Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with att

Feasibility of a ridiculous texting prank?

Askiba — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:28:24 -0800

What is the potential risk, and legality, of my idea for a prank: sending the entirety of Romeo and Juliet in text messages to a friend. The Prank Idea: using my iPhone I managed to copy the entirety of Romeo and Juliet into a text message. In total, this encompasses around 920 160char text messages. (it might be removing something at the end- no big deal, though). Send them all to a friend early in the morning.

The Disclaimer: I understand that this is a very stupid prank. I probably won't do it until I can be sure I would come to no nasty trouble, nor anyone else for that matter. I just want to know- if I did, how bad of an idea would this be? Would I get disconnected? Fined? Give me all the details.

The Etc.:
-I'd be sending over 900 messages in sequence over AT&T's network. Sounds terrifying already.
-I have unlimited texting.

The snowblower really is her second choice

These Premises Are Alarmed — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:12:37 -0800

My wife would love an iPhone for Christmas. She totally deserves one, too, but AT&T coverage at our house is nonexistent. What should I do? We live on a peninsula near a very small airport on Long Island Sound in Connecticut. The poor coverage could be a total lack of infrastructure, or maybe it's because the tower is lower than normal due to the airport. My Verizon Blackberry will sometimes think I'm on Long Island.

When my mother visited for a week with her non-iPhone 3G handset, she got no signal the entire time she was in our house. Friends with iPhones have had a similar experience. It's conceivable there's a corner where she could get one bar, but we haven't found it.

We currently have out-of-contract Verizon phones that work tolerably at home. If it's a more than 30 second conversation we will use the home phone, but at least when someone calls, we hear a ring 75% of the time. That said, she is not interested in a Droid phone or anything other than the real deal from Apple. She has a Blackberry and will want to continue to use whatever she gets for her primary email account.

She actually doesn't care if she doesn't have good cell phone coverage at home, but I do and will be annoyed if I have to call two numbers to reach her. Plus, I'll want to get an AT&T phone for myself and want it to work at home. We have and will continue to have a land line. We've moved recently and plan to get new numbers with any new service.

So is there any solution? Ideas I've had:

1) Is there any iPhone application or setting that would do something like "If I'm on $home_wifi, forward all calls to $home_number."? This would be *perfect* but I suspect isn't possible.

2) Would an external or roof antenna help? What do they cost and how difficult are they to set up?

3) What's up with the AT&T Femtocell? Will it ever be available in CT (even though I find the idea of paying extra for basic coverage so distasteful) ?

4) We both have Google Voice accounts, could this be used to *automatically* route an incoming call in a helpful (eg, location-based) manner?

To summarize: Is there a simple, automatic way to make an iPhone worthwhile when there's no AT&T coverage at your home? Or should I just get her the snowblower that's her second choice?

AT&T Wireless Options

anotherpanacea — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:34:34 -0800

My 2-year cell phone contract with AT&T Wireless is complete, and I'm looking for advice on how to handle the next part. In general, the question is: Should I re-up or just continue without a contract?

Specifically:

1. Does anyone have experience with unlocked phones from Amazon? They appear to be older models, but will I have any trouble getting a quad-band GSM phone up and running to replace my wife's crappy Nokia?

2. I've got a pretty sweet deal with an older 1G iPhone on the EDGE network, and I don't need faster service. But I'm worried: is this thing going to last two more years? If I upgrade, is there a secondary market for 1G iPhones?

3. Kind of random, but I'm thinking of switching to a Kindle for my internet-anywhere needs. Has anyone tried this? (I hear there's a note in the T&Cs that Amazon can start charging for internet if it gets too expensive to support my browsing.) Is it possible to suspend the data part of the plan without getting rid of the iPhone itself?

I've called AT&T and they're supremely unhelpful, but I'm not really read to switch, as any other plan would be much more expensive given our usage rates, the switch to 3G, and general price inflation.

How much money does Apple receive for every iPhone sold?

ejfox — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:36:45 -0800

How much money is Apple actually making per iPhone? I know for a 16GB iPhone 3G S it costs the user $199 with a 2-year-contract with AT&T. I know that AT&T pays a subsidy to Apple for every iPhone sold.

However, I can't seem to find information (however flaky) on how much AT&T is actually paying, or how much Apple is actually making.

I'm trying to compare the manufacture costs for the iPhone with the number apple is selling the iPhones for to figure out what Apple's profit is. Any information that could help me with that would be appreciated.

Thanks!

