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The Telecom Digest for July 04, 2010
Volume 29 : Issue 180 : "text" Format
Messages in this Issue:
Re: Strange how account security is one way (Steven)
Letter from Apple Regarding iPhone 4 (Monty Solomon)
Apple's iPhone 4: Thoroughly Reviewed (Monty Solomon)
iPhone 4 Review: 3 - Camera Photos & Videos (Monty Solomon)
Re: FTC: say goodbye to "Stacey at Account Holder Services" (tlvp)
Re: Strange how account security is one way (bernies@netaxs.com)
Big Phone, Big Screen, Big Pleasure (Monty Solomon)
Counting (and Filing) the iPhone Apps (Monty Solomon)
Apple Acknowledges Flaw in iPhone Signal Meter (Monty Solomon)
====== 28 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ======
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===========================
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against crime. Geoffrey Welsh
===========================
See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details
and the name of our lawyer, and other stuff of interest.
Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2010 21:19:23 -0700
From: Steven <diespammers@killspammers.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Strange how account security is one way
Message-ID: <i0mdoe$ig9$1@news.eternal-september.org>
On 7/2/10 6:30 PM, John Mayson wrote:
> I recently had a number of people complain to me that my cell phone
> voice mail wasn't working. I tried to access my mailbox and it didn't
> exist. I called 6-1-1 and they refused to talk to me. Why? My wife
> is technically the account holder. Even though she's designated me as
> being allowed to access the account information, they still needed to
> talk to her. This makes absolutely no sense to me. If she's told
> them I can talk to them, that should suffice. Instead I had to have a
> conversation with the support technician via my wife. This is the
> second cell phone company that has done this. Yes, I agree, they
> can't just talk to anybody. But in the store and on the phone she has
> said they can talk to me. They acknowledge this, but claim they still
> can only discuss account information with her. Now hold that thought.
>
> Here's what happened to my cell phone service. I am entitled to an
> upgrade. Someone in California decided to upgrade his/her phone using
> my upgrade. This person then returned the phone. When my upgrade was
> returned to me it wiped out my features. They have absolutely no
> explanation why this was allowed to happen.
>
> So, in summary. They will not allow me to discuss anything about our
> account. But they will let a complete stranger in another state use
> my phone upgrade.
>
> John
>
That sounds strange. Our personal phones are in my wife's name with
Sprint, and I talk to them, all the time, all I need to do is answer a
couple of questions and give the account password and I can do anything
including upgrading and buying stuff for the phone. My work phone, paid
for by my employer with another company.
--
The only good spammer is a dead one!! Have you hunted one down today?
(c) 2010 I Kill Spammers, Inc. A Rot in Hell Co.
Date: Sat, 3 Jul 2010 00:58:45 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Letter from Apple Regarding iPhone 4
Message-ID: <p06240860c8547370eec1@[10.0.1.3]>
July 2, 2010
Letter from Apple Regarding iPhone 4
Dear iPhone 4 Users,
The iPhone 4 has been the most successful product launch in Apple's
history. It has been judged by reviewers around the world to be the
best smartphone ever, and users have told us that they love it. So we
were surprised when we read reports of reception problems, and we
immediately began investigating them. Here is what we have learned.
To start with, gripping almost any mobile phone in certain ways will
reduce its reception by 1 or more bars. This is true of iPhone 4,
iPhone 3GS, as well as many Droid, Nokia and RIM phones. But some
users have reported that iPhone 4 can drop 4 or 5 bars when tightly
held in a way which covers the black strip in the lower left corner
of the metal band. This is a far bigger drop than normal, and as a
result some have accused the iPhone 4 of having a faulty antenna
design.
At the same time, we continue to read articles and receive hundreds
of emails from users saying that iPhone 4 reception is better than
the iPhone 3GS. They are delighted. This matches our own experience
and testing. What can explain all of this?
We have discovered the cause of this dramatic drop in bars, and it is
both simple and surprising.
Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use
to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally
wrong. Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more
bars than it should for a given signal strength.
...
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/07/02appleletter.html
Date: Sat, 3 Jul 2010 11:14:52 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Apple's iPhone 4: Thoroughly Reviewed
Message-ID: <p06240863c855030194f9@[10.0.1.3]>
Apple's iPhone 4: Thoroughly Reviewed
by Brian Klug & Anand Lal Shimpi on 6/30/2010 4:06:00 AM
I'm not sure how this keeps happening. The first year I waited at a
mall for 5 hours to get the original iPhone. The following year my
friend Mark Rein convinced me to see a midnight showing of Hellboy II
and then wait outside of an AT&T store all night to get the iPhone
3G. You'd think I'd learn by the third year but once more I was in
line at the mall hours before the Apple store opened to get the 3GS.
This year I thought it would be different. Apple offered free
overnight shipping to anyone who wanted to pre-order the iPhone 4.
Figuring everyone would go that route I decided to beat the FedEx
trucks and just show up at the mall at 6AM. I'd be in and out in a
little over an hour, which would give me a head start on battery life
testing on Apple's 4th generation iPhone.
I promise that not all of my decisions play out this poorly. Those
who pre-ordered the 4 and requested overnight delivery got their
phones early and my one hour wait turned into six hours at the mall,
for the fourth year in a row.
It's a self fulfilling prophecy. Steve gets up on stage, proclaims
the iPhone 4 to be the biggest introduction since the original
iPhone, and the public flocks to Apple stores to fork over $200 on
day one and around $2500 over the course of two years for the
privilege. But this isn't 2007. Apple has real competitors in the
smartphone space. Android phones have grown in features, polish and
popularity. Even Palm entered the race with a competant offering, and
Microsoft isn't far behind. It's easy to start a revolution when
everyone else is doing the wrong thing, but what about when more
companies actually get it? Was Steve justified in his excitement over
the 4? That's what we're here to find out today.
...
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3794/the-iphone-4-review
Date: Sat, 3 Jul 2010 11:14:52 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: iPhone 4 Review: 3 - Camera Photos & Videos
Message-ID: <p06240864c85503d1c57c@[10.0.1.3]>
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
iPhone 4 Review: 3 - Camera Photos & Videos
By Daniel Eran Dilger
Published: 08:00 PM EST
Apple's fourth generation iPhone is also the company's best mobile
camera, whether shooting pictures, capturing video, or enabling video
calls with FaceTime. Here's how it compares to the previous iPhone
3GS and other popular camera phones.
Two cameras, one device
iPhone 4 may do a lot to help erase the market for both standalone
point-and-shoot cameras and dedicated Flip-style camcorders. That's a
bold statement until you see what kind of photos it can now take.
It's not just photo quality either; it's ease of use, convenience,
and speed. Taking pictures with iPhone 4 is really fast, with no lag
between when you take the picture and when its captured.
The new LED flash helps fill in shots in low light (a feature Apple
was lagging behind everyone in) and the cameras automatically geotag
your photos, with the location now (in iOS 4) presented graphically
right on the phone under Photo's Places tab.
The new phone even looks and feels like a camera, with flat edges
that enable you stand it on its side or on end (if you dare) on a
level surface. The built in camera app has no shutter delay timer,
but you can set it up to record video, jump in the shot, and then
trim out the initial part. You can now tap to focus for both still
shots and while recording video.
There's very little to figure out in the ultra simple Camera app:
just one button to set the flash and one to switch between the front
and rear facing cameras (you can only switch before you start taking
video or during a FaceTime chat; you can't go back and forth between
the two cameras within the same recording).
New APIs in iOS 4 allow developers to access the raw data captured by
the cameras, allowing third party apps to offer more options and
additional (or less) imaging processing, meaning that Apple's simple
and easy to use Camera app should get more complex alternatives
offering additional features for those that want them.
