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Is this phone and company worth switching over too ? Do to Sprints changing my plan without my approval,I have the opportunity to switch to another carrier.Out of the other big 3 Verizon,T-mobile & AT&T is the only one that is willing to put their offer in writting to me. The other reason I am even looking at this phone and company is because both of my sons want the IPhone and my wife only wants a phone offered by them as well..
So..please fellow XDA members tell me staright up..should I stay with Sprint and my Hero for 1-1/2 years more..or start fresh with this phone and AT&T..
Mac
50 views and not even 1 response..?
Is there no one on-line that has this phone wanting to step up and answer the question ?
I really would like to know the feelings of the folks here,since those that have this phone also have AT&T's service..
Mac
Not an easy one to answer really. I would say if you are completely turned of by what Sprint did to you then changing wouldn't be a bad thing. Going with AT&T will get you points with your family. And who couldn't use more points with their family, right?
That being said, you have by now undoubtedly heared about the GPS problems facing the Galaxy S phones. Some have found their phone is better with different versions, some claim all the updates and changes have made their GPS unuseable. If you are in need of a phone that has good GPS then I would say you can find better. Personally, the GPS issue isn't a deal breaker for me. I am also one of the lucky ones that find it works fine for how I use it.
The phone itself is amazing. Being on XDA also helps as there are many helpful and informative people. Also, the Captivate has been out long enough that the mods are becomming better and better every day, that is if you are into modding your phone. Heck, stock it still is a good phone.
So it all boils down to what you really want to do. I think that is why you haven't had anyone jump on giving you an answer. Good luck my friend!
There is no "right carrier". The advantage of AT&T (now) is coverage and GSM. AT&T has better coverage then T-Mobile, but about equal to VZW. GSM allows you take your phone to Europe - VZW CDMA does not;
But the future brings change - VZW has a slew of World phones coming out (they have GSM as well as CDMA) - VZW has LTE coming out - which is supposed to be a global standard - so travel issue may be a thing of the past.
AT&T has the iPhone today, but rumor says a CDMA iPhone on VZW for the holidays. But rumors are rumors.
I don't know what you are looking for in writing - all the carriers plans are on their web site. T-Mo does have the best customer service, and VZW has some great android phones. If you don't travel much, and T-Mo has good coverage where you live, they seem to have the best prices and some of the best phones.
AT&T is fine too - not trying to steer you away. I moved to AT&T for an iPhone years ago - and I travel to EU; so VZW wasn't cutting it.
Anyway If the family wants AT&T and the price for phones and service fits, then make the move. But you are stuck for 2 years.
Sounds like it's 3-1 in your house. I'd go ahead and make the switch if thats what your family wants. I don't think you'll be worse off with one carrier over the other, at the end of the day they will all screw you. Captivate is a great phone if you can deal with the sometimes difficult to deal with GPS.
I agree. Go with what makes your family happy overall. The Captivate is a fine device, and I've been much more pleased with it than I was with my iPhone. Talk it over with your family, putting them first won't do you wrong.
My first phone was from Virgin Mobile and was prepaid. I know they leased out network access from Sprint. It was awful. I never had good coverage, and then they started charging more for everything. I left them.
I've been with AT&T now since 6th grade. They've never screwed us over, they've always been helpful, and whenever we've had problems, like my sister signing up for those joke things they advertise on tv putting huge data charges on our bill, they cleared it up right away and even gave us a credit on the account.
Of course you're going to hear horror stories of bad customer service from everyone, but really it's not all that common. I've always thought AT&T had great phones, and they've all last me a long time.
My favorite phones have always been Samsung ones as all but one of my phones has been from them. My first was a Sony Ericsson S710a and it lasted me until one day I was sliding it open, and it slipped out of my hand and into a wall and the LCD shattered. After that I had a Samsung a727, then the SGH-i607 Blackjack, then the SGH-a877 Impression, and now the Captivate.
You will be happier with AT&T then with Sprint. But ultimately, you pay the bill and you decide where your money goes. I'll just add that I don't usually praise any company for no reason.
I love this phone with ji6 gps works completely fine for me it does what its supposed to every time lately gets me there no issues. Im very happy with att besides they make you pay for tethering, but theres ways around that with this phone, hehe ;-)
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Thanks Guys..
I hate spending a-lot more money so soon on moving my service (since may 2010)..but I really don't know how I could stay with them.
As to any cell company posting their policy on line..well..that can and does change (with Sprint almost daily)..and actually having a written signed contract is something the other companies won't do,AT&T will.That does a lot for me..and for my wife peace of mind.My boys have wanted the I phones for sometime..I don't want one..which is why I am asking about the Captivate. BTW...Sprint elected to change my verbal contract given to me at the time of signing..and I fought it the best I could without turning my Lawyers loose..and I most likely would have won,but the cost to do so would have been prohibitive without a written contract,or so what they told me when I spoke to them about it..
So..the phone has a GPS problem..and that isn't a deal breaker for me,but I do want to see it fixed and soon.Having a 2.2 rom is what I am running on my hero now along with one of the best looking themes going right now IMHO..http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=797077 and so hopefully we can get this ported over here at some point..even if I have to learn how to do it myself
FWIW..I looked closely at this phone and also the Ios4 and hands down this one blows it out of the water on anything video..I stopped by T-Mobile and watched the HD Avatar movie on their version when I was looking at what they offered...It was just awesome..simply jaw dropping..
I am looking forward to the 2.2 upgrade and what comes after with it..So..I will be on here more and more reading what I can..
Thanks Again
Mac
Mac, just a heads up. The leaked 2.2 rom we have actually fixed the GPS. There's no real problem anymore. Obviously it will become more refined when the final release comes out but it definitely works now.
Sent from my Captivate
stuffy is a difficult company but I can't feral with poor service so I disk with them. get used to advanced features like tethering being blocked and such. but you can fix that by looking in the dev section. att isn't all bad though mostly because they are stupid, I told them verizon had a 15% vetrans discount (they do) and asked att if they had something similar. well they didn't but the customer service rep put me on an active duty discount because she didn't know better. it needs to be approved at a higher level with pics of my id and a valid military email according to there website, well I put the papers in anyway and had 15% off my bill the next month. so they obviously don't look at it.
verizons version of bloatware is full blown add ware. if you plug an incredible into a windows pc it hijacks explorer and goes to a v cast music site. on the fascinate they replaced the google services with microsoft services.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk
I think it's refreshing to see all the honest answers, not a ton of chest pounding "our phone is the best" posts. Most people on XDA by nature are into tweaking so the out-of-the-box limitations aren't a showstopper.
For me, I really need a world-capable phone. My family also is on ATT so that helped as well. I think all the carriers are converging on offering similar product. ATT has less HTC stuff but has the IPhone. ATT is currently behind on Android, but the Captivate is certainly helping to address that. I like the phone and have recommended it friends. Go for it.
miztaken1312 said:
Mac, just a heads up. The leaked 2.2 rom we have actually fixed the GPS. There's no real problem anymore. Obviously it will become more refined when the final release comes out but it definitely works now.
Sent from my Captivate
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Cool..that is good news..
