MobileCity Taking Preorders for BlackBerry 9800 ($599)
I always love when small online retailers offer unreleased/unannounced devices for preorder. The latest to join the fray is MobileCityOnline which is listing the BlackBerry 9800 for $599.99 on their website for preorder. The funny part is that they are using leaked pictures for the product description…
There is no ETA for delivery at this time though they do state “Status: Rumored. Exp. release 2010, 2Q.” Hopefully we will hear more about it at the August 3rd event next week… I am excited. It has been awhile since RIM has managed to build some serious hype for a device launch.
via MobileBurn
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- Mystery Store Display Showing Up in AT&T Stores for BlackBerry 9800 Launch?
- BlackBerry 9800 Casing Spotted with AT&T Branding
- App World Now Supports OS 6.0 & BlackBerry 9800 Slider
Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, July 29, 2010, 12:53 pm. | MobileCity Taking Preorders for BlackBerry 9800 ($599) | Leave a comment |
BlackBerry App World 2.0 Beta Released – Users Crash RIM Servers…
I guess nobody ever schooled RIM in anticipating demand. They just opened up the beta program for App World 2.0 for all users in the BlackBerry Beta Zone. The problem is that the bum rush of users trying to download the app has crashed RIM’s servers or at least overloaded them. Somebody from Akamai needs to give RIM a few lessons on using their CDN to handle load bursts like they do for App World.
In case you still want to try when things are back up you can pick up the beta in the beta zone at www.blackberry.com/beta. Currently you will just get a “Proxy Error” but try back in a few minutes or hours.
As a reminder App World 2.0 adds:
- Split Top 25 Themes and Top 25 Apps
- BlackBerry App World Barcode Scanning for easily grabbing apps by just taking a picture
- More Billing Options
- Credit cards – varies by region
- Carrier billing – just pay for an app on your wireless bill
- BlackBerry ID – a new device independent user identification for downloading apps and easily switching devices
Let us know what you think!
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- RIM Highlights Feedback & Community Features in BlackBerry Beta Zone
Posted by Luis Merlos for ©BerryReview, July 29, 2010, 12:44 pm. | BlackBerry App World 2.0 Beta Released – Users Crash RIM Servers… | 11 comments |
RIM Opens First BlackBerry Retail Store in China
UPDATE: A spokesperson for RIM confirmed that this is not a RIM run store but rather it was opened by Digital China. That makes more sense because RIM is not in the habit of entering the retail space.
RIM has really had a slow rollout heading into China. It was only last month that they released the absolutely cutting EDGE BlackBerry Curve 8910 equipped with their latest technology. I kid but the device does at least have Evolved-EDGE but no Wi-Fi and a trackball instead of a trackpad.
RIM thinks that this BlackBerry Curve 8910 is such an amazing value proposition for the mainland Chinese market that they have opened up a Beijing store that they call an “experience center” for them to play with BlackBerry devices. I can imagine potential BlackBerry users lining out the door to try the latest 8910… Or even better yet they are also carrying the BlackBerry Curve 8310.
Here is to hoping they at least get some update love when BlackBerry 6 comes out…
PS: I am still trying to figure out if the store was actually opened by RIM or by Digital China. I will let you know if I find out.
via CIO
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- Verizon Opens Developer Portal for their Upcoming App Store
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, July 29, 2010, 12:03 pm. | RIM Opens First BlackBerry Retail Store in China | Leave a comment |
Mystery Store Display Showing Up in AT&T Stores for BlackBerry 9800 Launch?
Now here is a real head scratcher. AT&T has been shipping a large monolith display box to many of their stores. Gizmodo got a picture of the display but managers and store workers have no idea what is inside the big black box. They have dubbed it the “Hero” display and Gizmodo is guessing that it is either for the BlackBerry 9800 launch or the Dell Streak.
Out of the two my money is on the BlackBerry 9800 Slider since the Streak is not much of a secret. On the other hand RIM has been trying to channel Steve Jobs with the 9800 launch and all the secrecy. The people in the stores are being threatened with termination if they even joke about looking inside the box.