How to use an iPhone in Spain without running up a ridiculous bill?

scooterdman — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:03:14 -0800

How can I use my iPhone in Spain without running up a ridiculous bill? I talked to AT&T, and, not surprisingly, their plan is nonsense. You pay an extra nominal fee and get (a whopping!) 25 megabytes of data before they start issuing major fees.

I basically want to use my phone while there to check email, use Google Maps, access Wikipedia, etc. Nothing fancy.

What should I do? Is there a reasonable way to go about using an iPhone in Spain? Or am I out of luck?

FYI: I also have an old iPhone that I would be open to hacking/jailbreaking if that would be of any use, as well. Would rather not mess around with my new 3GS.

Have I found a way to get out of my early termination fee with AT&T?

TurkishGolds — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:39:21 -0800

Switching to Verizon, buying a Droid, paying AT&Ts early termination fee, and then selling my 16GB iPhone 3Gs on Ebay to cover my costs and break even (or better) seems like it's too easy. Am I missing something? So I've had my iPhone for a few months now, and I am getting more and more frustrated with AT&T. Spotty service, missed and dropped calls, etc.

A Droid will cost me $199 new from Verizon.
The Early Termination fee from AT&T will be approx. $175.
People are selling the iPhone 3Gs 16GB in like-new condition on Ebay for between $400-$600.

It seems like it'd be easy for me to switch to Verizon and break even.

Am I missing something? This seems to easy.

When iDiots, iMmersion and iPhones collide, the iDiot needs help.

nevercalm — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:59:17 -0800

Iphone 3GS+Water=Unhappiness. Can I reactivate my 1st gen iphone while the 3GS is sitting in a bowl of rice for the next few days? So my iphone wound up immersed in water. I immediately dried it off, popped out the SIM card, got as much water out of that slot as well as anywhere else I could find it, and then covered it in rice.

I still have my 1st gen iphone. Can I reactivate it and use it while I'm waiting to see if I'm about to be several hundred dollars poorer 5 days from now? What would the re-re-activation process be should the 3GS (fingers crossed, hopinghoping) work again?

These questions as well as any further advice/anecdotal info (experiences replacing phones with water damage, how long I should wait, etcetc) would be much appreciated!

Please help me narrow down my phone selection - Blackberry or other? Thanks!

TrueVox — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:58:12 -0800

I'm getting a cellphone! Currently, I'm looking at a refurb'd Blackberry Curve from AT&T. I want to spend less then $100 (preferably as little as possible) but still have a 'geek' phone. There are a few caveats in place, though, due to the family plan I'm joining: It must be AT&T, no data plan option (so good by iPhone, jail-broken or otherwise), less then $100, but I'll have unlimited texting. I do want the Wifi, but will the Blackberry be clunky to use at home without a data plan, or can I just always make it default to wifi or nothing? Is the Blackberry the best choice (given my constraints) for someone who'd prefer an Android but can't afford one?

Also, if the Blackberry IS a good choice, what's a good resource for a new Blackberry owner who is familiar with hacking their hardware (I've got a modded Wii, an XBMC, and I flexed my old Razor before I stopped having a cellphone for a while)?

And last (sorry for the three part question, I know they're frowned on, but they kind of lead to each other)... are there any "Must Have" Blackberry Apps that aren't default?

Thanks to everyone! Go go gadget Hive Mind!

How do I bring my iPhone back online any time soon?

Anonymous — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:26:28 -0800

iPhone/AT&T conundrum: will this idea work? (kinda long, sorry) So, my iPhone has been disabled since my AT&T account went into collections. Long story short: I'm going through an ugly divorce, the contract's in my name, she ran up a $2000+ phone bill one month and refuses to pay it, and due to other shenanigans on her part, I'm not in a position any time soon to start chiseling away at it. With any luck, the final divorce settlement is probably a month or two down the road, and her being required to give me the money (which my lawyer has assured me she will be) to pay the collectors would be another month or so after that, I'm guessing.

In the meantime I was trying to live with the iPhone as basically an iPod Touch and using a pay-as-you-go Verizon cheapo phone, but I'm absolutely hating not having the phone and EDGE/3G aspects of the iPhone. Also, a friend and I have been talking about becoming iPhone developers sooner rather than later, so I've started wondering what options I might have.