Thanks
Mac
I will give my two bits. My experience has been good with att. Cs has never been bad, but at times there were moments that did not go smoothly. Always quick to address concerns of mine and they love giving credits out to keep me happy. I have been one of the lucky that never had major problems out of the box with the captivate. But coming from a storm running on atti think my standard were lower. Gps on froyo still doesn't work perfectly but has had improvement with locking and tracking. Dev support is actually really good so that is a big plus. My wife loves her captivate and she is not a techie at all. Hope my input helps.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
flashman2002 said:
I will give my two bits. My experience has been good with att. Cs has never been bad, but at times there were moments that did not go smoothly. Always quick to address concerns of mine and they love giving credits out to keep me happy. I have been one of the lucky that never had major problems out of the box with the captivate. But coming from a storm running on atti think my standard were lower. Gps on froyo still doesn't work perfectly but has had improvement with locking and tracking. Dev support is actually really good so that is a big plus. My wife loves her captivate and she is not a techie at all. Hope my input helps.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
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It does,and greatly appreciated..
I understand the gps issue,and I am wondering if the delayed release of FroYo on this phone is partly because of it. Rooting and adding on customs roms has been working great for me on my Hero..and that phone is finnally acting the way it should have all along. Removing AT&T's bloatware will be my first priority after 2.2 is released..
I am curious about one thing..I know you can't load 3rd party apps unless rooted and a custom rom..but can you direct push them with the sd out of the phone and in a reader from a pc ? If we are working out of windows and a terminal..we should be able to insert any .apk or what we want.. anywhere we want..can't we ?
Thanks Again Guys
Mac
mobius911 said:
I think it's refreshing to see all the honest answers, not a ton of chest pounding "our phone is the best" posts. Most people on XDA by nature are into tweaking so the out-of-the-box limitations aren't a showstopper.
For me, I really need a world-capable phone. My family also is on ATT so that helped as well. I think all the carriers are converging on offering similar product. ATT has less HTC stuff but has the IPhone. ATT is currently behind on Android, but the Captivate is certainly helping to address that. I like the phone and have recommended it friends. Go for it.
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Same here..I know folks have their favorites and also know there will always be folks that have problems..but it is refreshing to see a honest straight forward discussion with out any of the fan fair these types of threads always seem to degenerate into.
Mac
Mac11700 said:
I am curious about one thing..I know you can't load 3rd party apps unless rooted and a custom rom..but can you direct push them with the sd out of the phone and in a reader from a pc ? If we are working out of windows and a terminal..we should be able to insert any .apk or what we want.. anywhere we want..can't we ?
Thanks Again Guys
Mac
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can push them using ADB or even easier, if you google something called the "Android Central Sideload Wonder Machine" or just sideload wonder machine, someone created an app to so that you don't even have to use the command prompt or hack the phone. No need for a custom rom, and I don't believe rooting is needed.
Here, I'll link you to it.
SIDELOAD WONDER MACHINE
I made the switch you are thinking of about 1.5 years ago and I have no regrets. One thing to keep in mind is the data cap ATT now has on their new subscribers. I signed up when unlimited was an offering, and honestly I don't know that I would have been comfortable using 1 smartphone, let alone 3-4 of them with limited data usage. ATT also had better coverage where I lived last year but would say Sprint is on par within the city limits now. The Evo is a really nice phone (Several people I know have them and are pleased) but I won't go back to Sprint after all the horrible customer service I had with them for 8 years. My local ATT business rep does an incredible job and is a big reason that I just renewed with them(they let me keep unlimited data). Ultimately, if I was in your shoes, I would probably do what made my family/wife happy as long as it isn't going to cause financial heartache when you exceed the data limit. I think they charge in blocks of 200mb for overage but you should definitely look into how much data your family has/will be using. My .02
Edited to add: Depending on what kind of user you are (business/personal) you might want to leave that cog. 2.2 alone until it works. I loaded it last weekend, went out to a job, and was unable to d-load an important pdf that was in my e-mail. Fortunately I had a laptop but in the past I would have been able to count on my phone for a quick blueprint reference. Sounds like it may be a fun thing to play with as long as you don't REALLY need everything on your phone to work. Also, the GPS was horrid on cog. 2.2. Needless to say I flashed it back to the original software when I got home. My GPS works just fine after the JH7 OTA update was installed. Worked yesterday on a 2 hour drive where I only had phone coverage for 20-30 miles. I haven't "tweaked" the GPS settings, just whatever they changed with JH7 is working.
itsjustaphone said:
I made the switch you are thinking of about 1.5 years ago and I have no regrets. One thing to keep in mind is the data cap ATT now has on their new subscribers. I signed up when unlimited was an offering, and honestly I don't know that I would have been comfortable using 1 smartphone, let alone 3-4 of them with limited data usage. ATT also had better coverage where I lived last year but would say Sprint is on par within the city limits now. The Evo is a really nice phone (Several people I know have them and are pleased) but I won't go back to Sprint after all the horrible customer service I had with them for 8 years. My local ATT business rep does an incredible job and is a big reason that I just renewed with them(they let me keep unlimited data). Ultimately, if I was in your shoes, I would probably do what made my family/wife happy as long as it isn't going to cause financial heartache when you exceed the data limit. I think they charge in blocks of 200mb for overage but you should definitely look into how much data your family has/will be using. My .02
Edited to add: Depending on what kind of user you are (business/personal) you might want to leave that cog. 2.2 alone until it works. I loaded it last weekend, went out to a job, and was unable to d-load an important pdf that was in my e-mail. Fortunately I had a laptop but in the past I would have been able to count on my phone for a quick blueprint reference. Sounds like it may be a fun thing to play with as long as you don't REALLY need everything on your phone to work. Also, the GPS was horrid on cog. 2.2. Needless to say I flashed it back to the original software when I got home. My GPS works just fine after the JH7 OTA update was installed. Worked yesterday on a 2 hour drive where I only had phone coverage for 20-30 miles. I haven't "tweaked" the GPS settings, just whatever they changed with JH7 is working.
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Dam good advise..Thanks
They charge in 1 gig allotments for overages now..not 200 mb. I too was worried about doing just this..and this is per line..not per plan. I went back through all of my bills and no-one has even come close to 1gig..let alone 2 gigs..but I understand that can change too.
The main thing for me and my family is getting a phone that is going to work..every time. I've run into some issues with mine on my job where I needed it and something crashed it. Also it's so tiresome for me to hear all the complaints and moaning when something crashes or FC's on their phones..I can deal with it happening on mine cause I am used to tinkering with it..but I have to say I am very tempted some by the I 4's simplicity...it would be nice just to not have to worry about updating mine almost daily,and just use the durn thing. I just don't know if I could deal with it or not as a day to day phone. I am at a loss in that regards..I know you can jailbreak them and do similar things we do with our Androids..but..I don't know enough about that to even consider doing it right now. I most likely would just so I could download apps and movies on it to watch from my pc..I got a week to figure this all out..and you all here are helping a-lot..
Thanks
Mac
I honestly liked the iphone4, and had one for a week. It was fun and all, but it had the same problem as my 3G, the ability to make and MAINTAIN a phone call. Obviously that isn't much of an issue for younger kids since you can still text with spotty coverage(my 13 yo uses about 60 min. a month and 1,000,000,000,000 text messages) I don't know if the iphone is somehow on a different signal than the other phones, but I have been very pleased with the PHONE CALL ability of the captivate. My wife loves the iphone (though she keeps eyeballing the captivate now) and like you, I do not enjoy fixing problems, so I have tried my best to keep her interest in my phone at a minimum. I can honestly say I do not miss the iphone for anything. I also enjoy the *cough cough* wireless tethering of my captivate(free app) that iphone never did get right(and when it did work, there was the whole loss of signal issue). The iphone is good at running apps and texting, outstanding even. I just really need to make phone calls and MAINTAIN a call when I make it. But like I said in my previous post, if your use is personal, iphone might work. If you make important calls, it fails.