Anybody want to guess what is inside it?
Hopefully we will find out next week Tuesday at the joint AT&T & RIM event.
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- Rumor: BlackBerry Bold 9800 Slider Coming to AT&T in June?
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, July 29, 2010, 10:21 am. | Mystery Store Display Showing Up in AT&T Stores for BlackBerry 9800 Launch? | 3 comments |
Music WithMe Wireless iTunes Sync Application Updated
ParkVu’s Music WithMe is an awesome app/service that lets you sync your iTunes collection with your BlackBerry wirelessly. We told you when the app launched in June and since then they have processed over a million iTunes songs. The cool part about the service is that it is not a subscription but rather a one time $14.99 cost after a free 30 day trial.
The new features added to Music WithMe today add some refinement that the app was missing before. They include:
- Support for iTunes playlist folders – sync your playlist folder on your BlackBerry and any subsequently added playlists to the folder are automatically synced to the device
- New playlist info – In playlist screen, select ‘playlist info’ to view the number of tracks in the playlist that can be played, the number of unsupported tracks due to format or DRM protection as well as the number of tracks in the cloud, tracks needed from iTunes and tracks that can’t be found
- Support for network attached storage/media servers
- Support for playlists with duplicate names – user added "audiobooks" or "recently added" playlist
- Playlist selection preserved across devices and if app is reinstalled
From the app you select which iTunes playlist you want synchronized with your BlackBerry and it does it for you wirelessly. The new version of Music WithMe is available at BlackBerry App World now. Let us know what you think of the update!
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- The Missing Sync 2.0 Adds Automatic Bluetooth Sync & iTunes Playlist Sync
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, July 29, 2010, 10:08 am. | Music WithMe Wireless iTunes Sync Application Updated | Leave a comment |
RIM Creates Cute Paper Cutout Promotional Video for Enterprise Use
I guess RIM is trying to simplify the BlackBerry’s value proposition in their latest video spotted by BBNews.pl. In this video RIM describes why businesses need to buy into the BlackBerry “Platform” instead of just a smartphone. It actually makes some good points but has some fun along the way.
Its good to see that the marketing teams at RIM get to have some fun every once in awhile. What do you think of the video? Do you think they should do one for consumer users?
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- Video Shots App Lets You Grab Pictures From Video
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, July 29, 2010, 9:30 am. | RIM Creates Cute Paper Cutout Promotional Video for Enterprise Use | Leave a comment |
BlackBerry Bold 9780 Gets A Video Review
The guys over at Driphter.com released a few screenshots of the BB 9780 just a few days ago and now they have a video for us. The Is running BlackBerry 6. On this video we see them demo the new Webkit browser something we have seen before on the touch screen slider but not on a non touch screen device. From the looks of it this device will replace the BB bold 9700. In the first set of images we saw I notice that this device runs on the same 3G bands that the T-Mobile 9700 runs on so most likely this will release through T-mobile later this year. I am still hoping that the current 9700 still gets some BB 6 love. If the device just gets some more memory am not likely to buy it just because of that I would much rather have the slider.
Check out the video below.
Mobile Link
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Posted by Luis Merlos for ©BerryReview, July 29, 2010, 8:40 am. | BlackBerry Bold 9780 Gets A Video Review | One comment |
RIM Picks Up BlackPad.com & BlackBerryTorch.com Domains
The latest news that has everybody talking is that MobileCrunch noticed that RIM picked up the domain BlackPad.com. They are speculating that it is for RIM’s upcoming tablet. PocketBerry noticed that RIM also owns BlackBerryTorch.com which they think might point to the 9800 launching as the BlackBerry Torch 9800.
