Not here they don't. If a carrier decided to cripple a phone's functionality or alter it in any way from the manufacturer's specs they'd be run out of town. Same if they tried to make people pay to receive calls - now that's just plain stupid.
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Cingular?
- Thread starter NavySEAL6
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Not here they don't. If a carrier decided to cripple a phone's functionality or alter it in any way from the manufacturer's specs they'd be run out of town. Same if they tried to make people pay to receive calls - now that's just plain stupid.
Wow, what a logical service model. Now, in what arenas is "America" innovative exactly? Certainly not phone service.
rendit
I'm not saying there isn't a demand for an unlocked iPhone, what I'm trying to say is that Cingular or any other carrier wouldn't agree to going so far out of their way in regards to regulations and features WITHOUT Jobs agreeing to give them exclusive rights to it.
You're forgetting that in order to produce a cell phone it takes two: a manufacturer AND a carrier. Both sides need to benefit from the deal, or there won't be one. Jobs could never get away with asking each of the carriers to revamp their voicemail features, allow them full control over the development, AND that the phone be offered through ALL carriers. Why would ANY of the carriers agree to that??
guys, Apple isn't trying to piss us off.
You have a bit more control over the whole operation when it's with one partner. Cingular had to change the network ops too -- this wasn't all Apple R&D. They have the fastest global network. Apple wants this to be the best global solution.
A little kick in the pants from Steve and Cingular may shape up. I know it's really fun to complain right now, but let's just wait and see.
You have a bit more control over the whole operation when it's with one partner. Cingular had to change the network ops too -- this wasn't all Apple R&D. They have the fastest global network. Apple wants this to be the best global solution.
A little kick in the pants from Steve and Cingular may shape up. I know it's really fun to complain right now, but let's just wait and see.
Cingular is near perfect in Alabama and Tennessee. I've had T-mobile before. That lasted about 3 days since it wouldn't even pick up from within my house.
I checked on the cingular website and my area has moderate coverage to better. There were very few dead zones. right now i have Nextel with an expired contract, and theres no chances of me renewing with them, so many problems. Verizon is probably a better choice in my area, but im willing to take the (hopefully) small hit in service just to use the iphone. Hopefully there will be a way to easily unlock them.
No, I haven't forgotten that cell phone service requires both the handset and the network. I'm not trying to call for such an extreme measure that Apple would actually demand as much as you imply. Rather, I think there is a middle ground that could be reached between the two ends of handset manufacturer and network provider. I think it is damaging to the end-user experience for either party to have too much control. The hope for many was that Apple could make some inroads to this ideal.
To some extent, they did just that, by getting Cingular to revamp their voicemail. However, I think adding that one feature is a small compromise for obtaining exclusive rights to the iPhone and its successors for years to come. I think it's worth mentioning that the model of complete domination of handset features by network providers only happens in the US. If you look at countries where the networks are not such control freaks, you'll see that the end-users are enjoying technologies now that we in the US won't see for at least a year or two.
rendit
Wow, what a logical service model. Now, in what arenas is "America" innovative exactly? Certainly not phone service.
rendit
Yeah, we don't pay to receive calls.
Our mobile system is such that every mobile phone has the same area code (04) no matter which carrier you decide to go with. That means that calls are a single rate no matter where you are in the country and if you move house you don't need to change your mobile number. If you change carriers at any stage it's free to carry your number across to that carrier - they do it for you when you register the phone, takes a few hours to be active but it's all done by the carrier.
I have a Motorola L6 on a two year contract with Optus. I think there are only two companies in Australia with their own towers, Telstra who used to have a monopoly here so they built all the phone towers and Optus who just hooked their transmitters to the towers - as such coverage is pretty consistent throughout the country so long as you are in range of a tower. As you can imagine with a country as large and sparsely populated as ours the coverage outside the main areas and highways is a bit light on but anybody with a brain in the bush has a satellite phone anyway. Anyhoo, I might switch carriers when the contract is up, it's free to unlock the phone, free to carry the number over and I can just pick up a $2 SIM card and go onto a pre-paid plan and never worry about contracts again.
South Bay Los Angeles,
I have both Sprint and Cingular. I had Cingular for over 5 years, it was fine until the merge... You would expect the service to get better right? The only reason I still have Cingular is because I'm stuck with the contract for a few more months. I live and work in a high populated area in S. LA, the beach! To anyone considering Cingular, Don't even think about it! Sprint works way better here! Actually, I travel to WPB FL. and Cingular works just as bad there too. Drop calls practically every day, no joke!