If you haven't heard all ready Verizon is tracking down root users and limiting there data or fully suspending it so watch out. But we have to fight back against them by hiding Verizon from seeing that we are proudly rooted and some people have said the would sue Verizon. Please do whatever you can to fight against this.
Also motorola and htc are going to start doing the same.
This......can't be true........where did you learn of this?
Not surprising
Used my fascinating voodoo powers
Could you please link a source for this information? Thanks!
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App
apDroid said:
Could you please link a source for this information? Thanks!
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App
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+1: source please
P3droid announced it. When i get time ill link
Used my fascinating voodoo powers
Here is the link from MyDroidWorld: http://www.mydroidworld.com/forums/...rooting-manufacturers-carriers.html#post65013
Here is the entire post:
Some Food for Thought - Bootloaders, Rooting, Manufacturers, and Carriers
Bootloaders, Rooting, Manufacturers, and Carriers
Background
I don't believe that I need to introduce myself, but if I do my name is P3Droid. I am a phone enthusiast and have been working in the Android platform for 17 months. I have been very lucky in my short time on the Android platform. I think more than anything I have been lucky enough to be in the right places at the right times. The day I first saw and played with the Droid (OG) I thought “that is the ugliest damn phone I've ever played with”. Then I was asked back into the store by my friend (nameless) to get some time with the Android platform and he began to explain to me how open the phone was and how a “smart” person could do anything they wanted to the phone. That turned what I thought was an ugly phone into the sexiest beast ever. I guess that was approximately October of 2009, and I was excited about the possibilities and dove right in without checking the depth of the water.
I spent much of the year on an open phone and an open platform, and sometime in July I picked up a Droid X. I soon found a great bunch of friends and we formed Team Black Hat. Really wanting to break the bootloader, we spent more hours working on it than we did our 9 – 5 jobs. Eventually we came to the conclusion (with help from some unique resources), that we were not going to accomplish our objective. Every so often we still pluck away at it, but we have moved on to other things that will help people enjoy their Droid phones.
Fast forward to October 2010. I'm still in love with the concept of android, and I've done more than my share of developing, themeing, creating ROMS and even hacking. *Having been involved in so many things and having developed some unique contacts, I have been privy to information that is not disseminated to the masses. Some of this information I was asked to sit on. Some information I sat on because I felt it was best to do so for our entire community. You have probably seen me rant on occasion about what I thought the community was doing wrong and causing itself future pain. Each of those days I had received even more disheartening information. So where does this leave me? It leaves me with a difficult choice to make. What to tell, how much to tell, and do I want to give information out that could possible be slightly wrong. I've worked very hard to verify things through multiple sources, when possible, and some other information comes from sources so reliable that I take them at their word.
This brings me up to today. I've tossed and turned regarding how to say this, and how to express all of the information and my feelings in regards to this information. I guess the solution is to just let you all decide for yourselves what you think and what you want to do.
One Shoe Falls
Beginning in July, we (TBH), began hearing things about Motorola working on ways to make rooting the device more difficult. This was going to be done via Google through the kernel. No big deal we thought, the community always finds a way. When Froyo was released and there was no root for some time we became a bit concerned but soon there was a process and even 1-clicks. This was good news and bad news to me, because it simply meant that they would go back to the drawing board and improve upon what they had done.
During this time there were still little rumors here and there about security of devices, and other such things but nothing solid and concrete. Until November.
The Other Shoe Falls
Beginning in October, the information began coming in faster and it had more of a dire ring to it. It was also coming in from multiple sources. I began to rant a little at the state of our community, and that we were the cause of our own woes. So what did I hear?
1. New devices would present challenges for the community that would most likely be insurmountable, and that Motorola specifically – would be impossible to hack the bootloader. Considering we never hacked the previous 3G phones, this was less than encouraging.
2.Locked bootloaders, and phones were not a Motorola-only issue, that the major manufacturers and carriers had agreed this was the best course of action.(see new HTC devices)
3. The driving forces for device lock down was theft of service by rooted users, the return of non-defective devices due to consumer fraud, and the use of non-approved firmware on the networks.
I think I posted my first angry message and tweet about being a responsible community soon after getting this information. I knew the hand writing was on the wall, and we would not be able to stop what was coming, but maybe we could convince them we were not all thieves and cut throats.
Moving along, December marked a low point for me. The information started to firm up, and I was able to verify it through multiple channels. This information made the previous information look like a day in the park. So what was new?
1. Multiple carriers were working collaboratively on a program that would be able to identify rooted users and create a database of their meids.
2. Manufacturers who supply Verizon were baking into the roms new security features:
a. one security feature would identify any phone using a tether program to circumvent paying for tethering services. (check your gingerbread DroidX/Droid2 people and try wireless tether)
b. a second security feature would allow the phone to identify itself to the network if rooted.
c. security item number 2 would be used to track, throttle, even possibly restrict full data usage of these rooted phones.
The Rubber Meets the Road
So, I wish I had more time to have added this to the original post, but writing something like this takes a lot of time and effort to put all the information into context and provide some form of linear progression.
Lets get on with the story. March of this year was a monumental month for me. The information was unsettling and I felt as if we had a gigantic bulls-eye on our backs.
This is what I have heard:
1. The way that they were able to track rooted users is based on pushing updates to phones, and then tracking which meid's did not take the update. There is more to it than this but that is the simple version.
2. More than one major carrier besides Verizon has implemented this program and that all carriers involved had begun tracking rooted phones. All carriers involved were more than pleased with the accuracy of the program.
1. What I was not told is what the carriers intended to do with this information.
3. In new builds the tracking would be built into the firmware and that if a person removed the tracking from the firmware then the phone would not be verified on the network (i.e. your phone could not make phone calls or access data).
4. Google is working with carriers and manufacturers to secure phones, and although Google is not working to end hacking, it is working to secure the kernel so that no future applications can maliciously use exploits to steal end-user information. But in order to gain this level of security this may mean limited chances to root the device. (This item I've been told but not yet able to verify through multiple sources – so take it for what you want)
5. Verizon has successfully used its new programs to throttle data on test devices in accordance with the guidelines of the program.
6. The push is to lock down the devices as tight as can be, but also offer un-lockable devices (Think Nexus S).
The question I've asked is why? Why do all this; why go through so much trouble. The answer I get is a very logical one and one I understand even if I don't like it. It is about the money. With LTE arriving and the higher charges for data and tethering, carriers feel they must bottle up the ability of users to root their device and access this data, circumventing the expensive tethering charges.
What I would like to leave you with is that this is not an initiative unique to Verizon or Motorola, this is industry wide and encompassing many manufacturers.
So what does all this mean? You will need to make your own conjectures about what to think of all of this. But, I think that the rooting, hacking, and modding community - as we know it - is living on borrowed time.
In the final analysis of all this I guess I'll leave you with my feelings:
I will take what comes and turn it into a better brighter day, that is all I can do because I do not control the world.
Disclaimers:
I am intentionally not including any names of sources as they do not want to lose their jobs.
This information is being presented to you as I have received and verified it. *
I only deal with information pertaining to US carriers and have no specific knowledge concerning foreign carriers.