It is some interesting speculation but RIM is always picking up domain names that they never use. For example, we mentioned previously how RIM picked up InsideBlackBerry.com along with AlwaysBetOnBlackBerry.com and my absolute favorite:
onceyougoblackberryyouwillnevergobackberry.com
One of our writers, Todd, joked that maybe RIM should develop blackberrypwnsapple.com
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- HOT! RIM Launches Official BlackBerry Blog – Inside BlackBerry
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, July 29, 2010, 7:40 am. | RIM Picks Up BlackPad.com & BlackBerryTorch.com Domains | 3 comments |
RANT! Why Can’t RIM Let Us Delete Our BIS Account?
For years I have had one big issue when I try to sell, buy, donate, or give away a used BlackBerry when I switch carriers. If a person has not updated the BlackBerry associated with their BIS account to a new PIN then your BlackBerry will remain associated to that account and you will have to jump through 100 hoops to get it un-associated. Until then you will keep on getting an error along the lines of “This device registered with another service provider…” My friend just ran into this issue and he couldn’t believe it when I told him why it was happening.
Let me give you a scenario where this happens:
You purchased a BlackBerry 9000 from AT&T a few years back and then decide to switch to T-Mobile. If you don’t call up AT&T and sit on the phone with them for over an hour to delete your BIS account then your BlackBerry will remain tied to AT&T’s BIS. This will make it impossible to now associate the BlackBerry with T-Mobile’s BIS. Or better yet say you buy a used BlackBerry 9100 from someone in Australia you would be in a world of pain trying to get that BlackBerry disassociated.
Way back when it used to be that you could just login to your old BIS account and just enter in zeros for the PIN and IMEI and it would disassociate the device but that no longer works. As far as I know RIM customer support are currently the only ones that can disassociate a device from a carriers BIS. You would have to call that carrier and drive them nuts until they decide to escalate the issue to RIM to have your device disassociated. I have done this 3 times already and every time it took over an hour.
RIM even admits that you will have to call you carrier to get the device disassociated in the instructions of what to do when you want to sell a BlackBerry. In their words:
If the BlackBerry smartphone was previously associated with a BlackBerry Internet Service account, contact the wireless service provider to remove the association between the BlackBerry Internet Service account and the BlackBerry smartphone.
Would it kill RIM to just add a “Clear association” or better yet a “Delete my BIS account” button?
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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, July 28, 2010, 8:55 pm. | RANT! Why Can’t RIM Let Us Delete Our BIS Account? | 10 comments |
Screenshots of OS 6 Running on BlackBerry Bold 9650
If you were at all worried if your BlackBerry Bold 9650 would be getting BlackBerry OS 6.0 then this should make you sleep better at night. The team at BBLeaks got screenshots of a BlackBerry Bold 9650 running OS 6.0. It looks like that 512mb of ram will be a required spec for BlackBerry 6. Either that or I have been hearing that RIM was toying with a slimmed down version of the OS for 256mb devices.
Either way it is interesting to see more of a non touch interface for BlackBerry 6. It looks like it does not change much.
What do you think?
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Posted by Luis Merlos for ©BerryReview, July 28, 2010, 4:22 pm. | Screenshots of OS 6 Running on BlackBerry Bold 9650 | 3 comments |
Validas Study Provides Insight Into US Data Usage
Validas released some highlights from their study on wireless data consumption from US carriers. It uses data drawn from consumer bills from 2009-2010. They did not provide that much detail but the highlights are pretty interesting to note. The one that they are really surprised about is that Verizon Wireless smartphones consumer more data than AT&T iPhone users.
The study seems to exclude BlackBerrys due to their lower data usage but it seems like newer smartphones like Android are really driving up usage. Excluding BlackBerrys and iPhones the mean consumption per user went from 139mb to 415mb. This just goes to highlight that carriers really need to step up their upgrades to handle the higher demand. It also explains why all of them are heading towards usage based pricing.