...
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/06/30/iphone_4_review_3_camera_photosvideos.html
Date: Sat, 03 Jul 2010 02:39:41 -0400
From: tlvp <tPlOvUpBErLeLsEs@hotmail.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: FTC: say goodbye to "Stacey at Account Holder Services"
Message-ID: <op.ve88sftvitl47o@acer250.gateway.2wire.net>
On Sat, 19 Jun 2010 11:25:20 -0400, Hudson Leighton <hudsonl@skypoint.com>
wrote:
> ... And guess who I got a call from yesterday ;-)
>
> I was ready as the CID was XXX-000-XXXX
Hudson, on 6/29 (at 2:18 pm my time), I got a call from
| 866-555-1212
| TOLL FREE CALL
and no, I didn't answer; and no, the caller left no message :-) .
Cheers, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP
Date: Sat, 03 Jul 2010 04:19:21 -0400
From: "bernies@netaxs.com" <bernies@netaxs.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Strange how account security is one way
Message-ID: <20100703041921.180368wiad2upcow@webmail.uslec.net>
Quoting John Mayson <john@mayson.us>
> Date: Fri, 2 Jul 2010 20:30:37 -0500
>
> I recently had a number of people complain to me that my cell phone
> voice mail wasn't working. I tried to access my mailbox and it didn't
> exist. I called 6-1-1 and they refused to talk to me. Why? My wife
> is technically the account holder. Even though she's designated me as
> being allowed to access the account information, they still needed to
> talk to her. This makes absolutely no sense to me. If she's told
> them I can talk to them, that should suffice. Instead I had to have a
> conversation with the support technician via my wife. This is the
> second cell phone company that has done this. Yes, I agree, they
> can't just talk to anybody. But in the store and on the phone she has
> said they can talk to me. They acknowledge this, but claim they still
> can only discuss account information with her. Now hold that thought.
>
> Here's what happened to my cell phone service. I am entitled to an
> upgrade. Someone in California decided to upgrade his/her phone using
> my upgrade. This person then returned the phone. When my upgrade was
> returned to me it wiped out my features. They have absolutely no
> explanation why this was allowed to happen.
>
> So, in summary. They will not allow me to discuss anything about our
> account. But they will let a complete stranger in another state use
> my phone upgrade.
John, I think you're beginning to understand that cellphone companies
(and banks and other big companies) have all of these rules in place
to ensure and protect their profits--not you. Don't think for a
second that they care about you or your wife. BTW, which mobile
carrier do you use?
-Ed
Date: Sat, 3 Jul 2010 14:34:08 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Big Phone, Big Screen, Big Pleasure
Message-ID: <p06240869c8552fbe1131@[10.0.1.3]>
Big Phone, Big Screen, Big Pleasure
By DAVID POGUE
June 30, 2010
You think technology moves too fast now? You think your camera,
camcorder and computer become obsolete quickly?
Try buying an app phone. In this business, the state of the art
changes as often as Lady Gaga changes outfits.
Suppose, for example, that you want one of the increasingly popular
phones that run Google's Android software.
Last November, you might have been tempted by the Motorola Droid,
"the best Android phone on the market." A month later, the HTC Hero
was "the best Android phone on the market." By January, "the best
Android phone yet" was the Nexus One. In April, "the best Android
device that you can purchase" was the HTC Incredible. In May, "the
best Android phone on the market" was the Sprint Evo.
Either "the best Android phone on the market" is a tech critic's tic,
or we're witnessing one seriously crazy game of leapfrog.
The latest buzz is about the Motorola Droid X, which Verizon will
offer in mid-July for $200. (That's after a $100 rebate, with a
two-year contract for new customers or existing ones whose contracts
would expire this year; plans start at $90 a month with unlimited
Internet and texting.)
The physical keyboard of the original Droid is gone; you do all your
Droid X typing onscreen. The phone is impressively thin - all the way
to the camera bulge at the top back. That bump makes it easier to
pull the phone from your pocket, but it has a bizarre look.