Last edited by p3droid; 04-03-2011 at 09:44 AM.
I saw that on Droid Life yesterday and got sad. I am in between contracts now and am debating on getting the Thunderbolt which is wide open for root or waiting for the Bionic, which if it is like the Atrix, might not be rootable at all. Now with this info i am even more lost on which one to get
necroscopev said:
I saw that on Droid Life yesterday and got sad. I am in between contracts now and am debating on getting the Thunderbolt which is wide open for root or waiting for the Bionic, which if it is like the Atrix, might not be rootable at all. Now with this info i am even more lost on which one to get
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Dont get discouraged. Ive been on android since the og droid. These posts come out all the time. The thing they will attack is tethers. Which is understandable being that they are stealing.
Used my fascinating voodoo powers
What concerns me more is that can they or will they differentiate between a rooted phone custom ROM and rooted phone with the person tethering.
I am provided with a paid tethered phone from work with unlimited data plan. I do not use my personal phone to tether. I like the option of having custom ROMs so that I can have the most optimized phone available and not one slowed or battery life lost to bloatware or bugs in the kernal/radio.
Looks like it'll be the lg g2x for me. Or the Xperia arc if it's released in the U.S. with t-mobile's bands. After the merger, who knows
+1 same here man.
CaliTilt said:
What concerns me more is that can they or will they differentiate between a rooted phone custom ROM and rooted phone with the person tethering.
I am provided with a paid tethered phone from work with unlimited data plan. I do not use my personal phone to tether. I like the option of having custom ROMs so that I can have the most optimized phone available and not one slowed or battery life lost to bloatware or bugs in the kernal/radio.
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Click to collapse
Sent from my HTC Thunderbolt
This is horrible.
I find it hard to believe that the industry is spending all this time and money on something that is much easier to control from functionality that already exists. Take AT&T for example. They have tiered data plans. Really it doesn't matter if you tether because the more data you use, the more they charge. And that is what this is ultimately about. Money. If a phone company wants me to stop using tether, rather than putting time and effort into the phone, just limit the data. If I owned Verizon, this would totally be the route I would take my business. Forget spending money on locking down the customer. Offer a superior network at a premium price and let the customer go wild. You want to tether 15 devices? Go right ahead, I don't care how many devices you use, but you are limited to 3GB of data for a month and you will be charged exponentially more for each GB over that allotment. Is it really that hard to figure out?
piperat said:
Dont get discouraged. Ive been on android since the og droid. These posts come out all the time. The thing they will attack is tethers. Which is understandable being that they are stealing.
Used my fascinating voodoo powers
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No its not stealing im paying,for unlimited data which I should be able to use how I want. Tethering or not. I dont download torrents and **** over cell data or anything just use it for gendral browsing and email same stuff I would do on the phone just on a larger screen.
U know how much a txt message costs to send but its 20 bucks a month for unlimited txting....its a ripoff look it up.
Just my 2cents
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
You pay for unlimited data to your phone. If you want unlimited data on anything else you should pay the fee they ask for. Its their company they can charge what they want and for whatever they want. You signed the deal. They didnt force you to. If you dont like what they charge for their services find another company that will give you a better deal.
thorpe24 said:
No its not stealing im paying,for unlimited data which I should be able to use how I want. Tethering or not. I dont download torrents and **** over cell data or anything just use it for gendral browsing and email same stuff I would do on the phone just on a larger screen.
U know how much a txt message costs to send but its 20 bucks a month for unlimited txting....its a ripoff look it up.
Just my 2cents
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
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Used my fascinating voodoo powers
Is this limited to Motorola and Verizon only or all Verizon phones and devices?
nubsors said:
I find it hard to believe that the industry is spending all this time and money on something that is much easier to control from functionality that already exists. Take AT&T for example. They have tiered data plans. Really it doesn't matter if you tether because the more data you use, the more they charge. And that is what this is ultimately about. Money. If a phone company wants me to stop using tether, rather than putting time and effort into the phone, just limit the data. If I owned Verizon, this would totally be the route I would take my business. Forget spending money on locking down the customer. Offer a superior network at a premium price and let the customer go wild. You want to tether 15 devices? Go right ahead, I don't care how many devices you use, but you are limited to 3GB of data for a month and you will be charged exponentially more for each GB over that allotment. Is it really that hard to figure out?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I read a while back, Verizon is going to tiered data plans, along with a handful of other carriers... I believe it was on xda, phandroid or android central that I had read multiple news articles about this...
piperat said:
You pay for unlimited data to your phone. If you want unlimited data on anything else you should pay the fee they ask for. Its their company they can charge what they want and for whatever they want. You signed the deal. They didnt force you to. If you dont like what they charge for their services find another company that will give you a better deal.
Used my fascinating voodoo powers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Technically the data is still running to your phone, so it shouldn't matter. Plus I remember with 2.1 or something like that tethering was "suppose" to be free...
But this argument could go either way really... I see the view point from both sides and I think with a tiered data plan (over XX amount of gb of usage) should be enacted. Also maybe throttle the people downloading torrents or large amounts of data, and offer the tethering fee to unlock the full network speed to those people that download mass amounts of data and use tethering as their only or main source of internet (basically just a little rework of the system they have in place now). I mean I like to be able to tether when I'm on a roadtrip or don't have access to internet (mainly at work there is a dead spot for the wifi due to the radiology classes being inbetween our wifi antenna and the break room. This is caused by the lead lining in their walls). I don't download anything other than what little data I would be using on my phone normally to check some forums, facebook and the occasional email when I want to view those on a bigger screen due to eye and neck strain while eating my lunch. In all honesty, when you break it down, I use A TON less of data while I'm tethering than when I would use my phone as intended due to the tons of apps I run constantly with the constant updates. Now I know that is not the case for the majority of the people that use free tethering, but like the saying goes, why let a few bad apples ruin in for the rest (which is why I stated the throttling of large amounts of data being downloaded such as torrents...my cable internet provider already does this, so it can't be hard for them to implement).
This is not an attack on you personally if it came out that way, jsut a bunch of my scattered thoughts as I've running off of an average 1-2 hours of sleep per night for the past week and I have to be up for work in about 4 hours. And that's also my excuse if this sounds like complete gibberish. lol
racereddy20 said:
Is this limited to Motorola and Verizon only or all Verizon phones and devices?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It says in the article...
piperat said:
You pay for unlimited data to your phone. If you want unlimited data on anything else you should pay the fee they ask for. Its their company they can charge what they want and for whatever they want. You signed the deal. They didnt force you to. If you dont like what they charge for their services find another company that will give you a better deal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure, it's their company and, therefore, their say, but the problem is that there are only 4 big telcos, soon to be 3 (AT&T-Mo, Verizon, and Sprint), and they're all in on it together. They all know that they can screw the consumer by charging extra for everything. Sprint's not as bad as the other 3, but they're not innocent either.
This is the same as how ISPs can theoretically do whatever they want as long as they tell us, but in practice it works out quite badly for the end user because you have about one or two choices of ISP where you live.
I'm not necessarily saying tethering should be free. But I'm DEFINITELY saying it's not worth $30 extra. A $5-10 add-on is all I see it worth being.
I think this will end up like the Iphone jailbreak.
Supreme Court said that the Purchaser OWNS the hardware and can do whatever the hell they want to it...F-Off Apple!
I think the same would happen...