Would this be a fix for my situation: my friend starts a contract in his name with a new iPhone of his own and adds my iPhone as a second phone on his plan? (I'd pay for the primary line.) The gotcha I'm worried about is whether my current iPhone, which no longer shows AT&T as the provider (just "No Service") might be flagged in such a way that it would not be allowed to be activated even under someone else's contract. Has anybody here had to deal with this situation before?

Also, assuming this does work, if I back up the iPhone before bringing it up under the new contract (I'm expecting a new phone number and SIM card will be required), will restoring from the backup my contacts, applications, settings, etc., work? (This isn't essential, but I'm curious about what I might lose.)

Feel free to contact me via nonceaccount9222009@gmail.com should you not want to comment in public. Thanks in advance for any help!

How best to combine two iPhone accounts in a business?

entropic — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 08:08:50 -0800

How should I combine my personal AT&T wireless account with someone who works for me (both with iPhones)? I currently have an iPhone with AT&T in the US. Right now I pay for it personally, but my business (that I own) will be paying the bill starting next month. I am going to be purchasing another iPhone for someone who is technically an independent contractor (salesperson paid commission only), and would like the business to pay that bill as well. What is the best/cheapest way to accomplish this? Should I just "add a line" to my account, give them the phone, and pay the bill with my business credit card? If I tell the AT&T rep that this is for a business, will they want to charge a lot more/differently?

Another complication is that this salesperson currently has a personal account with AT&T that is not up for renewal/upgrade anytime soon. I'd like to be able to tell the AT&T rep at the store about this, and explain that they're working for me and see if AT&T can let them off the hook early on that account since I'm starting a new one for them, and have the potential to bring them more money as a business. I'm concerned that if I tell them that, they'll want to charge a lot more just because it's for a business. Suggestions?

DSL hardware help

jingo74 — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:00:52 -0800

I want to help my aunt get set up with DSL service. She has phone service with AT&T and DSL is available in her area. Her computer is an HP Pavillion that is about 6 yrs. old running XP. To avoid her having to pay AT&T's $200 fee for a tech to come out and get her going, what can I do from a hardware standpoint? Does DSL use an Ethernet port or a dial-up modem port? Should I buy her a DSL modem or will AT&T provide one? Sorry for these NooB questions as I've only dealt with cable Internet service. Thanks.

iPhones are too much for her...

GJSchaller — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:59:34 -0800

Can anyone recommend a good, simple AT&T Cell Phone that syncs with a Mac for my mother? A few years back, I got my mother an iMac, and she's been happy with it - she's gradually migrating her life off of paper / rolodex and into Mail, Address Book, etc.

Her current AT&T cell phone is a piece o' junk, and is due to be upgraded. She doesn't need an iPhone - it's too much for her, and she would not use half of the features, much less the internet on it. Paying for a data plan would be wasting money.

Is there a simple cell phone out there that has basic (and easy to set up) sync functionality with the Address Book on the Mac, that is also a good phone? It can be by USB or Bluetooth, although USB might be better if it also charges the phone (to keep it simple). I'm familiar with iSync, but know it can be a pain to configure sometimes depending on the model of the phone. She doesn't need a QWERTY keyboard, and doesn't text, but it would be nice if she could have numbers handy in case she needs to make an emergency call.

Turn an AT&T laptop connect card into a wi-fi hotspot?

mickmel — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:14:42 -0800

About six months ago, I saw a cool device. You could plug your AT&T USB 3G "laptop connect" into it, and it would generate a local wi-fi hotspot (similar to the Verizon MiFi). I've since purchased the AT&T card, but I can't find the device anywhere. Was I imagining things? Does such a device exist? It'd be very, very useful. Thanks!

HTC Touch Pro

Zeker — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:45:12 -0800

Questions about HTC Raphael phones... My goal: I have AT&T, want to upgrade my phone and NOT renew my contract.

My interest: HTC Raphael, HTC Touch Pro, HTC PPC 6850, HTC XV6850, HTC Touch Pro T7272.

Question: Are those phones the exact same thing??! Or is it just cosmetics that differ? In other words, if I buy the Sprint version of the phone, can I unlock it and use it with AT&T, even with customized ROM? Or do I need to purchase a specific one of these?

Side notes: any suggestions on where I can get unlocked phones for cheap? Or suggestions on a phone that's about as good as this one?

How can there be water damage if there was NO WATER??

moojoose — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 19:22:25 -0800

Wireless provider says my phone has water damage--it never touched water/liquid. What to do next? About 2 days ago, my cell phone (Samsung A767 through AT&T) started cutting out when I was talking. Now I can't hear anything, not even a ring. Supposedly people on the other end can hear me fine. The rest of the features of the phone work fine. I just bought this phone in May, so it's still under warranty.