I have both Sprint and Cingular. I had Cingular for over 5 years, it was fine until the merge... You would expect the service to get better right? The only reason I still have Cingular is because I'm stuck with the contract for a few more months. I live and work in a high populated area in S. LA, the beach! To anyone considering Cingular, Don't even think about it! Sprint works way better here! Actually, I travel to WPB FL. and Cingular works just as bad there too. Drop calls practically every day, no joke!
Va/wva
I live in norther Virginia, there all carriers have excellent coverate. However, once you get out of the city area, and go west or south, cingular, nextel, and t mobile get far worse. Verizon is far superior. In West Vriginia, and the national parks / forests in western VA, Verizon is the only one that has any coverage at all. I also think going with Cingular is a HUGE Mistake!
I live in norther Virginia, there all carriers have excellent coverate. However, once you get out of the city area, and go west or south, cingular, nextel, and t mobile get far worse. Verizon is far superior. In West Vriginia, and the national parks / forests in western VA, Verizon is the only one that has any coverage at all. I also think going with Cingular is a HUGE Mistake!
For all of you asking about Verizon: I can't speak to the comparative quality of the network, but dealing with other aspects of cellphones on a near-daily basis, I can tell you the one thing Verizon is known for... they're EXTREMELY controlling of the features in cellphones. They routinely disable features that are otherwise built-in by the manufacturer, while Cingular, T-Mobile, and Sprint generally don't generally give as much a flip.
Do you really think Apple would launch the iPhone with someone like that?
Do you really think Apple would launch the iPhone with someone like that?
Yeah, maybe you know that we in the states have this, too. I switched from Verizon to T-Mobile, and kept the same number. I just wish we had all the other good things (3G, unlocked phones) that people enjoy elsewhere.
rendit
Cingular
I live in Wisconsin and i curently have Alltel but was once had cingular and well it sucked i couldnt get any recpetion any were i went it was horraible. Reading this thread i think it really depends on were you live.
I live in Wisconsin and i curently have Alltel but was once had cingular and well it sucked i couldnt get any recpetion any were i went it was horraible. Reading this thread i think it really depends on were you live.
Exactly. Verizon has forced the disabling of bluetooth in most of their handsets so that it only works with headsets, not to connect to the computer (at least this is the case with their RAZR).
How pissed do you think we'd be if Verizon and Apple teamed up for an iPhone that worked only with Verizon's Get It Now music and video service (no iTunes), no bluetooth, and Maps only with their directions service?
People will find a way to complain about everything.
I'm seriously getting sick of hearing people whine about Cingular.
I use cingular and it's great. Good reception etc.etc. As others have said, it really does depend on where you live.
I've got Verizon, and I got it (against my better judgement) because people told me that it has a lot better service than Cingular. Even though Verizon cripples its phones and in general just seems like a really crappy company, I went with them because I figured service was more important than a cool phone. Well guess what? I don't get service at school or at work, while friends/co-workers that have Cingular have no problems with service at either place.
I think I'll be paying out of my Verizon contract and moving to Cingular when the iPhone is released.
I think I'll be paying out of my Verizon contract and moving to Cingular when the iPhone is released.
My suggestion then would be to stop reading this thread.
1) It's not just this thread - it's all over the internet whenever the iPhone is mentioned.
2) Guess what? Complaining about how much you (and everyone else) hate Cingular IS NOT going to magically unlock the phone. Apple has made a decision (one that, contrary to popular belief, was NOT made on a whim or as a cruel joke by part of Steve). So why do we need a million catrillion bazillion threads ALL containing posts saying the same thing over and over and over? Sorry if Cingular sucks in your area, no it doesn't suck everywhere, yes the phone is locked for now, no you can't change that, get over it and move on already.
Likewise.
Please don't lump me in with the rest of the "Cingular-haters". My only gripe was with the locked aspect of the iPhone. It would be the same gripe whether the carrier was T-Mobile or Verizon or whatever.
You are right that complaining in these threads won't change things now. However, if in a year's time the iPhone flops (and I DON'T want it to) because a lot of people aren't willing to switch carriers just to get it, then Apple will have to choose between unlocking the phone or abandoning the idea altogether. And nobody wants that.