If enough people are interested, I had an idea that DFW XDA members all return their Vivids at the same time for a mass return at the AT&T HQ store in order to make a statement. This is the heart of their operation. We can discuss this, but what I and others came up with so far is:
AT&T Mass Return
Tuesday December 6th at 1:00pm
208 S Akard Street
STE 110
Dallas, TX 75202
Customer Parking Available for 2 hours at:
1600 Commerce Street
Dallas, TX 75201
Everyone is invited. Whether you have a Vivid or not. I understand not everyone lives here, but all are welcome none the less.
Thanks to Radi0chik
What do you guys think of this idea?
Reclaim said:
If enough people are interested, I had an idea that DFW XDA members all return their Vivids at the same time for a mass return at the AT&T HQ store in order to make a statement. This is the heart of their operation. We can discuss this, but what I and others came up with so far is:
AT&T Mass Return
Tuesday December 6th at 1:00pm
208 S Akard Street
STE 110
Dallas, TX 75202
Customer Parking Available for 2 hours at:
1600 Commerce Street
Dallas, TX 75201
Everyone is invited. Whether you have a Vivid or not. I understand not everyone lives here, but all are welcome none the less.
Thanks to Radi0chik
What do you guys think of this idea?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
great idea.
Returned it already though.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium
I bought mine from Amazonwireless... and I've already asked for an exchange to the skyrocket.
Plus the fact that I have school then doesn't help, but if I could come, I would.
can some one help me decide on what phone to get on sunday once i return mine?
i think that lg nitro hd is nice, but ive heard the ui sucks on it... so i was thinking either that new google nexus phone (sorry, im new to android and cant remember all these pohones) or the gs2... id rather have the og gs2 cause its faster than the skyrocket and i dont care to have lte
randrewm97 said:
can some one help me decide on what phone to get on sunday once i return mine?
i think that lg nitro hd is nice, but ive heard the ui sucks on it... so i was thinking either that new google nexus phone (sorry, im new to android and cant remember all these pohones) or the gs2... id rather have the og gs2 cause its faster than the skyrocket and i dont care to have lte
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea if your going to go with a gs2 Definitely get the OG. The Skyrocket has issues with screen resolution and such. As far as the LG Nitro goes I think that is up in the air considering it is going to have a full 720p screen. I am actually slightly leaning toward the LG just because of that but I still need to research it a little bit more.
Yes. I am wondering the same. Though I'm not sure if it will be rooted... New to thus android world. Also, I'm not sure how the devs will take the phone. I heard the lg ui is like touchwiz but retarded... Not meaning to insult. I'm hoping someone will do a good overview of the nitro by sunday
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using XDA App
randrewm97 said:
I heard the lg ui is like touchwiz but retarded...
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IMO, both of those UIs are on par with excrement. On day 1 of owning my Captivate, I switched launchers. Even on Froyo/GB, I could not put up with it and just went full AOSP launcher-wise. If the LG launcher is the same, I know that I won't like it for sure.
Sense is the only aftermarket UI that I like, hence why I ended up with this phone.
EDIT: Also, what's even the point of this? Sending a message to AT&T about this phone would do nothing with you guys mass-returning it. After the event, you wouldn't even care what happened to this device's development life anyway, while you guys all go for Nitros or Skyrockets or whatever phone fits your fancy.
Occupy AT&T....not a chance
You mad cause you have no root...?
Root doesn't allow you to do much anyway other than to either overclock your CPU, make a complete backup of your rom, flash any random rom you want etc...
All the phones have the same CPU chipset, you're just paying for different screen resolutions and plastic shells that cover everything
Samsung couldn't even use its custom CPU because it lacked the ability to incorporate LTE technology, so they chose the Snapdragon S3 APQ8060 dual-core CPU...the same one in the Vivid, and the same one is in the LG Nitro.
Its the only CPU capable of allowing AT&T's 4gLTE service to run smooth for the end user
So go ahead, boycott the Vivid, youre only benefit is a screen with a smaller resolution or a screen with a higher resolution, plus youre still gonna pay the difference plus a $35 restocking fee is applicable...
It seems to me that the problem isn't the Vivid. It's AT&T. If you really want to make a statement then keep this amazing phone, cancel your contracts with AT&T, and allow the devs to continue working on unlocking and fully rooting the device which you know they will. This will do two things. One: send a message to AT&T that will cost them BIG-TIME. Two:Once the devs see how many people are willing to SACRIFICE their wireless mobility for such a great device, they may release a carrier unlock and varying radio support for the different competitors for the vivid. There are some major competitors that offer much better rates and data packages with full LTE support that DON'T lock bootloaders.
It seems silly to put such a serious and damaging halt to great development just because you're unwilling to sever the head of the snake, whereas mass returns will accomplish nothing. Well, not nothing, but if you REALLY want this problem addressed, make AT&T pay with the sudden loss of income. HTC isn't the problem. The Vivid isn't the problem. Big corporations have insurance policies to protect them when there's a problem with inventory/product defects/returns etc. But losing customers.. That just plain sucks for ANY business. Hit them where it hurts. The Next big awesome phone you want will just be locked up tight as well unless you send a CLEAR message they CAN'T ignore.
The Vivid counterpart in Canada (Raider) has already had great roms and kernels that work and are supported/updated every couple of days. I love this phone more and more and would switch carriers in a heartbeat if the company I pay my hard earned money to EVERY Month wasn't treating me like a VALUED customer. AT&T KNOWS what they're doing. They KNOW that what they're continuuing to do is WRONG. But they aren't listening becuase the customers aren't willing to lose they're precious contract they've worked so hard for.
Yes, it means going without the ability to use your nice phone for a little while. Yes it will suck having NO cellphone at all with all it's nice features at your disposal and whim. Maybe getting a junker from a better provider and waiting for the devs is asking too much.
Either that or stop and realize you've had your phone for ONE month. Forget everything I've said about teaching your carrier a lesson, and show some support for xda (maybe a little faith and gratitude as well) because they LOVE tinkering with HTC's products. I wonder sometimes if there would even BE an XDA team without HTC. Be patient, or teach them a REAL lesson in customer service. The alternative is YOU losing out, and feeling all proud and happy for giving up something you once loved. But then again nobody wants to admit they're ACTUALLY PAYING AT&T to treat us like prisoners. Stripping you of your right to DO WITH YOUR PROPERTY THAT WHICH YOU FEEL LIKE DOING.
While we're at it let's all go buy REALLY nice houses where we're not allowed to decorate, hang pictures, change the layout of the livingroom, or park our cars anywhere near.
Been following these forums since the beginning of this week when I ordered the phone through amazon. Now that it has finally shipped today after being backordered, I'm seeing this
and returning this, which I got for a penny, would mean I would have to pay full price for the phone I exchange for, correct?
I wish the morale in this forum didn't seem like it is dying away, but I understand that many of us are almost at the 30 day limit on exchanges and two years is an awful long time to go without an unlocked bootloader.
My first htc phone, after going through LG and blackberry.... which might be exchanged like all of yours....
I think a lot of you are missing the point. This is not just about the bootloader. everyone's reasons are different so I can only share my own. So if you have been paying attention to this forum at all you might get that. Personally my reasons are in no particular order: Carrier IQ, locked bootloader..not just because of development, but because you can't get rid of Carrier IQ while the bootloader is locked, being throttled by AT&T with normal use only halfway through my Billing cycle at only 3.6gb while I still have to pay full price even though I'm on an unlimited plan, their lack of answers, their silencing of our voices on forums, and those are just a few reasons. This is beyond "you mad about no root". And if you think I won't care about what happens after this, then you really haven't been paying attention. My plan is to import a phone or stick with my streak until I figure out a better option. If I use a phone they don't have on file for me, then I can at least not be throttled or be affected directly by Carrier IQ.