I took the phone to the AT&T store, and they said they couldn't do anything for me--there was water damage. This phone has never come into contact with water or any other liquids. It is either in my purse or pocket at all times, never on the counter, the bathroom, etc. I do, however, live in the Pacific Northwest, which is a particularly moist and rainy environment. Googling finds a website full of complaints that this phone claims false moisture damage.

Now what? We've had this account with AT&T for over 10 years and never required a replacement until right now. Surely that should count for something?

So just how much data does AT&T consider 'unlimited'?

juliewhite — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:09:13 -0800

I am in the hospital using the AT&T non-smartphone unlimited data plan like it is going out of style. My only link to the outside, and I have been transferring a lot of data... a LOT of data. Sooooo.... at what point does Ma Bell flip out, and how does this manifest?

Can you hear me now? NO I CANNOT BECAUSE I HAVE A TRACFONE.

headnsouth — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 18:11:53 -0800

Please hope me! The Tracfone I just bought to replace a broken AT&T phone will only allow emergency calls. My son broke the screen on his at&t phone a while back, and guys at two separate at&t stores told me I could just pick up a tracfone and switch out the sim cards no problem. So I picked up a tracfone and switched out the sim cards and the screen reads "sim lock code-1: emergency."

The phone comes with 10 minutes of setup time/support. Since I don't want to pay-as-I-go but rather use the at&t contract I'm already paying for, I don't want to register with tracfone and use those minutes. It also comes with an "activation card," with which you register that phone's serial number with tracfone. I haven't done that either, as again I don't want a tracfone account.

I've searched online but I'm frankly overwhelmed by all the technical information out there, and I'm sure that this is a simple thing that I'm just not getting. Is there an unlock code or something? How can I get this phone to work?

IM to Mobile service not working

Defenestrator — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:10:05 -0800

I am trying to use AOL instant messenger's IM to Mobile service. My girlfriend has always sent text messages to my phone while on her aim using +1(insert my area code)(insert my phone number). It stopped working out of nowhere. It's only with her screen name. I've tried quite a few solutions. Help? She doesn't have unlimited texting, so it saves her texts while at home to send me messages from her screen name to my phone. This has worked for probably a year now. Recently I switched to another phone (using a SIM card, I have AT&T) and then back to my original phone shortly afterward, we suspect this is when it stopped working.

I can send messages to her screen name via texts using the 6 digit number, but she can't send anything to me on her screen name. On ANY other screen name messages come through to me, but not hers.

I looked at these two pages:

http://mobile.aol.com/aolproducts/imtomobile

http://help.aol.com/help/microsites/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=222944

and tried to reset my mobile by sending a blank message to 265022 as was suggested. After that, when my girlfriend attempted to send me a message, it sent the message instructing me to reply with "a" to accept the message she had sent, "d" to decline, etc. I replied with "a" and nothing else came. She still cannot send me any messages successfully.

I called AT&T and the service representative tried instructing me on how to sign on with my screen name using the phone (I believe this is "IM forwarding", but its definitely not what I've been doing this whole time, which is "IM to Mobile") AT&T couldn't really help me with anything else.

I don't really want to use IM forwarding because that means my sn is shown as signed on for everyone. Plus I have to do some weird sign on stuff with my phone that takes time and doesn't even seem to be working anyways. I can't call AOL because I'm not an AOL member.

Any suggestions?

I have a Samsung SGH-A437.

AT&T, I DEMAND GOOD PHONE RECEPTION!!!

Zeker — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:54:53 -0800

Cellular reception is horrible in my area. I get at least 2 dropped calls during my commute to work, and every cellphone I've used is generally worthless indoors. What's the best way to pester my service provider into fixing this? I live in central coast California and spend at least 2 hours a day traveling up and down the 101 (between Salinas and San Luis Obispo). If I take an entire trip down the 101 between those two cities, WITHOUT FAIL I will get AT LEAST 2 dropped calls. I've switched cellphones twice (previously a Samsung Eternity, currently a Sony Ericcson slider).

Outside my own home (in the middle of town, I don't live out in the woods or anything) AT&T gives me an average of 2-3 bars out of 5 for reception. Indoors, however, my phone is absolutely worthless. It doesn't matter who's home I'm under, the process I endure to send a single text message consists of either:

A) Gingerly placing the phone on a stationary surface, pressing the send button while simultaneously observing if my finger on the button increases or decreases the reception enough for the message to send.

