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AT&T Officially Lists Wi-Fi Hotspot Access with iPhone Plans
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I'm testing this tomorrow morning after my class. Luckily, two of my buildings are close to Starbucks, one is Exactly next to it.
Cool beans indeed.
-Brian
Cool beans indeed.
-Brian
People like that guy are just never happy. AT@T and Apple are giving us something more then what we signed up for and he makes it out to be negative. Some people are never pleased.
Until citywide Wi-Fi is ubiquitouswhich is far from the case at present in the vast majority
of the USAI am very happy to have an iPhone and EDGE and not a Wi-Fi-dependant Touch.
I was also very happy to have a $39.95/450 minute plan with AT&T with my RAZR,
and paying an extra $20 a month for unlimited data on the iPhone is quite a bargain.
Do you think they began to offer this service to iPhone users because they already get an unlimited data plan? From what i remember, a large portion of AT&T's EDGE bandwidth is used by iPhone customers using the internet and its probably more expensve to offer unlimited EDGE use then it is to offer free access to wifi based internet access when available. They are probably reducing their operating cost quite a bit (and making customers happy
) by doing this because I'm sure the bandwidth for iPhone internet is negligible on broadband (not downloading bittorrent and such).
I do think its great that they've done this though. I hope it puts pressure on Rogers here in canada to do the same when they offer the iPhone here!
) by doing this because I'm sure the bandwidth for iPhone internet is negligible on broadband (not downloading bittorrent and such).I do think its great that they've done this though. I hope it puts pressure on Rogers here in canada to do the same when they offer the iPhone here!
Do you think they began to offer this service to iPhone users because they already get an unlimited data plan? From what i remember, a large portion of AT&T's EDGE bandwidth is used by iPhone customers using the internet and its probably more expensve to offer unlimited EDGE use then it is to offer free access to wifi based internet access when available. They are probably reducing their operating cost quite a bit (and making customers happy
I do think its great that they've done this though. I hope it puts pressure on Rogers here in canada to do the same when they offer the iPhone here!
As an avid iPhone user I highly doubt that AT&T is going to cut costs. Part of what makes an iPhone such a joy to use is that you don't have to stay tethered to any one place. I think for the vast majority of users that AT&T hotspot use would be MAYBE 5-10% of their usage. I'm in Seattle, with 4,000 SBUX on each corner and I don't think I'll be taking a huge advantage of this... If Safari spoofing still works then I can see THAT being huge but strict iPhone users? I think not.
-M
I never said I wasn't pleased. I just pointed out that it isn't free. I'm paying for it as part of my plan. I'm very pleased with my AT&T iPhone service thus far. I've never complained about my fees.
I'm a happy guy. Ask anyone.
With my corporate discount my Verizon bill is $40/mo. At $60/mo this would be around an extra $200/year.
Edit: Assuming a 20% discount that would put it at $96/year more. I think I could live with that.
Congratulations on cracking the mystery! Who would've ever thought Apple would announce a 3G iPhone? You should be a detective or something!
I think that the price of the service is, for what you get, very very good in America. I think if I was living in America, it would totally be worth it. However, seeing as how I (currently) live in Australia, I'm sure the same service would cost something like $100 per month, and I would get fewer WiFi spots, less minutes, etc.
I'm not going to buy into this until I get a job, I guess. I really have no idea how teenagers can afford this phone, even in the US.
well
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its free for me...I have an AT&T account...that's what I meant...cool that I don't have to pay extra for this
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its free for me...I have an AT&T account...that's what I meant...cool that I don't have to pay extra for this
Not yet where I was
I was just at McDonald's this morning for a meeting and I tried to log-in to the attwifi hotspot and it didn't work. I just got the usual login page where it asks you to purchase the service. No iPhone page at all even when I clicked login. I wonder if it will roll out slowly over time. Maybe Starbucks first and then the rest.
I also recall a while back a rumor that Apple was working on a patent for people to purchase things (coffee, etc.) at a Starbucks using their iPhone and then having it charged to their iTunes account. You never have to go up to the counter. You just type it in and wait for them to call your name. Wonder if this is the beginning of that implementation?
I was just at McDonald's this morning for a meeting and I tried to log-in to the attwifi hotspot and it didn't work. I just got the usual login page where it asks you to purchase the service. No iPhone page at all even when I clicked login. I wonder if it will roll out slowly over time. Maybe Starbucks first and then the rest.
I also recall a while back a rumor that Apple was working on a patent for people to purchase things (coffee, etc.) at a Starbucks using their iPhone and then having it charged to their iTunes account. You never have to go up to the counter. You just type it in and wait for them to call your name. Wonder if this is the beginning of that implementation?
apples to apples...oranges to oranges.... apples to oranges
wifi and 3gdata are totally different / independent of each other... you pay for data in your rate plan.. wifi pricing is provider dependent.... starbucks used to be free for t-mobile users and fee based for others.... att has now gotten in as the provider and provides free use for its customers... you could use your iphone right now for free if you are in free wifi area...
wifi and 3gdata are totally different / independent of each other... you pay for data in your rate plan.. wifi pricing is provider dependent.... starbucks used to be free for t-mobile users and fee based for others.... att has now gotten in as the provider and provides free use for its customers... you could use your iphone right now for free if you are in free wifi area...
I'm sorry AT&T, I can get much more done for less money. I was a former subscriber and happy with the AT&T phone service in the past, however in the US, this price for data and phone service costs too much for individuals.
ipod touch + public wifi (which is everywhere) + VPN = getting work done with security....all without a contract.