Check out the highlights of the study below:
- Growth in data users from 42% to 53% of total subscribers between 2009 and 2010
- Increase in mean MB usage per user from 96.8 MB to 145.8 MB
- New Smartphones, excluding iPhone and Blackberry, drove the greatest increases in usage, with an increased mean consumption per user from 139 MBs to 415 MBs, and 87% of subscribers with usage to 94% of subscribers
- Mean data consumption among aircard users grows 8% from 1,373.3MBs to 1,485.2MBs
- Increase in data users among feature phones from 27.3% to 36.7% with an increase in mean data consumption from 46.1 MBs to 67.9 MBs
- Verizon Wireless posts the largest percentage increase in mean data usage per user from 48.2MB to 147.2 MB; increase from 33.4% to 42.9% lines with data usage
- T-Mobile second largest percentage increase in mean data usage per user, from 44.6 MB to 120.6 MB, but virtually no growth in overall percentage of lines with data usage
- Sprint increased from 36.9% of lines with data usage to 49.9%, but mean usage per user decreased from 166.5 MB to 133.4 MB due to increase in % of users consuming 50MBs or less per month
- AT&T continues to lead with 71.2% of users with data usage, up from 58.4%, with increase in mean usage per user from 111.9 MB to 149.6 MB
- VZW posted largest increase in aircard/laptop card mean usage per user, from 1.25 GB to 1.6 GB
via Validas via IntoMobile
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- MiniMoni Beta – Monitor & Track Your Data Usage Free
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, July 28, 2010, 3:01 pm. | Validas Study Provides Insight Into US Data Usage | Leave a comment |
FAIL Blog Gets Free BlackBerry App
A few readers sent in tips about a new app from RedLightOfLove which gives you easy access to the popular FAIL blog from your BlackBerry. It has some great content and comes from the I Can Haz Cheezburger network. The only downside is that it requires OS 5.0+.
Features include:
- Shows random images from each category available
- Simple to use, just click to go to the next image
- Pre-loads images ahead of time for a seamless experience
You can pick up the app free in the store at this link
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Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, July 28, 2010, 1:58 pm. | FAIL Blog Gets Free BlackBerry App | 10 comments |
Antennagate App Tracks Your BlackBerry Signal Strength
I still get a bit of a laugh when friends mention the Apple Antennagate issue. I have finally conceded to a friend that if I wrap my 9700 completely with both hands I can make it drop a bar or maybe even two but nothing like his iPhone 4. We first told you about a free app from Xtreme Labs that would let you easily test this but now hayes.mobi has created a premium app that will log your antenna signal strength over time.
I am not sure if such a feature is worth $4.99 but if you really want proof you can check it out in the store at this link.
The Antennagate app features include:
- Track antenna signal over time
- Carrier antenna signal
- WiFi antenna signal
- Customizable refresh interval
- Customizable display options
- Screen shots
- Use to find best reception indoors
- Use to test "Death Grip"
- Test Out Apple’s Antennagate Claims Using The Free Antenna Meter App
- FAQ: Translating BlackBerry Signal Bars to Numbers
- Review: Wi-Ex zBoost Cell Phone Signal Extender – Extend Your Cell Coverage
- Steve Jobs Claims BlackBerry Bold 9700 Suffers From Antenna Death Grip
- Help iblipped Create a User Generated Coverage Map
Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, July 28, 2010, 12:11 pm. | Antennagate App Tracks Your BlackBerry Signal Strength | 3 comments |
Giveaway: Game Run Stickboy Run For BB Storm
Cleric Software Solutions, LLC recently released a new game for the BlackBerry storm called Run Stickboy Run. This game looks simple but can become addictive like other strategy games I have played in the past. This one is more of an action game, the goal is to use the accelerometer on the BB storm to avoid the balls falling from the sky. The game is a fast pace game.
Due to the nature of the game it is only available for the BB storm 1 and 2. The game is available for purchase through the BR store for $2.99 at this link.
For a chance to win one of 30 copies simply leave a comment below and will announce the winners once the contest is over.
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Posted by Luis Merlos for ©BerryReview, July 28, 2010, 11:30 am. | Giveaway: Game Run Stickboy Run For BB Storm | 18 comments |
Beyond160 App Now Supports OS 5.0 Breaking 160 Character SMS Limit on CDMA BlackBerrys
On of the annoyances with having a CDMA BlackBerry is that many carriers like Verizon, Sprint, Alltel, Bell, Telus, & US Cellular limit the number of characters in a SMS to 160 or even 140. Practically all GSM carriers allow you to send a “Enhanced SMS” which lets you string 6 SMS messages together but there is no easy way to do this on a CDMA device.