B) Constantly checking the outbox to ensure that the message went through... and that it went to the right person.

C) Playing peek-a-boo with my single, disappearing reception bar. PEEKAB... awwww it's gone :(..... WHOAH! PEEKABOOOO.... damn, gone agai--- OH GOD! :D PEE--- BASTARD COME BACK!

D) Pacing around the house for a sweet spot. I find that being in front of mirrors improves the chances of getting a signal for some reason. Also, laying the phone on a solid surface increases reception. I think the accelerometer changes how the antenna interacts with the signal... but I dunno, I'm just guessing/talking out of my ass here.

E) Giving up and walking outside.

I honestly feel that my plea will fall on deaf ears if I call AT&T. The only way they'd give a damn is if I'm a big company who has lots of business with them, or if I threaten to cancel my accounts... but lately, they don't seem to respond to that anymore (I call them on occasion for my company and they're still lousy). In fact, I don't feel I should be paying for such a crappy service since it doesn't work as well as promised. Is there anything I can do to get better service? Anyone I can call that would actually do something about it?

PS.

If you work for AT&T... FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PASS THIS ON TO YOUR SUPERIORS. I'd switch carriers, but I already signed another slave contract for 2 years and I still got another year to go.

Can you hear me now? No? Good!

genial — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:16:52 -0800

Working out a situation where I would have an iPhone on Verizon's data network and wondering if anyone has tried this or is currently doing it. Further details inside As an iPhone user who is not in a 3G area, I have been wishing for over a year that Verizon would get the iPhone. They have not, nor does it seem it will happen in the near future (WWDC was my hope). On top of that it seems if they did I would have to get a new phone anyway since it would likely be CDMA. So I'm screwed on that front. Then I started thinking and realized the iPhone covers so much of what I do with data that I no longer technically need it as a "cell phone". To compound it all I work in a place with no cell phone access at all, so I'm not the person that requires being tethered to a phone at all times of the day anyways (I can't be really). Here are my thoughts:

1. Text Messages - I have Twitter with push notifications. Anyone who doesn't use that doesn't need to get ahold of me via txt.

2. Voicemail - I have a Google Voice account I (assume?) could keep for vm transcriptions to email.

3. Calling - Skype on the iPhone works over wifi. In addition I can open up Google Chat for text conversations that need to happen in real time (if I'm not driving).

So my thought is that all of this combined makes the Verizon Mifi a really compelling product. Sure I have to carry an extra device but if I cancel my cell phone plan (which I know there would be a cost to do) and opt for this, I have a Verizon data cloud surrounding me at all times for $60/month which is less than I'm paying for the iPhone.

Has anyone tried this? Am I missing anything important or any other pros/cons I haven't considered?

Can Google Voice and VoIP help create my perfect phone set up?

ejoey — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 11:00:47 -0800

In the spirit of Google Voice invites, I'm wondering if there might be cost effective a way to create a phone set up that does the following with two Google Voice numbers, two iPhones, and some sort of voip/sip/pbx/(insert acronym here) home phone solution: 1. If someone calls Google Voice A, iPhone A rings & home phone rings

2. If someone calls Google Voice B, iPhone B rings & home phone rings differently than if someone called GV A

3. Home phone can dial out cheaply or freely to US numbers and (ideally) display on caller IDs as either Google Voice A or B

(Bonus points if the incoming calls can be handled cheaply or freely with low monthly commitments on the home phone)

Am I dreaming? It seems like people are doing tons of wacky stuff with phones these days, but I've been unable to find someone doing this specifically in my Google trawling.

So I dropped my iPhone and the screen shattered. Now what? What should I buy and how does it affect my ATT contract?

decrescendo — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:05:50 -0800

So I dropped my iPhone and the screen shattered. Now what? What should I buy and how does it affect my ATT contract? So I got an iPhone 3G around Thanksgiving of 2008. Yesterday it fell out of my suit jacket and landed on the concrete, shattering the screen. It still works because I was able to back it up/sync the contacts after this happened.

However, what do I do now? Its within a year of purchase but is this covered under anything? I don't think it was insured because I'm pretty sure ATT doesn't let you insure it. Could it be fixed if the glass is totally wrecked and potentially the LCD stuff underneath it?

I really wasn't a massive fan of the thing anyway. The lack of background apps, shitty call quality, and the fact that you type on a piece of glass have had me thinking about getting something else anyway.