This idea isn't JUST for vivid users, and no one is occupying anything. This is for the returns to occur in one fell swoop so they can feel the hit they have caused themselves. As paying customers, most of us are tired of being treated like this. If you're having trouble understanding why and how this would matter, then you haven't been following this forum.
Returned mine already
rodger-sp said:
Returned mine already
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
everyone Ganged up on me last time when I politely said 'bye bye vivid' not even a week back. Even my thread got deleted and I can't find it on vivid general section anymore.
I think it's worth sticking to Samsung for a while. Eventhough I love sense interface so much, I enjoy having good debloated ROMs that give me full potential of the phone.
I'm back to galaxy s2 and it's totally worth it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium
ceo.mtcl said:
everyone Ganged up on me last time when I politely said 'bye bye vivid' not even a week back. Even my thread got deleted and I can't find it on vivid general section anymore.
I think it's worth sticking to Samsung for a while. Eventhough I love sense interface so much, I enjoy having good debloated ROMs that give me full potential of the phone.
I'm back to galaxy s2 and it's totally worth it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might have been ahead of the game sir.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=19946984&postcount=173
Reclaim said:
I think a lot of you are missing the point. This is not just about the bootloader. everyone's reasons are different so I can only share my own. So if you have been paying attention to this forum at all you might get that. Personally my reasons are in no particular order: Carrier IQ, locked bootloader..not just because of development, but because you can't get rid of Carrier IQ while the bootloader is locked, being throttled by AT&T with normal use only halfway through my Billing cycle at only 3.6gb while I still have to pay full price even though I'm on an unlimited plan, their lack of answers, their silencing of our voices on forums, and those are just a few reasons. This is beyond "you mad about no root". And if you think I won't care about what happens after this, then you really haven't been paying attention. My plan is to import a phone or stick with my streak until I figure out a better option. If I use a phone they don't have on file for me, then I can at least not be throttled or be affected directly by Carrier IQ.
This idea isn't JUST for vivid users, and no one is occupying anything. This is for the returns to occur in one fell swoop so they can feel the hit they have caused themselves. As paying customers, most of us are tired of being treated like this. If you're having trouble understanding why and how this would matter, then you haven't been following this forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Carrier IQ situation will allow you to break free of your contract, not happy with AT&T, maybe it wasnt for you, not the first time a subscriber switched carriers. AT&T just got LTE when other carriers had it for longer and unthrottled, what stopped you from leaving then?, I have a bandwidth monitor on my vivid, the HTC IQ AGENT ( Carrier IQ ) doesn't take up gigs of your data plan, matter of fact it takes less than 1/10th of a MB. It is very freaky what this app is capable of and was pretty shocked when I saw the youtube vid. Did you know that uploads are also counted as well!. AT&T will soon realize that 4GB just isnt enough to satisfy customers.
Propose this, you have the ability to break free of your contract pretty soon cause of this whole CIQ debacle, if you want AT&T to keep your business, tell them you want unthrottled unlimited data on your grandfathered plan, they cant do that then just leave without penalty.
Its not HTC's fault AT&T has some weird business practices and contract practices that show up in forums / media from time to time, returning any carriers devices hurts sales and manufacturer reputation. Take the fight where it belongs, tell it to Al Franken..lol
penguinfishies said:
Been following these forums since the beginning of this week when I ordered the phone through amazon. Now that it has finally shipped today after being backordered, I'm seeing this
and returning this, which I got for a penny, would mean I would have to pay full price for the phone I exchange for, correct?
I wish the morale in this forum didn't seem like it is dying away, but I understand that many of us are almost at the 30 day limit on exchanges and two years is an awful long time to go without an unlocked bootloader.
My first htc phone, after going through LG and blackberry.... which might be exchanged like all of yours....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm in the same boat as you got mine for .01 and it's a nice phone. The only thing I'd like to do is remove some bloat apps, but honestly who cares. Everything I've thrown at it works way better than it did on my EVO 4g on Sprint.
Its not like I have unlimited data with ATT and I pay for 4gig of data.
I'm keeping mine root or no root.
EDIT: I misread an article that I thought had said that HTC promised it unlocked in a month. Either way, you people are so impatient.
EDIT2: If this is for Carrier IQ then I totally agree, but for a phone that doesn't have an unlocked bootloader That's just stupid.
If you guys are seriously going to "occupy AT&T" then you are idiots. A few hundred people won't make that huge of a difference when they have nearly 100 Million customers.
In the end you're only hurting the development community because when it does get unlocked everyone would have left.
That's my $0.02. Good day.
Sent from my HTC Vivid.
8125Omnimax said:
The Carrier IQ situation will allow you to break free of your contract, not happy with AT&T, maybe it wasnt for you, not the first time a subscriber switched carriers. AT&T just got LTE when other carriers had it for longer and unthrottled, what stopped you from leaving then?, I have a bandwidth monitor on my vivid, the HTC IQ AGENT ( Carrier IQ ) doesn't take up gigs of your data plan, matter of fact it takes less than 1/10th of a MB. It is very freaky what this app is capable of and was pretty shocked when I saw the youtube vid. Did you know that uploads are also counted as well!. AT&T will soon realize that 4GB just isnt enough to satisfy customers.
Propose this, you have the ability to break free of your contract pretty soon cause of this whole CIQ debacle, if you want AT&T to keep your business, tell them you want unthrottled unlimited data on your grandfathered plan, they cant do that then just leave without penalty.
Its not HTC's fault AT&T has some weird business practices and contract practices that show up in forums / media from time to time, returning any carriers devices hurts sales and manufacturer reputation. Take the fight where it belongs, tell it to Al Franken..lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You raise some really good points. Though I do feel HTC does have some degree of responsibility because it's on their branded product with their name attached to the actual app.
Infinimint said:
Wow... HTC already said they were going to unlock the bootloader for this phone. You people are so impatient.
If you guys are seriously going to "occupy AT&T" then you are idiots. I few hundred people won't make that huge of a difference when they have nearly 100 Million customers.
In the end you're only hurting the development community because when it does get unlocked everyone would have left.
That's my $0.02. Good day.
Sent from my HTC Vivid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can I get a link to where they said they were going to unlock the bootloader?
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using xda premium
Greetings good people of the xda-developers forum!
After a little reading around I figure this is the most apropriate forum to post this thread in, correct me if I'm wrong.
Earlier this year I lost my phone in a cab after a night out, the driver decided to keep my phone instead of turning it in (usually if you leave something in a taxi in this region, you'll have it back with a little humiliation from the taxi-central the day after, not this time though).
A couple months after loosing it, I got a "emergency message" from my lost phone, and it went on and off for a little while untill yesterday when it apparently was taken into use! I have an "invisible" tracking app installed that will survive factory resets and gives me the opportunity to take pictures, record sound and some more.
Anyway, the phone has moved a couple countries away since it was initially lost, so I've lost hope of reclaiming it. My plan now is to give an honest shot at making my phone the most annoying device the new owner has ever had!
I come to this forum now, looking for inspiration/ideas and warning where warnings are due!
