be awesome to have, just think of all the mashups you could create depending on what data is exposed.

Ref: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8470797.stm

So there's more annoyance polluting the blogopshere, and it's about Facebook's privacy practices again.

They keep your data, even if you delete it. Imagine that!

Anyone who thinks that their data is truly deleted because they click "delete" on anything needs to wake up. YOU own your own privacy. If you don't want it to stick around then DON'T SHARE IT. Period.

I'm going to drop some more knowledge for you, and this one is for free. Expect whatever you say, wherever you say it, to be there forever. True deletion should be considered a BONUS, not an EXPECTATION.

FUD FUD FUD FUD

Refs:

• http://technology.globalthoughtz.com/index.php/anonymous-employee-reveals-ugly-details-of-facebook/
• http://www.allfacebook.com/2010/01/anonymous-facebook-employee-interview-fact-vs-fiction/

Not from Apple.

Apple: seriously? Come on. You've got a phone that can't stay on the shelves. You're making money from apps already. Paying to re-download? Everyone has taken this app store idea and implemented their own... and now Apple has to change their winning formula?

I mean, how much overhead can there be? The apps don't need to be re-moderated. The only cost is a little bit of bandwidth on their servers. Most likely negligible...

Pretty weak. I checked the headers too. This is legitimately from his campaign email marketing!

Delivered-To: email@removed.com
Received: by 10.142.104.5 with SMTP id b5cs104203wfc;
        Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:02:21 -0700 (PDT)
Received: by 10.150.97.19 with SMTP id u19mr247318ybb.24.1221696140048;
        Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:02:20 -0700 (PDT)
Return-Path: <bounce-95-5944-2427115@bounces.johnmccain.com>
Received: from sm1.johnmccain.com (sm1.johnmccain.com [64.203.105.81])
        by mx.google.com with ESMTP id 6si22813870ywn.0.2008.09.17.17.02.19;
        Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:02:20 -0700 (PDT)
Received-SPF: pass (google.com: domain of bounce-95-5944-2427115@bounces.johnmccain.com designates 64.203.105.81 as permitted sender) client-ip=64.203.105.81;
Authentication-Results: mx.google.com; spf=pass (google.com: domain of bounce-95-5944-2427115@bounces.johnmccain.com designates 64.203.105.81 as permitted sender) smtp.mail=bounce-95-5944-2427115@bounces.johnmccain.com
Received: from unknown (unknown [192.168.201.181])
	by sm1.johnmccain.com (Postfix) with QMQP id 4A6E3490F6
	for <email@removed.com>; Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:02:19 -0400 (EDT)
Errors-To: <bounce-95-5944-2427115@bounces.johnmccain.com>
X-Bounce-Track: <email@removed.com>
From: "McCain Palin 2008" <ecampaign@johnmccain.com>
To: <email@removed.com>
Subject: Get Your Oregon Absentee Ballot
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
	boundary="----=_NextPart_5A3_E4DD8AB6.47E75371"
Message-Id: <20080918000219.4A6E3490F6@sm1.johnmccain.com>
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:02:19 -0400 (EDT)

The text of the email?

Your vote in this election is more critical than ever as the polls show John McCain and Governor Palin in a virtual tie. Voting early by absentee ballot or in person is the best way to get your vote counted now and avoid the long lines on Election Day.

... more stuff hoping to rope in absentee votes for their party ...

P.S. If you are not yet registered to vote, please register right away by following this link. [link to johnmccain.com]

...

Please visit this page if you want to remove yourself from the email list. [link to johnmccain.com]

...

Paid for by McCain-Palin 2008

It even has a proper SPF record. So yes, they have officially sent me unsolicited email from an email list sold to them... However, they use Postfix - I'll give them props for that.

Dear Michael,

Great news! We're lowering the price of your 3 DVDs out at-a-time plan to $16.99 a month plus applicable taxes. Now you can enjoy Netflix for less!

You don't need to do a thing - except pay less. Your membership will automatically move to the lower price and be reflected in your Membership Terms and Details. The lower price will take effect beginning with your statement on or after July 23, 2007.

Membership Terms and Details: http://www.netflix.com/Terms

Your $16.99 plan not only gives you 3 DVDs out at-a-time but you can also watch 17 hours of movies and TV episodes instantly on your PC each month - for no additional charge.

Check it out: http://www.netflix.com/WatchNow

Enjoy!
Your friends at Netflix

Now that is cool. But then they've given me another reason to praise them. They're reporting disc shipment issues, and being nice about it, they've just decided to issue a credit since we're technically losing a few days of service. They didn't have to do that, but they did.

I just received this email today:

We're Sorry DVD Shipments Are Delayed

Dear Michael,

Our shipping system is unexpectedly down. We received a DVD back from you and should have shipped you a DVD, but we likely have not. Our goal is to ship DVDs as soon as possible, and we will keep you posted on the status of your DVD shipments.

We are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused. If your DVD shipment is delayed, we will be issuing a credit to your account in the next few days. You don't need to do anything. The credit will be automatically applied to your next billing statement.

Again, we apologize for the delay and thank you for your understanding. If you need further assistance, please call us at 1-888-638-3549.

-The Netflix Team

Step #1: Install .NET Framework 1.0, click "Check for updates" - what? there's another update?

Step #2: Install .NET Framework 1.1 Service Pack 1, click "Check for updates" - what? ANOTHER one?

Step #3: Install .NET Framework 1.1 Service Pack 1 security update, click "Check for updates" ...

Really? Why couldn't we have a pre-packaged full install? Why do I have to run this "check for updates" over and over (and why does it take so goddamn long nowadays?)

Okay, looks like that really was the last update and this machine is now 100% up to date. At least for the moment...