There are physical Menu, Home, Back and Search buttons below the
screen, and a dedicated camera/shutter button on the edge. Great,
great idea.
The most notable physical characteristic, though, is the Droid X's
size. It's absolutely huge (5 by 2.6 by 0.4 inches). It's easily the
biggest app phone on the market. You feel as if you're talking into a
frozen waffle.
...
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/01/technology/personaltech/01pogue.html
Date: Sat, 3 Jul 2010 14:42:46 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Counting (and Filing) the iPhone Apps
Message-ID: <p0624086bc85534e14567@[10.0.1.3]>
Counting (and Filing) the iPhone Apps
David Pogue
JULY 1, 2010
When Steve Jobs unveiled the new iOS4 (the latest iPhone operating
software), he bragged about a new feature that lets you organize your
downloaded apps into logically named folders. (Truly, it's a
fantastic feature.)
You can fit up to 12 apps in each folder. And you can have 16 folders
on each of your 11 home screens. And you can have four more folders
on the Dock that's always at the bottom of the home screen.
So let's see: 12 apps * 16 folders * 11 home screens + (4 Dock
folders * 12 apps) = 2,160 apps.
According to Steve Jobs, then, you can have 2,160 apps on an iPhone!
Or can you?
"@pogue, actually, it's 2149," wrote my Twitter follower mtisher66.
"There's no way to create the last folder, because you don't have two
icons to drop onto one another!"
I stared at that tweet, deeply concerned. It's true: to create a
folder on the iPhone, you drag one app's icon on top of another. (The
software automatically creates the new folder, puts both apps inside,
and even attempts to name the folder based on the apps you put into
it: "Games," for example, or "Music.")
But once you've got 15 folder icons on the last page, the 16th icon
would have to be an app icon - a single app icon - and there'd be no
way to create a final folder!
...
http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/01/counting-and-filing-the-iphone-apps/
Date: Sat, 3 Jul 2010 15:54:07 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Apple Acknowledges Flaw in iPhone Signal Meter
Message-ID: <p06240872c85545bb388e@[10.0.1.3]>
Apple Acknowledges Flaw in iPhone Signal Meter
By MIGUEL HELFT
July 2, 2010
Apple customers love to complain about the reception on their
iPhones. And the problem may be worse than it looks.
Apple said on Friday that for years its phones had been exaggerating
signal strength by displaying too many bars - indicating stronger
reception than there ever was. The problem, Apple said, is a bug in
the software, which it promised to fix soon.
Once it does, it seems, customers will be able to see just how bad
reception really is.
The company said it discovered the problem while trying to explain
the mystery of the disappearing bars on its new iPhone 4, a week
after some users began complaining that when they held the phone a
certain way, the bars indicating signal strength dropped off sharply.
But Apple said the flaw, which it promised to fix shortly, existed
with older versions of the iPhone, too.
For a company that obsesses over every detail of its products, the
failure to detect this longstanding problem earlier is astonishing.
Some customers say they are skeptical of Apple's explanation of the
vanishing bars. "I don't buy it that it is just a simple matter of
the meter not showing the right amount of signal strength," said
Bryan Hurst, of Hackettstown, N.J., who upgraded last week to an
iPhone 4 from an iPhone 3GS. Mr. Hurst said he had had more problems
with dropped calls with the new handset than the old one. "It doesn't
make any sense," he said.
But Apple disagrees and says there is plenty to like about the iPhone
4. The much-vaunted antenna - designed specially for the new phone -
works just fine, the company said. In fact, Apple said, the iPhone 4
is the best ever on several fronts, including wireless reception.
...
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/03/technology/03apple.html
***** Moderator's Note *****
Is it just me, or does this sound like championship corporate crab walking?
Bill Horne
Moderator
TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecom-
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End of The Telecom Digest (9 messages)
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