Is there anything I really shouldn't do, that could come back and bite me?
What would you do if you were in my situation?
Any good ideas of how to bother this guy?
So far I've only really come up with the idea of wiping his data from time to time..
I appreciate any ideas or warnings!
Thanks!
vengeful said:
Greetings good people of the xda-developers forum!
After a little reading around I figure this is the most apropriate forum to post this thread in, correct me if I'm wrong.
Earlier this year I lost my phone in a cab after a night out, the driver decided to keep my phone instead of turning it in (usually if you leave something in a taxi in this region, you'll have it back with a little humiliation from the taxi-central the day after, not this time though).
A couple months after loosing it, I got a "emergency message" from my lost phone, and it went on and off for a little while untill yesterday when it apparently was taken into use! I have an "invisible" tracking app installed that will survive factory resets and gives me the opportunity to take pictures, record sound and some more.
Anyway, the phone has moved a couple countries away since it was initially lost, so I've lost hope of reclaiming it. My plan now is to give an honest shot at making my phone the most annoying device the new owner has ever had!
I come to this forum now, looking for inspiration/ideas and warning where warnings are due!
Is there anything I really shouldn't do, that could come back and bite me?
What would you do if you were in my situation?
Any good ideas of how to bother this guy?
So far I've only really come up with the idea of wiping his data from time to time..
I appreciate any ideas or warnings!
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it will not back bite you if have retail invoice of that phone do whatever you want
Isn't it possible, even with sim card phones, to call your carrier, report it stolen, and have it basically bricked so Noone can use it again. I know they can with like sprint and Verizon phones that don't take sim cards. But I've heard of it happening with sim devices too. I would just try calling your carrier.
If that don't work. I'd leave it alone. The person who has your phone now probably isn't the person who took it. Which is why it was sold out of the country. And that person most likely doesn't deserve all that crap
Contemplating getting the S5....
SaintCity86 said:
Isn't it possible, even with sim card phones, to call your carrier, report it stolen, and have it basically bricked so Noone can use it again. I know they can with like sprint and Verizon phones that don't take sim cards. But I've heard of it happening with sim devices too. I would just try calling your carrier.
If that don't work. I'd leave it alone. The person who has your phone now probably isn't the person who took it. Which is why it was sold out of the country. And that person most likely doesn't deserve all that crap
Contemplating getting the S5....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the nasty part of stealing a phone. The Carrier will lock the "ESN" (Electronic Serial Number) so all they need to do is flash it over to another carrier... I.E. if you have a GSN type phone from say AT&T you can flash the software over to T-Mobile who doesn't give a flying flip about a stolen ESN (As a example) I personally have T-Mobile... They did try to make a law making req the manufacture to add a "Kill Switch" allowing the consumer to render the phone useless how ever that did not pass... SO Basically some one steals your phone that's it nothing you can do but buy another phone or hack into it like the OP..
TO OP: I'd go Impractical Jokers Style. Ease drop on him and play really dirty sounds (Porn sounds... moans/grunts etc) then Fry the phone... **** that guy he had to know it was stolen and if he didn't he's a fool... Check your ESN's People!
abhishek 9650 said:
it will not back bite you if have retail invoice of that phone do whatever you want
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the record, I do have the invoice.
SaintCity86 said:
Isn't it possible, even with sim card phones, to call your carrier, report it stolen, and have it basically bricked so Noone can use it again. I know they can with like sprint and Verizon phones that don't take sim cards. But I've heard of it happening with sim devices too. I would just try calling your carrier.
If that don't work. I'd leave it alone. The person who has your phone now probably isn't the person who took it. Which is why it was sold out of the country. And that person most likely doesn't deserve all that crap
Contemplating getting the S5....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is indeed possible, but not flawless. There is supposed to be some automation to it in the country the phone was initially lost, but either this automation failed or it's sucess is the reason it left that country. Problem is though, the idea is that they block the IMEI from the networks, but some countries are not part of this agreement/system.
I think the guy who is currently in posession of the phone knows perfectly well how it was acquired. Judging from pictures taken through the phone, the taxi-driver and the current holder of the phone may very well be related. Also, the phone had it's language changed to Arabic by the taxi-driver, this has not been changed by the new user (not that it prooves anything). There is also the fact that the SIM inserted in the phone in the country I lost it in, followed the phone over to the current country, where it was replaced by what appears to be a prepaid SIM. I don't think this phone was up for sale anywhere, I think the taxidriver sold or gave it away to some family member coming to visit.
As mentioned, I have no hope of having it returned. I'm not gonna push this too far, but I do feel like putting a dent in his joy over his shadily acquired device.
Drooling a little over the HTC One M8
Tangodown78 said:
That's the nasty part of stealing a phone. The Carrier will lock the "ESN" (Electronic Serial Number) so all they need to do is flash it over to another carrier... I.E. if you have a GSN type phone from say AT&T you can flash the software over to T-Mobile who doesn't give a flying flip about a stolen ESN (As a example) I personally have T-Mobile... They did try to make a law making req the manufacture to add a "Kill Switch" allowing the consumer to render the phone useless how ever that did not pass... SO Basically some one steals your phone that's it nothing you can do but buy another phone or hack into it like the OP..
TO OP: I'd go Impractical Jokers Style. Ease drop on him and play really dirty sounds (Porn sounds... moans/grunts etc) then Fry the phone... **** that guy he had to know it was stolen and if he didn't he's a fool... Check your ESN's People!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I've understood, in the European countries that are part of this agreement any locked IMEI number will be locked out of all mobile networks, this can only be worked around by changing the IMEI number or shipping the phone off to some country that is not part of this agreement. In the country my phone was lost the police send a notification to the networks when they recieve a lost/stolen report. Not sure if it went through in my case.
My list of options are limited to what my tracking software allows me to do, sadly (or happily, depending how you look at it) my programming skills are not by far sufficient for me to go beyond what the software offers, allthough I reckon someone with the right knowledge could use the tracking software as a backdoor into the device?
Wow. I'll be honest, I never thought them tracking apps would ever give you anything useful, but if your able to basically see every picture they take, take pictures yourself...I think that's crazy... wipe the phone....
What exactly can you do with yours? Read texts sent and received on the phone? Does it gps track its location on demand? Even if the gps is disabled in the device itself?
You said the one you have stays on the device even after restores and factory resets? What's the name of the app?
As for the locked esns.... If an American cell company like tmo locks one up, is that gonna stick over any of the carriers in the US? Basically, all 4 of them?
Cuz I know before, as long as you had a sim card, it didn't matter, you just swapped it for a new one.
Contemplating getting the S5....
Wish they did that here... though the explanation was for the poster above me... Id use what ever i could to screw with him... what ever happens good luck messing with the dirt bag
Sent from my LG-D959 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I would also like to know this app
Go the South Park route. Some cartoon parodies of Mohammed should be effective. Then again, if they are in a Muslim country they could get in a lot of trouble if they have certain content on their device.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app
yea... Mocking Mohammad not general a good idea... it will get you killed. I wouldn't want that on any one's conscience
Tangodown78 said:
yea... Mocking Mohammad not general a good idea... it will get you killed. I wouldn't want that on any one's conscience
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No different than mocking L. Ron Hubbard or Jesus. All of them are con men and are fair game. Don't believe the hype.
I am very spiritual, believe in a higher power, but I will never bow down to some schmuck just because I am told to.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app
c5satellite2 said:
No different than mocking L. Ron Hubbard or Jesus. All of them are con men and are fair game. Don't believe the hype.