Beyond160 from Cannon Software fixed this issue awhile back but they did not update the app to support OS 5.0. I just found out that the latest release 1.0.6 works like a charm on OS 5.0 BlackBerrys and allows you to break that 160 character limit by automatically sending it in multiple parts with the appropriate markers… (1/3), (2/3), (3/3).
They have a full 14 day trial after which you can pick it up for $6.99 in the store. Its a bit pricey for a one trick app but if you are a heavy texter you might just need the upgrade.
Thanks Tom for sending this one in!
If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:- Beyond160 Adds Extended/Multipart SMS Support to CDMA BlackBerrys
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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, July 28, 2010, 10:51 am. | Beyond160 App Now Supports OS 5.0 Breaking 160 Character SMS Limit on CDMA BlackBerrys | 4 comments |
Vulkano Trying To Mix SlingBox With TiVo
Monsoon Multimedia is releasing a new set of products called Vulkano that combine the benefits of SlingBox with TiVo placeshifting. Essentially it gives you the functionality of a DVR, Web Video player, Place Shifter, UPnP streaming box, and Mobile Video Recording all in one device. They range from $259-$379 based on storage capacity for the DVR.
The really interesting part is that they are coming out with a free BlackBerry app to let you stream video from your BlackBerry. You will be able to watch and control any TV through Wi-Fi or 3G and schedule recordings from their guide. Supposedly it will also allow you to transfer these recordings to your PC and other devices.
This is really going to be a big hit if they actually do it right. Hopefully there will be no monthly subscriptions like TiVo otherwise this could be dead on arrival.
Check out more details at www.myvulkano.com or you can preorder at the same link. After launch the device will be available through Amazon and other retailers if you prefer and can wait.
via CrackBerry
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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, July 28, 2010, 9:02 am. | Vulkano Trying To Mix SlingBox With TiVo | Leave a comment |
Wireless Charging Standard “Qi” Completed – RIM Working On Implementation?
We heard late last year that RIM had joined the Wireless Power Consortium and their Qi wireless charging standard. That standard is ready according to the Consortium and is now off to interoperability testing. That means that wireless charging just got one step closer to your BlackBerry.
There are quite a few big names standing behind this standard so it looks like it will actually make it off the ground. I cannot wait until every hotel has a wireless charger hooked up right by the bed. I am not sure how PowerMat and WildCharge will respond to this new standard but it looks like they might just have to adapt. I am also really hoping this new Qi standard will cut down on bulk that plagued PowerMat and WildCharge.
As we said before the Qi standard is based on magnetic induction and works within a few millimeters. It can provide up to 5 watts of power with 70% efficiency and standby power of 0.0001 watts. That is pretty decent and they are planning a higher power version in the future. The only downside is that current BlackBerry wall chargers charge at almost 3 times that wattage so hopefully the higher power version come soon. 5W is about the power put out by a computer USB charger if you want to compare.
Check out the full details on the new Qi standard at www.wirelesspowerconsortium.com
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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, July 28, 2010, 7:48 am. | Wireless Charging Standard “Qi” Completed – RIM Working On Implementation? | One comment |
DreamBerry: Can We Get Some BlackBerry Browser Plugins???
It has been a LOOOOONG time since I wrote my last DreamBerry post. In DreamBerry articles we try to highlight something we wish RIM or developers will create for BlackBerry users. This time I wanted to focus on the BlackBerry browser and one of the things I miss the most when browsing from my BlackBerry.
I WANT PLUGINS! I know that Firefox plugins slow down the browser a bit but they provide amazing functionality that I wish I had on my BlackBerry. Awhile back some developers stepped in to create one or two BlackBerry browser plugins like a Bit.ly plugin but I want more.