If i was on ATT looking for another email-capable, QWERTY keyboard, GPS capable, background app capable, better-camera-than-iPhone type of phone what would it be? Bold or 8900? Are these two all there is on ATT at the moment? When is the 3G new Curve hitting ATT?

Comcast or U-Verse for an Internet Addict

still_wears_a_hat — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:29:17 -0800

So how does U-Verse's internet service compare to Comcast's? Not in print, where they're identical, but in reality? Almost just in time for this question, I started looking into U-Verse as an alternative to Comcast for digital TV/VCR. U-Verse would definitely give me more of what I want in TV, but I'm concerned about the internet. Much as I dislike Comcast, I can't complain about the internet speed, reliability, or even support, and if AT+T isn't going to be as good, I'll stick with Comcast for everything. Getting TV from one and internet from the other is more hassle (and money) than I'm willing to deal with.

My Comcast service claims 10MPBS; I usually get around 7, which is fine for me. AT+T's small print says "speed may vary and is not guaranteed" (as does Comcast's) as well as saying that using other U-Verse services may reduce internet speed.

I'd like the AT+T TV package, but not if it means that I can't play games and listen to music while recording something on the DVR, or if it means that my internet will be overall slower, flaky, or badly supported.

I've looked at the various broadband and U-Verse forums, but am not finding the info I want, which is just - how does AT+T's U-Verse internet service compare to Comcast's for speed (assuming the AT+T 10MBPS option), reliability and support.

I'm in southeast Michigan, if that makes any difference.

DirecTV, DishNetwork or uVerse?

tippiedog — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:00:56 -0800

Dish Network, DirecTV or uVerse? We are a family of four living in suburban Austin, Texas. Our local cable service has changed hands two times in the last few years and is now owned by Suddenlink. We've had cable (with their provided DVR, a Motorola 6400 series) and internet with them for years, and have not been particularly unhappy until recently. With one of the buyouts, they removed some channels that we like (BBC America primarily) from our package and we really don't want to pay more for them.

But here's the big problem: I knew the DVR was not anywhere close to TiVo in functionality, but it did the job. In the last two weeks, however, they REPLACED the OS on the DVR (and cable box for our non-DVR TV, but that has less of an impact) and as a result, our DVR has lost some significant functionality and is practically unusable. That really pisses me off!

We're thinking of going elsewhere for TV and I would like your feedback.

NOTE: Our neighborhood was recently wired for AT&T uVerse, so that's an option, in addition to satellite.

Based on recent threads, it looks like MeFites generally prefer DirecTV over Dish, but Uverse is so new, I'm not seeing much about it on the green.

Here is some relevant info about us:

I'm not unhappy with my cable internet service; I don't see any reason to change it from Suddenlink unless there's a big bundling advantage

We have landline phone service with AT&T; we have tried Vonage and Suddenlink's VoIP but had voice quality problems (which may indicate that our internet service isn't that great; see first bullet item above)

We don't care a whit about sports on TV

We currently subscribe to basic cable + the big package of miscellaneous stuff: SciFi, Discovery, Comedy, TBS, etc., which is about what we would like to keep

We live by the DVR, so it's a must whichever way we go. Obviously, DVR usability is an issue

We get movies via NetFlix, so don't want to want to pay for premium movie channels

We watch primarily PBS, documentaries, some re-run sitcoms, etc.

We have one HDTV (with the DVR) where we do about 95% of our TV watching. We have a second, small analog TV in a study that hardly gets used for anything but gaming; we don't need a DVR for it

My iPhone is on strike... help!

ComeUndone — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:10:51 -0800

Help! My iPhone has decided to not connect to any cell-phone network. After happily owning an unlocked iPhone on T-Mobile for the past year or so, it has suddenly decided to quit working. It comes on fine, but when it tries to connect to a cell tower, it just says "Searching." or "No Service".
I'm at home, where I've consistently had 3-4 bars for the last year. If I go to manually select a network, it will display all the networks in the area, but when I select one, it tries to connect, then tells me that network is no longer available.
I've tried restarting the phone, restarting the phone after taking out the SIM card, restoring the phone from a backup, and restoring the phone from scratch. Much to my dismay, none of these things have worked.
My question is: Has anyone else ran into this problem with an unlocked iPhone? Or is there anyone who has any other ideas? I'm running out of ideas, and the hive mind is my last-ditch effort before I call T-Mobile and order a blackberry.