I am very spiritual, believe in a higher power, but I will never bow down to some schmuck just because I am told to.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app
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Bro, dafuq, don't insult other members of xda. Calling religious icons schmucks will insult some people. THIS IS NO PLACE TO HAVE A RELIGIOUS WAR. So stfu and leave the thread back to it's topic. Thank you.
I'm using Cerberus. I had the same app installed without root access/without placing it in system/apps on another phone I lost a couple months earlier, in which case it gave me absolutely nothing. This one however, installed in system/apps with root access, appears to be "immortal".
I reckon they will have a comprehensive list of what you can do with the app on their homepage.
I don't know anything about how things are done in the US.
I'm not gonna do religious insults. I wan't to annoy him, not make him want my head on a stick.
Yesterday a sound recording convinced me he was in a crowded area, so I couldn't resist the urge to sound the alarm. Which is played at max volume. The picture taken of him when he touched the screen to stop it was not optimal, but it did have a feeling of desperation to it
App is still active today
Does anyone else here work in the technical support or any cellular related fields whether it's retail or customer service? Some people are really freaking ignorant of the technology or absolutely stubborn when it comes to how phones and service works. I am tired of people demanding a new phone when every little thing happens. Does a car dealership replace your current car with a new one when it's under warranty? No they fix the problem with the car. It's not my fault you moved and you don't have coverage at your new house. When you got your phone we gave you a grace period to try it out and determine if coverage is good enough where you live. Moving doesn't give you a new grace period. You're not under contact anymore so if you want to leave us...pay off your device and go. I'll even help you unlock it once you've paid it off. Backups, backups...holy sh*t freaking backup your data people. When an application wreaks havoc or you got ad bots or whether something software related fails you might as well be prepared to hard reset your phone. No, you're not getting a warranty replacement without doing that step first. You're gonna have to transfer your data either way so back your sh*t up. It's not my responsibility to ensure your pictures and contacts don't get lost. Take some responsibility for your data and educate yourself on how to save it. Warranty is not an upgrade path either. Don't ask for a different color or model. That one year by the manufacturer is for the exact model. We (the carrier) are nice enough to take care of the warranty on behalf of the manufacturer. You think Samsung or Asus will send you an upgraded or different device? Take it up with them. Don't whine and cry because you can't scam warranty and insurance for an upgrade. You want a new phone then pay off the one you have or buy it at full price.
Anyways just had to vent. Working in technical support is actually a lot of fun and I really enjoy educating and teaching customers how to use their devices and explore the world a smartphone has to offer. However the amount of rampant stupidity and unreal requests are absolutely absurd.
Tell me about it. Every. Single. Bloody. Day.
I truly, truly believe there should be a driving license for using a smartphone. The amount of people who have no idea how the device, the one that they entrust their entire lives to, actually works is damn near astronomical.
"My WiFi doesn't work. What did you do to it?!?! *insert expletives filled capslock rant about fraud and scammers*" To a provider that doesn't supply landlines, only mobile. About 80% of the people apparently don't know the difference between WiFi and Mobile Data.
Had this gem last week: Someone opened the charger flap on the S5, and the thing broke off. He bend down to pick it off the floor, and dropped the phone instead. Screen cracked, phone dead. Now that customer is demanding that the provider covers the repair costs of the dropped phone. He claims it wasn't his fault that the phone dropped, it was the fault of that broken off flap, and so it should fall under warranty.
"How do I view the photo I just took?" Why are you even using a smartphone?
This also happens about three times a day:
"My phone doesn't work." No other information, just that.
"Sir, which brand and model is your phone?"
"It's an iPhone."
"Which one?"
"An S4."
"Uh, sir, an iPhone 4S or a Samsung Galaxy S4?"
"Aren't they all the same?"
And then there's these people:
"I have a bill here for 300 quid of additional, out-of-package costs. I was calling a friend and forgot to end the call. You should've ended it for me. I'm not paying that."
Oh, and the amount of people referring to 4G as G4.... -.-
On the other side of that coin, I hate talking to the CS reps of ANY technology company.
"I need you to reprovision my data because your system thinks I have an iPhone and it's messing with my data"
"Sir, may I ask have you restarted your phone?"
and I have to go thru like 12 different times telling him to please do what I asked in the first place.
Or I walk into a T-Mobile store and the rep is telling me I can't use a verizon phone on the network, because it's verizon.
"But the phone comes unlocked, just give me a SIM card"
"Verizon is CDMA blah blah"
And I get to argue with the guy for an hour about how things actually work.
Or even worse when I try to get a warranty replacement device. No I don't want to restart my phone or factory reset it, or put in my Google Account login information again, or try a new SIM card, or anything like that.
The device is broken, I know about phones, just replace it and let's get on with it!
So trust me it's very frustrating for us consumers too...
Yep, definitely frustrating for consumers.
I have a phone that runs on unknown network bands, can I test a sim (i would pay the $2 if required)?
Nope, you are already on the best network.
But yours has different frequency bands
*Blank stare* Umm your already on the best network for reception
*Walk out knowing I could do the job better*
Sent from my fake galaxy note 4, now revived from the dead, again!
You do realize that the shop assistants are hired for their sales skills, not their knowledge of the product, I hope? All they receive is Sales training, not product information nor technical training.
Most of them couldn't tell an iPhone apart from a Samsung if their lives depended on it. Going to those monkeys with a tech question is like asking a 5 year old about String Theory. It's pointless.
You might as well walk into IKEA's storage section with a question about network frequencies. You're statistically more likely to find people with tech knowledge there than behind the counter in a provider shop. :laugh:
ShadowLea said:
You do realize that the shop assistants are hired for their service skills, not their knowledge of the product, I hope? All they receive is Sales training, not product information nor technical training.
Most of them couldn't tell an iPhone apart from a Samsung if their lives depended on it. Going to those monkeys with a tech question is like asking a 5 year old about String Theory. It's pointless.
You might as well walk into IKEA's storage section with a question about network frequencies. You're statistically more likely to find people with tech knowledge there than behind the counter in a provider shop. :laugh:
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This is the B&M guys, the "service technicians" on the phone, the "specialists" on the phone, the guys in chats etc.
I have never had someone who knew enough about networks, bands, actual device specs etc, talk to me from any portion of any phone company.
And I've been on every phone network...
orangekid said:
This is the B&M guys, the "service technicians" on the phone, the "specialists" on the phone, the guys in chats etc.
I have never had someone who knew enough about networks, bands, actual device specs etc, talk to me from any portion of any phone company.
And I've been on every phone network...
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From what I know in the EU, you never actually get to speak to the Tech guys when you call in. It's still only a Customer Contact employee. They contact the Tech department on an internal line, but the tech lads never speak to customers. Don't know if the US system is different (probably not).
Oh I've met my fair share of the technologically handicapped in the shops, too. One shining example is the idiot who told me, in 2013, that I shouldn't use Android because it was still a Beta version, and thus I would be at risk of viruses. :laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:
ShadowLea said:
Oh I've met my fair share of the technologically handicapped in the shops, too. One shining example is the idiot who told me, in 2013, that I shouldn't use Android because it was still a Beta version, and thus I would be at risk of viruses. :laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:
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Unfortuneately they hate Windows Phone to, which is a shame because aside from apps, it is the second best operating system (beats IOS by a mile)