Here are the kinds of plugins I want to see. I am not sure if they are possible with the current BlackBerry browser but I sure hope they will be coming with BlackBerry 6!
- Save Passwords – RIM definitely needs to integrate a password manager for the BlackBerry browser. I should not have to keep on putting in my password on every website. RIM already has a password safe. How hard would it be to integrate it into the Browser? Pretty please RIM?
- Sync Bookmarks – We could really use a bookmark synchronizing tool like Xmarks for the BlackBerry browser. When I add a bookmark from my computer I should be able to access it from my BlackBerry. Browsers like Chrome & Opera already have this as a standard feature. Can’t we also get it for BlackBerrys?
- GreaseMonkey – Now this would be an awesome plugin. GreaseMonkey for Firefox is a must have plugin which lets you integrate your own JavaScript plugins in a page. Like you can automatically reformat items or any of the thousands of scripts available at userscripts.org.
- Translator Plugin – A plugin to automatically put a website through Google Translate or some other machine translation so you can read it. Would this really be hard to do???
- Browser Widgets – It would be really cool if we could get some widgets in BlackBerry 6 like a weather widget that would automatically update a site on a regular schedule. I know you can do this with synchronized bookmarks but it is not elegant at all.
- User Agent Switcher – It could be really cool to be able to change your user agent to whatever you want. Not sure if RIM would be cool with this.
- A developer tool – I use developer tools like FireBug and Web Developer Toolbar all day to do things like disable cookies or view the HTML. RIM already lets you view the HTML with a shortcut but they do not give you access to see what CSS or JavaScript or images were loaded on a page. RIM really needs such a tool or at least a good desktop alternative if they want web developers to take mobile development for BlackBerry seriously.
Any other plugins you can think of that you wish were available for the BlackBerry Browser? Let me know in the comments!
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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, July 27, 2010, 8:04 pm. | DreamBerry: Can We Get Some BlackBerry Browser Plugins??? | 4 comments |
August 3rd RIM & AT&T Event – BlackBerry 9800 & BlackBerry 6.0?
Since this is no longer a secret RIM invited us out to an event in New York for August 3rd. They did not offer much info on the event but it prominently displays the AT&T and RIM logo so it will most likely be the launch announcement for the AT&T BlackBerry 9800 along with BlackBerry 6. Hopefully they will also announce the developer SDK’s!
What do you think? I know I am dying to get my hands on a BlackBerry 9800! We will be covering the event on August 3rd so stay tuned!
If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:- Rumor: BlackBerry 9800 Coming to AT&T on August 15th?!?
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- Rumor: BlackBerry Bold 9800 Slider Coming to AT&T in June?
Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, July 27, 2010, 4:31 pm. | August 3rd RIM & AT&T Event – BlackBerry 9800 & BlackBerry 6.0? | 7 comments |
Users Now “Very Satisfied” With AT&T? Looks Like It…
This is a real head scratcher for me. The only reason I still have AT&T is because they tend to get the latest BlackBerry devices before the competition and they are a GSM network so it is easy to switch devices. Their network reliability does not hold a candle to Verizon and even T-Mobile is starting to catch up in terms of features and reliability especially with their UMA service. Since AT&T became the exclusive carrier for the iPhone their network has taken some serious punishment but it looks like users are starting to look kindly at AT&T.
Here are some signs of the changing times:
- In a recent survey shown by CNN they found that 73% of iPhone users are “Very Satisfied” with AT&T. On the other hand 68% of other AT&T customers were satisfied.
- AT&T doubled their network capacity in NYC which is one of their biggest problem areas.
- San Francisco is the other area where users are having serious problems but AT&T admits the issue and says the fix for SF is lagging a little behind but it is coming.
- They fixed the throttling issue that was plaguing some users limiting their upload to 100kbps (which is not bad)
Are you an AT&T or former AT&T customer? What do you think of AT&T’s service? Is it improving?
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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, July 27, 2010, 3:09 pm. | Users Now “Very Satisfied” With AT&T? Looks Like It… | 6 comments |