BTW- when is apple going to have a removable battery in their iphone? I'd love to purchase one when they do. The ipod touch makes a great PDA and communication device (when its jailbroken).
You realize that $59.99 is for data and phone service right? I was paying that much for my SLVR. Browsing on my iPhone, visual voicemail (big points on this one from me) and unlimited data along now with access to thousands of hotspots? No wonder I took a half-day last yr to wait in line to get my iPhone.
Yeah, seriously. Chris Breen said the same thing recently. Maybe it's a San Francisco phenomenon. Here in New York on a little old island you may have heard of called Manhattan, free WiFi hotspots are rare indeed. Basically, the Apple stores and a few parks.
You're not looking hard enough.
http://manhattan.about.com/od/citylife1/a/freewifihotspot_2.htm
With my corporate discount my Verizon bill is $40/mo. At $60/mo this would be around an extra $200/year.
Edit: Assuming a 20% discount that would put it at $96/year more. I think I could live with that.
Yeah, but at the end of the day, you still have Verizon. *shudders*
With my corporate discount my Verizon bill is $40/mo. At $60/mo this would be around an extra $200/year.
Edit: Assuming a 20% discount that would put it at $96/year more. I think I could live with that.
You can beat the $60/mo at AT&T. Walk into an AT&T Mobility store and ask a representative how to obtain a plan with "retention" rates.
That's exactly what I thought when I read the story. iPhone users in densely crowded areas (e.g. where a starbucks can be found) might eat up most of the bandwidth EDGE provides. The hotspots are there anyways. It might not be cheaper to send data through them (I simply don't know), but they definitely bring relief to urban GSM networks.
In the end it's a win-win: iPhone users get higher speeds near hotspots and AT&T does not have to build more towers to ensure reasonable speed/availability (keep in mind that GSM will be replaced in the foreseeable future so there's little incentive to invest in the infrastructure).
If hotspots provide cheaper bandwidth they will most likely encourage Apple to implement an automatic switching mode in the 3g iPhone - otherwise users would just use 3g because there is not much difference in speed.
Did Any one see this 3G notice
This is from the AT&T site for coverage. I don't know about you but my I phone doesn't have access to 3G networks.
Data Access
In order to use data such as email, Google Maps, YouTube videos and web browsing, AT&T recommends using iPhone in a 3G or EDGE Network (coverage viewer), or from a local Wi-Fi connection.
This is from the AT&T site for coverage. I don't know about you but my I phone doesn't have access to 3G networks.
Data Access
In order to use data such as email, Google Maps, YouTube videos and web browsing, AT&T recommends using iPhone in a 3G or EDGE Network (coverage viewer), or from a local Wi-Fi connection.
Sms
This is great, everything but the SMS which is 200 a month. I rip through text really fast. But here is a helpful hint for some of you. Just have everyone set up a gmail account, and send emails back and forth. Saves you a lot. Most of my friends have iphones and we just talk this way throughout the dday.
This is great, everything but the SMS which is 200 a month. I rip through text really fast. But here is a helpful hint for some of you. Just have everyone set up a gmail account, and send emails back and forth. Saves you a lot. Most of my friends have iphones and we just talk this way throughout the dday.
It never ceases to amaze me how many people make these kinds of statements. Did it ever occur to you that there are a number of people who aren't "always in range of a hotspot"?
I'm a sysadmin, and I share being on-call one week at a time with 5 other sysadmins. If we get a page when we're on call we have to have the ability to log into our systems and troubleshoot problems. Right now I lug a laptop with me wherever I go during the evenings/weekends when I'm on-call and make sure I'm never very far away from hotspots that I have access to. It's somewhat limiting. I'm looking forward to the 3G iPhone so that I don't have to lug around my laptop any more, and more importantly that I don't have to keep track of wifi hotspots. As long as I'm in a 3G coverage area I can simply pull out my iPhone and respond immediately to a page. I don't have to go look for a Starbucks or some other free/open wifi hotspot first.
Read through some of the other posts as well. Here's one a few posts before yours:
If people have trouble finding free/open wifi in a major city like LA then 3G will be a godsend in places like that. I'm in Boston there aren't all that many free/open hotspots around here either. True, having access to AT&T's hotspots at places like Starbucks will help, but it's no comparison to unfettered 3G access.
What about 200 sms messages? Isn't it only 60 right now? Does that mean existing customers are getting an upgrade?
This is what I am wondering, this is the only place I ever need to use an AT&T WiFi hotspot, as I'm not a partaker of the caffeinated liquid crack that Starbucks deal.
I think that the price of the service is, for what you get, very very good in America. I think if I was living in America, it would totally be worth it. However, seeing as how I (currently) live in Australia, I'm sure the same service would cost something like $100 per month, and I would get fewer WiFi spots, less minutes, etc.
Well, take this from a college student who wishes he had an iPhone, many teenagers are spoiled brats, and their mommies and daddies buy them everything, and they don't work, even on college campuses, which is totally surprising, because i have to pay for anything above basic living expense (i.e. spending money, computer, phone, insurance, credit card, video games, etc.) unless they are presents, which many video games are!
Back on topic, one of the things, besides the money, that is holding me back from an iPhone, is the 200 text messages a month-I easily go through at least 500, if not 1000, with my friends/family each month, because our schedules are so hectic, we can sometimes only communicate that way. Is their a way to upgrade the number of text messages a month on the iPhone plan? The wi-fi access would help in terms of emailing people, and doing work that way, but I still need the texting.